Books!

he/him i'm here, i'm queer, and i want to talk about queer characters! icon by @queerbookcorner Aromantic and Asexual Characters Database

[transbookoftheday]

Welcome to Dorley Hall by Alyson Greaves

Mark Vogel is like the older brother Stefan Riley never had, until one day he disappears, and Stefan has to adapt to life without him. But, one year later, when he runs into a girl who looks near-identical to Mark, Stefan becomes obsessed. He discovers that other boys have disappeared, too, dozens over the years, most of them students of the Royal College of Saint Almsworth, many of them troubled or unruly before their disappearance.

What is happening to these boys? Who are the handful of women on campus who bear a striking resemblance to some of those who went missing? And what is the connection to the mysterious Dorley Hall?

Stefan works hard to get into the Royal College for one reason and one reason only: to find out exactly what happened to the women who live at Dorley Hall, and to get it to happen to him, too.

A closeted trans girl attempts to infiltrate a secret underground forced feminisation programme.

[profiterole-reads]

This book is unhinged (positive)!

[podcastlesbian]

Posted a huge book rec list for somebody looking for transfemme characters by transfemme authors, indie/small press, romance, erotica, horror, paranormal/low fantasy & decided to crosspost it here:

Principles of Non-Euclidean Romance by Ela Bambust Any Other Name by Ela Bambust Fern V. Bedek's work (Lessons in Lesbianism, We're Both Girls, Butch Boot Camp) Dulhaniyaa by Talia Bhatt The Dragon and Her Princess by Vyria Durav Autumnal Conductor by Lhuzie Fénzie The Wolf Bane by Sadhbh Frost Kimmy by Alyson Greaves Transmuted by Eve Harms Chasers by Eve Harms and Mariah Darling New Year's Eve by Tris Husband The Cosmic Color by T.T. Madden (small press) Love/Aggression by June Martin (small press) Patchwork by Savika The Hulderotica short stories by Kaya Skovdatter (not all of them feature transfem MCs & they can all be read as standalones, I've read Tender is Her Touch and it's fuuun) A Rotten Girl by Jemma Topaz Our Monsters by Jemma Topaz As Happy as Pirates or Burglars by Jemma Topaz (technically sci-fi, but much more erotica) Machines of Consent by Sophia Turner The Night I Got Dragged Home By A Werwolf by Autumn Wolff A Hungry Light by Zinnabelle Additional short story collections:

Witches Loving Werewolves by Ela Bambust Tempting Poison by Jemma Topaz From the Inside by Sophia Turner

[transbookoftheday]

Jude Saves the World by Ronnie Riley

Twelve-year-old Jude struggles with some things: focusing at school, feeling like everything rests on their shoulders, not being able to come out as nonbinary to their old-fashioned grandparents. But Jude doesn’t struggle with Dallas, their best friend in the whole world. Their person.

Jude and Dallas’s world changes when they learn Stevie, a girl in their class, has been ousted from the popular clique at school. Worried it had something to do with Stevie’s rumored crush on another girl, Jude reaches out to see if Stevie is okay. Stevie quickly becomes an important friend to Jude and Dallas, whose unwavering acceptance of her is a stark contrast to the tests and dysfunction she experienced with her former friend group.

As their friendship deepens and the three open up to each other, Stevie’s unconditional and open acceptance when Jude comes out to her motivates them to create a queer safe space in their community. Jude has the courage and determination it takes to create the first Diversity Club in their community, but will they be able to find the support they need to make it happen?

[pridebooks]

I did this last year in june but i think it's a little more fun to do a final count of the year!

how many of my books have you read

(and, of course, the usual reminder that a book being on this list is not a recommendation! I keep books I don't like, even some I hate, mostly for reference purposes!)

how many of my books have you read

0

1-10

11-20

21-30

31-40

41-50

51-60

61-70

71-80

81-90

91-100

more than 100

Voting ended onJan 8

[leebrontide]

Well, I had book 1 as free and book 2 as $5 as ebooks, BUT apparently we have to have some additional conversation about goddamn eugenics right now, so I am making them both free again until my get-these-books-into-libraries campaign. So for like, a couple weeks.

Would you like some FREE character-driven, very queer, late-YA scifi that plays with complex family dynamics, superheros, propaganda, medical trauma, disability, and eugenics? But that also aren't just here to depress you?

