Link Round Up: July 19 – August 1

This is the Lesbrary bi-weekly feature where we take a look at all the lesbian and bi women book news and reviews happening on the rest of the internet!

The Fifth Woman by Nona Caspers cover   Take Your Time by VK Powell cover   Living Out Loud by Michael J Murphy cover   The Shape of You by Georgia Beers   

Autostraddle posted 8 Fascinating Facts About Bisexual Legend Colette That You Should Know Before Keira Knightly’s Biopic.

Lambda Literary posted New in August: Thomas Page McBee, Dale Peck, Adrienne Rich, and Anna Moschovakis.

Women and Words updated their New Releases and Coming Up lesbian books page.

“Southern Utah library workers told to remove buttons, displays featuring LGBTQ-themed materials” was posted at Spectrum.

Apocalypse Darling by Barrie Jean Borich cover   Annie On My Mind by Nancy Garden cover  Girls Kingdom 1 & 2 cover   Eleanor or the Rejection of the Progress of Love by Anna Moschovakis cover   The Unbinding of Mary Reade by Miriam McNamara cover

Apocalypse, Darling by Barrie Jean Borich was reviewed at Lambda Literary.

Annie On My Mind by Nancy Garden was reviewed at Sapphic Life.

G.R.I.T.S. – Girls Raised in the South: An Anthology of Southern Queer Womyns’ Voices & Their Allies was reviewed at Black Lesbian Literary Collective.

Listen to Your Heart by Becky Harmon was reviewed at Lambda Literary.

The Unbinding of Mary Reade by Miriam McNamara was reviewed at The Pirate Tree.

Eleanor, or, the Rejection of the Progress of Love by Anna Moschovakis was reviewed at Lambda Literary.

GIRLS KINGDOM 1 & 2 by Nayo with illustrations by Shio Sakura, translated by Momoko Saito was reviewed at Okazu.

Hullmetal Girls by Emily Skrutskie was reviewed at Green Tea & Paperbacks.

This post, and all posts at the Lesbrary, have the covers linked to their Amazon pages. If you click through and buy something, I might get a small referral fee. For even  more links, check out the Lesbrary’s twitter! We’re also on FacebookGoodreadsYoutube and Tumblr.

Thank you to the Lesbrary’s Patreon supporters! Special thanks to Jacqui Plummer, Ivy Quinn, Muirgen258, FromTheDustyBookshelf, Kayla Fuentes, Mark, Sarah Neilson, Martha Hansen, Daniela Gonzalez De Anda, Lindsy Lowrance, Amy Hanson, Julia Day, Bee Oder, Ellen Zemlin, and Casey Stepaniuk.

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Link Round Up: July 5 – 18

This is the Lesbrary bi-weekly feature where we take a look at all the lesbian and bi women book news and reviews happening on the rest of the internet!

Autostraddle posted 8 Books That Feature Queer Jewish Women to Read Right Now.

The Golden Crown Literary Society‘s 2018 Goldie Winners were announced.

The Colette trailer is out and queer! Check it out!

Also, the Miseducation of Cameron Post trailer! So exciting!

               The cover of Terrible Praise by Lara Hayes

Éclair: A Girls’ Love Anthology That Resonates in Your Heart was reviewed at Okazu.

Terrible Praise by Lara Hayes was reviewed at Lambda Literary.

Band Vs. Band, Volume 2 by Kathleen Jacques was reviewed by Casey the Canadian Lesbrarian.

Sweet Blue Flowers Volume 4 by Takako Shimura was reviewed at Okazu.

Take My Hand: A Pine Cone Romance by Missouri Vaun was reviewed at Omnivore Bibliosaur.

This post, and all posts at the Lesbrary, have the covers linked to their Amazon pages. If you click through and buy something, I might get a small referral fee. For even  more links, check out the Lesbrary’s twitter! We’re also on FacebookGoodreadsYoutube and Tumblr.

