#(it was from Alix E. Harrow's The Once and Future Witches)

[theartofangirling]

part 3 of the 2023 version of this post: adult books!

part 1: middle grade books | part 2: young adult books

this is a very incomplete list, as these are only books I've read and enjoyed. not all books are going to be for all readers, so I'd recommend looking up synopses and content warnings. feel free to message me with any questions about specific representation!

list of books under the cut ⬇️

yerba buena by nina lacour

if we were villains by m.l. rio

everyone in this room will someday be dead by emily r. austin

i want to be a wall by honami shirono

portrait of a thief by grace d. li

the thirty names of night by zeyn joukhadar

on earth we're briefly gorgeous by ocean vuong

love & other disasters by anita kelly

take a hint, dani brown by talia hibbert

boyfriend material by alexis hall

almost like being in love by steve kluger

the charm offensive by alison cochrun

something wild & wonderful by anita kelly

red, white & royal blue by casey mcquiston

something to talk about by meryl wilsner

honey girl by morgan rogers

one last stop by casey mcquiston

once ghosted, twice shy by alyssa cole

kiss her once for me by alison cochrun

a spindle splintered by alix e. harrow

finna by nino cipri

every heart a dooryway by seanan mcguire

the starless sea by erin morgenstern

under the whispering door by tj klune

space opera by catherynne m. valente

light from uncommon stars by ryka aoki

dead collections by isaac fellman

the city we became by n.k. jemisin

light carries on by ray nadine

an absolutely remarkable thing by hank green

feed them silence by lee mandelo

summer sons by lee mandelo

upright women wanted by sarah gailey

lavender house by lev a.c. rosen

fried green tomatoes at the whistle stop cafe by fannie flagg

the seven husbands of evelyn hugo by taylor jenkins reid

a master of djinn by p. djeli clark

witchmark by c.l. polk

a marvellous light by freya marske

a restless truth by freya marske

when women were dragons by kelly barnhill

plain bad heroines by emily m. danforth

a lady for a duke by alexis hall

infamous by lex croucher

passing strange by ellen klages

even though i knew the end by c.l. polk

the chosen and the beautiful by nghi vo

whiskey when we're dry by john larison

wake of vultures by lila bowen

silver in the wood by emily tesh

the once and future witches by alix e. harrow

the kingdoms by natasha pulley

a tip for the hangman by allison epstein

she who became the sun by shelley parker-chan

the song of achilles by madeline miller

spear by nicola griffith

this is how you lose the time war by amal el-mohtar and max gladstone

gideon the ninth by tamsyn muir

some desperate glory by emily tesh

all systems red by martha wells

a psalm for the wild built by becky chambers

the mimicking of known successes by malka older

winter's orbit by everina maxwell

fireheart tiger by aliette de bodard

empress of salt and fortune by nghi vo

legends and lattes by travis baldree

the house in the cerulean sea by tj klune

other ever afters by melanie gillman

the priory of the orange tree by samantha shannon

a day of fallen night by samantha shannon

a strange and stubborn endurance by foz meadows

the unbroken by c.l. clark

real queer america by samantha allen

fun home by alison bechdel

in the dream house by carmen maria machado

better living through birding by christian cooper

why fish don't exist by lulu miller

[battyaboutbooksreviews]

🐈‍⬛ Queer Witchlit for Spooky Season

✨ Witch please (add these witch reads to your TBR, perfect for spooky season)! Posting this from my first Pride!!

🧹 Spells to Forget Us - Aislinn Brophy 🧹 Reverie - Ryan La Sala 🧹 The Witch Boy - Molly Knox Ostertag 🧹 Carry On - Rainbow Rowell 🧹 Practical Rules for Cursed Witches - Kayla Cottingham 🧹 Spell Bound - F.T. Lukens

✨ This Spells Disaster - Tori Anne Martin ✨ All the Bad Apples - Moïra Fowley-Doyle ✨ Her Majesty's Royal Coven - Juno Dawson ✨ A Marvellous Light - Freya Marske ✨ Runaways - Rainbow Rowell ✨ Mortal Follies - Alexis Hall

🐈‍⬛ Blood Debts - Terry J. Benton-Walker 🐈‍⬛ The Scapegracers - H. A. Clarke 🐈‍⬛ So Witches We Became - Jill Baguchinsky 🐈‍⬛ Three Dark Crowns - Kendare Blake 🐈‍⬛ B*WITCH - Nancy Ohlin and Paige McKenzie 🐈‍⬛ Remedial Magic - Melissa Marr

🧹 Witchlight - Jessi Zabarsky 🧹 The Dark Tide - Alicia Jasinska 🧹 Coven - Jennifer Dugan & Kit Seaton 🧹 Payback's a Witch - Lana Harper 🧹 These Witches Don't Burn - Isabel Sterling 🧹 Toil & Trouble: 15 Tales of Women & Witchcraft - Various

✨ Mooncakes - Suzanne Walker & Wendy Xu ✨ Summer of Salt - Katrina Leno ✨ The Mermaid, the Witch, and the Sea - Maggie Tokuda-Hall ✨ Basil and Oregano - Melissa Capriglione ✨ The Once and Future Witches - Alix E. Harrow ✨ Spell on Wheels - Kate Leth

