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aquila1nz · 6 days ago

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Mag’s Sapphic Book Recs Part 2

Part 1

I read more sapphic books in 2024 so here are more books to check out! Note: these are not necessarily books that came out in 2024, just books I read last year.

ADULT

Can we start off light with some romance? -Bachelorette Number 12 by Jae - A really sweet and fun book, about two medical professionals who don't get along having to go on dates due to a charity bid snafu. The banter was really fun, and as they get to know each other, it turned super sweet. -Lavash at First Sight by Taleen Voskuni - Two women get to know and develop feelings for each other despite their family's rivalry, all set during a food packaging conference. Really sweet and made me very hungry. -Satisfaction Guaranteed by Karelia Stetz-Waters - Two strangers inherit a sex toy shop, which forces them to work together and get to know each other. A good amount of fun sexiness but also great emotions and sweetness! -Loser of the Year by Carrie Byrd - Two teachers clash but then work together on the school play and develop a relationship. The humor in this book is wonderful, as are all the little reveals about the characters and their history as the story goes along. One of the most entertaining reading styles, so much heart and humor. -Looking for a Sign by Susie Dumond - A sweet and spicy story about a woman determined to date someone from each astrological sign. Some of the dates go well, some go disastrously, and all throughout you root for her to find someone who will be her match! -Outdrawn by Deanna Grey - Set at a comic company, two rivals attempt to work together to reboot a cult classic comic. I loved the peek into artist life and how the two clash and get together. While a novel, the book had some really fun art and sketches throughout!

How about romance but make it a little sad? -Here We Go Again by Alison Chochrun - Two childhood friends-turned-rivals who then had a falling out are roped into a cross-country road trip with their dying English teacher. A standout book about love, adventure, and loss. Get your tissues ready. -Forgetting With You by Robin Clairvaux - After an unlikely one-night-stand, two women find themselves still pulled together, and help each other through loss and life issues. Really sweet overall.

I know it's January but I'm still in the mood for some holiday romances! -I'll Be Gone for Christmas by Georgia K. Boone - swapping houses for the holidays is already tricky, but with the complicated dynamics of the lives they leave behind, this one gets deliciously messy at times! -It's a Fabulous Life by Kelly Farmer - an adaptation of the Christmas classic film It's a Beautiful Life, but the angels are drag queens with special powers! That alone caught my attention, but then the characters and lovely town kept me glued to the story. -Season of Love by Helena Greer - Your classic "woman inherits a Christmas tree farm and now she has to decide if she wants to save it from going under" story but with a fun twist: she's Jewish and gay! A really sweet romance.

Got anything way spicier? -The Black Diamond series by Anna Stone - this three-book series follows each sister in the Black family as they get down and sexy but also find love. The connected story through all three volumes was also very interesting with some fun twists along the way. -Triple Sec by TJ Alexander - a bartender is wooed by a polyamorous couple. I love a sexy book but I especially love a sexy book with a lot of warmth and heart to it and this one definitely had that! -One Weekend in Aspen by Jamie Clevenger - an amazingly heartfelt and emotional story about a lesbian weekend sex party in Aspen, and how two women meet and fall in love during it. -Dragon Queens by Kathleen de Plume - this one is a fantasy but has so much spice I wanted to include it here. A princess flees to avoid her marriage and is captured by a bounty hunter, but the two make a deal to pretend to be involved so the princess' betrothed won't want to go through with the marriage.

Romance is fun, but how about something more based in history? -Cantoras by Caro de Robertis - This book is one of my top reads for 2024, it was incredibly emotional, about five queer women who meet during the Uruguayan regime and find refuge and solace in each other and in a quiet beach cottage they decide to claim as their own. -The Ballad of Jacquotte Delahaye by Briony Cameron - queer pirate adventures on the high seas, this book filled that Our Flag Means Death hole in my heart with its sweet found family and daring action. -The Duke's Sister And I by Emma-Claire Sunday - a period drama where the main female character falls for her male suitor's sister. The characters are lovely and the story has a slow, cozy pace.

