I feel that more often than not I learn about the existence of queer books after they’ve come out rather than before, because it’s been so much more up to the different readers to share the good books around, rather than good marketing promoting them before they are released. Mostly my strategy for new queer releases is finding authors I like and then lie and wait, scouting for new ones.
There were a lot of queer books released in May that I looked forward to reading, but not that many for the rest of the year, so hopefully I will find some new books reading through similiar posts.
June Releases
The State of Us by Shaun David Hutchinson: 2nd of June
Not quite sure what happens here, but the son of a democrat and son of a republican apparently fall in love, and it’s being compared to the other gay president/royal book ‘Red, White and Royal Blue’ that I truly loved.
Loveless by Alice Oseman: 9th of June
Asexual and aromantic main character coming out. Set at university, featuring lots of platonic love! I truly love Oseman’s writing in general, based on her other books (excluding Solitaire tbh).
Further Into the Future
Fence: Striking Distance by Sarah Rees Brennan and C. S. Pacat – 29th of september
There’s a comic series by C. S. Pacat called Fence that I thought had so much potential, but really truly sucked in quality and plotline and anything but the aesthetics. I really like Sarah Rees Brennan as an author and hope she’ll fix it.
Some of the guys on the team are gay, I don’t remember how many.
This is way too many books, especially for someone who have a pretty full-packed June at the moment, but things might change and I might make a dent in this list. First off, I have to let the graphic novels be because I’m travelling and can’t order them to me, while preferring to read physical graphic novels so much more than digital. Heartstopper vol. 3 and Mooncakes – I’ll read them this fall instead.
When we were magic by Sarah Gailey: queer female witches
Sawkill girls by Claire Legrand: horror-ish fantasy with enemies to lovers and queer girls
Out of salem by Hal Schrieve: nonbinary mc, lesbian mc, queer side characters and also lots of zombies. I don’t know how that works out either, going to find out I guess.
Every heart a doorway by Seanan McGuire: asexual mc and children diseappearing into magical lands
Wilder girls by Rory Power: a horror book set at an all girl’s school and a queer mc that i can’t quite figure out more about without potentially spoiling myself. This book review says; “feminist horror” and “hella gay”, so we’ll go with that.
Felix ever after by Kacen Callender: transgender mc, dealing with self-discovery and falling in love for the first time.
Brave face by Shaun David Hutchinson: memoir by a gay author.
Wolfsong by T. J. Klune: m/m romance, contains werewolves.
The last true poets of the sea by Julia Drake: my thought-process seeing this book was “hey look at that interesting title, wonder if it’s mermaids” then I investigated further and realized it’s a more serious story dealing with mental illness and the aftermath of a suicide attempt in the family, along with the mystery of uncovering a shipwreck and a f/f relationship.
Magic for liars by Sarah Gailey: urban fantasy/murder mystery standalone with bisexual love interest, a magical witchy school and lots of blood and violence and other questionable things.
Ship of smoke and steel by Django Wexler: a YA fantasy book with a bisexual mc that’s more of an anti-heroine, and also on a mission to steal a legendary ghost ships. I mean – bi pirates, basically.
The library of the unwritten by A. J. Hackwith: pansexual mc, also a former anti-heroine/badass who’s now settled down into being the Head Librarian of a “neutral space in Hell where all the stories unfinished by their authors reside” (from the synopsis). I have to love this, I mean – “power struggle between Heaven and Hell” sounds delightful.
Mask of shadows by Linsey Miller: genderfluid mc, also a badass thief. Fantasy with assassins and royalty and vicious circus acrobats apparently.
Poetry collections by queer girls
Aphrodite made me do it by Trista Mateer
Please don’t go before I get better by Madison Kuhn
Alternative title; it’s all worse and better at the same time. the irony.
Three things on my mind:
So .. my life right now just consists of math, more math, a tiny breakdown where I speak my grievances out loud, to mostly empty air and the occassional puzzled family members walking by, along with playing the mobile version of pocket camp, because I can’t afford a switch. Next week it’s going to be the same, if you replace math with physics. Ahh, this was not how I imagined the second semester of my first year doing a physics bachelor to be, but oh well. Right now it’s wolframalpha all the way.
So the situation is less than ideal (also see; bad internet – have to buy 4G when exams, physical health w/ chronic illness worse) and only two of my five exams is done, yet I’ve felt so much better the last three weeks than I have since the beginning of march. Who knows? Nothing much has changed, other than I also now have exams, but it’s a clear goal in front of me to deal with even though my body is in uproar.
