#saundra mitchell

[slaughter-books]

Day 3: JOMPBPC: Intersectional Feminism

[lakecountylibrary]

Fav Books with Lesbian Characters

Oh ho ho it is Lesbian Visibility Week?? We have books for that.

There are SO MANY good books with lesbian characters out there these days! In my day, we had to walk 15 miles in the snow uphill both ways for just a lingering look between two ladies that might be interpreted as sapphic. Now we have CHOICES. Here are just a few of my favs:

The Wayward Children Series (particularly Down Among the Sticks and Bones and Come Tumbling Down) by @seananmcguire

I'll stop reccing Wayward Children when everyone has read it. The whole series features queer characters, but Down Among the Sticks and Bones (book 2) and Come Tumbling Down (book 5), featuring horror twins Jack (lesbian mad scientist) and Jill (I won't spoil it) are particular favorites of mine. And don't be intimidated by how many books are in the series - they're novellas!

All Out: The No-Longer-Secret Stories of Queer Teens throughout the Ages edited by Saundra Mitchell

Speaking of not having time for full-length novels, how about an anthology of short stories? It's so wonderful to have story after story centering queer characters, especially for historical fiction fans. You'll find plenty of wlw rep in several iconic eras, from the 1700s to the 1950s.

The Locked Tomb series by Tamsyn Muir

Yes, yes, we've all heard the lesbian necromancers in space tagline, but a catchy tagline isn't the only reason people rave about this book. The storyline is absolutely wild, and so is the writing style - a dizzying blend of baroque gothic intensity and modern linguistic turns of phrase. And that's before you even get to whatever is going on in book 2 (second person???? How? Why??) It shouldn't work, but it does. There are murders, conspiracies, politics, duels, horrors beyond human ken, and yes, lesbians. Start with Gideon the Ninth.

The Great Cities duology by @nkjemisin

New York City is awakening into a Great City, and each of its boroughs has manifested a human avatar. There's a big cast of characters, but you'll never feel confused about who is who, or bored with one particular viewpoint. The character work in this book is phenom. There's also Lovecraftian horrors, very little romance, the best found family on the Eastern Seaboard, and a lot of love for New York. If you liked Neverwhere by @neil-gaiman, you'll like this. Start with The City We Became.

See more of Robin's recs

[lgbtqreads]

YA eBooks on Sale for Under $4

[thereadingchallengechallenge]

JOMP BPC - September 22nd - Autumn Spring Colours

some soft colours that remind me of the flowers in my garden and around my neighbourhood 💐

[transbookoftheday]

Transmogrify! by g. haron davis

Transness is as varied and colorful as magic can be. In Transmogrify!, you’ll embark on fourteen different adventures alongside unforgettable characters who embody many different genders and expressions and experiences—because magic is for everyone, and that is cause for celebration.

Featuring stories from:

AR Capetta and Cory McCarthy

g. haron davis

Mason Deaver

Jonathan Lenore Kastin

Emery Lee

Saundra Mitchell

Cam Montgomery

Ash Nouveau

Sonora Reyes

Renee Reynolds

Dove Salvatierra

Ayida Shonibar

Francesca Tacchi

Nik Traxler

[stardustandrockets]

What's a book that makes you feel seen?

It's only within the last few years that I've seen myself and my experiences regarding my sexuality in books. One of those books is The Charm Offensive by Alison Cochrun.

Charlie's experience with discovering his demisexuality, along with his anxiety, really spoke to me. Not that I was on a dating show to rehabilitate my image or anything. I was in college trying to survive the hardest year of my degree plan. This book was the first time I'd seen demisexuality written from a discovery standpoint. Most other ace rep I'd read up til this point was about characters who already knew they were ace or their sexuality wasn't even a point of the book. Even though this is an achillean book with gay main characters, much of what Charlie goes through spoke to me. Especially when I didn't find my own queerness until I was an adult.

Since then, I've added a few more books to the list that make me feel seen: Never Been Kissed by Timothy Janovsky and Loveless by Alice Oseman.

Remember: whether you are out or not, know you are greatly loved and my account is a safe space. 🌈 Bigots can't and won't win.