Thank you to the Lesbrary’s Patreon supporters! Special thanks to Jacqui Plummer, Ivy Quinn, Muirgen258, FromTheDustyBookshelf, Kayla Fuentes, Mark, Sarah Neilson, Martha Hansen, Daniela Gonzalez De Anda, Lindsy Lowrance, Amy Hanson, Bee Older, Ellen Zemlin, and Casey Stepaniuk.

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Link Round Up: June 22 – July 4

This is the Lesbrary bi-weekly feature where we take a look at all the lesbian and bi women book news and reviews happening on the rest of the internet!

            

I’m breaking with my usual alphabetical format to share the first article I’ve written that’s been published outside of the Lesbrary and Book Riot! It’s The 38 Best Queer YA Novels, posted at Vulture. I’m happy with how turned out. Let me know what you think!

Just Love: Queer Book Reviews posted Canadian Queer Lit Recs on Canada Day.

Lambda Literary posted New in July: Robert Karjel, Michael Arcenaux, JY Yang, and Casey Legler.

Women and Words updated their New Releases & Coming Up page.

Her Body and Other Parties Carmen Maria Machado cover   Hurriance Child by Kheryn Callender cover         

“Dream Casting: My Lesbian Experience with Loneliness” was posted at Syfy Wire.

“Books You Need To Read During Pride Month, According To LGBT Authors” was posted at Buzzfeed.

“Her Body and Other Parties Is in Development As a Black Mirror-esque Anthology Series” was posted at Vulture.

“We Need More Queer Stories Where Nobody Suffers” was posted at Electric Lit.

“21 Novels With Lesbian Characters That You Need To Read, According To People On Reddit” was posted at Bustle.

The Black Bear Inside Me by Robin Becker was reviewed at Lambda Literary.

Sodom Road Exit by Amber Dawn was reviewed by Casey the Canadian Lesbrarian.

Wild Mares: My Lesbian Back-to-The-Land Life by Dianna Hunter was reviewed at SFGN.

My Lesbian Experience with Loneliness by Kabi Nagata was reviewed at Comics Verse.

This post, and all posts at the Lesbrary, have the covers linked to their Amazon pages. If you click through and buy something, I might get a small referral fee. For even  more links, check out the Lesbrary’s twitter! We’re also on FacebookGoodreadsYoutube and Tumblr.

Thank you to the Lesbrary’s Patreon supporters! Special thanks to Jacqui Plummer, Ivy Quinn, Muirgen258, FromTheDustyBookshelf, Kayla Fuentes, Mark, Sarah Neilson, Martha Hansen, Daniela Gonzalez De Anda, Lindsy Lowrance, Amy Hanson, Bee Older, Ellen Zemlin, and Casey Stepaniuk.

Support the Lesbrary on Patreon at $2 or more a month and be entered to win a queer women book every month!


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Link Round Up: May 24 – June 6

This is the Lesbrary bi-weekly feature where we take a look at all the lesbian and bi women book news and reviews happening on the rest of the internet!

Pride month is upon us, which brings a bounty of queer book news and reviews! Let’s get into it!

      Her Body and Other Parties Carmen Maria Machado cover      

Autostraddle posted

The Bisexual Book Awards winners were announced.

Black Lesbian Literary Collective posted Pride Month: A Mini-Reader.

Book Riot posted 8 Sapphic Comics and Graphic Novels.

Lambda Literary posted New in June: Edmund White, Yrsa Daley-Ward, Édouard Louis, and Jordy Rosenberg and 30th Annual Lambda Literary Award Winners Announced.

            

LGBT@NYPL was posted #RainbowReading: 30 Books for Pride Month and Power Up For Pride With LGBTQ+ Superheroes!

LGBTQ Reads posted New Release: June 2018.

The Queer Comics Database exists! You should check it out!

Sapphic Book Club posted 10 LGBTQ+ books for under $10.

YA Pride posted Recent & Upcoming LGBTQIAP+ Books by Asian Authors.

