#book recomendations

[sscullysglasses]

Pride Month Book Recommendations!

A book a day recommendations from a variety of genres and topics! Below are 30 of my favorite fiction and nonfiction queer books. This is by far not a complete list but I tried to pull from some that I haven't seen recommended as much. Happy pride month and happy reading!

Fiction

Biography of X - Catherine Lacey*

The Great Believers - Rebecca Makkai

Martyr! - Kaveh Akbar*

The Rachel Incident - Caroline O'Donoghue

The Air You Breathe - Frances de Pontes Peebles

Dogs of Summer - Andrea Abreu*

Swimming in the Dark - Tomasz Jedrowski*

Monstrillio - Gerardo Samano Cordova*

Belladonna - Anbara Salam

Written on the Body - Jeanette Winterson

The Black Flamingo - Dean Atta*

Girl Meets Boy - Ali Smith*

Loveless - Alice Oseman

This is How You Lose the Time War - Max Gladstone, Amal El-Mohtar*

Valid: Dystopian Autofiction - Chris Bergeron*

Nonfiction

Let the Record Show: A Political History of ACT UP New York, 1987-1993 - Sarah Schulman*

The Other Pandemic: An AIDS Memoir - Lynn Curlee*

Before We Were Trans: A New History of Gender - Kit Heyam*

The Transgender Issue: Trans Justice is Justice for All - Shon Faye*

A Short History of Trans Misogyny - Jules Gill-Peterson*

Who's Afraid of Gender? - Judith Butler*

Ace: What Asexuality Reveals about Desire, Society, and the Meaning of Sex - Angela Chen*

Refusing Compulsory Sexuality: A Black Asexual Lens on Our Sex Obsessed Culture - Sherronda J. Brown*

Hijab Butch Blues - Lamya H*

The Argonauts - Maggie Nelson*

Gender Queer - Maia Kobabe*

Everybody: A Book About Freedom - Olivia Laing

Sister Outsider: Essays and Speeches - Audre Lorde*

How Far the Light Reaches: A Life in Ten Sea Creatures - Sabrina Imbler*

Girls Can Kiss Now - Jill Gutowitz*

*These books are all available through the Queer Liberation Library (@queerliblib).

[tainalenn]

Day 7 - chosen-one - Avatar Yangchen from "The legacy of Yangchen" by F.C Yee

I don't think I would like being the Avatar either :C

STILL LATE BUT TRYING TO KEEP UP WITH THE CHALLENGE

[spokelse-heks]

Pick a pile: Read this and wake up! The book the Tarot tells you to read to break free from your own cycle

Pile 1: Queen od swords, the lovers and 4 of pentacles.

What a superb combination of letters! They truly inspire me to think of authors with very strong, distinctive ideas that they convey through their stories, and they move you deeply. Examples of this type of story would be classic novels with social commentary, such as "A Room of One's Own" by Virginia Woolf, or perhaps "Women Who Run With the Wolves" by Clarissa Pinkola Estés. But if you're looking for something more contemporary, maybe "The Handmaid's Tale" by Margaret Atwood… although my top recommendation, considering my current reading, would be "Fear and Trembling" by Amélie Nothomb.

The point is to immerse yourself in social commentary and let go of the notion that things are the way they are because they've always been that way.

Pile 2: Knigth of cups, the magician and the fool.

What we're looking for here is a shot of escapism. Your life is incredibly dense, and these cards invite us to dive headfirst into a wild adventure, without a compass and free from the chains of your everyday reality.

That's why I'm going to tell you about my guilty pleasure since childhood… the Dragonlance universe books. They're not good, they're not great stories, but they empty your mind. If that's too tame for you, The Witcher series is wonderful and much deeper. The Outlander saga isn't as fantastical, but it has a romantic touch that I adore.

Even so, fantasy classics like The Lord of the Rings, or other similar authors, are also what your mind needs.

Pile 3: 5 of swords, the higth priesstes and the hermit.

In the third pile, the energy shifts completely. Here, the cards don't speak of novels; here, your soul is crying out for essays or even philosophy. You're coming from a period of noise, conflict, or mental debates, and you need to retreat into silence to seek profound answers.

If you've never ventured into this type of book, don't be intimidated: there are wonderful and very accessible options to get started. For example, I was deeply moved by Jostein Gaarder's Sophie's World, a very simple read that masterfully introduces you to millions of thinkers through a story.

If ecology and reconnecting with the earth resonate more with you, the author and botanist Robin Wall Kimmerer is incredibly inspiring and poetic to read. And if you're looking for something more raw and critical of current events, Virginie Despentes' King Kong Theory is a fantastic essay that will blow your mind. The topic will vary according to your personal tastes, but what this pile truly seeks is a book that compels you to reflect deeply and ignite your own inner light.