Can we get into some fantasy now? -The Alamaxa Duology by Hadeer Elsbai - I loved both books in this series. Really interesting society, elemental-based magic system, and two women fighting against misogynistic laws. Loved so many of these characters and found myself surprisingly emotional when something happened to them. -A Sweet Sting of Salt by Rose Sutherland - There's nothing like a selkie story and this one was so sweet and a bit heartbreaking. Loved it dearly. -The Order by TJ O'Shae - A young woman is kidnapped by an assassin rebel, part of a group trying to topple her father's regime. This book is a slow, winding burn. Really well-developed characters with complicated backstories and motivations. -Three Women in Paradise by Victoria Avila - A story inspired by Dante's Inferno, with many references to other classic art. Another favorite read for 2024. Loved this absolutely bizarre story that tore me apart and put me back together again. The writing really pulled me in. -Faebound by Saara El-Arifi - Two elven sisters have to leave the Elf Court and find themselves in an unknown wilderness where they encounter the Fae court. There's magical creatures, special bonds, and falling in love with the wrong people, it's got it all! Excited for the sequel coming out soon. -This Will Be Fun by E. B. Asher - The title says it all, it was fun! A group of adventurers already saved the world and broke apart due to the strain and trauma afterwards, but now have to come back together for one more important mission. -The Phoenix Keeper by S. A. MacLean - I love a story around animals, and this one takes place in a zoo for magical and mythical creatures! The main character and her love interest are rivals but as they came to understand each other, their relationship became very sweet. -Road to Ruin by Hana Lee - this book has three POV characters and I loved every single one of them. There's such a sweet way each one of them is described and how they connect and move throughout this very original world. The ending broke my heart a bit and I hope the sequel will fix it! -A Dark and Drowning Tide by Allison Saft - While on an expedition to find a fabled spring that promises untold power, two academic rivals must team up together to solve their mentor's murder! Can you tell I love people who hate each other teaming up? Cause I dooooo.

Enough magic, anything more sciency? -No Shelter But the Stars by Virginia Black - Two women from opposite sides of an intergalactic conflict become stranded on the same strange alien planet and have to work together to survive. An absolutely gripping journey. -Afterparty by Daryl Gregory - This book was amazing. A drug is making people believe they can see god with dangerous outcomes. A woman has to delve back into her past to find out who's released the drug and for what purpose. Gregory writes with surgical precision.

Now can you scare my socks off? -Please Stop Trying to Leave Me by Alana Saab - okay, not technically a horror book, but one that filled me with a lot of dread and fear just due to its subject matter. The main character deals with a lot of mental and emotional issues, things like that god sends her signs through instagram or that she needs to breakup with her girlfriend to finish writing her manuscript. The book takes a turn I wasn't expecting and I found it very touching by the end. -We Used to Live Here by Marcus Kliewer - A couple just moved into a new home they intend to flip and a family claiming to have lived there before asks if they can come inside to see the house again. Reads like a creepypasta in the best way. This book kept me on my toes. -Someone You Can Build a Nest In by John Wiswell - A shapeshifting monster finds herself falling for a human woman and wanting to implant her with her eggs, but that would kill her. What's a shapeshifting monster to do? This book is surprisingly sweet and romantic despite that description. And it explores themes like who are the real monsters. -The Girl With All the Gifts by Mike Carey - Unlike most of the books on this list, this book doesn't have a sapphic relationship, but the main character is sapphic. A very unique take on the usual zombie apocalypse story

I want to read something with lots of art! -Crowded written by Christopher Sebela, with art by Triona Farrell, Ro Stein, and Ted Brandt - this three-book series is an absolute, fun, action-filled adventure. This world has a hit-man crowdfunding website and a woman has a hit put out on her that gets so many contributions she has the whole country after her! She has to hire a bodyguard and both their lives go to shit from there. -A Thing Called Truth written by Iolanda Zanfardin with art by Elisa Romboli - A workaholic scientist and a woman who fears nothing end up on a road trip where they re-enact scenes from movies. It's a story of self-discovery, and dealing with change and loss. They just had a successful Kickstarter for the second book to end the series!

YOUNG ADULT

Phew, okay I'm ready for some sweet romances again! -The Falling in Love Montage by Ciara Smyth - Two young teens agree to a no-strings-attached summer of dates that imitate a romance movie's usual "falling in love montage." But of course, you can't have the montage without the falling in love part! A very sweet romance. -Hot Dog Girl by Jennifer Dugan - I love stories set in theme parks and this one did not disappoint! A young girl wants to get the boy she likes to fall in love with her and break up with his perfect gf, and save the park from closing down. Much of it doesn't go as she expects. ;) -If You Still Recognize Me by Cynthia So - Two old friends connect after a long time and find themselves feeling as if they had never left. A surprisingly complex story about friendship, lost love, and reconnection. -Wish You Weren't Here by Erin Baldwin - Two girls who can't stand each other also can't avoid each other in their small town and friend groups. Generally, they avoid each other but somehow get put into the same cabin at their sleepaway camp. From there, they get to grow a better understanding of each other!

Alright I'm ready for more of a thriller vibe! -The Girls I've Been by Tess Sharpe - This book was a fun thrill ride all the way through! Three friends dealing with some secrets coming out amongst each other find themselves caught up in a bank robbery. The main character has a complicated history that makes her uniquely equipped to deal with this dangerous situation. I also include the sequel, The Girl In Question in this rec!