Michelle Tea was interviewed at Lit Hub.

“‘Loving Her’ – Ann Allen Shockley is a Pioneer of Lesbian Fiction” was posted at AfterEllen.

            The Brightsiders by Jen Wilde cover

Breakthrough by Kris Bryant was reviewed at Lambda Literary.

If You Could Be Mine by Sara Farizan was reviewed at Black Lesbian Literary Collective.

Forward by Lisa Maas was reviewed by Casey the Canadian Lesbrarian.

All Violet by Rani Rivera was reviewed by Casey the Canadian Lesbrarian.

Pulp by Robin Talley was reviewed at Omnivore Bibliosaur (plus further reading recommendations!)

The Brightsiders by Jen Wilde was reviewed at Green Tea & Paperbacks.

This post, and all posts at the Lesbrary, have the covers linked to their Amazon pages. If you click through and buy something, I might get a small referral fee. For even  more links, check out the Lesbrary’s twitter! We’re also on FacebookGoodreadsYoutube and Tumblr.

Thank you to the Lesbrary’s Patreon supporters! Special thanks to Ivy Quinn, Muirgen258, FromTheDustyBookshelf, Kayla Fuentes, Mark, Sarah Neilson, Martha Hansen, Daniela Gonzalez De Anda, Lindsy Lowrance, Amy Hanson, Bee Older, Ellen Zemlin, and Casey Stepaniuk.

Support the Lesbrary on Patreon at $2 or more a month and be entered to win a queer women book every month!


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Link Round Up: May 16 – 23

This is the Lesbrary bi-weekly feature where we take a look at all the lesbian and bi women book news and reviews happening on the rest of the internet!

            Her Body and Other Parties Carmen Maria Machado cover

Autostraddle posted Our Favorite LGBTQ Novels.

Bibliosapphic posted F/F Books turned into Movies and TV Shows.

Book Riot posted

Lambda Literary posted Cartoonist Justin Hall on Capturing the History of Queer Comics.

Women and Words updated their Hot off the Press and Coming Attractions page.

Robin Stevenson posted No, I Will Not Stop Talking About Queer Pride.

            

“Hunting for a Lesbian Canon” was posted at The Paris Review.

“These trendsetting lesbian lovers fled 1920’s America for Paris and lived their best life” was posted at Timeline.

“We Need More LGBT Representation in Fantasy” was posted at A Thousand Words.

“The Lesbian Pulp Fiction That Saved Lives” was posted at Atlas Obscura.

“Reading ARE YOU MY MOTHER? With My Mother” was posted at Comics Verse.

            

Love Conjure/Blues by Sharon Bridgforth was reviewed at Black Lesbian Literary Collective.

Skylarks by Karen Gregory was reviewed at A Bookish Bi.

So Lucky by Nicola Griffith was reviewed at Lambda Literary.

Would You Rather? by Katie Heaney was reviewed at Out Smart.

Seeing Red by Cara Malone was reviewed at Sweet’n Our Ink.

People Like Us by Dana Mele was reviewed at Lambda Literary.

Remember Us by Emma Nichols was reviewed at The Lesbian Review.

           

Undiscovered Country by Kelly O’Connor McNees was reviewed at The New York Times.

La Bastarda by Trifonia Melibea Obono was reviewed at Asymptote.

Dangerous Waters by Radclyffe was reviewed at Lambda Literary.

Against Memoir by Michelle Tea was reviewed at The New Republic and Lambda Literary.

Paper is White by Hilary Zaid was reviewed at Lambda Literary.

This post, and all posts at the Lesbrary, have the covers linked to their Amazon pages. If you click through and buy something, I might get a small referral fee. For even  more links, check out the Lesbrary’s twitter! We’re also on FacebookGoodreadsYoutube and Tumblr.

