• All Recommended,  Book Recs,  Literature

    Book Recs: Middle Grade

    28 September, 2020

    Have you ever picked up a gay middle grade book, in the hopes of something lighter to read in between YA or adult books, and suddenly found yourself bawling over it, because there’s something about MG that just hits and yet is so hopeful?

    If you haven’t, you’re missing out.

    So, in the interests of helping you not miss out any more, I have compiled a rec list of MG books for you to cry over*.

    *Disclaimer: you might not actually cry. I don’t know.

    Because I haven’t read huge amounts of LGBT MG myself, here you’ll find 6 books I’d rec, and 4 upcoming releases I can’t wait to read.

    Enjoy!

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  • All Recommended,  Book Recs,  Literature

    Book Recs: Sapphic Science Fiction (I)

    24 September, 2020

    After a last minute switcheroo, today’s rec list is a long-awaited continuation of all those other sapphic rec lists (all the previous posts are here) which you have probably forgotten about. On request, this iteration is the first of (hopefully) many sapphic science fiction rec posts!

    Same disclaimer as in that adult sci fi rec list (in which I apparently recced most of these books anyway…huh) applies: I really like hard sci fi, but I know that that’s not the case for everyone, so there are soft sci fi recs in here too (although by some strange coincidence, most of these recs take place in space…proof space is gay I think).

    And, because I like fun, 5 of the books on this list are upcoming! (Okay, 6, but does it really count when that 6th is out in 5 days?).

    So have a gander!

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  • 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!

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  • 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

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  • 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.

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  • 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.
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  • 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.

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  • All Recommended,  Book Recs,  Literature

    Book Recs: Adult Sci Fi

    21 August, 2020

    When I wrote up the schedule for this month’s posts, I was initially planning for this rec list to be a continuation of that sapphic series. But, at the eleventh hour, I changed my mind, and went with adult sci fi recs.

    Sci fi is, in all honesty, one of my favourite genres. And particularly sci fi that leans towards being hard rather than soft (as such, if you don’t like hard sci fi, you may not find a whole lot on this list for you, for which I apologise). And when that sci fi is gay? It just makes it all the better.

    So, here are ten of my absolute faves.

    See also: Adult LGBT Fantasy Books
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  • All Reviews,  Literature

    ARC Review: Spindrift

    19 August, 2020
    49245102

    Sometimes love finds you when you least expect it.

    Morgan Donovan had everything she ever wanted: a dream job as a large animal veterinarian, awesome friends, and a loving and supportive fiancée. But it all comes crashing down when her fiancée dumps her after realizing that Morgan’s job will always come first. And, while Morgan still has the job and friends, her heart is broken into a million tiny pieces.

    Emilia Russo is a burned-out shelter vet. When the unexpected death of her father triggers a mental breakdown that hastens the end of her relationship, she retreats to his house in Seal Cove, Maine. She plans on spending the summer renovating it while she figures out how to pull the pieces of her life back together. But when she runs into Morgan at the dock where her father’s sailboat is moored, her plans for a quiet summer of healing and reflection sink like a stone—the attraction is immediate and obvious, and Emilia finds herself slipping seamlessly into Morgan’s world.

    Each woman knows this fling will end when Emilia returns to Boston at the end of the summer, but they’re unprepared for the intensity and depth of their attraction. And, as the gales of fall begin to drive leaves like spindrift upon Seal Cove, Morgan and Emilia must each come to terms with how much they’re willing to give up to stay together.

    Spindrift

    Anna Burke

    Published: 25th August 2020
    Goodreads
    Rep: lesbian mc with depression, lesbian mc, bi and lesbian side characters
    CWs: past suicidal depression, death of a parent (off page), mentions of animal euthanasia

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  • All Recommended,  Book Recs,  Literature

    Book Recs: Sapphic YA Fantasy

    17 August, 2020

    The other day Charlotte made for you guys a rec list of adult fantasy books, and so here I am, trying to maintain my brand, reccing YA books.

    Specifically, sapphic YA books. I don’t have a particular reasoning here, I’ve just read a bunch of them this year, so it seemed quite obvious. I want to say right away, though, that I didn’t include Crier’s War here, despite it being one of my favourite books. I just figured y’all know about it anyway, so there’s no point! But this is your reminder that it exists, and that Iron Heart comes out next month.

    And hey, a lot of those 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.)

    Okay, let’s go!

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  • All Recommended,  Book Recs,  Literature

    Book Recs: Adult Fantasy

    15 August, 2020

    Full disclosure, this year has been bad for me in terms of reading and loving YA fantasy. Yes, I have loved some, but also I’ve been bored as anything by others. So I’ve turned a fair bit to adult fantasy — mostly avoiding all the white cishet men writing it, of course.

    This is not a definitive list of all the LGBT adult fantasy novels I have loved, of course. I went to write down possible entries to this list and ended up with about twice as many that I loved, and maybe three or four times as many that I would rec. But these are ten of my favourites.

    So, dive in, and I hope you find something to enjoy here!

    See also: Adult LGBT Sci Fi Books
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  • All Recommended,  Book Recs,  Literature

    Book Recs: Books With Less Than 400 Goodreads Ratings (I)

    12 July, 2020

    A bit of a different post for you today in that it’s not really got a theme as such. Instead I went for books that I’d rec that have fewer than 400 ratings (criminally) on Goodreads (as voted for on twitter, actually).

    There is a somewhat…eclectic mix here, for sure. But I hope it’s such that you will be able to find something you’re interested in, no matter what you’re looking for.

    Oh, and I tried my best to include books that didn’t have so few ratings just because they had only recently been released.

    So check it out!

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  • All Reviews,  Literature

    Blog Tour: Queen of Coin and Whispers

    4 July, 2020

    Something exciting for you today as we are part of the blog tour for Helen Corcoran’s Queen of Coin and Whispers which released last month. If you haven’t read it yet, and you’re looking for a sapphic royal fantasy with a slowburning romance and political machinations, this book is for you!

    For this tour stop, I figured I would make a mix for the book, complete with reasons why I added each song. Or at least, I tried to give reasons. Sometimes it’s just about how the song feels…

    Before we begin though, you can check out all of the other stops on the tour here and read my review of the book here.

    49245102

    ‘She loved me as I loved her, fierce as a bloodied blade.’

    When teenage queen Lia inherits her corrupt uncle’s bankrupt kingdom, she brings a new spymaster into the fold … Xania, who takes the job to avenge her murdered father.

    Faced with dangerous plots and hidden enemies, can Lia and Xania learn to rely on each another, as they discover that all is not fair in love and treason?

    In a world where the throne means both power and duty, they must decide what to sacrifice for their country – and for each other …

    Queen of Coin and Whispers

    Helen Corcoran

    Published: 1st June 2020
    Goodreads
    Rep: lesbian mcs

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  • Book of the Month,  Literature

    Book of the Month: Spellbound: A Graphic Memoir

    3 July, 2020

    It’s a new month, which means a new book of the month! As ever, there were so many potential books to choose from, so, if you want to see what we sadly couldn’t choose, keep an eye out for our August releases post later in the month.

    That said, here is what we did choose. And hopefully it’s introducing you to a whole new book!

    Related: Don’t forget all releases can be found in our monthly lists here.
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