🐈‍⬛ An Academy for Liars - Alexis Henderson 🐈‍⬛ Over My Dead Body - Sweeney Boo 🐈‍⬛ Wild and Wicked Things - Francesca May 🐈‍⬛ A Sweet Sting of Salt - Rose Sutherland 🐈‍⬛ The Last Sun - K. D. Edwards 🐈‍⬛ The Witches of New York - Ami McKay

🧹 The Midnight Girls - Alicia Jasinska 🧹 The Witchery - S. Isabelle 🧹 The Spells We Cast - Jason June 🧹 Now, Conjurers - Freddie Kölsch 🧹 Cemetery Boys - Aiden Thomas 🧹 That Self-Same Metal - Brittany N. Williams

✨ The Honey Witch - Sydney J. Shields ✨ Wild Beauty - Anna-Marie McLemore ✨ The Invocations - Krystal Sutherland ✨ Improbable Magic for Cynical Witches - Kate Scelsa ✨ Flowerheart - Catherine Bakewell ✨ Snapdragon - Kat Leyh

🐈‍⬛ Labyrinth Lost - Zoraida Córdova 🐈‍⬛ The Witches of Silver Lake - Simon Curtis 🐈‍⬛ Sweet & Bitter Magic - Adrienne Tooley 🐈‍⬛ Witches of Ashes and Ruin - E. Latimer 🐈‍⬛ Edie in Between - Laura Sibson 🐈‍⬛ When We Were Magic - Sarah Gailey

[book--brackets]

The Liveship Traders by Robin Hobb (1998-2000)

Wizardwood, a sentient wood. The most precious commodity in the world. Like many other legendary wares, it comes only from the Rain River Wilds.

But how can one trade with the Rain Wilders, when only a liveship fashioned from wizardwood can negotiate the perilous waters of the Rain River? Rare and valuable a liveship will quicken only when three members, from successive generations, have died on board. The liveship Vivacia is about to undergo her quickening as Althea Vestrit’s father is carried on deck in his death-throes. Althea waits for the ship that she loves more than anything else in the world to awaken. Only to discover that the Vivacia has been signed away in her father’s will to her brutal brother-in-law, Kyle Haven...

Others plot to win or steal a liveship. The Paragon, known by many as the Pariah, went mad, turned turtle, and drowned his crew. Now he lies blind, lonely, and broken on a deserted beach. But greedy men have designs to restore him, to sail the waters of the Rain Wild River once more.

Dragon Rider by Cornelia Funke (1997-2021)

With lonely Ben aboard, brave dragon Firedrake seeks mythical place where silver dragons can live in peace. Over moonlit lands and sparkling seas, they meet fantastic creatures, summon up surprising courage - and cross a ruthless villain with an ancient grudge determined to end their quest. Only a secret destiny can save the dragons and bring them the true meaning of home.

The Once and Future Witches by Alix E. Harrow (2020)

In 1893, there's no such thing as witches. There used to be, in the wild, dark days before the burnings began, but now witching is nothing but tidy charms and nursery rhymes. If the modern woman wants any measure of power, she must find it at the ballot box.

But when the Eastwood sisters -- James Juniper, Agnes Amaranth, and Beatrice Belladonna -- join the suffragists of New Salem, they begin to pursue the forgotten words and ways that might turn the women's movement into the witch's movement. Stalked by shadows and sickness, hunted by forces who will not suffer a witch to vote -- and perhaps not even to live -- the sisters will need to delve into the oldest magics, draw new alliances, and heal the bond between them if they want to survive.

There's no such thing as witches. But there will be.

The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon (2013-present)

In 2059, Scion has taken over most of the world's cities, promising safety for all the citizens it deems worthy and wiping out clairvoyants wherever it can find them. 

Paige Mahoney, though, is a clairvoyant--and a criminal just for existing. Paige is determined to fight Scion's power, and as part of the Seven Seals, Paige has found a use for her powers: she scouts for information by breaking into others' minds as they dream. 

But when Paige is captured and arrested, she encounters a power more sinister even than Scion. The voyant prison is a separate city, controlled by a powerful, otherworldly race. These creatures, the Rephaim, value the voyants highly--as soldiers in their army. 

Paige is assigned to a Rephaite keeper, Warden, who will be in charge of her care and training. He is her master. Her natural enemy. But if she wants to regain her freedom, Paige will have to learn something of his mind and his own mysterious motives.

Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao (2021-present)

The boys of Huaxia dream of pairing up with girls to pilot Chrysalises, giant transforming robots that can battle the mecha aliens that lurk beyond the Great Wall. It doesn��t matter that the girls often die from the mental strain.

When 18-year-old Zetian offers herself up as a concubine-pilot, it’s to assassinate the ace male pilot responsible for her sister’s death. But she gets her vengeance in a way nobody expected—she kills him through the psychic link between pilots and emerges from the cockpit unscathed. She is labeled an Iron Widow, a much-feared and much-silenced kind of female pilot who can sacrifice boys to power up Chrysalises instead.​

To tame her unnerving yet invaluable mental strength, she is paired up with Li Shimin, the strongest and most controversial male pilot in Huaxia​. But now that Zetian has had a taste of power, she will not cower so easily. She will miss no opportunity to leverage their combined might and infamy to survive attempt after attempt on her life, until she can figure out exactly why the pilot system works in its misogynist way—and stop more girls from being sacrificed.