Thank you to the Lesbrary’s Patreon supporters! Special thanks to Jacqui Plummer, Chris Coder, Ivy Quinn, Breanne Royce, Kath, Kayla Fuentes, Mark, Sarah Neilson, FromTheDustyBookshelf, Martha Hansen, Daniela Gonzalez De Anda, Lindsy Lowrance, Amy Hanson, Bee Older, Ellen Zemlin, and Casey Stepaniuk.

Support the Lesbrary on Patreon at $2 or more a month and be entered to win a queer women book every month!


Keep up with all the Lesbrary posts and extra content by signing up for the Lesbrary newsletter!

Link Round Up: April 26 – May 9

This is the Lesbrary bi-weekly feature where we take a look at all the lesbian and bi women book news and reviews happening on the rest of the internet!

            

Autostraddle posted 8 Action/Adventure Books with Queer Women Main Characters and 7 Super Queer Cookbooks For Your Super Queer Kitchen!

Book Riot posted 3 On A YA Theme: Queer Girls of Color in YA Lit Written by Authors of Color.

Cats and Paperbacks posted F/F and Romancelandia.

Lambda Literary posted New in May: Casey Plett, Tommy Pico, Nicola Griffith, Stephen McCauley, and North Morgan.

            The Brightsiders by Jen Wilde cover

LGBTQ Reads posted New Releases: May 2018.

Women and Words updated their New Releases & Coming Up page.

“New Poetry by Queer Indigenous Women” was posted at Literary Hub.

“The Lesbian Archive: Preserving A Herstory They Tried to Erase” was posted at AfterEllen.

“‘Under The Gaydar’ YA Novels Are Meant For Teens Who Can’t Be Open About Their Sexuality — And They’re Just As Necessary As Ever” was posted at Bustle.

Lady In Waiting by Jea Hawkins    The Fletcher by K. Aten        When Katie Met Cassidy by Camille Perri cover

The Fletcher by K. Aten was reviewed at Lambda Literary.

Girl Made of Stars by Ashley Herring Blake was reviewed at Green Tea & Paperbacks.

For Sizakele by Yvonne “Fly” Onakeme Etaghene was reviewed at Black Lesbian Literary Collective.

My Favorite Thing is Monsters by Emil Ferris was reviewed at Lambda Literary.

Lady In Waiting by Jea Hawkins was reviewed at Sweet’n Our Ink.

Postcards from the Canyon by Lisa Gitlin was reviewed at Lambda Literary.

When Katie Met Cassidy by Camille Perri was reviewed at Autostraddle.

This post, and all posts at the Lesbrary, have the covers linked to their Amazon pages. If you click through and buy something, I might get a small referral fee. For even  more links, check out the Lesbrary’s twitter! We’re also on FacebookGoodreadsYoutube and Tumblr.

Thank you to the Lesbrary’s Patreon supporters! Special thanks to Jacqui Plummer, Chris Coder, Ivy Quinn, Breanne Royce, Kath, Kayla Fuentes, Mark, Sarah Neilson, FromTheDustyBookshelf, Martha Hansen, Daniela Gonzalez De Anda, Lindsy Lowrance, Amy Hanson, Bee Older, Ellen Zemlin, and Casey Stepaniuk.

Support the Lesbrary on Patreon at $2 or more a month and be entered to win a queer women book every month!


Keep up with all the Lesbrary posts and extra content by signing up for the Lesbrary newsletter!

Link Round Up: April 12 – 25

This is the Lesbrary bi-weekly feature where we take a look at all the lesbian and bi women book news and reviews happening on the rest of the internet!

            

Autostraddle posted Fill in Your 50s, 60s, and 70s Butch History with This Coloring Book.

Book Riot posted Sapphic Books to Read While Listening to Hayley Kiyoko’s Expectations and How Queer-Focused Common Language Bookstore Went Viral.

Cats and Paperbacks posted F/F YA: A Beginners Guide.

“30 Books by 30 Queer Canadian Authors” was posted at Room.

            

Girl Made of Stars by Ashley Herring Blake was reviewed at A Bookish Bi.