Things to watch; Outer Banks on Netflix is a great tv series to binge, with a cast of morally grey characters, and some really aesthetic good scenes as well. The Goldfinch movie adaptation got really bad reviews when it came out last year, but I finally watched it (I LOOVE the book) and it wasn’t bad! Actually to the point where I would recommend it, if you go in with quite low expectation. It has the usual problems of a movie trying to fit a big and complex book (so many different settings, spanning over multiple years) into a two hour movie. But the moments it included, it included well. I especially love both the young and the adult Boris.
I’ve been listening to first “War on Peace” by Ronan Farrow, as I thought I could fall asleep to his voice narrating the strange world of diplomacy and the importance of it; turns out diplomacy in Afghanistan is quite interesting and the book absolutely fantastic overall. I really enjoyed 11 hours of that to have a break from maths, it was magical.
And then I started the audiobook version of “Catch and Kill” by Farrow afterwards, taking care to listen during daylight as it’s the most upsetting story about not only the wave of sexual assaults that was brought into light with the ‘MeeToo wave’, the most focus being on Farrow’s reporting of Harvey Weinstein, but how he wasn’t allowed to publish the story and kept from pursuing it for so many months. It was quite the journey, and I felt so much for each of the victims as we get to hear more about what it took for them to decide to come forward. Ahh, I’ll have to write its own post after I’m done with these exams, because more people need to read this book in particular.
I might have cleansed my head after all that by reading the three first books in the very YA “The Selection” series by Kiera Cass. It’s so cheesy, but what made me continue was how it was more ‘The Hunger Games’ vibe than I expected.
Added to TBR:
Felix ever after by Kacen Callender (young adult, lgbt: trans mc)
The program by Suzanne Young (young adult, dystopia)
The last true poets of the sea by Julia Drake (young adult, lgbt)
The mermaid, the witch, and the sea by Maggie Tokuda-Hall (fantasy, lgbt: sapphic romance)
Clap when you land by Elizabeth Acevedo(young adult, lgbt): I’ve read & liked “The poet X”
The good girl’s guide to murder (mystery): recommended by the author Maureen Johnson on twitter or something
Sawkill girls by Claire Legrand (horror-ish, lgbt: f/f romance I think)
If I was your girl by Meredith Russo (young adult, lgbt: trans mc)
Summer might not be the same, but the book releases are? Hopefully? I made a similiar post for Spring 2020, which cut off in April and is why May suddenly became considered summer by accident.
Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo
Release date: 5. May
Why I want to read it: I was impressed by the writing of Acevedo when I read ‘The Poet X’
Felix Ever After by Kacen Callender
Release date: 5. May
Why I want to read it: I’m really interested in reading more young adult books with trans main character, tbh. And it seems to have been received so well by other book blogs!
The Mermaid, the Witch and the Sea by Maggie Tokuda-Hall
Release date: 5. May
Why I want to read it: I mean, that title. I’m promised sapphic pirates, so I’m on-board, even if it hasn’t been getting the best ratings so far.
Why I want to read it: The first book in the series gave me all the queer witches it promised!
The State of Us by Shaun David Hutchinson
Release date: 2. June
Why I want to read it: I have a hit or miss record with Hutchinson’s books, but I really like him as an author. Also this gay book with the son of a democrat and son of a republican falling in love is being compared to the other gay president/royal book ‘Red, White and Royal Blue’ that I truly loved.
Loveless by Alice Oseman
Release date: 9. June
Why I want to read it: Oseman is one of my fav authors, I’ve read so many of her other books! And really excited to read what seems like a very personal book, with an asexual-aromantic main character. I’ve seen Oseman seemingly struggle while writing this book, and crossing my fingers it was worth it and turned out like she wanted it to.
Honorary Mention:
I wondered whether to mention Midnight Sun, the 5th long-awaited book in the Twilight series by Stepenie Meyer. ‘I’m never going to read this thing’ I thought, but then I remembered the big chance I’m going to meet one of my childhood friends this summer, where we both were sooo into Twilight growing up. And if so, I have to buy and bring with me this book, there’s no way to avoid it. We have to bash it together. For old times sake.
