Happy Caribbean American Heritage Month! We’re celebrating as we do, with queer Caribbean fiction!
Middle Grade
Hurricane Child by Kacen Callender
Being born during a hurricane is considered unlucky where twelve-year-old Caroline Murphy lives, and she has had her share of bad luck lately. She’s hated and bullied by everyone in her small school on St. Thomas of the US Virgin Islands. A spirit only…
found sooooooo much stuff at work 2day omg!!!!! literally EIGHT books and the sound of music soundtrack + ella fitzgerald vinyl + gloria gaynor vinyl + 2 in 1 sinatra vinyl + LABI SIFFRE VINYL <33333 (AND ALSO one of the books is i know why the caged bird sings by maya angelou!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)
Blurb: Camino Rios lives for the summers when her father visits her in the Dominican Republic...but this time, on the day when his plane is supposed to land, Camino arrives at the airport to see crowds of crying people. In New York City, Yahaira Rios is called to the principal's office, where her mother is waiting to tell her that her father, her hero, has died in a plane crash. Separated by distance and Papi's secrets, the two girls are forced to face a new reality in which their father is dead and their lives are forever altered...and then, when it seems like they've lost everything of their father's, they learn of each other.
part 2 of the 2023 version of this post: young adult books!
part 1: middle grade books | part 3: 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 ⬇️
aces wild by amanda dewitt
the chandler legacies by abdi nazemian
bruised by tanya boteju
juliet takes a breath by gabby rivera
picture us in the light by kelly loy gilbert
when we were magic by sarah gailey
iron widow by xiran jay zhao
the rise of kyoshi by f.c. yee
jane unlimited by kristin cashore
summer of salt by katrina leno
the wicker king by k. ancrum
the dead and the dark by courtney gould
wilder girls by rory power
i kissed shara wheeler by casey mcquiston
her royal highness by rachel hawkins
tell me how you really feel by aminah mae safi
the weight of the stars by k. ancrum
you should see me in a crown by leah johnson
last night at the telegraph club by malinda lo
the grief keeper by alexandra villasante
crier's war by nina varela
how to excavate a heart by jake maia arlow
imogen, obviously by becky albertalli
in other lands by sarah rees brennan
carry on by rainbow rowell
cemetery boys by aiden thomas
felix ever after by kacen callendar
i wish you all the best by mason deaver
little thieves by margaret owen
technically you started it by lana wood johnson
the gentleman's guide to vice and virtue by mackenzi lee
the infinite noise by lauren shippen
bonds of brass by emily skrutskie
the darkness outside us by eliot schrefer
simon vs. the homo sapiens agenda by becky albertalli
what if it's us by becky albertalli and adam silvera
aristotle and dante discover the secrets of the universe by benjamin alire sáenz
like a love story by abdi nazemian
different for boys by patrick ness
history is all you left me by adam silvera
twelfth grade night by molly horton booth, stephanie kate strohm, and jamie green
across a field of starlight by blue delliquanti
heartstopper by alice oseman
check, please! by ngozi ukazu
bloom by kevin panetta and savanna ganucheau
laura dean keeps breaking up with me by mariko tamaki and rosemary valero-o'connell
the princess and the grilled cheese sandwich by deya muniz
if you'll have me by eunnie
on a sunbeam by tillie walden
the girl from the sea by molly knox ostertag
always human by ari north
rust in the root by justina ireland
dread nation by justina ireland
