#The book I'm currently reading is Afterlove

[vegan-heterotroph]

Just talking about some books I've read this year:

I'm reading a second fictional book this year that takes place in England, and once againt the main character is always talking about/is drinking, (she's 16) and its just weird to me becaus I'm in my late twenties and I do not like alcohol, yet there are so many teens that love it?

Maybe it just me, but why not make these characters adults, because this same character talked about having several hookups after drinking, and I'm like "how old are you?!"

[lesbicosmos]

it's international lesbian day and since im ill and just sitting here reading, have some of my fav lesbian book recommendations!!

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A Short History of Queer Women by Kirsty Loehr

Starting with a non-fiction one, this tells the stories of many lesbians and other sapphics from history and is really interesting and, at points, hilarious

Our Wives Under The Sea by Julia Armfield

This is my current favourite book, I read it recently for a book club and just fell in love. It tells the story of Leah, a marine scientist who went on a deep sea mission that went horribly wrong and is now acting very strangely, and her wife Miri. It is a dual pov, with Miri's chapters following her trying to figure out what is happening to Leah post-mission return, and Leah's chapters following the events that happened on the mission itself. The strange supernatural body horror is part terrifying part intriguing and the love story is so tender and devoted, and the writing style is absolutely GORGEOUS.

Afterlove by Tanya Byrne

In the similar realm of lesbian supernatural fiction, this is probably one of my all time favourite books. The first half is a sweet first-love romance between teenagers Ash and Poppy in Brighton, but when Ash dies on New Year's Eve and becomes a grim reaper, she can't forget what she and Poppy had, even if it means giving them only a few more days together.

Cinderella is Dead by Kalynn Bayron

A lesbian retelling of Cinderella, this book follows Sophia, who grew up hearing the fairytale and is now about to be sent to the royal ball for choosing, where her life may be forfeit if she isn't chosen by a man. Sophia doesn't want to be chosen at all, and she fears the girl she loves will be chosen and they will have to part.

She Gets The Girl by Rachael Lippincott and Alyson Derrick

I read this book while I was on holiday and loved it. It's a YA romcom which follows two perspectives:, Alex, a headstrong flirty lesbian who knows how to get girls but struggles to keep them, and Molly, who is very awkward and doesn't know how to go about talking to Cora, the girl she's completely in love with. When their paths cross at college, Alex begins helping Molly talk to Cora in an attempt to prove to her ex that she can be serious about romance, but as their plans progress, their feelings may have changed and they could be instead falling for each other.

Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo

This is the book I'm currently reading but I'm putting it on here anyway because I love it already. Set in Chinatown in 1954, with Red-Scare paranoia and deportation looming over her father, seventeen year old Lily Hu risks everything once she meets Kathleen Miller and the two fall in love at a lesbian bar called the Telegraph Club

[melanielocke]

Book recommendations - Queer POC books

Some more book recommendations, this time I'm focusing on Queer PoC books, all by authors of color. All the books shown in the picture are UK editions. I generally like it when books have a UK paperback edition because they're a lot cheaper than US hardcovers, usually also cheaper than US paperbacks, and release the same week as the US hardcover. I don't think these editions are always available if you live in North America, but to those living in Europe, buying UK editions can save you a lot of money. Other parts of the world I honestly don't know which editions are easiest to come by. Only downside for UK editions is that sometimes there are some with a redesigned cover that is very ugly. Of the books shown here, only the Witchery has a different cover than the US edition but in this case I like both.

Starting with this Poison Heart by Kalynn Bayron

This is a duology, the second and last book was released last June and so this is a complete series. It is inspired by Greek mythology, and specifically, the myth of Medea, and follows Briseis, who was adopted and inherits an estate from her aunt whom she never met. Briseis has always been able to make plants grow, and is immune to poisonous plants, and at the estate she discovers her birth family had these same gifts, and they keep a garden with some of the most poisonous plants in the world. This book has some great characters, and Briseis was adopted and raised by two sapphic Black mothers, who also play a big role in this series. This series has also served as inspiration for the Lightwood's magic garden in Flowers Bloom

Also by this author: Cinderella is Dead, which I'd also recommend, the Vanquishers, a MG which I did not read

Upcoming books: My Dear Henry, a Jekyll & Hide retelling (3-2023); You're not Supposed to Die Tonight, a slasher horror (6-2023)

Next up is Afterlove by Tanya Byrne

This is a sapphic love story with a MC of Indian decent. At New Years's Eve, just before midnight, Ash is hit by a car and dies instantly. She gets the offer to become a reaper, who guide the city's dead to their afterlife. But Ash can't forget Poppy, her girlfriend, and will do anything to get to see her again.