Also funfact; when the movies came out and also the non-readers of the friendgroup got their eyes up for it, everyone was very into one character, except me. ‘Like Edward was better than Jacob as a love interest in the books, I guess. Why does she even have to be with one of these guys?’, was kind of the vibe. But of course – I just really liked Kristen Stewart/Bella Swan the whole time, without realizing. And that’s on #bisexuality, with a major leaning towards girls.
The music and the mirror by Lola Keeley (lesbian ballerinas)
First position by Melissa Brayden (more lesbian ballerinas)
The lady’s guide to celestial mechanics by Olivia Waite (historical lesbians)
Almost home by Madison Kuhn (poetry)
Please don’t go before I get better by Madisen Kuhn (poetry)
Shame is an ocean I swim across by Mary Lambert (poetry, queer, tw for suicide and rape and probably more)
Her royal highness by Rachel Hawking (f/f romance, ya, enemies to lovers trope)
A matter of disagreement by E. E. Ottoman (m/m romance, trans mc, fantasy)
Wolfsong by T. J. Klune (fantasy, m/m romance)
Aphrodite made me do it by Trista Mateer (queer poetry)
Valkyrie by Sophia Elaine Hanson (poetry)
Damage control by Jae (lesbians)
Three things on my mind:
I’ve fallen in love with aesthetics like dark academia, light academia and cottagecore all over again. Mainly because I miss my homes, both the one in the valley village I left for university (cottagecore all the way), and the new one I created at university studying physics (where academia longing sets in).
In the same mindset I recently found two TV series and then the inspirations behind those, and didn’t realize before later how polar opposites they are. For the first time in a while I’ve been posting on my tumblr (same name) again, mostly about these.
“Deadly Class” is extremely violent and (kind of) dark academia, just with assassins and found-family trope. What got me hooked on this series is how much the main character reminds me of Neil Josten when arriving to the team in The Foxhole Court by Nora Sakavic. They’re equally lost, traumatized & untrusting of everyone. The comics are simply multiple bloodbaths (truly, be warned!) as they continue where the cancelled-after-one-season TV series left it. Definitely search up trigger warnings before getting into it. It’s as far from young adult things you can come while also taking place in a boarding school.
“Anne with an E” is the polar opposite, just pure periodic drama, which isn’t usually my thing, but this has enough queer rich aunts and a girl who can’t stop creating stories, along with flowers and cottagecore aesthetics ft. a lovely bookclub hut built in the forest. It certainly has its darker hardships as well as a farming community tries to survive, but I have one season left and I’m going to savour it. Newly added to my favourite TV series.
I wrote about platonic love in my review of the graphic novel I Think I Am In Friend-Love With You by Yumi Sakugawa and since it’s been roaming around my head. I really think we need more platonic love things and reminders. Like I love the found-family trope, but it doesn’t really dive deep enough into that special bond that exists usually. There’s a reason many love the “I would die for you” friendships of the Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo.
Let me know how your quarantine is going! Link a post talking about it if you want to.
It’s the cutest enemies to lovers story ever!! With royals! Or gay royal and bisexual son of president! American & british culture intertwined at its very best.
What happens when America’s First Son falls in love with the Prince of Wales?
When his mother became President of the United States, Alex Claremont-Diaz was promptly cast as the American equivalent of a young royal. Handsome, charismatic, genius—his image is pure millennial-marketing gold for the White House. There’s only one problem: Alex has a beef with an actual prince, Henry, across the pond. And when the tabloids get hold of a photo involving an Alex/Henry altercation, U.S./British relations take a turn for the worse.
Heads of the family and state and other handlers devise a plan for damage control: Stage a truce between the two rivals. What at first begins as a fake, Instagrammable friendship grows deeper, and more dangerous, than either Alex or Henry could have imagined. Soon Alex finds himself hurtling into a secret romance with a surprisingly unstuffy Henry that could derail the presidential campaign and upend two nations. It raises the question: Can love save the world after all? Where do we find the courage, and the power, to be the people we are meant to ben? And how can we learn to let our true colors shine through? , how will history remember you?
My thoughts
Rating out of five: five stars!
I’m just going to gush about how much I liked this book, tbh. I read it so fast and felt like I overdosed on cuteness.
The characters really bring this story, with its political intrigue, making out in the white house and private security trying to catch up with these stupid college-age and not very discreet adults. The sneaking around, the enemies to lovers trope forced on by pretending to be friends after making quite the scandal by their feud, it’s just all great. There’s romantic correspondence in the form of emails, talking about everything from popculture (so well-done as well) to the prince talking about his probably gay princes and king relatives of the past and how they didn’t have cameras following them around.