[the-final-sentence]

It seemed to me that they'd have been a lot less likely to get gunned down if Bonnie had just had the sense to be Clyde.

Saundra Mitchell, from “Bonnie and Clyde”

[semper-legens]

57. All Out, ed. by Saundra Mitchell

Owned: No, library Page count: 342 My summary: A collection of stories about queer teens through the ages - from a doomed soldier in 1870s Mexico to two girls mourning Kurt Cobain, from apprentice painters sketching a naked man to forbidden love in a sixteenth century convent, from two men making merry in Nottingham to who a rollerskating girl doesn’t kiss, this book collects stories across many LGBT+ identities. My rating: 3/5 My commentary:

Of course I picked this one up. I'm a sucker for LGBT+ fiction in general, and I have a habit of reading young adult literature despite the fact that I am nearing my thirties. It drew me in with the idea of retelling fairytales and telling stories of LGBT+ youth throughout the ages, the stories having taken place at various points in the past, ranging from the 1300s to the 1990s. While overall I liked the individual stories in this collection well enough, I do have to take issue with one specific aspect of the whole, which I'll get into under the cut.

First of all, before I begin to talk about individual stories, I must first address a glaring omission. See, this book has gay characters, lesbian characters, transmasc characters...and no real transfem representation. It could be argued that one character who contains multiple personalities, the most prominent of which is female, could be transfem, but that's still a drop in the ocean compared to the other identities. It was really obvious to me throughout that transfems weren't going to get a word in, which is annoying given that 1) they are obviously also a part of this community and 2) transfems are some of the most marginalised people in this community. If the editors and collectors of this book want to make a followup, there should be more transfeminine representation.

As always with short stories, I'm only going to discuss the few that jumped out to me. And the first of those is the very first story in the collection - Roja. It's a loose reimagining of the Little Red Riding Hood story, with the wolf in question being reinterpreted as a trans soldier boy nicknamed 'la Loupe', and the Red Riding Hood figure being a young woman thought to be a witch by her community. This is both an LGBT+ retelling and a Latina retelling, given that the action has been changed to 1870s Mexico and draws on the real-life story of Leonarda Emilia. I really liked this one! The romance between the two outcasts was sweet, and Emilia's stubborn refusals to give her lover up and let him be killed was really engaging, especially as this apparently begins her life as an outlaw.

The next story I want to talk about is The Dresser and the Chambermaid, and I'm really not sure how to explain my feelings towards this one. It features the slow romance of Mary and Susanna, a newly-appointed lady's maid and a chambermaid respectively in the palace, and their clandestine meetings below stairs. While I was greatly fond of the story (another of my weird special interests is the history of domestic service) I thought it was too brief for how vast in scope it was. The girls fall in love almost instantly and have a depth of attachment to each other that I found to be somewhat unrealistic given the short timeframe. Ideally, the story would have taken place over months rather than days - though I acknowledge that this wouldn't have made it a short story.

Finally, the last story I want to talk about is And They Don’t Kiss At The End. It's a simple little tale where a teenage girl in the 1980s tries to understand her lack of feeling towards a boy that she should be in love with, but isn't. I like the story's exploration of aromanticism in a time period where the term had not yet been coined; Dee really struggles to understand what it is she's experiencing and put a name to it. As an aro/ace, I get it. It can be hard to prove a lack of something as opposed to a presence of something, especially when that thing is as nebulous as attraction, and I think this story portrays that well, as well as the complicated emotions that can arise when someone's spent their life under a heteronormative culture.

Next up, a young girl is resigned to a life of taking on other people's sins.