Ivy Aberdeen’s Letter to the World by Ashley Herring Blake was reviewed at Lambda Literary.

Butch Lesbians of the 50s, 60s, and 70s Coloring Book edited by Avery Cassell and John Macy was reviewed at Lambda Literary.

Sodom Road Exit by Amber Dawn was reviewed at The Globe and Mail.

My Lady Lipstick by Karin Kallmaker was reviewed at Lambda Literary.

The Summer of Jordi Perez by Amy Spalding was reviewed at Green Tea & Paperbacks.

This post, and all posts at the Lesbrary, have the covers linked to their Amazon pages. If you click through and buy something, I might get a small referral fee. For even  more links, check out the Lesbrary’s twitter! We’re also on FacebookGoodreadsYoutube and Tumblr.

Thank you to the Lesbrary’s Patreon supporters! Special thanks to Jacqui Plummer, Chris Coder, Ivy Quinn, Breanne Royce, Kath, Kayla Fuentes, Mark, Sarah Neilson, FromTheDustyBookshelf, Martha HansenLindsy Lowrance, Amy Hanson, Ann, Ellen Zemlin, and Casey Stepaniuk.

Support the Lesbrary on Patreon at $2 or more a month and be entered to win a queer women book every month!


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Danika reviews Girls Made of Snow and Glass by Melissa Bashardoust

This is a fairy tale about misogyny. About the men who pit women against each other, and force them into limited roles. And the relationships that form between these women regardless. The love that they share even when told they should they should hate each other. The revolutionary power of love and forgiveness to break apart these narratives and allow for a new beginning. Ostensibly, this is a retelling of Snow White, but while it uses touchstones from that story, it isn’t restricted by it.

Mina is a girl who’s been raised her whole life to replace her dead mother. Her father fawns over her similarities to his late wife, but Mina is uncomfortable being shaped into the mirror image of someone she’s never known. She wants the chance to be her own person.

The story alternates between her story and Lynet’s backstory–Mina’s stepmother and the only mother figure she’s ever known. Mina adores Lynet, but Lynet has a more complicated relationship with her. The only value she can see in her own life is her position as queen, and Mina is a threat to that. We get to see how Lynet was groomed into this “Evil Queen” role by her father, who is manipulative and unkind and uses his daughter to gain power. She uses everything at her disposal to escape her father, but she’s told that the only value she has is her beauty. No one will ever love her for anything else. (Those are the words from her father that continually echo in her mind.)

I loved that Girls Made of Snow and Glass took this fairy tale trope of the “Evil Queen”/”Evil Stepmother” and did a deep dive into imagining what could lead someone to feel like that was their only option. Why would someone act so unfeeling? Why would she be so cutthroat in her pursuit of the crown? Lynet can be ruthless, but she’s sympathetic. She’s been told her whole life that she is unlovable, that the only value she has is in her appearance. The only way out of that she can see is to become queen and be loved by her subjects. And if she has to scheme her way there, well, that’s what’s necessary.

The complex relationship that Lynet and Mina share is the central tension of the story. They are constantly pitted against each other, but they’re reluctant to follow through. Lynet has been told by her husband not to get too close to Mina (no one can replace her real mother!) but Mina has grown up with her. She’s the one who finger-combs Mina’s hair every night to gently release the tangles. She’s the person that Mina feels loves her for who she is.

There is, of course, an F/F romance in here as well. Nadia is the court surgeon, and Mina is immediately drawn to her. To be honest, I don’t feel like I can comment on this storyline without spoiling anything, so I’ll just say that I think it complemented the other narrative threads well. All three women are trying to create the most promising futures they can with the circumstances available to them, but they’re hemmed in by the expectations and limitations placed on them by the men in their lives. When they seem to have found a loophole, they’re somehow pulled back and forced to make the choice to hurt the people they love or hurt themselves. It feels so inevitable and tense that you can only anticipate that final moment, where they seem to have no option but to fall into the roles provided for them. But despite what they’ve been raised to believe, despite the hurts that they inflict on each other because of this, despite the mistrust and skepticism and pessimism, they still find a way to reach out–however briefly–and find connections with each other. And the bonds they form, the love that develops even then, creates the shimmer of other possibilities for them.

