In celebration of Pride Month I’ll be sharing 30 books with some awesome queer representation. Will these 30 books be representative of all the varied, amazing works by queer authors? Not at all. These recommendations are personal and are heavily influenced by the genres I love and the types of characters I tend to connect with. All books on these lists are ones that I’m reading, that I’ve loved, and that I’m excited to share with you. In this series of recommendations, it is safe to assume that all books listed are Own Voices unless otherwise noted. Instead of inundating your inboxes with a post every day, these recommendations will be coming out every Saturday in June, with a theme tying each list of books together. Continue reading “30 Days of Pride Recs | LGBTQ+ Books I’ve Loved (Pt. 1)”
Tag: short stories
Advance Review: Today, Tomorrow, Always (Vol. 1)
★★★☆☆
Today, Tomorrow, Always is an anthology of varied short stories. This is this first volume of what will be a continuing series of anthologies showcasing what was billed as “a literary-sci fi-speculative fiction mashup at its finest.” So of course I had to pick this up, right?
All of the stories in this anthology were, at the very least, good. Some were too brief for me, some I couldn’t connect with. The rating for Today, Tomorrow, Always is essentially an average of all the stories contained within it. That being said, the ones that I loved were really brilliant.
Multilinear Memories by Gwen Tolios is one of those hypnotic stories that blurs the timeline of events and possibly the boundary of what is real and what isn’t. I don’t often love ambiguity in stories like this, but Multilinear Memories manages this feat beautifully.
Egg Toast by Elise Thi Tran is both brutal and lovely. Wren Sun-Lee confessed to her long-time boyfriend that she was raped several years ago and boards a train to her attacker’s house, picking up a carton of eggs along the way.
Skylight by Avra Margariti was so charming, I absolutely loved it. A young man discovers that the imaginary boy that he played with as a child was real and slowly befriends the man he spent years believing existed only in his head.
If the description has piqued your interest, it is definitely worth picking it up, but I can’t strongly recommend this for those who aren’t fans of this sort of multi-genre mashup. Continue reading “Advance Review: Today, Tomorrow, Always (Vol. 1)”
Happy Trans Day of Visibility!
I just wanted to take a moment to send some good thoughts to any readers who identify as trans or are under the trans umbrella. You deserve so much more than the hardship and discrimination you experience. This will always be a safe space for you, whether you are questioning your identity, still in the closet, or out. I see you, you are valid, and you are valued.
On this blog, I’m always trying to seek out books by LGBTQ+ authors and guys, it isn’t easy to find them. The selection of queer fiction on NetGalley is sparse compared to other genres and Edelweiss+ is largely the same. Take the time to seek out these books, because there are so many great storytellers who go unknown. I’ve highlighted a few of my favorite trans authors below, along with their books that I’ve read recently.
Grace Mead
Grace Mead (she/her) is a practicing lawyer of 17 years. She graduated from Dartmonth and has spent the time since practicing law in Louisiana. She draws on these years of expertise in her debut novel, Defense of an Other. Defense of an Other follows Matt Durant, a young lawyer recently single after a break-up with his long-time girlfriend. After several beers, Matt finds himself at a gay bar and the unexpected victim of a hate crime. In defense of himself and another man, Matt kills one of the assailants and is arrested. Defense of an Other follows Matt’s trial with all the wit and drama of a Law & Order episode, and then some. You can read the full review of Defense of an Other here. Defense of an Other is still available to request on NetGalley until July 8.
Ana Mardoll
Ana Mardol (xie/xer) is the author of several fantasy novels and a recent favorite of mine, No Man of Woman Born. There is little debate that the fairy tales we grew up hearing are solidly rooted in worlds where there are only two genders. Mardoll breaks this tradition in No Man of Woman Born in the most wonderful way. Xer stories are beautifully written, delightfully subversive, and I treasured each one. I cannot possibly understate how much I look forward to reading xer other books. You can read the full review of No Man of Woman Born here. No Man of Woman Born is still available to request on NetGalley until April 30.
Andrea Gibson
Andrea Gibson (they/them) is a poet and the author of Lord of the Butterflies, the very first book reviewed on this blog. Let me first say that I am no poetry aficionado, I find lofty prose just as dull as load of others do. So please know that when I say Gibson’s collection is brilliant, it is brilliant. Their prose is incredible and before I knew it, I had read the book cover-to-cover. So many of their poems have stayed with me all these months later and I can only hope that I’ll have the opportunity to see them perform live. You can read the full review of Lord of the Butterflies here. Lord of the Butterflies is still available to request on NetGalley until April 22.
If anyone has any books by trans authors or books that feature trans characters to recommend, please comment them below!
Looking for ways to be a better trans ally? I recommend starting here.
Review: Short Stories by Steven Penny
This post post features reviews of both of Steven Penny‘s recent short stories, End of the Line followed by Eleventh Night.
★★★☆☆
Meet Maeve O’Grady, just eight years old but already well acquainted with the harsher realities of life. Her workaholic mother and womanizing father fight incessantly despite their separation, but Maeve still loves them both equally. After another switching off between her parents, Maeve rides the train home with her mother. As she dozes, Maeve encounters a mysterious figure with more knowledge than he could possibly have.
End of the Line is a fast-paced story that shows the reality of a child living between two homes with parents that have only their child in common. My heart ached for Maeve, who was deprived of the ability to experience the world as the child she was. Instead, she spends her days performing a balancing act, trying to mediate the problems of the adults who were supposed to care for her above all else. The situation reaches a crescendo as Maeve is left to reflect alone as her mother sleeps on the train. Revelations come pouring out and the world turns on its side in a sinister twist that hits like a blow to the gut. End of the Line was published in January 2017.
Find this book on Amazon.
★★★★☆
In the midst of the Troubles, our narrator meets the beautiful Sadie Murphy at a dance. Though they have only a fleeting moment together, her memory persists until they meet again, on opposite sides of a town divided. Decades later he recounts the memory of the woman he thought he’d marry over drinks at the local pub.
This story is very brief, but also quite touching. In the midst of conflict that was pervasive Northern Ireland, a love blooms between two people of heritages on either side of the Troubles. Despite knowing they were doomed, it’s hard not to get enthralled as their relationship blooms from acquaintances to lovers over a year. Eleventh Night was published April 16, 2018.
Find this book on Amazon.
I received my copies of End of the Line and Eleventh Night from Steven Penny in exchange for honest reviews.
The Book Stack 