Kushiel's Legacy by Jacqueline Carey (2001-2003)

The land of Terre d'Ange is a place of unsurpassing beauty and grace. It is said that angels found the land and saw it was good...and the ensuing race that rose from the seed of angels and men live by one simple rule: Love as thou wilt.

Phèdre nó Delaunay is a young woman who was born with a scarlet mote in her left eye. Sold into indentured servitude as a child, her bond is purchased by Anafiel Delaunay, a nobleman with very a special mission...and the first one to recognize who and what she is: one pricked by Kushiel's Dart, chosen to forever experience pain and pleasure as one.

Phèdre is trained equally in the courtly arts and the talents of the bedchamber, but, above all, the ability to observe, remember, and analyze. Almost as talented a spy as she is courtesan, Phèdre stumbles upon a plot that threatens the very foundations of her homeland. Treachery sets her on her path; love and honor goad her further. And in the doing, it will take her to the edge of despair...and beyond. Hateful friend, loving enemy, beloved assassin; they can all wear the same glittering mask in this world, and Phèdre will get but one chance to save all that she holds dear.

Beauty by Robin McKinley (1978)

Beauty has never liked her nickname. She is thin and awkward; it is her two sisters who are the beautiful ones. But what she lacks in appearance, she can perhaps make up for in courage. When her father comes home with a tale of an enchanted castle in the forest and the terrible promise he had to make to the Beast who lives there, Beauty knows she must travel to the castle, a prisoner of her own free will. Her father insists that he will not let her go, but she responds, "Cannot a Beast be tamed?"

The Immortals Quartet by Tamora Pierce (1992-1996)

Thirteen-year-old Daine has always had a special connection with animals, but only when she's forced to leave home does she realize it's more than a knack--it's magic. With this wild magic, not only can Daine speak to animals, but she can also make them obey her. Daine takes a job handling horses for the Queen's Riders, where she meets the master mage Numair and becomes his student. 

Under Numair's guidance, Daine explores the scope of her magic. But she encounters other beings, too, who are not so gentle. These terrifying creatures, called Immortals, have been imprisoned in the Divine Realms for the past four hundred years--but now someone has broken the barrier. And it's up to Daine and her friends to defend their world from an Immortal attack.

The Chronicles of Prydain by Lloyd Alexander (1964-1968)

Taran wanted to be a hero, and looking after a pig wasn't exactly heroic, even though Hen Wen was an oracular pig. But the day that Hen Wen vanished, Taran was led into an enchanting and perilous world. With his band of followers, he confronted the Horned King and his terrible Cauldron-Born. These were the forces of evil, and only Hen Wen knew the secret of keeping the kingdom of Prydain safe from them. But who would find her first?

Seven Realms by Cinda Williams Chima (2009-2012)

Times are hard in the mountain city of Fellsmarch. Reformed thief Han Alister will do almost anything to eke out a living for his family. The only thing of value he has is something he can't sell—the thick silver cuffs he's worn since birth. They're clearly magicked—as he grows, they grow, and he's never been able to get them off.

One day, Han and his clan friend, Dancer, confront three young wizards setting fire to the sacred mountain of Hanalea. Han takes an amulet from Micah Bayar, son of the High Wizard, to keep him from using it against them. Soon Han learns that the amulet has an evil history—it once belonged to the Demon King, the wizard who nearly destroyed the world a millennium ago. With a magical piece that powerful at stake, Han knows that the Bayars will stop at nothing to get it back.

Meanwhile, Raisa ana'Marianna, princess heir of the Fells, has her own battles to fight. She's just returned to court after three years of freedom in the mountains—riding, hunting, and working the famous clan markets. Raisa wants to be more than an ornament in a glittering cage. She aspires to be like Hanalea—the legendary warrior queen who killed the Demon King and saved the world. But her mother has other plans for her...

The Seven Realms tremble when the lives of Hans and Raisa collide, fanning the flames of the smoldering war between clans and wizards.

[sapphicbookclub]

The Once and Future Witches by Alix E. Harrow

In 1893, there's no such thing as witches. There used to be, in the wild, dark days before the burnings began, but now witching is nothing but tidy charms and nursery rhymes. If the modern woman wants any measure of power, she must find it at the ballot box.

But when the Eastwood sisters--James Juniper, Agnes Amaranth, and Beatrice Belladonna--join the suffragists of New Salem, they begin to pursue the forgotten words and ways that might turn the women's movement into the witch's movement. Stalked by shadows and sickness, hunted by forces who will not suffer a witch to vote-and perhaps not even to live-the sisters will need to delve into the oldest magics, draw new alliances, and heal the bond between them if they want to survive.

There's no such thing as witches. But there will be.

Genres: historical, fantasy, romance

Order from Blackwell's here and get free worldwide shipping!

[bigcats-birds-and-books]

Books of 2024: STARLING HOUSE by Alix E. Harrow.

Still in my Haunted House Era™, finished this one this afternoon, had a great time!! Harrow somehow always puts Just Enough of my personal catnip in her books, and I've really enjoyed everything of hers I've read so far (WITCHES, JANUARY, and now this, which was decidedly more modern--I'm a fan!).

