• All Reviews,  Literature

    ARC Review: The Otherwoods

    Just a quick intro to this post from us today, in the interests of getting straight to the point. Have you been craving some creepy middle grade lit in your life? Well, make sure you have your eye on Justina Pucella Winans’ middle grade debut, The Otherwoods, because it fits the criteria entirely! And it’s out tomorrow, so only a few hours wait!

    And also only a few hours left to make sure you have your copy to start rightaway!

    The Otherwoods is calling. And it won’t be ignored.

    Some would call River Rydell a ‘chosen one’: born with the ability to see monsters and travel to a terrifying spirit world called The Otherwoods, they have all the makings of a hero. But River just calls themself unlucky. After all, it’s not like anyone actually believes River can see these things-or that anyone even believes monsters exist in the first place. So the way River sees it, it’s better to keep their head down and ignore anything Otherwoods related.

    But The Otherwoods won’t be ignored any longer.

    When River’s only friend (and crush) Avery is kidnapped and dragged into The Otherwoods by monsters, River has no choice but to confront the world they’ve seen only in their nightmares-but reality turns out be more horrifying than they could have ever imagined. With only their cat for protection and a wayward teen spirit as their guide, River must face the monsters of The Otherwoods and their own fears to save Avery and become the hero they were (unfortunately) destined to be.

    Justine Pucella Winans will have you cowering and cackling as you follow River’s reluctant hero’s journey, perfect for fans of Doll Bones, Ghost Squad, and Too Bright to See.

    The Otherwoods

    Justine Pucella Winans

    Goodreads

    Rep: nonbinary mc, Mexican American pan li, lesbian side character
    CWs: deadnaming
    Release: 12th September 2023

  • All Releases,  Music,  Music Releases

    Music Releases: LGBT songs of August 2023

    Summer is officially over! (Well, in the Northern Hemisphere, I mean. And even here you’re barely able to feel like it ended with those weirdly high temperatures…) But that just means y’all clearly need some new hot singles to tide you over!! Luckily, that’s exactly what I’m here to provide.

    This month’s the playlist is over 160 titles long, so everyone surely will find something for themselves! (And please remember, we’re always more than happy to add any songs you let us know about!)

    Want more music? Check out the previous monthly posts right here!

  • All Releases,  Book Releases,  Literature

    Book Releases: Bi & Pan Books of July-December 2023

    By now, after all the years of me making those posts, y’all should know the drill: inside you will find books which make it clear beyond a shadow of the doubt that their main character/love interest is bisexual or pansexual & only ones about which I am 100% sure (well, maybe 99% sure). I obviously haven’t read all of them, so please do let me know if you catch any mistakes!

    Enjoy, buy and preorder! And hey, a lot of those titles are (or will be) 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.)

    See also: bi & pan books of January-June 2023; 2019-2023 releases by rep and genre
  • All Reviews,  Literature

    ARC Review: In the Roses of Pieria

    Fans of lesbian vampires should look no further than Anna Burke’s next book. Think dark romantic fantasy, lesbian vampires, murderous fey, and you’ll have some idea of the content of the book. This alone should be enough to convince you to read it, no? But if it’s not, here’s a review that hopefully will!

    So, do yourself a favour and preorder this one!

    When Clara Eden is offered a job as an archivist working for eccentric estate owner Agatha Montague, she thinks her prayers have been answered. Soon, she finds herself sucked into her research world, captivated by a romantic correspondence thousands of years old. But as her feelings for her employer’s assistant, Fiadh, deepen, so does her suspicion that something about Agatha Montague isn’t right. Unfortunately for Clara, it is far too late to run by the time her suspicions are confirmed..

    In the Roses of Pieria

    Anna Burke

    Goodreads

    Rep: lesbian mc & li, sapphic side characters
    CWs: gore
    Release: 22nd August 2023

  • All Recommended,  Book Recs,  Literature

    Book Recs: Shakespeare Retellings

    Waaay back (also known as 19th May, according to the artist formerly known as Twitter), I touted the idea of a Shakespeare retellings rec list which (drum roll please) is now here! In general, it’s a somewhat limited selection of Shakespeare plays that get considered for retellings, so I’ve tried to give as wide a range as I can (within reason, based on what I’ve read and you know, trying to get a wide range of rep in too). So, here are ten retellings you should get your hands on!

    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.)