(Also includes one nonbinary author's take on the shapeshifting nonbinary character trope, and some girls who don't know if they wanna make out with each other or BE each other, and also an ace character who is just chill about being ace actually.)

You can get the ebooks here or here, and the not-free paperbacks from all the usual suspects. Book 1 has an audiobook on audible, book 2 and wider audiobook release for book 1 is underway. Also, should you toss me some money (optional) all funds go directly to proven climate orgs.

Secondhand Origin Stories (book 1):

An outsider with superheroic ambitions

A near-invincible teen with infamous powers

A prodigy with treasonous technology

A frail girl with a family legacy

A supervillian with mysterious motives

And a family fractured by secrets

Names in Their Blood (book 2):

After a spring they barely survived, the Sentinels, and their family, head to rural Minnesota for long awaited reunions and a chance to finally start to heal. But when they realize that genetically altered people have been going missing from the small town that houses the US's only full service hospital for genetically altered people they have to decide who they can trust- and fast, or thousands of people could die.

Reblogs very much appreciated!

Please feel free to pop into my asks if you want further content warnings or have questions.

[leebrontide]

Peer reviewed by Tumblr!

[pridebooks]

so i've been trying to start reading more again for several years now

and i think i figured out one of my problems is just decision paralysis at this point? because i never stopped getting books, so now just the books on my shelves include over 100 books i haven't read yet, and that's just books that are mine. that doesn't include the ones in the rest of the house.

so i made a list by going through my shelves and taking down which books made me go oh yeah, that one!, plus a couple from the house i've really been meaning to read, and limited the list to 40 books that i'd really like to read this year (including some rereads from years ago and some series i want to reread & finish). the key was that i didn't go through and pick the 40 i most want to read. i stopped making the list once it hit 40.

it isn't a strict list. if i want to read something else, i will. but when i'm struggling to pick a book, it's much easier to pick from a smaller list.

i've read an entire series already this year (5 books) and plan to start my next book today (one i've been meaning to read since i was maybe 14? it's been more than a decade)

[pridebooks]

tbh i think part of why so many people only read YA is because that's when they stopped reading

so many people stopped reading in the 13-19 range so when you start up again you go to the familiar, and then you're an adult who's reading YA and enjoying it so why would you change it?

but like. be aware of it maybe. perhaps try to branch out a little

[longsightmyth]

"The problem is people don't read classics anymore"

No I think the problem is people don't read WIDELY. The ONLY ya and/or fantasy romance crowd is just as insufferable as the ONLY classics crowd or the ONLY litfic crowd or the ONLY nonfiction crowd and vice versa.

You gotta get some variety in there my guys

[longsightmyth]

Upon this post I have seen people assert that nobody needs to read 'books by dead white guys' to be widely read with the context that they believe only dead white guys wrote classics,

People saying that because classics are in fact written not only by dead white guys you can get by on only reading classics,

And the classic (hah), people are just always going to be insufferable.

All of these have missed the point and are examples of why people should in fact read widely.

[moniquill]

Read widely. Read beyond what you've been told are 'the classics'. Read works by authors from other times and places. Read works by authors who are different from yourself.

[ephemeral-gremlin]

dare i add: read a bad book once in a while too. flex your critique muscles a bit

[longsightmyth]

Actually yes this last point is an extremely valid addition

Not only does it help you learn and hash out your critique skills, you might be surprised

[pridebooks]

Also if people are so pressed about people reading the classics, maybe they should put out editions that are readable.

People put out all these pretty covered editions of classic books.

Then you pick them up and they're on paper so thin you can see three pages in advance.

You pick another one up and the page is so glossy the reflection of the light source you need to be able to read creates a glare so bad you can't see the words.

You pick up another one and the print is so small you need a fucking magnifying glass to read.

You decide to get something else, because you physically can't read the classics.

[qbdatabase]

Nolan doesn't see darkness when he closes his eyes. Instead, he’s transported into the mind of a girl in a different world. Amara’s world is full of magic and danger--she’s a mute servant girl who’s tasked with protecting a renegade princess. Nolan is only an observer in Amara's world--until he learns to control her.