Dividers by @kodaswrld

[anne-bsd-bibliophile]

Tales of Moonlight and Rain by Ueda Akinari

“Our lives are like foam on the water— we cannot know but what they might fade away..."

- Ueda Akinari, "The Chrysanthemum Vow" from Tales of Moonlight and Rain

“Yes, strange things happen in this world. Among those who have been born as humans but end their days in foolishness and perversity, because they know not the greatness of the teachings of the buddhas and bodhisattvas, there are countless examples, from the past down to the present, of those who, led astray by the karmic obstacles of lust and wrong thoughts, reveal their original forms and give vent to their resentments, or turn into demons or serpents to take retribution. There have also been people who turned into demons while they were still alive." - Ueda Akinari, "The Blue Hood" from Tales of Moonlight and Rain

"No one else can know the resentment of one who dies of longing, waiting for another to come."

- Ueda Akinari, "The Reed-Choked House" from Tales of Moonlight and Rain

"He who fails to control his mind becomes a demon; he who governs his mind attains to buddhahood."

- Ueda Akinari, "The Blue Hood" from Tales of Moonlight and Rain

"Caught up with my anger, I took Bifukumon’in’s life in the summer of the Ōhō era and placed a curse on Tadamichi in the spring of the Chōkan era, and in the autumn of that year I left the world myself; but the flames of my resentment still blazed undiminished, and I became the Great King of Evil, the master of more than three hundred. When my followers see happiness in others, they turn it to calamity; seeing the realm at peace, they incite turmoil."- Ueda Akinari, "Shiramine" from Tales of Moonlight and Rain

“Reduced to this pointless existence, how long should I drag out my life, and for what, lingering in this distant land, depending on the generosity of people with whom I have no ties of blood? It is my own faithless heart that has let me pass long years and months in a field overgrown with the grass of forgetfulness, unmindful even of the fate of her I left at home."

- Ueda Akinari, "The Reed-Choked House" from Tales of Moonlight and Rain

"It can be said that an inability to express even a fragment of one’s thoughts is more moving than the feelings of one skilled with words."

- Ueda Akinari, "The Reed-Choked House" from Tales of Moonlight and Rain

"Just then, the peaks and valleys shook; a wind seemed to knock over the forest and lifted sand and pebbles twisting into the sky. In the next instant, a goblin-fire burst from below the Retired Emperor’s knees, and the mountains and valleys grew as bright as at noontime. Staring at the royal figure in this light, Saigyō saw a face as red as though blood had been poured over it; a tangle of knee-length hair; angry, glaring eyes; and feverish, painful breathing. The robe was brown and hideously stained with soot; the nails on the hands and feet had grown as long as an animal’s claws: he had exactly the aspect of the King of Evil himself, appalling and dreadful." - Ueda Akinari, "Shiramine" from Tales of Moonlight and Rain

"The moment he opened the door, a giant snake thrust out its head and confronted him. And what a head this was! Filling the door frame, gleaming whiter than a pile of snow, its eyes like mirrors, its horns like leafless trees, its gaping mouth three feet across with a crimson tongue protruding, it seemed about to swallow him in a single furious gulp. He screamed and threw down the flask. Since his legs would not support him, he rolled about and then crawled and stumbled away, barely making his escape. To the others he said, 'Terrible! It is a calamitous deity; how can a monk like me exorcise it? Were it not for these hands and feet, I would have lost my life.'"

- Ueda Akinari, "The Serpent's Lust" from Tales of Moonlight and Rain

The moon glows on the river, wind rustles the pines. Long night clear evening--what are they for?

- Ueda Akinari, "The Blue Hood" from Tales of Moonlight and Rain

"Feeling that the jewel of his breast had been snatched from him, that the blossom adorning his crown had been stripped away by a storm, the abbot had no tears to weep, no voice with which to cry out, and in the extremity of his grief he neither cremated the boy nor buried him, but pressed his face to the boy’s and held his hand, until, as the days went by, he lost his mind and began to play with the boy just as he had when the boy was alive, and, finally, lamenting the decomposition of the flesh, he ate the flesh and licked the bones until nothing was left. The other people of the temple fled in a panic, saying that their abbot had turned into a demon. Since then, he has come down the mountain every night, terrifying the villagers or digging up graves and eating fresh corpses."

- Ueda Akinari, "The Blue Hood" from Tales of Moonlight and Rain

"The truth is that one who greedily tries to seize it will fail: Prince Shigehito’s accession may have been the wish of the people, but when you resorted to wayward methods and brought chaos to the world instead of spreading virtue and harmony, even those who loved you until yesterday suddenly became wrathful enemies today, you were unable to attain your goal, you received an unprecedented punishment, and you turned to dust in this remote province. I beg you to forget your old resentments and return to the Pure Land." - Ueda Akinari, "Shiramine" from Tales of Moonlight and Rain

[duckprintspress]

Celebrate J.R.R. Tolkien’s Birthday with 54 Queer Fantasy Books!

