reviews, releases and recommendations of LGBT media
Specific labels may vary but all the books in this post have achillean main characters & are written by achillean authors. This isn’t to say that you shouldn’t be reading m/m books which aren’t, roughly speaking, ownvoices. Rather, a place to celebrate the few that are.
Of course, I’m only human, so if you spot any mistakes or missing titles, let me know!
I’m sure Elisa A. Bonnin’s debut, out in 2022, is one that’s high on all of our radars (and, if it’s not, why not??). A Filipino-inspired fantasy, with a sapphic romance? The book of our dreams, I’m sure.
Since we, very sadly, can’t have this book right now (it’s out on 19th July 2022), but we do have Elisa here today to give us some crumbs to make us even more excited.
Taking a break from making very niche rec lists for a super specific trope used in an even more specific genre! So instead, I’m here today with books from various genres, featuring an even bigger array of tropes, but all of them sharing a specific representation. And yeah, the title gives it away, I know; it’s not a surprise all the books listed below have main characters who are on the asexuality spectrum. Hopefully, the selection is broad enough that everyone finds something for themself!
This idea is sort of born of this thread (which was a great thread, if I do say so myself, so there’s a little bit of overlap in some signs…but I’ve mostly tried to add new books), but I decided I wanted to turn it into a blog post featuring all LGBT books, instead of solely sapphic ones. And here we are! This post contains thirty six books, one for the sun, moon & rising for each sign. So, if you’re looking for a way to create a little fun TBR, look no further!
Of course, I couldn’t start this post without having mentioned Anaïs, who is vastly more knowledgeable of astrology than me, and who helped a lot with fitting the right books in.
Want to skip to your sign?
Dance a little on this rainy day! (Well, it’s rainy here, I’m aware that’s not true for everyone but bear with me, please.) I’m bringing you a few dozens of songs by LGBT artists, some hopefully new to you, some very popular. All amazing.
That’s not enough for you? Try all my previous monthly posts right here!
This month’s book of the month was selected highly democratically (i.e. I said, let’s choose this one and Anna said you do you). I have to admit to already having read (and LOVED) this book, so, yeah, I’m a little biased here when I say this is perhaps one of the best thrillers I’ve ever read. It’s tense and terrifying and you’ll be on the edge of your seat the entire time. It’s one I’d suggest you preorder, and if you scroll down, you’ll find out just why I think that.
(But if that’s got you very excited, I can highly recommend After the Eclipse as well!)
After a more chill July, following June’s…somewhat hectic schedule, we’re back to posting just a bit more in August, and have some great rec lists you won’t want to miss out on! But before we can get to that, here’s our wrap-up of the month just gone.
What do you guys think of our new layout for these posts? We do hope it’s easier to browse when books are at least roughly divided into categories! And when you have around 80 books in one place, it sure does that a while to look through them all…
As ever, you can find all our previous releases posts here and the rainbow emoji indicates an author who id’s as LGBT.
I’m sure you’re just as excited about this book as we were when we first heard about it. Firstly, it’s Gabriela Martins! (And if you don’t know just how much we love her on this blog, we interviewed her way back & featured her guest post in our one year anniversary celebration.) Secondly, who doesn’t love fake dating? So if you’re looking for a summery read (whether it’s summer where you are, or you wish it was), then this book will be for you.
This debut paperback original romance follows a Latina teen pop star whose image takes a dive after a messy public breakup, until she’s set up with a swoon-worthy fake boyfriend.
Fake boyfriend. Real heartbreak?
Natalie is living her dream: topping the charts and setting records as a Brazilian pop star…until she’s dumped spectacularly on live television. Not only is it humiliating—it could end her career.
Her PR team’s desperate plan? A gorgeous yet oh-so-fake boyfriend. Nati reluctantly agrees, but William is not what she expected. She was hoping for a fierce bad boy—not a soft-hearted British indie film star. While she fights her way back to the top with a sweet and surprisingly swoon-worthy boy on her arm, she starts to fall for William—and realizes that maybe she’s the biggest fake of them all. Can she reclaim her voice and her heart?
Gabriela Martins
Rep: Brazilian mc, Jewish bisexual li, lesbian Pakistani American side character, bisexual Brazilian American side character
Release: 3rd August 2021
I hope this Monday is treating you well (or if it’s not, I hope it improves soon). Today’s post is an interview with Adan Jerreat-Poole, a YA fantasy author, who spoke to us about… well, I won’t spoil it! You’ll have to read to find out.
And, don’t forget, you can follow them on twitter.
A companion post to the one from the beginning of the year. Over 100 books with canon bisexual and/or pansexual protagonists. Or love interests. Or really major side characters.
My guidelines for choosing books to include in this post were pretty simple: either a character just uses the label or the text makes it abundantly clear that they’re bi/pan. (As you can imagine, not a lot of fantasy or historical books use modern labels.) If I missed anything that you think should be on the list, please let me know in the comments!
Like always on this blog, the rainbow emoji indicates that the book is by an LGBT author. 🌈
If you haven’t read any books by Anna Burke, I’m going to need you to turn around and leave this site to go rectify that immediately. Anna Burke writes exclusively lesbian books, and they are, honestly, the best. Today I’m reviewing her upcoming release (which is the sequel to Compass Rose, so there will be some, vague spoilers!), out on 27th July, and one you won’t want to miss.
In the year 2514, the only thing more dangerous than the seas is those who sail them.
Life aboard the mercenary ship Man o’ War is rarely dull as hurricanes, swarms of jellyfish, and man-eating squid pose daily doses of danger. As intrigue and subterfuge from enemies old and new begin to surround its captain, the infamous Miranda Stillwater, even an uncanny sense of direction won’t be enough to help Compass Rose navigate these dangerous straits. As dark secrets bubble to the surface and everything she’s fought so hard for begins to crumble, Rose learns the hard way that she’ll have to rely on the only person who can save her from certain disaster. Unfortunately, that person is Compass Rose herself.
This swashbuckling 26th-century adventure novel is smart, colorful and quirky, yet it manages to deliver a healthy dose of heart, humor, and humility on every single page.
Anna Burke
Rep: lesbian mc & li, lesbian side characters
CWs: gore, violence, amputation
Release: 27th July 2021
Hopefully July is treating you all well so far (I’m sat here, watching torrential rain)! Today’s post is one that, with luck, you’ve all been anticipating. Anna posted about YA releases on Friday, and now I’m posting about the sapphic releases of the second half of 2021 (bi releases will be up in a few days too, so keep an eye out!). Not all of these have sapphic main characters, but they do feature (to the best of my knowledge) somewhat prominent sapphic characters at least.
You can, of course, find January to June’s releases here.
Undoubtedly I have missed books (we all know that, as soon as I post this, there’ll be five more to add, minimum), so I’ll be checking back on the post pretty regularly to add more.
Hopefully I got y’all used to those YA posts enough that you were actually waiting for this one. If not, just don’t tell me. But if yes, sorry for the wait and enjoy! There are over 105 LGBT YA books here, surely you will find at least a dozen or two to fall in love with.
And like always, a rainbow emoji indicates that the book is by an LGBT author.
Exciting news today, as our guest on the blog is Clara Alves, a Brazilian author, whose novella, The Mermaid’s Prophecy, was translated into English just last year. So, if you’re looking for something to read outside of the usual (US/UK) market(s), you should absolutely check it out!
And in the meantime, read this interview, and follow Clara on twitter.