Otherbound by Corinne Duyvis: Nolan doesn’t see darkness when he closes his eyes. Instead, he’s transported into the mind of a girl in a different world.

Amara’s world is full of magic and danger–she’s a mute servant girl who’s tasked with protecting a renegade princess. Nolan is only an observer in Amara’s world–until he learns to control her. ….. View the full summary and rep info on wordpress!

[the-forest-library]

Dawn Treader Book Shop - Ann Arbor, MI

[lavendershowcase]

Community Recs | 08.24.

Community recs for this month!

Detransition Baby by Torry Peters, recommended by @yvesdot | "Torrey Peters deconstructs the taboo of detransition in a novel about three absolutely heinous people just trying to make the impossible work. There's snappy dialogue, clever insights, and catharsis galore; it is incredibly rough to read and simultaneously impossible to put down." The Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu, recommended by @justsome-di | "Danmei novel about a generation of cultivators through years of war and schemes. Follows rogue cultivator Wei Wuxian and the second son of a powerful clan Lan Wangji from teenage years to adulthood. A large ensemble of characters and a truly slowburn romance create investing subplots and lore that can be dived into even after finishing." Otherbound by Corinne Duyvis, recommended by @pridebooks | "incredible worldbuilding and characters, with realistic conflict in a convincing fantasy setting"

Community recs are a monthly list of LGBT books, recommended by you! Submitted a book but don't see it yet? Keep an eye out for future months! Only three books get posted at a time! Interested in submitting your favorite books? Fill out the Google Form here!

[feminist-space]

Tweet by Heather Hogan:

Straight friend: Will you sensitivity read my book for my lesbian best friend character?

Me, two weeks later: The lesbian best friend is absolutely perfect. Here's 16 pages of notes detailing the incorrect things you said about Star Trek.

5:32 PM on 2/25/24

[ettawritesnstudies]

READERS: FYI BOOKSHOP.ORG HAS FREE SHIPPING FOR ANTI-PRIME DAYS

This is a cool platform that gives back to local and small businesses so I'm affiliated with them. If you want to use my link to buy anything I'll get a small cut which is appreciated, but regardless this is still a neat opportunity to dodge Amazon's monopoly especially if you don't have prime.

[aroacesafeplaceforall]

Now everyone, I wanna see something, name 10 aspec characters. Doesn’t matter where they are on the spectrum just name 10 and here’s the kicked WITHOUT GOOGLING IT. I’m waiting both for admittance and for character recs

[pridebooks]

hazel stanczak from the art of saving the world by corinne duyvis (questioning ace lesbian)*

clover martinez from the last 8 by laura pohl (aromantic bisexual)

felicity montague from the lady's guide to petticoats and piracy by mackenzi lee (word not used, but very clear she's ace)

kylee from black wings beating by alex london (aroace)

georgia warr from loveless by alice oseman (aroace)

aled last from radio silence by alice oseman (demisexual)

gwen vere from an accident of stars by foz meadows (aromantic)*

ripley from the lightness of hands by jeff garvin (asexual)

hazel brownlee-wellington from hazel's theory of evolution by lisa jenn bigelow (aroace)*

elliot hong from sharp zero (demisexual)

madina matar from sharp zero (asexual)

kim garcia from sharp zero (aroace and agender)

starred items (*) i haven't read yet

i gave bonus ones because i didn't want to list 3 from one comic as part of the 10 (i was so close to having 10 unique titles!) but also. i want everyone to read sharp zero

i did have to look at my own lists, but every single one of these is something free (sharp zero) or i already own, so i figure that's no different from just looking at my bookshelf

[midnightmeadowpublishing]

The Princess and the Thief (our sapphic Tangled retelling) comes out in just one month.

Can we get some hype for this adorable, hilarious, fluffy, fantastic book???

[epidermishx]

just realised I've never read a novel with a transfem protagonist and I need to remedy that ASAP.

so: please drop your transfem-centric novel recommendations (bonus points if fantasy)

[haveyoureadthistransbook]

Hi, you can check out my tag with books with trans female protagonists here & transfem nonbinary protagonists here for all the books I've collected & posted about with trans female & transfem protagonists. There's also a substack list of new book releases by trans feminine authors here and a lot of them do include transfem protagonists.