Today, January 3rd, is J.R.R. Tolkien Day—the day we celebrate the legend’s birthday. It’s hard to imagine the fantasy genre without Tolkien’s influence on it. That’s why, we figured, what better way to celebrate than by having an adventure with an awesome fantasy book? And, as this is the first time we’ve done a queer fantasy rec list, our reccing crew got very excited, with the result that this is one of the longest lists we’ve ever posted. We asked our contributors for great queer, fantasy recommendations, and boy, did they deliver! We collected a list of whooping 54 titles, all thanks to Sanne, Kelas, Shadaras, Nina Waters, Shea Sullivan, E. C., Adrian Harley, Alex, D. V. Morse, Zel Howland, Shannon, Dei Walker, Linnea Peterson and an anonymous contributor.

Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu

Fire Logic by Laurie J. Marks

The Order of the Pure Moon Reflected in Water by Zen Cho

The Black Tides of Heaven by Neon Yang

The Angel of the Crows by Katherine Addison

The Witch King by H.E. Edgmon

Legendborn by Tracy Deonn

Witch King by Martha Wells

The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater

Heaven Official’s Blessing by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu

The Witness for the Dead by Katherine Addison

The Husky & His White Cat Shizun by Rou Bao Bu Chi Rou

Swordspoint by Ellen Kushner

Devil Venerable Also Wants To Know by Cyan Wings

Ruin of Angels by Max Gladstone

The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon

A Strange and Stubborn Endurance by Foz Meadows

Call Down the Hawk by Maggie Stiefvater

Someone You Can Build a Nest In by John Wiswell

Ash by Malinda Lo

Shubeik Lubeik by Deena Mohamed

The Watchmaker of Filigree Street by Natasha Pulley

Rust in the Root by Justina Ireland

A Marvellous Light by Freya Marske

A Master of Djinn by P. Djèlí Clark

When the Angels Left the Old Country by Sacha Lamb

The Monsters We Defy by Leslye Penelope

The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern

Little Thieves by Margaret Owen

Siren Queen by Nghi Vo

The Spear Cuts Through Water by Simon Jimenez

The Ruthless Lady’s Guide to Wizardry by C.M. Waggoner

Reforged by Seth Haddon

The Traitor Baru Cormorant by Seth Dickinson

Luck in the Shadows by Lynn Flewelling

The Bone Doll’s Twin by Lynn Flewelling

Umineko: When They Cry by 07th Expansion

The Will of the Empress by Tamora Pierce

Witchmark by C.L. Polk

Lord of Eternal Night by Ben Alderson

These Witches Don’t Burn by Isabel Sterling

The Brilliant Death by A.R. Capetta

Consort of Fire by Kit Rocha

First Test by Tamora Pierce

Can’t Spell Treason Without Tea by Rebecca Thorne

The Thief by Megan Whalen Turner

Hench by Natalie Zina Walschots

The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee

Carry On by Rainbow Rowell

Weak Heart by Ban Gilmartin

The Shepherd’s Crown by Terry Pratchett

Six Of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

Monstrous Regiment by Terry Pratchett

The Demon’s Lexicon by Sarah Rees Brennan

What are your favorite queer fantasy books?

You can find all these books on our Goodreads bookshelf of queer fantasy books.

Did something here spark your curiosity? You can buy it through the Duck Prints Press Bookshop.org affiliate shop. 

So many books means so much to talk about! Come, join our Book Lover’s Discord server to chat with us about aaaaaall the books!

[queerlitaroundtheworld]

6 Queer Novels from Africa

(that aren't from Nigeria or South Africa - I truly appreciate that South Africa and Nigeria have such vibrant queer publishing scenes, but this list is trying to highlight some lesser known books)

1. These Letters End in Tears by Musih Tedji Xaviere (Cameroon)

2. The Sex Lives of African Woman by Nana Darkoa Sekyiamah (set in multiple countries, author is from Ghana)

3. Obligations to the Wounded: Stories by Mubanga Kalimamukwento (Zambia)

4. All Men Want to Know by Nina Bouraoui (Algeria)

5. Stories of Our Lives: An Archive of Kenyan Queer Narratives (Kenya)

6. Fairytales for Lost Children by Diriye Osman (Somalia)

[oldshrewsburyian]

👒 - Book you like but not for the popular reason from the book ask, please.

This strikes me as tricky, not least because I don't want to position myself as Not Like Other Readers. But I spent a lot of time recommending Atonement, after it came out in paperback, and saying "You have to ignore the boring blurb about Love In A Time of War™; what it's really about is the power of language to constitute reality, and it's great." I stand by that.

[nonhumanglitch]

just started reading a book i got at the library (a super gay one, i might add) and it’s so good so far!! the main character is a furry and i really like the plot.

it’s called A Furry Faux Paw and it’s by Jessica Kara. it’s YA :)