Like with THE ONCE AND FUTURE WITCHES, I really enjoyed the sibling dynamics in STARLING HOUSE. Opal and Jasper were delightful, and the ONLY valid Miscommunication Plot Point is one-upping each other on [SPOILER REDACTED]--wholesome, perfect, no notes. I loved how sharp and vicious Opal was, and I loved how insufferable Arthur was, and I loved Jasper (who, me? having a soft spot for clever kind teenage boys?? whaaaat), and Bev, and the hellcat, and THE HOUSE!!! The House was great, I'm making so many NaNo prep notes over here.

I also enjoyed the parallels between Eleanor and Opal and how cyclic violence was emphasized through the circular framing. AND it was fun piecing together the whole manuscript's structure--definitely a break from, say, VanderMeer, or Le Guin, but I liked the footnotes and the offset fonts and figuring out who was telling which stories and Why It Was Framed Like That. Good book! Good time!! Do recommend!

[queereads-bracket]

Hiya! Love this as a thing, thanks for making it! I was wondering whether you had a complete list of submitted books anywhere, or if you'd be willing to make one? I would love to be able to add them all to my TBR and scrolling through the polls takes a bit of a while 😅 Thank you!

yes absolutely! helping people find fun new things to read is my Secret Nefarious True Purpose of this blog 😈

Below is a full list of all 68 entries to the Queer Fantasy Books bracket:

The Watchmaker of Filigree Street by Natasha Pulley The Captive Prince series by C. S. Pacat Squad, written by Maggie Tokuda-Hall, illustrated by Lisa Sterle Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas The Tamir Triad series by Lynn Flewelling The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon Thousand Autumns: Qian Qiu by Meng Xi Shi The Tea Dragon Society by K. O’Neill The Nightrunner series by Lynn Flewelling Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard series by Rick Riordan Thirsty Mermaids by Kat Leyh A Dowry of Blood by S. T. Gibson Princess Princess Ever After by K. O’Neill The Raven Cycle series by Maggie Stiefvater The Dreamer Trilogy by Maggie Stiefvater The Elemental Logic series by Laurie J. Marks The Last Binding trilogy by Freya Marske The Witch Boy series by Molly Knox Ostertag Nimona by ND Stevenson The Spear Cuts Through Water by Simon Jimenez The Seraphina Duology (Seraphina, Shadow Scale) by Rachel Hartman The Salt Grows Heavy by Cassandra Khaw The Simon Snow series by Rainbow Rowell The Hands of the Emperor by Victoria Goddard Crier's War duology (Crier's War, Iron Heart) by Nina Varela The Burning Kingdoms series by Tasha Suri The Trials of Apollo series by Rick Riordan Crimson Sails series (Hunt on Dark Waters, Blood on the Tide) by Katee Robert House of Hollow by Krystal Sutherland The Machineries of Empire series by Yoon Ha Lee The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller The Dawnhounds by Sascha Stronach (The Endsong series) Girl, Serpent, Thorn by Melissa Bashardoust The Rise of Kyoshi by F. C. Yee The Last Hours series by Cassandra Clare Salt Slow by Julia Armfield Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao Even Though I Knew the End by C. L. Polk The Atlas Six by Olivie Blake When the Angels Left the Old Country by Sacha Lamb The Girl from the Sea by Molly Knox Ostertag The Masquerade Series by Seth Dickinson Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree Witchlight by Jessi Zabarsky Monstrous Regiment (Discworld) by Terry Pratchett The Raven Tower by Ann Leckie Six of Crows duology (Six of Crows, Crooked Kingdom) by Leigh Bardugo Infinity Alchemist by Kacen Callender (Infinity Alchemist series) Mooncakes, written by Suzanne Walker, illustrated by Wendy Xu Malice duology (Malice, Misrule) by Heather Walter The Locked Tomb series by Tamsyn Muir A Snake Falls to Earth by Darcie Little Badger The Once and Future Witches by Alix E. Harrow Snapdragon by Kat Leyh The Dark Artifices series by Cassandra Clare The Knight and the Necromancer series by A.H. Lee When Women Were Dragons by Kelly Barnhill The Left-Handed Booksellers of London series by Garth Nix The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern Taproot: A Story About a Gardener and a Ghost by Keezy Young The Radiant Emperor series by Shelley Parker-Chan Elatsoe by Darcie Little Badger The Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare The Marble Queen, written by Anna Kopp, illustrated by Gabrielle Kari Saint Juniper's Folly by Alex Crespo The Cursed Heart by Derin Edala One Stormy Day in New Providence by E. Jade Lomax and K. Sundberg Godfell: The Complete Series by Christopher Sebela, Ben Hennessy (Illustrator)

[asexualbookbird]

24 in 2024

Tagged by @bigcats-birds-and-books even though we were going to do this TOGETHER

anyway! The 23 in 2023 tag was fun so lets do it again :D Here are 24 books I want to read this year, and this time I AM color coding them :3

purple - books I own

blue - ebook backlog

green - everything else

bold - carry over from the 2023 list

I'm only including books I think I'll enjoy, so none of the stack of ones I know I want to donate eventually. Good intentions only in this year of our hokage 2024