I haven't seen a lot of people talk about this book, but I really enjoyed it. The main focus is the romance here, and it's more romance with a fantasy aspect to it than fantasy.

Other books by this author: there are several other older books, none of which I've read

Upcoming books: The Mermaid of Black Rock (9-2023), a sapphic book about a girl with no memory found in the sea and a girl who falls in love with her

The Jasmine Throne is the only adult series I put in this list (the rest is YA), and is a fantasy trilogy set in an India inspired world. Book 1 and 2 are out now.

Malini is a princess who is imprisoned in an old temple by her dictator brother, an emperor obsessed with religious ideas revolving women gaining purity and immortality by being burnt alive. Malini refused to burn for his sake.

Priya is a maidservant who travels to the temple every night to clean Malini's chambers. Before her land was conquered by Malini's family, Priya was a temple child, and she had passed through the magical deathless waters once, but all the temple children were murdered except a few who survived and she has to hide her past.

Malini and Priya eventually start working together, with the goal of restoring the throne to Malini's other, oldest brother who'd abandoned the throne to become a priest.

Other books by this author: The Books of Ambha duology, adult fantasy, and What Souls are Made of, a YA Wuthering Heights retelling

Upcoming books: Book 3 of the series, scheduled for 2023, currently no release date known

The Sunbearer Trials by Aiden Thomas is one of my personal favorites of this year. It's the first book in a YA fantasy duology set in a world inspired by Mexican culture. In this world, the sunbearer trials are held every ten years to replenish the energy of the sol stones and keep the sun alive and evil gods at bay. Ten demigods (called semidioses) are chosen by Sol to compete in a set of trials. The winner becomes the Sunbearer and gets to replenish the sol stones. The loser becomes a human sacrifice that is necessary to replenish said stones.

Semidioses are divided in gold and jade categories, depending on if their parent is a gold or jade god. Gold gods are the most powerful gods, ruling over things like the earth, the seas, fire etc, while jade gods are considered less powerful and their children too. There haven't been any jade competitors in the Sunbearer trials in over a century, but that year, two are chosen.

Teo is the transgender son of Quetzal, the goddess of birds, and he never expected to be chosen for the trials. The other jade is Xio, the son of Mala Suerte, god of bad luck. The other 8 competitors are all gold semidioses, including Teo's best friend Niya, daughter of Tierra, god of the Earth and the twin children of the fire goddess, Aurelio and Auristela. Compared to many of the others, Teo does not have a lot of powers and will have to fight with everything he has to survive.

The fantasy world in this book is modern second world, so while everything is different from this world, there are equivalents of instagram and tiktok for example, and they have trading cards featuring different semidiose heroes.

Other books by the author: Cemetery Boys, Lost in the Never Woods, I've read both and they're very good

Upcoming books: book 2 of the sunbearer trials (expected in 2023), companion/sequel to Cemetery Boys (fall 2024), untitled book pitched as gay titanic in space (2024), Just Max (a contemporary set in college, 2024).

I don't think it's likely there'll be 3 books coming out in 2024 but that's the information I currently have

The last book in the picture is the Witchery by S. Isabelle

This book features four witches and two human boys. Logan only recently found out she's a witch and transferred to a school for witches, and so far she's no good at it. But she's taken under the wing by the Red Three, three Black witches and the most powerful witches at the school. Thalia, a greenwitch, Iris, a deathwitch and Jailah, the most powerful witch at school, want to end the curse that's plaguing their town, and want Logan's help to do it.

Every year, there's a Haunting Season during which wolves come out of the swamp and kill people. The witches can protect people, to some extent, but the Red Three want to end the Haunting Season once and for all.

This book has a total of 6 POV's, which can make it confusing but I think it worked well. All the characters were interesting, but there wasn't enough space to flesh them all out as much as I would have liked. Still, I think the story was great, and would recommend it. There's not much focus on romance, but Jailah is a lesbian which is why I included it on this list.

Other books by this author: The Witchery is her first book

Upcoming books: another book is expected to be released in 2023. I have no idea what this book is about

Let me know if there are specific recommendations you'd like me to cover next time, I think I'll make more posts like these because it's lots of fun. Also, if you've read any of the books I recommend and want to talk about it, let me know, because I don't have a lot of people to talk about my favorite books with

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