• All Recommended,  Book Recs,  Literature

    Book Recs: LGBT YA books with supportive parents

    22 September, 2020

    If there is one thing I care about deeply when it comes to YA literature, it’s supportive parents. I firmly believe that at least in fiction, LGBT kids deserve only the best. And nothing can be more formative than your parents being perfectly fine with who you are (as they always should be!) & allowing you to grow up with love and confidence.

    So this is why this rec list got made. Because as much as I personally adore supportive parents, it’s still not the opinion shared by majority and books featuring them are scarce. All the more reasons to appreciate them!

    Read More
  • Discussions and Guest Posts

    Discussion: The L Word

    20 September, 2020

    Or, regarding the erasure of the word ‘lesbian’ from YA contemporary literature. I don’t know if you’ve noticed (perhaps you haven’t) that, while the use of some labels to describe sexuality is (wonderfully) on the rise, the use of the label ‘lesbian’ has stagnated, to say the least. So this piece will, hopefully, provide an explanation of sorts of why this shouldn’t be.

    A note to start: we’re limiting this discussion to mainstream YA contemporary because that is what’s most likely to get into young lesbians’ hands, especially if they are not so deep into talking about books on the internet.

    Read More
  • All Recommended,  Music,  Music Recs

    Music Recs: Love Is Home

    18 September, 2020

    Not to get ahead of myself, but this is probably the best mix I have ever made. Not just because I used only great songs which also work together very well, but most of all because of theme of those songs.

    I used one of the Twenty-One Love Poems by Adrienne Rich (from the collection “Dream of a Common Language”) as the original description of it & it should tell you better than I ever could, what the theme here is.

    I wake up in your bed. I know I have been dreaming.
    Much earlier, the alarm broke us from each other,
    you’ve been at your desk for hours. I know what I dreamed:
    our friend the poet comes into my room
    where I’ve been writing for days,
    drafts, carbons, poems are scattered everywhere,
    and I want to show her one poem
    which is the poem of my life. But I hesitate,
    and wake. You’ve kissed my hair
    to wake me. I dreamed you were a poem,
    I say, a poem I wanted to show someone . . .
    and I laugh and fall dreaming again
    of the desire to show you to everyone I love,
    to move openly together
    in the pull of gravity, which is not simple,
    which carries the feathered grass a long way down the upbreathing air.

    I think you will all agree that having someone love you makes you feel like you’re home, safe & sound. And gay love somehow makes that feeling more pronounced. And so here we are! Enjoy, and let me know what you think!

    Read More
  • All Releases,  Book Releases,  Literature

    Book Releases: Twitter’s Anticipated Releases, Or A Look at What 2021 Has in Store

    16 September, 2020

    A few months back, I asked people on twitter what five LGBT releases they were most anticipating in 2021. Yes, I know, five was very harsh of me, especially since I couldn’t even keep myself to that few anyway, but hey. You do what you gotta do.

    Anyway, I figured I’d turn those tweets into a post, to give you a little bit of a taster of 2021’s releases. Also feast your eyes on the gorgeousness of these covers so far! I cannot wait to see what else is to come.

    Finally, a little key (although bearing in mind that it’s a little hard to confirm rep so far out!):

    💗 = wlw rep
    💙 = mlm rep
    💜 = trans or nonbinary rep

    Read More
  • All Reviews,  Literature

    ARC Review: Crownchasers

    14 September, 2020
    49245102

    A deadly competition for the throne will determine more than just the fate of the empire in this riveting duology opener, perfect for fans of The Hunger Games, Aurora Rising, and Three Dark Crowns.

    Alyssa Farshot has spent her whole life trying to outrun her family legacy. Her mother sacrificed everything to bring peace to the quadrant, and her uncle has successfully ruled as emperor for decades. But the last thing Alyssa wants is to follow in their footsteps as the next in line for the throne. Why would she choose to be trapped in a palace when she could be having wild adventures exploring a thousand-and-one planets in her own ship?

