#LGBTQIA+ reads

[prideplus]

Book divination be upon ye!

Pick up the nearest book or access what you’re currently reading on your e-reader. Go to page 73. Point to a place on the page at random. What does it say about your day?

Reblog this post with the line, phrase, or sentence you landed on. Add the book title in the tags if it feels good. Or don’t, and just embrace the chaos! Up to you!

We’ll go first.

Like we know something other people do not.

[iambic-stan]

last book read + last stethoscope used, part 9

The stethoscope: Ultrascope teaching stethoscope with orange tubing and a goldfish chest piece (not shown here) I just linked to their website, but as far as I can tell, they no longer offer the goldfish design or even make teaching scopes anymore. It's a very aesthetically-pleasing instrument but I'm not wild about the sound, and all the extra tubing rubbing against things doesn't help matters. Comment here if you have recommendations for really good teaching stethoscopes in other brands.

The book: Dear Medusa, a YA novel in verse by Olivia Cole. I was drawn in by the synopsis--the story of a sixteen-year-old victim of sexual abuse by a charismatic teacher no one in the school would ever suspect is a predator. But this one exceeded my expectations. If I'm honest, I have a habit of forgetting novels in verse shortly after reading them, but the protagonist, Alicia, and her friend Deja stayed with me. Their voices are clear in my mind, especially Alicia's dry humor and Deja's enthusiasm and fearlessness. It's a pretty accurate depiction of high school--you can tell when a YA writer either didn't attend high school or doesn't remember it. Also, asexual rep! Was excited to read that.

[milomilesmib]

Quick reminder that you don't need a solid sexuality! You can just be in love! Or not be in love! Or have a gender! Labels are a choice, not a requirement. All you need to do is be someone you like being! If labels help with that, great! But they are not required. You don't owe it to anyone, so don't feel pressured to choose labels if they aren't your thing!

[charles-breaks-beakers]

HETEROSEXUAL CIS-PEOPLE LOOK HERE

Snaps my fingers at you as you scroll past this post

Look at me. Listen.

I'm not the best at serious posts, but that article up there reminded me of how important it is that people like you stand up for us. So hold on while I try to get this out of my mushy end-of-work-day brain.

We could fight this fight ourselves for decades trying to reach the equal laws, gender affirming trans healthcare that doesn't have a 2-5+ soul-eating years of waiting time, medical care with equal knowledge of lgbtqia+ bodies, and, what is often forgotten, inclusion in the little everyday areas of life like our way of speaking or things being set up or designed with the existence of queer people in mind.

But you joining in could get us there so much faster.

The power you have as a hetero cis person is that you set the standard for what is seen as the average way of treating us among other hetero cis people. You have been given the power of deciding what's "normal" and I'm begging you to use it.

Richard Green is a great example of to what extent your actions can help our situation, and smaller ways of support still add up to a great impact on society, and could make the days of the queer people you interact with.

Educate yourself before you speak up, but don't be silent.

[techutones]

HES LEARNING

[whatdoesthequeersay]

ACE 👏 PEOPLE 👏 CAN 👏 MAKE 👏 DIRTY 👏 JOKES

Then again, if you’re an aphobe, your mom already made the dirtiest fucking joke of all time, so why should we bother?

[nando161mando]

[torpublishinggroup]

Celebrate Pride with Tor Publishing Group!

Rakesfall by @adamantine

They met as children in the middle of the Sri Lankan civil war. Later, in a demon-haunted wood, an act of violence linked them and propelled their souls on a journey through the ages. As they reincarnate ever deeper into the future, a truth emerges: Some stories take more than one lifetime to tell.

Running Close to the Wind by @ariaste

In this queer pirate fantasy, Avra Helvaçi has accidentally stolen the single most expensive secret in the world. To avoid capture, he flees to the open sea, where only his on-again, off-again ex aka pirate Captain Teveri az-Ḥaffār can help him survive, profit, and become a legend.

Cuckoo by Gretchen Felker-Martin

Something evil is buried deep in the desert. It wants your body and wears your skin. Welcome to Camp Resolution, a queer conversion center where everyone leaves a different person. In 1995, seven queer teens were abandoned here by their parents, but survived. Sixteen years later, they’re scarred and broken, but back to face an evil that threatens the world. 

Kinning by Nisi Shawl

In this alternate history where barkcloth airships soar and former colonies claim freedom from imperialist tyrants, the identity of the island of Everfair still wavers. Victorious in the wake of the Great War, a new threat looms. Can Everfair continue to serve as a symbol of hope for anticolonial movements around the world, or will it fall to forces within and without? 

Can’t Spell Treason Without Tea by @rebeccathornewrites

Can one of the Queen’s private guard and the most powerful mage in existence leave their lives behind to settle down in their new bookshop that serves tea? This cozy fantasy is steeped in sapphic romance and nestled on the edge of dragon country. 