My personal recommendations of transfem novels from my favorite speculative fiction genres are these: (the links lead to the goodreads pages of the books)

Sundered Moon by Fae Rynn (sci-fi with mechas, lesbian erotic romance, tw: facism and mentions of arranged marriage) - multiple POVs: mostly trans women, but also one cis woman)

We won't be here tomorrow by Margaret Killjoy (sci-fi & fantasy short stories with many, many trans women MCs, tw: facism, murder)

Light from Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki (coming of age and sci-fi, tw: parental abuse, transphobia, csa, sexual assault)

Fierce Femmes and Notorious Liars by Kai Cheng Thom (coming of age, challenge of the traditional transgender memoir, tw: self harm, sexual assault, murder, abuse, racism, homelessness)

Principles of Non-Euclidean Romance by Ela Bambust (sci-fi, an eldritch entity takes over the body of a dead man and experiences dysphoria, very, very good, tw: dysphoria, past domestic abuse, death)

The Seep by Chana Porter (sci-fi, exploration of grief in a futuristic utopia, tw: ableism, csa)

An Unkindness of Ghosts by Rivers Solomon (sci-fi, dystopia, fighting back against slavery in space with the power of autism, tw ptsd, psychosis, sexual assault, abuse, racism, slavery) - dual POV: one nonbinary intersex person, one trans woman

The Left Hand of Dog by Si Clarke (sci-fi, space exploration, great for fans of Star Trek, tw kidnapping, anaphylactic shock) - transfem nonbinary MC

Pet by Akwaeke Emezi (utopian fantasy exploring how darkness can fester if you get complacent, tw csa (off-page, mentioned), ableism)

Psycho Nymph Exile by Porpentine Charity Heartscape (sci-fi, horror, really dark magical girl story, tw: abuse, sexual assault, sexism, transphobia, transmisogyny, trauma and ptsd)

Tell Me I'm Worthless by Alison Rumfitt (horror, haunted facist house, a modern gothic horror exposing the rotting underbelly of british society, tw: sexual assault (very explicit), facism, swastikas, body horror, racism, transphobia, terrorist attack, a lot of extreme and gruesome violence, the british)

Brainwyrms by Alison Rumfitt (horror with a body horror focus, veeeerry fucked up and dark and good!, requires a strong stomach, tw: body horror, incest, csa, sexual assault (explicit), child abuse, domestic abuse, self harm, suicide, insects, parasites, gore, terrorist attack, toxic relationship, worms)

Manhunt by Gretchen Felker-Martin (post-apocalyptic horror, twist on a gender apocalypse, fighting men & terfs, sooo much gore, tw: gore, body horror, cannibalism, survival horror, sexual assault, pregnancy, transphobia, facism)

Bang Bang Bodhisattva by Aubrey Wood (a cyberpunk sci-fi detective noir story, currently still reading it, but I'm having a great time, so adding it to the list, tw: murder, facism)

As Happy as Pirates or Burglars by Jemma Topaz (sci-fi, trans lesbian erotica with d/s)

Our Monsters by Jemma Topaz (fantasy murder mystery with a focus on erotic encounters)

In the Garden of Echo by H.S. Wolfe (horror fantasy erotica, t4tVSeverybodyelse, tw: murder, gore)

Love/Aggression by June Martin (tVSt, magic transfem realism)

These Fragile Graces, This Fugitive Heart by Izzy Wasserstein (sci-fi noir technothriller, just started it myself so I can't provide tws, but its fuuuun!!!!)

I hope you find something interesting and fun to read!

[transbookoftheday]

The Pants Project by Cat Clarke

A touching, humorous story of strong-willed eleven-year-old Liv, who is determined to challenge his school's terrible dress code and change his life. Inspire empathy and compassion (and a few laughs!) in young readers with this stunning middle-grade novel.

"My name is Liv (Not Olivia)... I'm not technically a girl. I'm transgender. Which is a bit like being a Transformer. Only not quite as cool because I probably won't get to save the world one day."

Liv knows he was always meant to be a boy, but with his new school's terrible dress code, he can't even wear pants. Only skirts.

Operation: Pants Project begins! The only way for Liv to get what he wants is to go after it himself. But to Liv, this isn't just a mission to change the policy—it's a mission to change his life. And that's a pretty big deal.