I didn’t think the main character being bisexual instead of gay would mean this much to me, but it really showed me how it isn’t a thing in most queer books I read, or at least not done in such a good way. There is something different to the questioning of someone who is bisexual, and how Alex briefly has to consider whether he could fall in love with a girl and not have this thing hanging over his very promising political career that he’s worked so hard for. It showcases how his and Henry’s experiences is similar, but also so very different. And then we also get such good and too relatable quotes like (I’ve definitely come to this conclusion more than once myself): “Straight people, he thinks, probably don’t spend this much time convincing themselves that they’re straight”.
My only problem with this book was how I really wanted them to go deeper on the politics game, but I realize that’s not what this book was and would’ve made it less mainstream. So *shrug*.
Feelings while reading this book: i might’ve cried a bit, but i felt all the feelings, and love it so so much. the writing was so satisfying. such a feel-good queer novel while also having so much conflict.
I need more cute enemies to lovers books right now, with all the political intrigue I can get, preferably queer ones. Please send all your recommendations.
I’ve always loved the ocean and therefore also books about everything in it, but I feel the young adult mermaid books often falls into the trap of being too stuck to The Little Mermaid plot and tropes! There’s other ways to do mermaids folks!
To Kill a Kingdom by Alexandra Christo
Full review! 3/5 stars. It was an enjoyable book with deadly sirens that had very The Little Mermaid retelling vibes and pirates that had a true Pirates of the Carribean vibe, thrown in with some royalty and princes as well. The main character is fierce and the book promises a killer and general darkness that it doesn’t quite deliver on. Halfway it turns more into slow-burn romance and trying to create a revolution which, funnily enough, was the predictable path. But if you like mermaids and/or pirates, this is definitely a book I would recommend!
The Seafarer’s Kiss by Julia Ember
A norse-inspired little mermaid retelling with f/f relationship, where the main character has to outsmart the God of Lies Loki. Relatively short as it’s just above 200 pages. Stunning cover art.
DNF’ed because I couldn’t like the writing, and that makes it incredibly difficult for me to get into any story.
In Other Lands by Sarah Rees Brennan
Full review! 4/5 stars. Incredible writing! This is a dream of a fantasy book, the ultimate fairy-filled tale I wanted as a kid, with a main character who’s a brat, but a smart one, and both supportive and tired of his friends. It’s less of a magical school as it’s a magical military academy, hah. So underrated, with gay/bi boys and main character! Mermaids is one of the multiple magical creatures here, so much less focus on them than in the other books on this list.
Lies Beneath by Anna Greenwood Brown
DNF’ed after really giving it a couple good tries. I wanted to like this book. It has evil mermaids!! I mean it starts out with “I hadn’t killed anyone all winter, and I have to say I felt pretty good about that.” Definitely give it a try! And it’s written from a male mermaid … merman? which makes it interesting. It just wasn’t for me.
Wake (Watersong #1) by Amanda Hocking
I really want to reread this book. Because from what I remember it was; good mermaids. boring plot. And a very interesting dynamic between four girls, a trio plus a girl who don’t yet know she’s a mermaid. It’s like H20 book edition, but also the mermaids have evil tendencies?? But I remember it being so interesting and a guilty pleasure. I have to reread it.
Of Poseidon and The Syrena Legacy by Anna Banks
Full review of the first book! 3/5 stars. I’ve only read the second book in the series as well, and it’s pretty much the same and equally as good. It’s just summer vibes with all the mermaids you need. Stubborn and awkward teenagers that tries to figure things out, just in the “you might be a mermaid” format, mixed in with mermaid royalty and some politics. It also has a main character that is quite the fierce girl, and throws a couple punches. A very character driven novel, with a good friendgroup.
Other mermaids book on my TBR (for another time):
Come to the Rocks by Christin Haws
A short story with 66 pages! I know little of it except it has f/f romance with a mermaid, and that’s truly all I need.
Ice Massacre by Tiana Warner
Another book with mermaid killers, which I really hope won’t let me down. I just hope it’s taken all the way, for once, without being worried about how ‘likeable’ that makes the mermaids. I’ve read it’s supposed to have a fierce female protagonist and a lesbian romance, so that sounds promising.
Do you have any mermaid or siren books to recommend? Preferably not the little mermaid retellings, haha.
