#queer bookstores

[rainydaypaperback]

I have had a hell of a week IRL with a pipe bursting at my home and draining my entire well into my basement, running my well dry, and requiring emergency pump repairs… and then two hours after pump guy left my furnace died and required emergency repairs and actually needs a full replacement to fix the actual issue. All while we were having a record cold spell.

It also all happened in the week that I have had my bookstore for 24 years!

I would like to continue running a queer bookstore and running events IRL for people but OOF February is always my lowest sales month and I lost two days with all the stuff at home, I'm exhausted, and I am supposed to go to a conference on Saturday (2/14) to go get our local Pride group a significant grant…. which requires I'm off work again. The other cochair who could do it is already out of state at something else.

If you would like to help me out, I have many fabulous books for sale! I have a lot of weird out of print queer books! SO MANY LESBIAN THRILLERS. And by thrillers I mean if Top Gun was all lesbians. Really, so many sapphic shoot 'em ups. Plus the queer romances!

If you are in the market for brand new books we don't have or are an ebook person, I am part of Bookshop.org so if you select me as your home store I get a small cut of the sales and it helps break up Amazon's monopoly on the online book market. Jeff Bezos doesn't need any more money!

If you are an audiobook person, same deal with Libro.fm Plus it's all DRM free, listen on anything!

If you are in the area of Bethel, Connecticut (near Danbury) please come see me in person! I also run a queer book club once a month and a plant swap! Plus other cool queer events! Tell friends in southwestern CT or eastern New York there's a cool bookstore they could go see (and buy things from)

Plus there's a really cool coffee roaster next door too! DAY TRIP!

(and I truly appreciate reblogs)

[kaliarda]

ραντομ εικόνες από το βιβλιοπωλείο Πολύχρωμος Πλανήτης 💗

[thistle-nightshade]

I'm going to affectionately compare this to red white and royal blue, but just know it frustrates me when books are compared exclusively along similar plot points. This is two "rival" nations And two princes falling in love and a PR nightmare. But the tone is also similar to red white royal blue. The reverence with which love is spoken, the desire to do something more and better, to undo the mistakes of the past and build something more with the future. The sibling and friend relationships. So much of what I loved about rwrb is also in this.

The prince of Christmas is a fuck up who finds out he isn't as messed up as he thought, who grows into his good ideas and learns to stand on what he believes, which is anticapitalist, anti comidification of holiday and traditions. He fights to get back to when many traditions could all exist in their fullness, and I like that a lot. He learns hes worthy of love.

The king of Halloween married the Queen of Dia de los muertos, and I like the aspects of both that were brought in through their son, the prince of mischief and finding joy in hard times. The prince who loves ofrendas and reconnecting to those passed. The prince who can't swear without magically producing a jack-o'-lantern. Who isn't above using a little magic to tease a friend. Who is fiercely devoted to his duty, but learns to find love anyway.

These two are silly and mischievous and sickenly cute together. A great read, one I will want to revisit every year when the weather starts to turn towards fall and winter.

[queerazonbooks]

A Bookshop Of One's Own: How A Group Of Women Set Out To Change The World, Jane Cholmeley

A Bookshop of One's Own is a fascinating slice of social history from the heart of the women's liberation movement, from a true feminist and lesbian icon.

To step into Silver Moon Bookshop was to walk into feminist book heaven. The shop's remarkable owners made their vision reality; now co-founder Jane Cholmeley gives us the backstory with irresistible humor and courageous perspective. It's a captivating history of independent bookselling, politics, and friendship. I loved it. Barbara Sjoholm, author of The Palace of the Snow Queen and co-founder of Seal Press It's easy to start a feminist bookstore - all it takes is vision, tenacity, solid comrades, an incredible amount of grit, some social skills, clear politics and an absolutely wicked sense of humor. Jane Cholmeley takes us behind Silver Moon's counter to show us why and how they did it. Even the financial chapters are fascinating. It could be an instruction manual for any activist with a big vision today. Carol Seajay, founder of Feminist Bookstore News

Cholmeley's thorough and engaging book evokes the era, the politics, the mood and the challenges of the 1980's Women's Liberation Movement as filtered through one particular and memorable business which promised to put women's writing in readers' hands, and succeeded. Elsbeth Lindner, former managing director of The Women's Press

A Bookshop Of One's Own: How A Group Of Women Set Out To Change The World, Jane Cholmeley

A Bookshop Of One's Own: How A Group Of Women Set Out To Change The World, Jane Cholmeley A Bookshop of One's Own is a fascinating slice of

[sweetreadsict]

Been a bit since we last posted (2023 has been way too hectic) but we do have an exciting announcement in the form of Alex's latest book! If you like queer indie speculative fiction about witches and their familiars, look no further! The anthology has some 60+ compiled short stories and 7 gorgeous section illustrations, and pre-ordered copies are shipping out signed. Ordering & fulfillment are coming out of our shop, so head over that way to get a copy reserved ^^

[whilereadingandwalking]

This week, as part of our bookstore tour, Nick and I visited Sour Cherry Comics, a brand-new lesbian-owned comics store in the Mission in San Francisco. It was a joy. A fluffy white dog very politely met us at the door. Owner Leah Morett, in her cherry earrings, told us that he was the only employee of the store—working part-time. The selection was awesome. All my favorites were there, plus plenty I hadn’t heard of and could discover. For a small store, it had tons in it. A shelf of radical nonfiction and memoir, another of well-curated adult and YA queer fiction. Manga, comics for all ages. Squishmallows. Art from local artists adorned the walls. A genuinely comfortable couch. A dreamy mural of queer femmes living their best lives. It was subversive and accessible. Kids would love it, queer women like me could see the sparks of rebellion all around its edges, Nick settled in with a bright art book by a Finnish artist on the couch. It was an inviting place with something for everyone, and it just felt so comfy. We ended up sitting there for a while to talk about dinner plans. I went home with a Tillie Walden comic I hadn’t seen, The Times I Knew I Was Gay by Eleanor Crewes (which I’ve wanted for a while), and two more indie one-offs, plus two precious cat stickers. I’m so glad that I stumbled on the news of Sour Cherry opening before we visited, because it was one of the highlights of our day.

[queerasfact]

Support your queer bookshops!

A lot of independent businesses are struggling right now, so it's more important than ever that we support our queer bookstores.

Here's a few queer and queer-friendly bookstores who are taking online orders right now:

Hares and Hyenas, Melbourne, Australia

The Bookshop Darlinghurst, Sydney, Australia

Bookwoman, Austin, USA

Unabridged Bookstore, Chicago, USA

Bureau of General Services - Queer Division, New York, USA

Bluestockings, New York, USA

Glad Day Bookshop, Toronto, Canada

Please add those that I've missed!

[biandlesbianliterature]

6 LGBTQ+ Bookstores Older Than You'd Think

These six bookstores are some of the oldest surviving LGBTQ+ bookstores in the world, all founded in the 20th century. In these uncertain times, they need our support more than ever with online orders so they can continue to survive.