  • Interviews

    Author Interview: Rien Gray

    This is an interview we admittedly conducted a while back now, but with a new book coming soon (f/nb romantic suspense, for anyone interested), what better time than to celebrate Rien Gray and their works! If you’re looking for thriller and suspense, centering sapphic and nonbinary characters, look no further than their books. But in case that’s not enough for you, have a read through this interview to convince yourself of it.

    Before we start, quickly, you can also follow Rien on twitter, & preorder their upcoming release here!

  • All Releases,  Book Releases,  Literature

    Book Releases: 2023 Sapphic Releases (July to December)

    It’s finally that time again! If you’ve been waiting impatiently to find out just what the second dhalf of 2023 has in store for us in terms of sapphic books, well wait no longer! Here you’ll find a post chock full of sapphic reads to fill your TBR right up. It will, of course, be regularly updated, so if I’ve missed anything off this time around (undoubtedly true), then let me know and I’ll add it later on!

    Looking for last year’s? Find them here and here!

    Looking for January to June? Find it here!

    And hey, a lot of these titles are (or will be) 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.)

  • Discussions and Guest Posts

    Guest Post: Fighting for Our Freedom to Read With Pride

    Today’s post comes courtesy of Katryn Bury, author of the middle grade mystery series Drew Leclair. We featured Katryn a little while back during the release of her first book and we’re delighted to have her return, this time with a post about freedom to read. We’re in the midst of a proliferation of book challenges and bans, and Katryn brings us her perspective both as an author and a librarian. So, get yourself seated and have a read!

    Don’t forget, you can keep up with Katryn’s work on twitter and instagram too!

  • All Releases,  Book Releases,  Literature

    Book Releases: LGBT YA Books of July-December 2023

    So you’ve read the 200 or so LGBT young adult books which were published in the first half of 2023 and you’re hungry for more? Fear not! The upcoming six months also have a lot to offer. And I do mean, a lot.

    So go forth, enjoy and preorder away! And hey, a lot of those titles are (or ill be) 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.)

  • Interviews

    Author Interview: Kristy Gardner

    If you ever find yourself on the lookout for more science fiction to be reading, then let us bring your attention to Kristy Gardner’s books (if you haven’t heard of them already). The second of her series is out this September, meaning it’s the perfect time to dive into the first in preparation. But don’t just take our word for it, let Kristy herself convince you in this interview!

    Before we start, quickly, you can also follow Kristy on twitter!

  • Discussions and Guest Posts

    Guest Post: Nonchalant Magazine’s Must Read List for Queer Women

    Today we’re joined on the blog by the wonderful folks at Nonchalant Magazine, an indie magazine for queer women, who have very kindly written up a piece for us on their must read books! Here, you’ll find 9 books that you should be putting on your TBRs asap. So, dive in here, and then check out what other articles Nonchalant Magazine has for you to read!

  • All Releases,  Music,  Music Releases

    Music Releases: LGBT songs of June 2023

    Anna is away this week so, under their direction of course, this month’s music post falls to me instead! I’m sure we were all anticipating June to give us loads of new songs to listen to and, guess what! It has! Nearly 200 of them on Anna’s playlist at this moment in time. So, get ready to find your new favourite artist in all last month has to offer.

    Want more music? Check out the previous monthly posts right here!

  • All Releases,  Book Releases,  Literature

    Book Releases: Science Fiction (July to December 2023)

    After our month long hiatus, we’re back right into the thick of things with our fresh new releases posts for the second half of the year. As ever, these will be updated regularly, so if you have a book releasing that’s not on here, please feel free to let us know! Otherwise, we hope you find something to enjoy out of all the books releasing this year!

    Looking for the other posts?

    Contemporary | Fantasy | Historical | Mystery/Thriller | Nonfiction | Paranormal/Horror | Poetry

    Looking for January to June?

    Contemporary | Fantasy | Historical | Mystery/Thriller | Nonfiction | Paranormal/Horror | Poetry | Science Fiction

  • All Releases,  Book Releases,  Literature

    Book Releases: Paranormal/Horror (July to December 2023)

    After our month long hiatus, we’re back right into the thick of things with our fresh new releases posts for the second half of the year. As ever, these will be updated regularly, so if you have a book releasing that’s not on here, please feel free to let us know! Otherwise, we hope you find something to enjoy out of all the books releasing this year!

    Looking for the other posts?

    Contemporary | Fantasy | Historical | Mystery/Thriller | Nonfiction | Poetry | Science Fiction

    Looking for January to June?

    Contemporary | Fantasy | Historical | Mystery/Thriller | Nonfiction | Paranormal/Horror | Poetry | Science Fiction