The Dragon of Jin Sayeng by KS Villoso

The Jasmine Throne by Tasha Suri

Legacy of Ash by Matthew Ward

Labryrinth's Heart by MA Carrick

The Faithless by CL CLark

Locklands by Robert Jackson Bennet

Among Thieves by MJ Kuhn

Starling House by Alix E Harrow

The Art of Prophecy by Wesley Chu

Strange The Dreamer by Laini Taylor

Witch King by Martha Wells

City of Bones by Martha Wells

Painted Devils by Margaret Owen

Gaurdians of Ga'Hoole by Kathryn Lasky

Ninefox Gambit by Yoon Ha Lee

Sword of Kaigen by ML Wang

Once and Future by AR Capetta

The Traitor Baru Cormorant by Seth Dickenson

System Collapse by Martha Wells

The Archive Undying by Emma Mieko Candon

The Hollow Places by T Kingfisher

Servant Mage by Kate Elliott

The Hourglass Throne by KD Edwards

In Other Lands by Sarah Rees Brennan

There we go! Somehow a lot harder than last year, probably because I'm running out of books on my shelf I haven't read, so I guess that's a good thing. Once again, this will be deleted if I don't read any of them have a wonderful year <3

Tagging: @alloreli @logarithmicpanda @bookcub if you want!

[mssarahmorgan]

Book 22 of 2024: The Scandalous Confessions of Lydia Bennet, Witch by Melinda Taub

This was basically tailor-made for me. A P&P retelling where Lydia is a witch? And Kitty is a CAT?? And Wickham is an ancient demon but also hot??? AND Georgina Lambe from Sanditon is in this!! Sign me the fuck up, this was great, 10/10, no notes.

What to read next: The Once and Future Witches by Alix E. Harrow, for another historical fantasy that's just a delight from start to finish.

[nerdsbianhokie]

Decided to do @queerliblib s summer bingo cause I like reading and ticking boxes.

The rainbow books are spaces I already have a book in my immediate to-read pile, so I can track what I will fill in for sure.

List of books I've read below the cut

Format switch: The Rainbow Parade by Emily Neilson, read in a read along formet.

This one was tricky cause I cannot read ebooks, no matter how much I try. So, I figured I'd go for something shorter and saw that they have read along books and decided to go with that. It's a cute little story that my conservative brother would not want to read to his child and that's a massive win.

Stonewall Award winner: The Black Flamingo by Dean Atta

This has been sitting on my shelf for months and I read it in one sitting this morning. I really liked it, but it's another tick in the 'most young adult stories don't do it for me anymore' colomn, which if very long if i'm honest. Do recomend.

Memoir: All Boys Aren't Blue by George M. Johnson

A memoir about growing up black and gay. The voice was really good, and enhanced because it was read by the author.

Book with a Protagonist Older than 40: How Y'all Doing by Leslie Jordan

Focus of a memoir is the protagonist, right? Imma say it is. I've never been into instagram and such, so I didn't see Leslie Jordan's contant beyond what filtered to tumblr, but knew enough about him to be interested. A genuinly funny read, and he narrated it so well in the audio book.

Queer non-fiction: The Women's House of Detention: A Queer History of a Forgotten Prison by Hugh Ryan

An interesting and difficult read. Really highlights the cruelty of the criminal legal system and how pivitol it is to the queer community in New York.

Indigenous Author: This Town Sleeps by Dennis E. Staples

An interesting quick read. The audio book made switching POVs confusing at times, but not enough to really pull me out of the story. I adore the dog's name and the reason behind it.

Genre fiction: The Route of Ice and Salt by José Luis Zárate and translated by David Bowles

A retelling of the journey of The Demeter from Dracula, from the pov of the gay captain. Very literary and very good.

Comic, manga, or graphic novel: Anne: An Adpatation of Anne of Green Gables (Sort Of) by Kathleen Gros

I started another book for this one, but couldn't get into it, then I saw this one while browsing the library on libby and was hooked. A quick, easy read and very sweet. I love this version of Anne and the ways the original book events are adapted.

Set in the past: The Once and Future Witches by Alix E. Harrow

Such a good read. I love the small bits of world building done through the differences in tales and rhymes we have today. Each character is very distinct and I would die for James Juniper.

Coming of age: The Western Alienation Merit Badge by Nancy Jo Cullen

tbh, I had no real idea what to expect with this one, probably more connections to merit badges. Really got into it and very emotional at points.

Main character doesn't share an identity with you: Melissa by Alex Gino

I've heard of this one, obviously, but never read it. It's very cute and I really enjoyed it.

Queer Picture book: Let Me Out: a pop-out about coming out! by Omis Razavi

Got this one through their crowdfunding years ago. It's great

Do a subject heading search to find a book: The Trees Grew Because I Bled There: Collected Stories by Eric LaRocca

I searched horror and found this one. Some of the stories are better than others, and the writing style made it a little hard for me to get into some of them, but very good overall.

[katewibberlystan]

recommending you books i enjoy based on your favorite tbob character (ft a sentence for what each one is about/why it's awesome, and the intended audience)

kate: - the last magician by lisa maxwell; a well constructed time travel heist set in 1902 NYC, with immaculate worldbuilding and fascinating magic. YA. - the once and future witches by alix e. harrow; three sisters, who are also witches, organize for women's suffrage and fight against an ancient evil. Adult. - truthwitch by susan dennard; a pair of witches and best friends become caught up in political intrigue, reincarnated monsters, and a fantastically crafted world of complex characters and cool magic. YA. - time stoppers by carrie jones; an orphaned pre-teen discovers a secret town full of magic, one that she and her friends must save from attacking monsters. Middle Grade. - the diviners by libba bray; a group of teenagers with paranormal abilities find themselves fighting off evil spirits in the 1920s.

