Not the post we necessarily planned coming to you today, but a quick one we threw together at almost the last minute (haha blogging amirite?). If you’re a fan of historical fiction, then this is a list for you! Of course, it’s actually part two of the list (part one can be found here), but honestly, I’m a little happier with this one than the last, because I didn’t have to resort to histroms to fill in the gaps (which, let’s be clear, is not a bad thing, but I had a whole separate list for historical romances, as opposed to historical fiction which might or might not include romance). But anyways. I’ll not keep you waiting any longer for it!
A lot of these titles are available on Scribd, so if you want to check out that service but don’t have an account yet, use my invite code to get 2 months for free! (This also gives me one free month.)
A Case of Exploding Mangoes
Mohammed Hanif
Goodreads
Rep: Pakistani cast & setting, gay mc, gay side character
CWs: racial slurs, homophobic slurs, torture
Why Should I Read It?
I’m opening this list with a book that’s tonally pretty different from the rest in that it’s a book of black humour, so if you want something a little more like that, then this is the book to go for. It’s also a very good historical novel outside of that too, and definitely one I’d highly recommend.
Devotion
Hannah Kent
Goodreads
Rep: lesbian mc
Why Should I Read It?
From page one, this is a book that reads like poetry. There is a reason I’ve added so many quotes from it to sapphic lit bot. Kent is just so incredibly and unparalleledly skilled at making the world come to life and her characters leap off the page. If you haven’t tried any of her books before, do yourself a favour and start with this one.
The Pull of the Stars
Emma Donoghue
Goodreads
Rep: lesbian mc, sapphic li, gay side character with PTSD
CWs: child birth, stillbirth, institutional abuse, physical abuse, past child sexual abuse, mentions of suicide, mentions of domestic abuse, blood, gore
Why Should I Read It?
This is the first Emma Donoghue book I read and, honestly, it’s a book I still find myself thinking about from time to time. I don’t know how best to go about describing this book, except to say that it’s one that sticks with you. And that, I think, is the mark of a great book.
Sistersong
Lucy Holland
Goodreads
Rep: trans mc, genderfluid side character
CWs: misgendering, transphobia, violence
Why Should I Read It?
Sistersong is one of two books that I picked up entirely on a whim and it got me out of a book slump. That is the power of this book. At no point in making this rec list did this book not feature, so, if pressed to give one single book off this list for you to read, it’d probably be this one.
A Tip for the Hangman
Allison Epstein
Goodreads
Rep: gay mcs
CWs: death, violence, execution (beheading, hang, drawn & quartered), gore, implied domestic abuse, child abuse
Why Should I Read It?
This is a book best picked up with no knowledge of the persons on which it is based. That’s not to say it’s a book that can’t be enjoyed if you know where it’s going (and, I feel, you get a different kind of enjoyment from it in that case), but if you know little to nothing about Elizabethan politics and playwrights then. Let yourself remain thus ignorant as you read this one… Trust me…
Swimming in the Dark
Tomasz Jędrowski
Goodreads
Rep: gay mc
Why Should I Read It?
From the very blurb of this one, you know it’s going to be one of those tragique stories, that tugs at your heart, where you can’t help but root for a happy ending even as you know the best you’ll get is merely bittersweet. If that’s the kind of book you’re in the mood for, then read this one.
Swimming in the Monsoon Sea
Shyam Selvadurai
Goodreads
Rep: Sri Lankan cast, gay mc
Why Should I Read It?
A coming of age tale set in what is, it is probably safe to say, an underrepresented country and time (in Western published lit at least). I actually reviewed this one on the blog a while back and what struck me about it was the way it just feels quiet and warm, full of kindness, both towards its main character and its readers.
Under the Udala Trees
Chinelo Okparanta
Goodreads
Rep: Igbo cast, lesbian mc
CWs: religious homophobia, homophobic violence (resulting in deaths), implied domestic rape, miscarriage
Why Should I Read It?
The premise of this one feels heavy, it’s true, and there are moments where that heaviness is telling in this one. However, at its centre, it’s a book about love and loving, and it never lets you forget that. For all that it gets heavy, you can hold onto that, and the fact that it’s clear that the main character will be safe in the end.
Infamous
Lex Croucher
Goodreads
Rep: bi mc, British Chinese lesbian li
Why Should I Read It?
After a series of more serious books in this rec list, we take another sharp turn now into comedy! Not only is this a laugh-out-loud funny book, but it’s also one that is so full of oblivious sapphic pining, that it’ll have you yearning just as much. Frankly, the perfect kind of romcom, I’m sure we’ll all agree.
In Memoriam
Alice Winn
Goodreads
Rep: gay mcs
Why Should I Read It?
Anna won’t let me describe this one as a romance but, honestly, the heart of it is about love, that between two boys that causes them to go to war. It’s about a love that survives that war, and finds its way home. And if that’s not somehow a description of a romance, I don’t know what is! (Though I’m sorry to rec this now when it’s not out until next March, haha oops…)
What would you rec?
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