It’s a young adult fantasy about an orphan Nirrim that has magical abilities (takes a while to realize), something that belongs to the upper classes in the society she lives in. Going through constant discrimination and trying to help those around her makes it important for her to keep her head down. But it also keeps her from developing or learning about the world around her, making it easy to be taken advantage of. Her fierce spirit lands her in prison, where she meets a stranger that transforms her life, and also starts a slow-burn of a queer romance. It’s a very character-driven novel and I really enjoyed it, while it was far from perfect. The magic system reminded me of a much less complex version of Warbreaker by Sanderson. A dubious 4/5 stars, for the f/f romance.
Vicious by L. J. Shen
You ever just pick up a book because it promises enemies to lovers romance and that’s what you’re craving. But while the writing isn’t bad, the dialogue is so cringy and you hope it gets better, but it doesn’t, but you’re too far in to quit, but it never ever gets better. Yeah, this is one of those types of books. I regretted even picking it up. It just has every element of a “rich bad boy poor good girl” thing, but never puts them together in a fresh or interesting way. The murders from the backstory that are never discussed much was the most interesting part, huh. I still give it 2/5 stars, for the good parts in between. I did like Emilia and her sister. The romance is not worth it, neither is the cringe. It’s almost my fault for starting to read it, almost.
The Serpent King by Jeff Zentner
Far far back I wrote a five star predictions post. It’s a lot of fun until you have one book left that you never get to reading. This was that book and I bought it, I tried to read it once. Gave up because I wasn’t in the mood. Tried to give it a real try the second time, but the writing just didn’t click with me, and that’s the one thing that makes it nearly impossible for me to care about a book. There was nothing luring me in. So I’m considering this a DNF, even though it has such good ratings and I can remember nothing from it already.
By grand central station I sat down and wept by Elizabeth Smart
An unquiet mind by Kay Redfield Jamison
When we collided by Emery Lord
The midnight lie by Marie Rutkoski
Added to TBR:
It’s kind of a funny story by Ned Vizzini (mental illness, tw: suicidal mc)
The shadows between us by Tricia Levenseller (new YA fantasy release that I’ve seen a lot of praise about): also has a female mc that is trying to marry and then kill the current kind, wooo drama)
City of ghosts by Victoria Schwab (middle grade or YA fantasy/paranormal): set in Edinburgh and especially Mary’s Close which was my highlight of my trip there!
When we were magic by Sarah Gailey (new YA lgbt witch fantasy): it promises queer witch girls and a good friendgroup.
The story of more by Hope Jahren (science book about climate change): the author already proved she could write with the fantastic Lab Girl, so I’m really looking forward to this book
Catch and kill by Ronan Farrow (nonfiction; about sexual predators): I didn’t know Ronan Farrow was the journalist behind publishing the Weinstein case before recently
Three things on my mind:
I’m not doing good in the middle of this. I wasn’t doing good going into it. Just got in touch with therapist again after radio silence since I left the city three weeks ago, so that’s good. I might’ve also gotten corona? Or it could’ve been any awful infection or worsening of any condition I had, but I was so incredibly ill for a bit over a week. I’m currently taking it one hour at a time, trying to not force myself to see this as extra time I should use to be productive, because there’s an epidemic out there and everything is difficult for everyone. Stay safe.
Our exams is still on; but from home and most of our grades are changed from A-F to pass/not pass. It’s so incredibly difficult to do things, but the external university stress at least brings some degree of familiarity. It’s funny how this whole year I’ve been like “as long as university stress is my without-a-doubt biggest source of stress, I’m going to be able to do this”. I was thinking about personal mental and physical health, as well as family trouble, but well shit, who would’ve counted on a epidemic. It’s also funny how before this really went downhill, I was convinced something big was coming and that the future months looked like a dark hole and why bother planning for anything. I talked about it with my therapist, I was like “what kind of depressive anxiety is this” and then it turned out to be real.
Two youtube recommendations; the amazing Conan Gray dropped an album, and Hank Green conveys a connection I’d been pondering on – how his (and mine) crohn’s diagnosis and this corona outbreak changing the ordinary carries a similar feeling
I didn’t think I would create a TBR because who knows when I’d get time to read because of university. And then it all went to hell and I need more structure in my life so here we gooo – a Spring TBR it is.
By grand central station I sat down and wept by Elizabeth Smart
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