    But when Alyssa’s uncle becomes gravely ill, his dying wish surprises the entire galaxy. Instead of naming her as his successor, he calls for a crownchase, the first in seven centuries. Representatives from each of the empire’s prime families—including Alyssa—are thrown into a race to find the royal seal, which has been hidden somewhere in the empire. The first to find the seal wins the throne.

    Alyssa’s experience as an explorer makes her the favorite to win the crown she never wanted. And though she doesn’t want to be empress, her duty to her uncle compels her to participate in this one last epic adventure. But when the chase turns deadly, it’s clear that more than just the fate of the empire is at stake. Alyssa is on her most important quest yet—and only time will tell if she’ll survive it.

    Crownchasers

    Rebecca Coffindaffer

    Published: 29th September 2020
    Goodreads
    Rep: pan mc, lesbian, gay and nonbinary side characters
    CWs: alcohol use, blood, gore, death of a loved one, emotional withholding from a parental figure, murder, guilt and trauma, science fiction-related violence

    Read More
  • Interviews

    Author Interview: Corinne Duyvis

    12 September, 2020

    We have a very exciting interview for you today! Corinne Duyvis very kindly answered our (increasingly odd) questions. Because guess what else is great about this interview? We rejigged what we asked! So here you have it, your first glimpse at not only Serious Writer Questions, but also who exactly would the author want on their side in a zombie apocalypse?

    And don’t forget, you can also follow her on twitter. And there’s still plenty of time to preorder her upcoming release, The Art of Saving the World (out on 15th September!).

    Read More
  • All Reviews,  Literature

    Blog Tour: Iron Heart

    10 September, 2020

    If you know me (Anna), you know I absolutely adored Crier’s War. And if you don’t know, you can just read my review of it. So when Shealea @ Caffeine Book Tours announced she’s organising a book tour for the sequel, I immediately decided I need to be a part of that!

    So here we are. Below you will find all the details about Iron Heart, five reasons why you should buy and read the book right this second (if you haven’t actually preordered it), and a very sapphic playlist. Enjoy! And please check out the full schedule for the blog tour so you can get more sapphic content in your life!

    An unstoppable love between two girls—one human, one Made—both set on destroying the Iron Heart.

    For too long the cruel, beautiful Automae have lorded over the kingdom of Rabu, oppressing the humans who live there. But the human revolution is on the rise, and at its heart is Ayla. Once handmaiden, now fugitive, Ayla escaped the palace of Lady Crier, the girl Ayla had planned to kill . . . but instead fell in love with. Now Ayla has pledged her allegiance to Queen Junn, whom she believes can accomplish the ultimate goal of the human rebellion: destroy the Iron Heart. Without it, the Automae will be weakened to the point of extinction.

    But playing at Ayla’s memory are the powerful feelings she developed for Crier. And unbeknownst to her, Crier has also fled the palace, taking up among travelling rebels, determined to find and protect Ayla.

    As their paths collide, neither are prepared for the dark secret underlying the Iron Heart.

    In this stunning sequel to acclaimed author Nina Varela’s Crier’s War, the love that launched a revolution must now pave the way for a whole new era . . . and the ultimate change of heart.

    Iron Heart

    Nina Varela

    Published: 8th September 2020
    Goodreads | Barnes and Noble | Book Depository | Indiebound
    Rep: lesbian poc mc, bi poc mc, poc cast, side m/nb couple, side mlm & wlw couples
    TW: body horror (chapter 6 & 14), panic attack, torture, murder

    Read More
  • All Recommended,  Book Recs,  Literature

    Book Recs: Urban Fantasy (II)

    8 September, 2020

    …or urbanish, since most of these turned out to be historical fantasies. But that still counts, in my opinion.