pet by awkwaeke emezi
the darkest part of the forest by holly black
elatsoe by darcie little badger
i was born for this by alice oseman
loveless by alice oseman
i hate everyone but you by gaby dunn and allison raskin
you know me well by nina lacour and david levithan
the black flamingo by dean atta
spinning by tillie walden
dreadnought by april daniels
a lesson in vengeance by victoria lee
all the bad apples by moira fowley-doyle
clap when you land by elizabeth acevedo
summer bird blue by akemi dawn bowman
the miseducation of cameron post by emily m. danforth
books featured:
Cemetery Boys, Aiden Thomas
Clap When You Land, Elizabeth Acevedo
Miss Meteor, Their Kay Mejia & Anna-Marie McLemore
The Name-Bearer, Natalia Hernandez
The Prince & The Coyote, David Bowles
Ophelia After All, Racquel Marie
The Luis Ortega Survival Club, Sonora Reyes
Labyrinth Lost, Zoraida Cordova
Juliet Takes a Breath, Gabby Rivera
Ander & Santi Were Here, Jonny Garza Villa
🖤 Felix Ever After by Kacen Callender
❤️ Under the Udala Trees by Chinelo Okparanta
💛 Warrior of the Wind by Suyi Davies Okungbowa
💚 I'm a Wild Seed by Sharon Lee De La Cruz
🖤 Real Life by Brandon Taylor
❤️ Ruthless Pamela Jean by Carol Denise Mitchell
💛 The Unbroken by C.L. Clark
💚 Labyrinth Lost by Zoraida Córdova
🖤 Skin Deep Magic by Craig Laurance Gidney
❤️ The Death of Vivek Oji by Akwaeke Emezi
💛 That Could Be Enough by Alyssa Cole
💚Work for It by Talia Hibbert
🖤 All Boys Aren't Blue by George M. Johnson
❤️ The Deep by Rivers Solomon
💛 How to Be Remy Cameron by Julian Winters
💚 Running With Lions by Julian Winters
🖤 Right Where I Left You by Julian Winters
❤️ This Is Kind of an Epic Love Story by Kacen Callender
💛 The Weight of the Stars by K. Ancrum
💚 This Is What It Feels Like by Rebecca Barrow
🖤 Son of the Storm by Suyi Davies Okungbowa
❤️ Black Boy Joy by Kwame Mbalia
💛 Legendborn by Tracy Deonn
💚 The Wicker King by K. Ancrum
🖤 Pet by Akwaeke Emezi
❤️ You Should See Me in a Crown by Leah Johnson
💛 Once Ghosted, Twice Shy by Alyssa Cole
💚 Cinderella Is Dead by Kalynn Bayron
🖤 Let's Talk About Love by Claire Kann
❤️ A Spectral Hue by Craig Laurance Gidney
💛 Power & Magic by Joamette Gil
💚 The Black Veins by Ashia Monet
🖤 Treasure by Rebekah Weatherspoon
❤️ The Sound of Stars by Alechia Dow
💛 Black Leopard, Red Wolf by Marlon James
💚 Full Disclosure by Camryn Garrett
🖤 The Black Flamingo by Dean Atta
❤️ Meet Cute Diary by Emery Lee
💛 A Phoenix First Must Burn (edited) by Patrice Caldwell
💚 Rise to the Sun by Leah Johnson
🖤 Things We Couldn't Say by Jay Coles
❤️ Black Boy Out of Time by Hari Ziyad
💛 Darling by K. Ancrum
💚 The Secrets of Eden by Brandon Goode
🖤 Ace of Spades by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé
❤️ Off the Record by Camryn Garrett
💛 Honey Girl by Morgan Rogers
💚 Ace of Spades by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé
🖤 How to Dispatch a Human by Stephanie Andrea Allen
❤️ Black Girl, Call Home by Jasmine Mans
💛 The Essential June Jordan (edited) by Jan Heller Levi and Christoph Keller
💚 A Master of Djinn by P. Djèlí Clark
🖤 A Blade So Black by L.L. McKinney
❤️ Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo
💛 Dread Nation by Justina Ireland
💚 Punch Me Up to the Gods by Brian Broome
🖤 Masquerade by Anne Shade
❤️ One of the Good Ones by Maika Moulite & Maritza Moulite
💛 Soulstar by C.L. Polk
💚 100 Boyfriends by Brontez Purnell
🖤 Hurricane Child by Kacen Callender
❤️ Quietly Hostile by Samantha Irby
💛 Coffee Will Make You Black by April Sinclair
💚 The Death of Vivek Oji by Akwaeke Emezi
🖤 If It Makes You Happy by Claire Kann
❤️ Sweethand by N.G. Peltier
💛 This Poison Heart by Kalynn Bayron