[books-to-add-to-your-tbr]

Title: The Prom

Author: Saundra Mitchell, Bob Martin, Chad Beguelin, Matthew Sklar

Series or standalone: standalone

Publication year: 2019

Genres: fiction, LGBT+, romance, contemporary

Blurb: 17-year-old Emma Nolan wants only one thing before she graduates: to dance with her girlfriend at the senior prom...but in her small town of Edgewater, Indiana, that’s like asking for the moon. Alyssa Greene is her high school’s it girl - popular, head of the student council, and daughter of the PTA president. She also has a secret: she’s been dating Emma for the last year and a half. When word gets out that Emma plans to bring a girl as her date, it stirs a community-wide uproar that spirals out of control. Now, the PTA - led by Alyssa’s mother - is threatening to cancel the prom altogether. Enter Barry Glickman and Dee Dee Allen, two Broadway has-beens who see Emma’s story as the perfect opportunity to restore their place in the limelight...but when they arrive in Indiana to fight on Emma’s behalf, their good intentions go quickly south. Between Emma facing the fray head-on, Alyssa wavering about coming out, and Barry and Dee Dee basking in all the attention, it’s the perfect prom storm. Only when this unlikely group comes together do they realise that love is always worth fighting for.

[ajarofpickledtears]

"Now I understood what my abuela had wanted, for me to keep my heart soft but the edges of me hard enough to survive the world as it was." - Roja, Anna-Marie McLemore

[qualitymoonsuit]

I just finished reading Out There: Into the Queer New Yonder, by Saundra Mitchell.

[slaughter-books]

Day 23: JOMPBPC: Autumn Spring Colours

It's Spring here in Australia, so I took a photo of some beautiful Spring coloured books! 💚

[theartofangirling]

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

we are okay by nina lacour

radio silence by alice oseman

we used to be friends by amy spalding

a neon darkness by lauren shippen

i hope you get this message by farah naz rishi

are you listening? by tillie walden

alone in space by tillie walden

all out edited by saundra mitchell

out now edited by saundra mitchell

out there edited by saundra mitchell

[shorlibteens]

It's Pride Month!

Check out these LGBTQ+ themed reads at your local library:

GAY & LESBIAN

Last Night at the Telegraph Club / Malinda Lo

Gwen & Art Are Not In Love / Lex Croucher

Pritty / Keith F. Miller, Jr.

The Black Flamingo / Dean Atta

We Deserve Monuments / Jas Hammonds

The Lesbiana's Guide to Catholic School / Sonora Reyes

BI & PAN

Imogen, Obviously / Becky Albertalli

The Luis Ortega Survival Club / Sonora Reyes

The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue / Mackenzi Lee

I Wish You All the Best / Mason Deaver

Ander & Santi Were Here / Jonny Garza Villa

Forever Is Now / Mariama J. Lockington

TRANS & NONBINARY

Pet / Awaeke Emezi

Man o' War / Cory McCarthy

Self-Made Boys / Anna-Marie McLemore

The Honeys / Ryan La Sala

The Sunbearer Trials / Aiden Thomas

Dreadnought / April Daniels

AROMANTIC & ASEXUAL

Wren Martin Ruins It All / Amanda Dewitt

Loveless / Alice Oseman

Planning Perfect / Haley Neil

All Out / edited by Saundra Mitchell

Being Ace / edited by Madeline Dyer

Gender Queer: A Memoir / Maia Kobabe

QUEER & INTERSEX

None of the Above / I. W. Gregorio

Hell Followed With Us / Andrew Joseph White

Just Ash / Sol Santana

Lark & Kasim Start a Revolution / Kacen Callender

Pantomime / Laura Lam

The Heart-Break Bakery / A. R. Capetta

[sillypenguinwitch]

isaac's books in heartstopper s2

episode 1:

Tillie Walden: I Love This Part

Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé: Ace of Spades

episode 2:

Nina LaCour: We Are Okay

Oscar Wilde: The Importance of Being Earnest

episode 3:

Ocean Vuong: Night Sky with Exit Wounds (the one he is carrying under his arm, I'm assuming that's his and not for the display?)

has read: Ritch C. Savin-Williams: Bi: Bisexual, Pansexual, Fluid, and Nonbinary Youth

Emily Henry: Book Lovers

episode 4:

Victor Hugo: Les Misérables

Antoine De Saint-Exupéry: The Little Prince

Kate Chopin: The Awakening

Nina LaCour: We Are Okay (again)

episode 5:

Albert Camus: The Outsider

episode 6:

Martin Handford: Where's Wally? The Great Picture Hunt

Meredith Russo: Birthday

Jules Verne: Around the World in Eighty Days

Sara Pennypacker: Pax Anne Berest, Audrey Diwan, Caroline de Maigret, Sophie Mas: How to Be Parisian Wherever You Are ? ? ? Damian Dibben: The Color Storm Alice Oseman: Loveless Susan Stokes-Chapman: Pandora Katy Hessel: The Story of Art Without Men ? Evelyn Waugh: Rossetti Arthur Conan Doyle: The Hound of the Baskervilles A.O. Scott: Better Living Through Criticism ?: Then We Came to an End (?) Ruth Millington: Muse Dr. Jaqui Lewis: Fierce Love Charlotte Van Den Broek: Bold Ventures - Thirteen Tales of Architectural Tragedy ?

Richard Siken: Crush

episode 7:

Garrard Conley: Boy Erased

George Matthew Johnson: All Boys Aren't Blue

Samra Habib: We Have Always Been Here

episode 8:

Akemi Dawn Bowman: Summer Bird Blue

Angela Chen: Ace

bonus:

Truham school library pride display (seen in ep. 3 and 8):

top to bottom, left to right: Angela Chen: Ace Andrew Holleran: The Kingdom of Sand Mary Jean Chan and Andrew McMillan: 100 Queer Poems Scott Stuart: My Shadow Is Pink Lotte Jeffs: My Magic Family Tucker Shaw: When You Call My Name Ritch C. Savin-Williams: Bi - Pansexual, Fluid, Nonbinary and Fluid Youth Alok Vaid-Menon: Beyond the Gender Binary George M. Johnson: All Boys Aren’t Blue Mason Deaver: I Wish You All the Best Alex Gino: George Melissa

on top of shelves (left to right): Kevin Van Whye: Nate Plus One Xixi Tian: This Place is Still Beautiful Becky Albertalli: Leah on the Offbeat Mya-Rose Craig: Birdgirl Bernardine Evaristo: Girl, Woman, Other Connie Glynn: Princess Ever After Saundra Mitchell: The Prom

Charlie's choice at Shakespeare and Co (ep. 6): Allan Hollinghurst: The Swimming Pool Library

That's it for now.

Sorry about the ones i couldn't identify and sorry if i missed any! Might try and do some of the ones in Isaac's room later but that'll take a minute

[aro-who-reads]

Anthologies including aro stories

(that I have read recently)

I know most people probably aren't going to read an anthology because it has one aro story in it (well, I would. And have done so!) But here's a little list in case any of these interest anyone generally, or people have access to them and would like to check out the aro stories.

1. Everything Under the Moon (Ed. Michael Earp). Aro story is Seeing Colour by Jes Layton.

I've already talked about this one, I think it's my favourite on the list (the story itself and the anthology as a whole). The anthology is full of queer fairytale retellings, and Seeing Colour is about a young aro person getting to know an older single person.

2. An Unexpected Party (Ed. Seth Malacari). Aro story is The Graveyard Shift by Jes Layton.

I also enjoyed this one, it's an Australian queer YA spec fic anthology with a deliberate focus on less common queer rep (lots of trans, nonbinary rep) and emerging writers. Being aro isn't really a focus of the story but it does use the phrase "alloromantic bullshit". There was another story with an ace character who might have been meant to be aro as well?

3. This is Our Rainbow (Ed. Katherine Locke and Nicole Melleby). Aro story is Girl's Best Friend by Lisa Jenn Bigelow.

A queer middle grade anthology. While not explicitly an aroace story, it does explicitly talk about having a squish on someone, who the MC attempts to befriend by turning into a dog. (I also believe the author is aroace?)

4. Out There: Into the Queer New Yonder (Ed. Saundra Mitchell). Aro story is The Undeniable Price of Everything by Z Brewer.

YA queer futuristic anthology. Unfortunately I found the aro story in this one of the weaker stories in the anthology, as it was a bit confusing. I also just didn't like the anthology as much as a whole either, but that might just be because it was more romance focused and I wasn't as interested.