Some escapism please, now back to fantasy! -The Invocations by Krystal Sutherland - three girls go after one supernatural killer. This book has such great structure and pacing. I loved how the three girls have very different goals and reasons that all align towards the same objective. Loved the writing and it stuck with me even after finishing. -The Misadventures of an Amateur Naturalist by Ceinwen Langley - one of the most original retellings of Beauty and the Beast! Loved all the changes and the way the author really made this classic story their own -This Ravenous Fate by Hayley Dennings - New take on vampires set in the backdrop of Jazz Age Harlem? Sign me the fuck up. Also, this has problematic past-best friends who are now enemies who now have to work together which is deeeelicious.

Now let's get into some science fiction! -Monstersona by Chloe Spencer - Two girls escape their small town after a vicious large monster attack leaves it all burnt down. I don't want to say too much more because the fun mysteries and surprises this story weaves are better discovered by reading it!

Now can you scare me but just a little bit? -I Will Never Leave You by Kara A. Kennedy - This book deals with a very toxic and controlling relationship, one that continues even after death. It touched on a very real and difficult topic in a great way that only horror could really pull off. I felt so much for the protagonist as she struggled to figure herself out through this relationship. -The Blonde Dies First by Joelle Wellington - This book had a great combination of mystery and thriller along with horror. It deals with evil spirits along with teen horror movie tropes in really interesting and original ways. All the characters were very engaging and their relationships were very complex, especially the sisters' relationship.

Let's get into some stories with lots of pictures again! -Sunhead by Alex Assan - There was such a sweetness to this graphic novel, about a girl feeling like she's pulling away from her friends but then makes a new friend who she feels oddly close to, as more feelings start to develop. -Bunt! Striking Out on Financial Aid by Ngozi Ukazu and Mad Rupert - Really great art style but also such a fun ensemble of characters all dealing with very relatable money problems. The story hooked me and the characters kept me thinking about them long after I had finished!

#book recs

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aquila1nz · 10 days ago

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My Favourites (QueerSFF)

Song of the Huntress hit my historical Britain "give me Rosemary Sutcliff but sapphic" sweet spot.

A Sweet Sting of Salt is gentle sapphic selkie historical fiction.

Navigational Entanglements is now my second favourite de Bodard book, for it's spectrumy protagonists making connections against clan rules and behavioural expectations.

Metal From Heaven is full on dykey industrial socialist punk fantasy, I don't love Marney as much as Sideways in Scapegracers, but I was delighted to read this book!

My Favourites (Other Scifi Fantasy)

Liberty's Daughter is a Heinleinesque juvenile, a girl coming of age on a libertarian platform off the coast of the US, note perfect because it's by Naomi Kritzer.

Translation State gave me all the feels with its fish out of water protagonists, and of course there's interesting situationality because Ann Leckie.

Leech is cold industrial fantasy horror from a couple of years ago, that's mining a similar vein to Metal From Heaven in a very different way. There's a lot going on, and an interesting viewpoint character, part of a group mind temporarily cutoff from the rest.

Haunt Sweet Home is a gentle novella about a young woman who falls into a job as an assistant on a Haunted House Investigation reality show, her relationships with her family, her coworkers, her art and one particular young woman are beautifully realised.

Favourite Sequels

Three neat sequels and the end of two trilogies.

All the Hidden Paths is the continued marriage of convenience between Velasin and Caethari, as they find themselves in the middle of more political machinations. Wonderfully deft storytelling. m/m romance, fantasy and mystery, read the warnings.

The Imposition of Unnecessary Obstacles is the second mystery set above Jupiter, as an investigator joins forces with an academic to solve disappearances that may be related to the possible future re-terraforming of Earth. Understatedly sweet.

What Feasts At Night - Alex Easton returns, this time facing down a more personal attack on ka's own lands. Very Kingfisher. Less mushrooms, more dreams.

The Feastmakers is the final book of a marvellous YA trilogy, full of spiky prose and dangerous choices that I cannot over recommend.

How to Get The Girl (And Not Destroy the World) finishes Sian and Trillin's adventures, making the world a place where they can coexist.

Favourite Classics

Some classic reads - ranging between 1881 and 1998.

I'm glad I finally met the telepathic multibodied 'dogs' of Fire on the Deep (kitchen sink science fiction - there's a whole lot of other things going on), reading Eleanor Arnason's Knapsack Poems story in Women Destroy Science Fiction in the same year was a nice coincidence.

I'd read the Dreamsnake short story before several times, but not the whole book, and I'm very glad I did!

To Say Nothing of the Dog is a delightful as time travellers chase a completely pointless MacGuffin through Victorian England and the blitz, I followed it up with The Doomsday Book, which is similarly delightful apart from a future and past epidemic and pandemic killing characters left and right.

Middlemarch left me with many thoughts.

Howard's End was a watch after seeing the movie read, about time!