💚 Better Off Red by Rebekah Weatherspoon
🖤 Friday I’m in Love by Camryn Garrett
❤️ Rainbow Milk by Paul Mendez
💛 Memorial by Bryan Washington
💚 Patsy by Nicole Y. Dennis-Benn
🖤 Sorrowland by Rivers Solomon
❤️ How to Find a Princess by Alyssa Cole
💛 Yesterday is History by Kosoko Jackosn
💚 Mouths of Rain (edited) by Briona Simone Jones
🖤 Dead Dead Girls by Nekesa Afia
❤️ Love's Divine by Ava Freeman
💛 The Prophets by Robert Jones Jr
💚 Odd One Out by Nic Stone
🖤 Symbiosis by Nicky Drayden
❤️ Thanks a Lot, Universe by Chad Lucas
💛 The Passing Playbook by Isaac Fitzsimons
💚 Giovanni’s Room by James Baldwin
🖤 Little & Lion by Brandy Colbert
❤️ My Government Means to Kill Me by Rasheed Newson
💛 Pleasure and Spice by Fiona Zedde
💚 No Gods, No Monsters by Cadwell Turnbull
🖤 The Stars and the Blackness Between Them by Junauda Petrus
❤️ Filthy Animals by Brandon Taylor
💛 The City We Became by N.K. Jemisin
💚 Peaces by Helen Oyeyem
🖤 The Beauty That Remains by Ashley Woodfolk
❤️ Every Body Looking by Candice Iloh
💛 Bingo Love by Tee Franklin, Jenn St-Onge, Joy San
💚 The Heart Does Not Bend by Makeda Silvera
🖤 King and the Dragonflies by Kacen Callender
❤️ By Any Means Necessary by Candice Montgomery
💛 Busy Ain't the Half of It by Frederick Smith & Chaz Lamar Cruz
💚 Girl, Woman, Other by Bernardine Evaristo
🖤 Sin Against the Race by Gar McVey-Russell
❤️ Trumpet by Jackie Kay
💛 Remembrance by Rita Woods
💚 Daughters of Nri by Reni K. Amayo
🖤 You Know Me Well by Nina LaCour
❤️ The Summer of Everything by Julian Winters
💛 Butter Honey Pig Bread by Francesca Ekwuyasi
💚 Gingerbread by Helen Oyeyem
What’s up readers?! How about a little show and tell? Answer these 13 questions, tag 13 lucky readers and if you’re feeling extra bookish add a shelfie! Let’s Go!
Tagged by @willameena 💖💖💖 thank you!!! i absolutely love talking about books!! pls talk to me about books
1) The Last book I read:
so you don't get lost in the neighborhood by patrick modiano -- this is a book about the failure of memory i think. the narrator is forced to reckon with events from his past that he doesn't really remember? it's not as interesting as it sounds but it was an alright read!
2) A book I recommend:
the stardust thief by chelsea abdullah -- i listened to this audiobook on my way to work and then immediately bought a physical copy because it was so so good! it's a take on the one thousand and one nights and it's absolutely thrilling from start to finish <3
3) A book that I couldn’t put down:
clap when you land by elizabeth acevedo -- books in verse aren't normally my thing but elizabeth acevedo is a master of the craft and this story of family is heart wrenching and made me cry
4) A book I’ve read twice (or more):
we are okay by nina lacour -- this is possibly my favorite book i read it when i need to cry or to feel something. i know that says nothing about the story but it's so good and queer and beautiful i highly recommend
5) A book on my TBR:
the 85 books that are on my bookshelf that i haven't read and my overused library card are taunting me with this question. the one i can see from where i'm sitting on my bed is i'm glad my mom died by jeanette mccurdy but i don't know if that's gonna happen anytime soon. i also really want to get to on earth we're briefly gorgeous by ocean vuong but i think that's also going to make me cry
6) A book I’ve put down:
i rarely put books down on purpose. often i'll start things and then life will happen and i won't want to start the book from the beginning again so it gets put down. i wish i didn't finish the hobbit because i was in 7th grade and didn't know you could just... not finish something you don't like.
