Queer Book Recs - Tumblr Posts
forever floored by folks who refuse to read anything not tradpub when it comes to queer books cause let me tell you there is so much in indie or smaller publishers being written that would blow your socks off AND theyre not beholden to censorship of tradpub as they try to "keep things nice for their image" (which is ironic considering the kinds of cishet romances that get put out)
here are some queer indie books that ive been reading that yall should check out
ULTIMATE (queer) SF LIST (in progress)
Rivers Solomon - An unkindness of ghosts, The Deep, Sorrowland
Akwaeke Emezi - PET, BITTER
Jaqueline Koayanagi - Ascension
Otter Lieffe - Margins and murmurations trilogy
Ursula K. Le Guin - The left hand of darkness
Becky Chambers - To be taught, if fortunate, the wayfarers series, the Monk& Robot series
Octavia Butler - The Xenogenesis series
Chana Porter - The seep
Tamsyn Muir - The locked tomb series
Ray Nyler - The mountain in the sea
Starhawk - The Fifth Sacred Thing
M.E. O'Brien, Eman Abdelhadi – Everything for Everyone: An Oral History of the New York Commune, 2052–2072
Marge Piercy – Woman at the edge of time
Cemetery Boys Review (No Spoilers)
I absolutely adore Cemetery Boys, it so quickly became my favourite book and I'm so glad I actually purchased it. I almost didn't as I only went in expecting to leave with one book, yet, I left with two and don't regret it at all.
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Favourite Character: Julian Diaz Favourite Quote: "He was about to snap it shut when he noticed. Beneath his photo, his deadname had been scribbled out with black marker. Under, written in lopsided letters, it read, Yadriel."
The representation throughout the book is wonderfully done, I loved reading from the perspective of a trans protagonist. Not to mention how compelling the rest of the main characters are! The amount of queer representation was amazing.
I have to say I really appreciated reading a book with only one perspective! Changing points of view can often leave me confused, so I was thrilled this book didn't include that.
The book wasn't perfect, the pacing was off and certainly could have been handled better in some areas but it didn't take away from the reading experience at all for me personally!
I had managed to figure out what was going on but the ending still left me pleasantly surprised. I hadn't expected it to end the way it did; I was honestly expecting something more bittersweet. Yet this left me with happy tears.
If you're looking for a queer book to read, THIS IS IT. Just saying.
Some Girls Do Review (No Spoilers)
I brought this alongside Cemetery Boys, I purchased it without hearing about it first which is uncommon for me. I normally look for recommendations first but the cover was absolutely gorgeous.
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5 Favourite Character: Ruby and Morgan (I can't choose!) Favourite Quote: "My whole life might be a never-ending series of question marks right now, but this I'm sure of. This I want."
The discussion of pride, activism and discrimination is great, sometimes it felt like it was reaching a bit. Either way, it certainly was very enjoyable and something I wish was discussed more. Especially how it's different to be out than to be prideful of your identity.
As mentioned in the Cemetery Boys review, I'm not a big fan of changing perspectives but this book at least tells you who it is and has a consistent pattern which I really enjoyed. I found it VERY exciting waiting to read the other perspective.
It would have been a five-star book but comparing it to Cemetery Boys certainly makes things tough. It was an amazing change of pace from my usual book and I loved reading something set in the real world for once. However, I feel like Morgan needed to communicate better and actually listen to Ruby. She did realise that but it was frustrating to read.
I highly recommend this book if you're into contemporary romance, it's not normally my style but I loved this.