michael: - matilda by roald dahl; a classic children's fantasy that celebrates learning and families of choice. Middle Grade. - the strange case of the alchemist's daughter by theodora goss; the children of gothic literature's classic mad scientists come together to solve mysteries and stop human experimentation. Adult. - every heart a doorway by seanan mcguire; a quick, poetic read about what happens to the kids from a portal fantasy quest after they come home. YA. - the girl from everywhere by heidi helig; a pirate ship that can travel between time and fictional worlds, so long as they have a map, sets out on a quest to reunite their captain with his lost love. YA. - miss peregrine's home for peculiar children by ransom riggs; after his grandfather's death, a teenage boy is thrown into a world of monsters, time travel, and people with superhuman abilities. YA.

emma: - the scapegracers by h. a. clarke; a group of teen witches become friends and form a coven to defeat a group of modern day witch hunters trying to steal their magic. YA. - the lost girls by sonia hartl; a group of vampires plan to kill the man who made them this way, before he can harm any other women. YA. - the society for soulless girls by laura steven; a college student's attempts to investigate mysterious deaths becomes connected to her angry roommate's attempts to create a potion that can alter a personality. YA. - coraline by neil gaiman; a kid finds a door to a different world in her new home, a world that seems pleasant at first but soon grows quite terrifying. Middle Grade. - bad witch burning by jessica lewis; a teenage girl trying to escape poverty raises the dead for money, only to find her zombies cannot be controlled. YA.

gabriel: - holes by louis sachar; boys at a juvenile detention camp are forced to search for a lost treasure and explore the complicated history behind it. Middle Grade. - nettle and bone by t. kingfisher; a woman sets out to kill the evil prince holding her sister prisoner, with the help of a motely crew including an exiled warrior, a fairy godmother, a witch, a possessed chicken, and a skeleton dog. Adult. - lone women by victor lavelle; after her parents die, a woman with a monster trapped in her suitcase tries to survive and build a home for herself in the Montana wilderness. Adult. - chomp by carl hiaasen; in the Florida everglades, a young boy and his animal trainer father are commissioned to help film a survivalist tv show. Middle Grade. - revelator by daryl gregory; set in the 1930s/40s Tennessee, a moonshiner raised by a cult has to return and face the monstrous being her family worships. Adult.

wilamena: - the black witch by laurie forest; a complex fantasy world in which rebellion foments among many beings at a magical college. YA. - island of the aunts by eva ibbotson; a fun children's fantasy where two outcasts are kidnapped by eccentric old women to help protect an island full of magical creatures. Middle Grade. - children of blood and bone by tomi adeyemi; a young woman persecuted for her powers fights to take back her home from a magic-hating tyrant. YA. - deep blue by jennifer donnelly; the underwater world of mermaids is plunged into chaos when political machinations and an ancient prophecy collide. YA. - the thirteen treasures by michelle harrison; a girl who can see fairies is sent to live with her grandma, where she uncovers secrets about her abilities. Middle Grade.

rafe: - the witch haven by sasha peyton smith; a student at a school for witches in 1911 NYC is searching for answers about her brother's murder. YA. - the bones of ruin by sarah raughley; an acrobat who cannot die joins a magical tournament held by the most powerful people in Victorian London in exchange for answers about her forgotten past. YA. - the court of miracles by kester grant; a thief forms alliances and completes impossible tasks in Paris's elaborate criminal underworld, all so she can keep her little sister safe. YA. - the gilded wolves by roshani chokshi; a tight-knit group of criminals is tasked with recovering a magical artifact capable of changing the world. YA. - the cure for dreaming by cat winters; a teen suffragette gains the ability to see people's essence after an encounter with a hypnotist. YA.

bonus, all of the above: reaper man by terry pratchett. literally everyone should read discworld, it's amazing and reaper man is my favorite. good omens by pratchett is also a gem.

[earnmysong]

What is the last best thing you've watched/read/listened to lately?

m, my darling! i very much appreciate this line of inquiry!

the best thing(s) i've -

watched: a. 'barbie' finally broke whatever mental barrier precluded me from watching 'ugly betty' a decade and more ago. i mainlined the shit out of that delight and adored every single second! the ending?!?! i was broken! | b. 'theater camp'! while my once rampant affinity for ben platt has largely evaporated, this movie - and his personage in it - is terrific! was my favorite detail rebecca-diane's side-hustle as a medium? and glenn freaking log-rolling down a hill to reach his destination three seconds faster? OBVIOUSLYYY.

read: alix e. harrow's ' the once and future witches'! truth be told, i finished this at least two months ago. however, i still think of the narrative ridiculously often and love all of the protagonists like family!

listened to: i, a woman in my mid-thirties, unabashedly enjoy olivia rodrigo! SO. GUTS has been my wellness retreat recently ... also, i've been going through a phase underscored by tom petty's 'american girl'! by no means a new discovery, but alwaysssss wondrous!

[no-where-new-hero]

✣ Blake Wrapped: Author Edition 🖋

According to Storygraph, these were the authors I read most of this year!