three books that i will probably get back to at some point though are: tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow by gabrielle zevin, the priory of the orange tree by samantha shannon and helen of troy by bethany hughes
7) A book on my wish list:
i don't really keep a book wishlist! probably something by emily henry because i've been in a romcom mood lately
8) A favorite book from childhood:
inkheart by cornelia funke -- i think this is the book that made me love reading tbh i identified so strongly with meggie and i loved dustfinger and it just got me
i also really loved because of win dixie (and i should reread it, i have a copy sitting in my kitchen right now)
9) A book you would give to a friend:
the long way to a small angry planet by becky chambers -- i lied earlier this might be my favorite book. you want a really good found family? you want a harrowing space adventure? you want to see characters that become more real? this is the book for you. this book is about the heart of a family and the home you make and the decision to keep choosing each other and being there in the good times and bad i don't have enough good things to say about it tbh it's pretty much perfect!!
i gifted it to a boy once right before i left england (after he came to see a play with me having absolutely no interest in theatre) and having him read it and enjoy it was a highlight of my trip besides going on that date with him that i didn't realize was a date until i was on a plane over the atlantic.
10) A book of poetry or lyrics that you own:
crush by richard siken -- i'm gay i am legally obligated to own this book
11) A nonfiction book you own:
most of my nonfiction books are memoirs! but here are my top three that i will get to reading at some point!!
1. helen of troy by bethany hughes
2. poet warrior by joy harjo
3. something about the witch trials that i don't remember the name of right now and can't actively see on my shelf
12) What are you currently reading:
summer sons by lee mandelo -- it's gay there's ghosts and messy boys and grief and i'm a quarter of the way done and already know that i'm going to read it again because it's going to wreck me emotionally
13) What are you planning on reading next?
i think i'm going to finish invisible cities by italo calvino next!!
no pressure to do this!! but tagging: @grapenehifics @ragnarlothcat @kittonafoxgirl @bisexualobiwankenobi @tideswept @palfriendpatine66 @thegingerwrites @renlyslittlerose
i'd love to add more books to my infinite pile of books to read!!!!
Burn Down, Rise Up by Vincent Tirado
Felix Ever After by Kacen Callender
Look No Further by Rioghnach Robinson and Siofra Robinson
More Happy Than Not by Adam Silvera
Echo After Echo by AR Capetta
Bonus: Going Bicoastal by Dahlia Adler is set half in NYC, half in LA, and Elizabeth Acevedo’s Clap When You Land is set half in NYC, half in the Dominican Republic
1. How many works do you have on A03? 46 public, 3 private, 2 anon.
2. What’s your total Ao3 word count? 692, 623!
3. What fandoms do you write for? VC and Sheith with a few YOI fics thrown in. 😊
4. What are your top five fics by kudos? Star Eater, THE FRONT, Tonight the Stars Revolt!, Wayfinder, and Zero Hour!
5. Do you respond to comments? YES! I only share fics because I want comments lmfao. I want to talk to you!!! Sometimes I do like a quarterly roundup so I let them pile up and then answer them all every 3 months lol but I do try to reply to everybody!
6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending? I think for Sheith it’s C O A G V L A and for VC it’s The Lotus Eater or Gallows Bird? (The Lotus Eater and Gallows Bird have the Armand & Marius versions of the same ending bc Gallows Bird was a TLE remix LOL) Sfaíra Ti̱s Fo̱tiás also has a really bleak ending but it’s a PWP so it doesn’t hurt me as bad LOL.
7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? For Sheith it’s THE FRONT I think? For VC idk maybe Right Where it Belongs or In the Trials of the Heart?