    But anyway! Today’s rec list is a continuation of a previous one, because I’ve done high fantasy, I did adult fantasy, and Anna did (some) YA fantasy. So where else to turn to next, but (back) to urban fantasy. So. Without further ado, let’s start!

    P.S. you can see what I recced in the first of these posts here.

    Read More
  • All Releases,  Music,  Music Releases

    Music Releases: LGBT songs of August 2020

    6 September, 2020

    The first week of August alone gave us a bunch of great songs, and then it only got better!! I’m very excited to share with you my ten absolute favourites, even though it was a hell to choose them. So don’t forget to listen to the whole mix at the end of the post, since it’s almost 60 songs long.

    If you want more music, check out all my previous monthly posts right here!

    Read More
  • Book of the Month,  Literature

    Book of the Month: The Magic Fish

    4 September, 2020

    After going slightly rogue last month and picking three books of the month, for September we’re back to usual, with just a single book. We had no trouble looking through our releases list and choosing this one because, in all honesty, it’s one we’re incredibly excited for.

    But anyway, read on to find out more!

    Related: Don’t forget all releases can be found in our monthly lists here.
    Read More
  • Wrap Ups

    Wrap-up: August 2020

    2 September, 2020

    I don’t know about you, but somehow August seems to have simultaneously lasted forever and also been as short as anything. It’s some kind of magic trick, I’m sure.

    Also can you believe it’s autumn already?

    But anyway. Enough of that. Have a scroll through our August summary to see what we enjoyed!

    Read More
  • All Releases,  Book Releases,  Literature

    Book Releases: September 2020

    30 August, 2020

    September is a monster month for releases (there are 100+ in this post alone, not to mention any that we might not know about just yet). And also one where, every time I felt I had the list down, I found yet another release. (Not that I’m really complaining, apart from having to edit and re-edit the damn thing so many times…)

    So, get yourself a cuppa, and have a scroll!

    As ever, you can find all our previous releases posts here and the rainbow emoji indicates an author who id’s as LGBT.

    Read More
  • All Recommended,  Book Recs,  Literature

    Book Recs: Arthuriana

    27 August, 2020

    A little while back, I touted the possibility on twitter of doing a rec list of Arthurian retellings, but gay (obviously). Now, I thought this would be a pretty niche rec list, but apparently not, which is why I’m here today with 10 gay retellings of Arthurian legend.

    First things first, I haven’t read any of these myself, and a fair few are upcoming because, as it turns out, gay Arthurian retellings aren’t that big a market (shamefully, let’s be real). So I have dispensed “why should I read it” sections, since all I can really say is it’s gay, it’s Arthuriana, why aren’t you as excited as I am already.

    One last thing before we start though. You will probably notice one book in particular missing and I just want to say, before people start mentioning it in the comments, I do know about it. I didn’t get along with it. That’s why it’s not on this list.

    P.S. if you want more than this post, I made a list on Goodreads of everything I could find.

    Read More
  • All Recommended,  Music,  Music Recs

    Music Recs: A Chorus of Ghosts

    23 August, 2020

    Some time ago I said on twitter that I want to make a music rec list & asked what vibe should I go for. Hannah Abigail Clarke gave me “songs at the midsection of 🌈 and ☠️🦷🦇”. (And by the way, if you still haven’t, you should totally preorder Hannah’s book, The Scapegracers. Teen gay witches!)

    I’m not going to lie. I was pretty liberal with that theme, and so my choices might not be the most obvious. All of them are by LGBT artists, of course, so all of them cover the rainbow part, really. But I treated the death and scary, monster-ish part in a few different ways.

    So there are songs that talk about dying & suffering (Die Alone, Martyr) of people, but also places (Tayf (Ghost). There are songs celebrating life (BL, Gaia). There are songs which vibes made me think of a dark night. And more! Hopefully my choices are self-explanatory, but please don’t ask me to give my reasoning in actual words.

    (The title of the mix comes from Tayf (Ghost) by Mashrou’ Leila.)

    Read More