V. E. Schwab I’ve read a bunch of her books before (Addie Larue, had problems; Vicious, one of my favorite books ever; This Savage Song, annoyed that she doesn’t write this stuff all the time), but never the Shades of Magic series, which is…weird as someone who almost always goes to fantasy before any other subgenre. So I finally bit the bullet and read the trilogy, as well as the first book of the sequel trilogy, which came out in September. Like always with Schwab, it was hit and miss. The first book I found excruciatingly slow, almost painful to finish. The second book I LOVED since it had a much faster pace and more interesting characters. Book 3 was far too long—not exactly as slow as the first, but there were just pages from the villain’s POV that I skimmed because I couldn’t be bothered. Book 1 of the new trilogy was good—it had a fan service feel, but the two new protagonists seem cool, and I think this series might be more interesting on the whole. The thing with Schwab’s style that I keep coming back to is that she writes morally grey really well. If a character is behaving villainously, the more I’ll like them. Hence the fact that Vicious is my favorite book of hers. Ditto with male characters: many of her female characters’ arcs strike me as weirdly reductive, but her men have a more felt quality to them somehow. I can’t say she’s a beloved author or even a favorite author, but I enjoy picking her brain.

Alix E. Harrow I finally read The Ten Thousand Doors of January earlier this year because its premise is not unlike that of my WIP, and I had avoided it for a while due to like … jealousy and also a desire not to get my own plot derailed from its influence. The book was so good though. I know that Harrow and I share a lot of literary influences, which automatically predisposes me to like her style, but it just ticked a lot of boxes: voice, setting, plot, magic, etc. That being said, I’m not sure if any of her other books quite live up. Her Fractured Fairy Tales were enjoyable but nothing memorable. The Once and Future Witches honestly bored me. Starling House was the best of this year’s heavy spate of “Gothic/House books with far too big a helping of Women Thoughts” that I forced myself through (The Last Tale of the Flower Bride, A Study in Drowning, and The Hacienda were the others), but it still lacked the lush immersion of TTDJ that I was hoping for. I’m definitely going to keep looking out for what she publishes since it’s very much my thing, but I really hope she’ll be able to match the quality of her debut again sometime soon.

Shirley Jackson Where do I begin? I gulped down four books of her in a row and wished I had read them all years before. I’ve posted a bunch of Jackson thoughts before, but I think what I adore most about her work is she reads like a shadow of LM Montgomery. LMM curves toward, but ultimately curves away from, the darkness that waits for the unsuspecting person. Jackson paves a straight road into it and doesn’t come out. But they write around a lot of the same topics: houses as extensions of the self, female individuality, female social identity, the life of the mind, queerness (in the sense of unbelonging as well as being not-straight), landscapes, depression, cats, family dynamics, etc. Even though I came to her late, I’m also not that mad about it since I do think my twenty-something self is a bit more predisposed to get something out of her books than my teen self would have. In any case, I definitely need to fill my shelves with her books.

Marina and Sergey Dyachenko Vita Nostra broke my brain at the beginning of the year, and I haven’t quite put it back together again. I’m not sure if it’s a translation thing, but the prose, the plot structure, the way the entire novel is put together, feels so different from an English-language novel. It was so refreshing, in all senses of the word: it felt like diving into a deep pool of dark water. Naturally, nothing else they would write could come close to that novel, but I still sought out their other works in translation, giddy for more of that experience. The sequel novel was tolerable, though did little to wrap up much of the plot—in fact, it only seemed to complicate it further without much promise of a finale (I do think a Book 3 is on the way, though). Daughter of the Dark was the third book of theirs I read, and it was also fairly interesting—a good speculative literary feel—but altogether lacking in the magic of VN. Which is fine for me, all in all. Sometimes masterpieces need to stand alone.

[readerbookclub]

Hello everyone! It's time for a new book list :) This month, our theme is witches, an idea that was suggested in a recent survey and that I thought sounded really fun! I realized after I'd already made the list that our current book also fits this theme. Oops! But hey, you can never have too many witches.

As always, please vote for our next book using the link at the end of the post.

Hour of the Witch, by Chris Bohjalian

Boston, 1662. Mary Deerfield is twenty-four years old. Her skin is porcelain, her eyes delft blue, and in England she might have had many suitors. But here in the New World, amid this community of saints, Mary is the second wife of Thomas Deerfield, a man as cruel as he is powerful. When Thomas, prone to drunken rage, drives a three-tined fork into the back of Mary's hand, she resolves that she must divorce him to save her life. But in a world where every neighbor is watching for signs of the devil, a woman like Mary--a woman who harbors secret desires and finds it difficult to tolerate the brazen hypocrisy of so many men in the colony--soon finds herself the object of suspicion and rumor. When tainted objects are discovered buried in Mary's garden, when a boy she has treated with herbs and simples dies, and when their servant girl runs screaming in fright from her home, Mary must fight to not only escape her marriage, but also the gallows. A twisting, tightly plotted thriller from one of our greatest storytellers, Hour of the Witch is a timely and terrifying novel of socially sanctioned brutality and the original American witch hunt.

The Lighthouse Witches, by C.J. Cooke

When single mother Liv is commissioned to paint a mural in a 100-year-old lighthouse on a remote Scottish island, it's an opportunity to start over with her three daughters--Luna, Sapphire, and Clover. When two of her daughters go missing, she's frantic. She learns that the cave beneath the lighthouse was once a prison for women accused of witchcraft. The locals warn her about wildlings, supernatural beings who mimic human children, created by witches for revenge. Liv is told wildlings are dangerous and must be killed.