The Fragile Threads of Power by V. E. Schwab

Once there were four worlds, nestled like pages in a book, each pulsing with fantastical power and connected by a single city: London. After a desperate attempt to prevent corruption and ruin in the four Londons, there are only three. Now the worlds are going to collide anew—brought to a dangerous precipice by the discoveries of three remarkable magicians.

Now available in paperback!

The Archive Undying by @emcandon

This is a story about misplaced faith, complicated love, so much self-loathing, and yeah—giant robots. Plugged into his AI god when its apocalyptic corruption renders him unfortunately immortal, sad gay disaster Sunai takes a die-again-or-die-trying approach to things. Unending life’s tough when intimacy is somehow scarier even than either of the warring police states set on turning you into a weapon or the rogue undead mecha-fragment of your old god that wants to eat you. 

Now available in paperback!

The Bell in the Fog by Lev AC Rosen

A dazzling historical mystery that dives into the shadowy, closeted world of the Navy, emerging in the gay bars of the city. It’s a whirlpool of missing people, violent strangers, and scandalous photos in 1952 San Francisco. 

Now available in paperback!

Celebrate Pride with more titles from Tor Publishing Group here!

[stil-lindigo]

warmth.

a comic about not being alone.

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creative notes:

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all my other comics

store

[emberwhite]

Not everyone likes my book, and I'm OK with that. There are many classic children's books some people just don't like because of their message or how they portray it, but I love them because they offer something a little different.

I made something straight from the heart and took a big chance on it. It caters to no one and breaks many conventions you find in children's books. I wanted adults to be able to enjoy the story as well, so it's not afraid to get a little sad. There were a few children's book bloggers I had emailed who wouldn't review it because of that reason. And there were Read Aloud YouTube channels who wouldn't make a video on it because they didn't like the ending.

But there were also many people who absolutely loved the book. They got what I was trying to do, so I know there is an audience for this sort of thing. The more secluded you feel you are from society the better the chance you'll like it. This isn't the case for everyone but just a trend I noticed. Reviews on Amazon have been overwhelming positive, and hey, my mom liked it too. And the book has sold almost a 100 copies in its first month.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

But then again, I also get these drive-by reviews from window shoppers. This is just the reality of trying to do something a bit different with a kid's book. People absolutely judge a book by it's cover.

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I know how to write things that are guaranteed to sell and make money, but this ain't one of them. Doing what is guaranteed to work gets boring after a couple of years. It's too safe. It's fulfilling work to make a product that people need but also empty at the same time.

This was a complete gamble. I have been publishing on Amazon for the last 8 years now, and I haven't felt this excited since I released my first book. And thinking back on it, that first book was also a bold gamble as well. And it sold very well. Maybe then, that's just the secret to success.

Anyways, the book is on Amazon. You can also find the full story and illustrations on YouTube for free as well. If you would like to support the book, a quick rating on Amazon or Goodreads is one of the best ways to do so.

[0xn0n53n53]

I need to be in a miniskirt and tights walking around in a botanical garden for research with a clipboard and messy hair please thank you

[waterbottle-full-of-turtles]

Things that helped me when I was a scared queer kid who didn’t know who to turn to or even if I could:

A Hard Rock Cafe t shirt that has a rainbow Freddie mercury on it. I spoke to this T shirt as if it were a direct phone line to the ghost of Freddie himself and I will still talk to this t shirt to this day.

A book called boys keep swinging by Jake shears. The idea that someone else felt how I felt was the single most reassuring thing in my life.

Labyrinth, the movie with David Bowie in it. I think I had a crush on Sarah.

That got me thinking: was there anything that you relied on when you were younger? It doesn’t have to be pride related, just something that made you feel seen and helped you as a person

[libertyreads]

Book Review #68 of 2023--

Fence, Volume 1 by C.S. Pacat. Rating: 3.25 stars.

Read on June 2nd.

I have heard so much about this comic series that I knew I had to give it a shot. But I definitely didn’t think it would be worth it for me to purchase it before trying it. (Comics are fucking expensive.) And so I was excited when I saw that my library had it available. I think I’ve realized that I like comics/graphic novels about sports and teens/young adults. And Fence wasn’t an exception here. I really enjoyed the read. I thought it lacked the depth I want in stories, but I’ve said that about pretty much every comic/graphic novel I’ve ever read. I put a hold in for volume 2 so hopefully I get to know everyone better there and get some more background. I like the art style and the characters so far. Though, the captain at King’s Row reminds me a lot of a character from Wayne Family Adventures which was distracting. (Am I now coming up with a crossover where one of Bruce Wayne’s children goes to a boarding school and fences? Maybe.) Overall, it was fun and cute and I’m excited to keep going. I just hope I’m able to attach more to the characters in the other volumes.

[aubryjoi]

Read more queer books 📚🌈

[0kamikamisama]

She tried 😔

[yes-i-am-happyaspie]

We Stan David Tennent.

Tennent called transgender critics "a tiny bunch of little whining f*ckers who are on the wrong side of history, and they'll all go away soon."

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