8. Do you get hate on fics? I’ve gotten a lot of hate in fandom at large but never really got flagrant hate in an AO3 comment. I do occasionally get a rude unsolicited critique and I like to use that as an opportunity to write meta about why my decision was correct LOL
9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind? I only write smut, thanks! WHAT KIND? idk I lean into BDSM but there's a few that aren't BDSM. I also write canon-compliant VC smut so it's either a vampire servicing a human or me trying to make blood drinking sound as horny as possible.
10. Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve written? I used to when I was a teenager on my old accounts but it doesn’t really interest me anymore outside of like maybe a cute lil homage Easter Egg or something.
11. Have you ever had a fic stolen? I don’t think so!
12. Have you ever had a fic translated? No!
13. Have you ever co-written a fic before? I haven’t co-written in a long time but I used to! One of my fav fics from high school was written with my best friend where we alternated chapters and it was so much fun!
14. What’s your all time favorite ship? Sheith and Marius/Armand and Armand/Daniel and Marius/Pandora !!!!!!!!!!!!!! Those are my fav ships to WRITE, I don’t really read a lot of VC though. I have lots of other fav ships to read.
15. What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will? I don’t start stuff that I won’t finish adsgjl when I was in high school my FFnet page was a DISASTER just like 60 fics, none of them finished, and so when I returned to fic writing using AO3 I promise myself not to post stuff that I wasn’t confident I’d finish. Ideally I don’t even begin sharing something until it’s finished but TTSR was an exception bc it started as a PWP and got out of hand.
16. What are your writing strengths? I get complimented the most on tension and pacing! Also on emotional meta like characters' behavior around trauma.
17. What are your writing weaknesses? I really wish I was better at writing long fics. It’s been a goal of mine forever and I’ve gotten a little better but I’m not where I want to be.
18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic? Gjkaldsg I don’t think it’s necessary and often comes off as cheesy unless it serves a real purpose. I've seen it done really well before! (Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo came to mind!) And I think we’ve all seen this done badly enough in fanfic to kind of learn what not to do. I think there are times when the beauty and cadence of another language can add texture or say something that you simply can’t say in the default language, I also think it can be used to create a distance between the characters, even between the reader and the character. I used a lot of Latin in So Falls the World for example, because Marius and Pandora are reciting an ancient poem to each other, and it was important to me to leave it in Latin because I wanted to communicate their age, that they’re clinging to something archaic because it’s familiar to them, when it’s incongruous to the world around them and also the text around them. Same with the misinterpretation of silence and its disastrous consequences, where Louis is reciting a French poem. I mean do we assume that Louis and Lestat speak French to each other at home anyway? But putting the poem in the original language AT LEAST FOR ME created a sense that Louis is playing a role, that it’s something outside of himself. Basically I think media does this all the time and we are smart enough to know that the language we’re consuming might not be the language the characters are actually speaking, we all know that! So the question is, when people sprinkle random words into their stories or dialogue, I ask: What purpose did this serve? Is this how bilingual people actually talk? Is it written for bilingual readers as a shared experience or is it meant to confuse monolingual readers for effect? Is it used sparingly to add texture, is it just a fun word that you want to use? Do whatever you want but I think we need to ask ourselves these questions before writing something that’s a sloppy mess at best, and a racist caricature at worst!
19. First fandom you wrote for? Pro wrestling =P
20. Favourite fic you’ve written? Tonight the Stars Revolt! is my fav Sheith fic, it’s like my magnus opus that I do all my meta work for, everything I’ve thought deeply about was ultimately for this fic, I HAVENT UPDATED IT IN ALMOST 2 YEARS IM REALLY SORRY LIFE KINDA GOT AWAY FROM ME IT’S BEEN HECTIC but I think about it constantly, more than you know, I have 3 playlists for it that I listen to all the time, it’s just always on my mind. For VC it used to be So Falls the World but now that I wrote Gallows Bird I think it’s that, too. I can’t tell if it’s because Gallows Bird is just newer and less sloppy LOL but jkdlhakjgsd I THINK I AVOIDED WRITING MARIUS FIC FOR A LONG TIME BC I WAS INTIMIDATED BUT THE TIMES I DO WRITE HIM I HAVE SUCH A BLAST and I just love him so much!