Twenty-two years later, Luna has been searching for her missing sisters and mother. When she receives a call about her youngest sister, Clover, she's initially ecstatic. Clover is the sister she remembers—except she's still seven years old, the age she was when she vanished. Luna is worried Clover is a wildling. Luna has few memories of her time on the island, but she'll have to return to find the truth of what happened to her family. But she doesn't realize just how much the truth will change her.

The Witch's Heart, by Genevieve Gornichec

Angrboda's story begins where most witches' tales end: with a burning. A punishment from Odin for refusing to provide him with knowledge of the future, the fire leaves Angrboda injured and powerless, and she flees into the farthest reaches of a remote forest. There she is found by a man who reveals himself to be Loki, and her initial distrust of him transforms into a deep and abiding love.

Their union produces three unusual children, each with a secret destiny, who Angrboda is keen to raise at the edge of the world, safely hidden from Odin's all-seeing eye. But as Angrboda slowly recovers her prophetic powers, she learns that her blissful life—and possibly all of existence—is in danger.

With help from the fierce huntress Skadi, with whom she shares a growing bond, Angrboda must choose whether she’ll accept the fate that she's foreseen for her beloved family…or rise to remake their future. From the most ancient of tales this novel forges a story of love, loss, and hope for the modern age.

The Once and Future Witches, by Alix E. Harrow

In 1893, there's no such thing as witches. There used to be, in the wild, dark days before the burnings began, but now witching is nothing but tidy charms and nursery rhymes. If the modern woman wants any measure of power, she must find it at the ballot box.

But when the Eastwood sisters--James Juniper, Agnes Amaranth, and Beatrice Belladonna--join the suffragists of New Salem, they begin to pursue the forgotten words and ways that might turn the women's movement into the witch's movement. Stalked by shadows and sickness, hunted by forces who will not suffer a witch to vote-and perhaps not even to live-the sisters will need to delve into the oldest magics, draw new alliances, and heal the bond between them if they want to survive.

There's no such thing as witches. But there will be.

The Mercies, by Kiran Millwood Hargrave

Finnmark, Norway, 1617. Twenty-year-old Maren Bergensdatter stands on the craggy coast, watching the sea break into a sudden and reckless storm. Forty fishermen, including her brother and father, are drowned and left broken on the rocks below. With the menfolk wiped out, the women of the tiny Northern town of Vardø must fend for themselves.

Three years later, a sinister figure arrives. Absalom Cornet comes from Scotland, where he burned witches in the northern isles. He brings with him his young Norwegian wife, Ursa, who is both heady with her husband's authority and terrified by it. In Vardø, and in Maren, Ursa sees something she has never seen before: independent women. But Absalom sees only a place untouched by God and flooded with a mighty evil.

As Maren and Ursa are pushed together and are drawn to one another in ways that surprise them both, the island begins to close in on them with Absalom's iron rule threatening Vardø's very existence.

Please vote for our next book here.

[queereads-bracket]

Queer Fantasy Books Bracket: Round 1

Book summaries below:

The Once and Future Witches by Alix E. Harrow

In 1893, there's no such thing as witches. There used to be, in the wild, dark days before the burnings began, but now witching is nothing but tidy charms and nursery rhymes. If the modern woman wants any measure of power, she must find it at the ballot box. But when the Eastwood sisters—James Juniper, Agnes Amaranth, and Beatrice Belladonna—join the suffragists of New Salem, they begin to pursue the forgotten words and ways that might turn the women's movement into the witch's movement. Stalked by shadows and sickness, hunted by forces who will not suffer a witch to vote—and perhaps not even to live—the sisters will need to delve into the oldest magics, draw new alliances, and heal the bond between them if they want to survive. There's no such thing as witches. But there will be. Fantasy, historical fiction, adult, alternate history, turn-of-the-century

Snapdragon by Kat Leyh

Snap’s town had a witch. At least, that’s how the rumor goes. But in reality, Jacks is just a Crocs-wearing, internet-savvy old lady who sells roadkill skeletons online. It’s creepy, sure, but Snap thinks it's kind of cool, too. Snap needs a favor from this old woman, though, so she begins helping Jacks with her strange work. Snap gets to know her and realizes that Jacks may in fact have real magic—and an unlikely connection to Snap’s family’s past. Graphic novel, fantasy, middle grade, magical realism

[exhuastedpigeon]

Top 9 Books

thanks for the tag @thewolvesof1998 - I hope your move is going well!!

According to my StoryGraph I read 97 books last year and my Goodreads says I read 121 in 2021, and who knows how many more before I started counting so I've got a lot of books to choose from.

In no particular order

1. The Raven Cycle series by Maggie Stiefvater

2. One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston

3. The Sleepwalker's Guide to Dancing by Mira Jacobs

4. The Sundown Motel by Simone St. James

5. The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune

6. Magic for Liars by Sarah Gailey

7. The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

8. The Once and Future Witches by Alix E. Harrow

9. Beartown by Fredrik Backman

Bonus #10 - Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sanez

This is literally just nine random books from my 'books to rec' list. They're all pretty different, but I love them for so many different reasons.

Tagging (no pressure) @monsterrae1 @spotsandsocks @acountrygirlsfun @loserdiaz @loserchildhotpants @rosieposiepuddingnpie @generatorcat @forthewolves @ladiekatie @eddiebabygirldiaz and anyone else who wants to share their book recs!