Link Round Up: March 29 – April 11

This is the Lesbrary bi-weekly feature where we take a look at all the lesbian and bi women book news and reviews happening on the rest of the internet!

            

Autostraddle posted 8 Dark Lesbian Mysteries and Thrillers That’ll Give You Deep Chills and Read These 10 Books with Queer Witches.

Lambda Literary posted New in April: Alexander Chee, Rob Sanders, Lara Lillibridge, and Ely Shipley.

LGBTQ Reads posted New Releases: April 2018.

YA Pride posted LGBTQIAP+ YA Series & Companions.

Ylva Publishing posted 5 Queer Comic Book Artists to Look out For and “Lesbian Fiction” Doesn’t Mean What You Might Think.

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

“YA Novels Are Still Leaving Queer Girls Behind & It’s Not OK” was posted at Bustle.

“Queer Literary Classic “Stone Butch Blues” Is Being Turned Into Movie—Against Its Author’s Wishes” was posted at Logo.

   Bingo Love by Tee Franklin cover         

Incest by Christine Angot was reviewed at Lambda Literary.

Moonstruck Vol 1 by Grace Ellis was reviewed at Autostraddle.

Bingo Love by Tee Franklin was reviewed at Black Lesbian Literary Collective.

Getting Off by Erica Garza was reviewed at Lambda Literary.

Notes of a Crocodile by Qiu Miaojin was reviewed at Queer Lit.

Love at Cooper’s Creek by Missouri Vaun was reviewed at Lambda Literary.

This post, and all posts at the Lesbrary, have the covers linked to their Amazon pages. If you click through and buy something, I might get a small referral fee. For even  more links, check out the Lesbrary’s twitter! We’re also on FacebookGoodreadsYoutube and Tumblr.

Thank you to the Lesbrary’s Patreon supporters! Special thanks to Jacqui Plummer, Chris Coder, Ivy Quinn, Breanne Royce, Kath, Kayla Fuentes, Mark, Sarah Neilson, Martha HansenLindsy Lowrance, Amy Hanson, Ann, Ellen Zemlin, and Casey Stepaniuk.

Support the Lesbrary on Patreon at $2 or more a month and be entered to win a queer women book every month!


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Lesbian & Bi Book News and Reviews: March 15 – 28

This is the Lesbrary bi-weekly feature where we take a look at all the lesbian and bi women book news and reviews happening on the rest of the internet!

            Hurriance Child by Kheryn Callender cover

Autostraddle posted 100 of My Favorite Poets For Your Survival Pack.

Bibliosapphic posted After Simon – Where are the YA F/F books?

Cats and Paperbacks posted If You Liked That, Try This: Diverse Book Edition and Favourite Books with Lesbian Main Characters.

Women and Words updated their Lesbian Fiction New Releases & Coming Up page.

YA Pride posted #PreOrderHurricaneChild Campaign.

            

“Ohtori Revisited: My 18 Years with Revolutionary Girl Utena” was posted at Anime Feminist.

“Jen Petro-Roy Brings Religious Questioning and Queer Love to Middle Grade Books in P.S. I Miss You” was posted at The Mary Sue.

The Other Side of Paradise by Staceyann Chin was reviewed at Black Lesbian Literary Collective.

The Legend of Korra Turf Wars Part Two by Michael Dante DiMartino (Author) and‎ Irene Koh (Illustrator) was reviewed at Autostraddle.

Would You Rather by Katie Heaney was reviewed at Lambda Literary.

Vacationland by Susan X Meagher was reviewed at Lambda Literary.

This post, and all posts at the Lesbrary, have the covers linked to their Amazon pages. If you click through and buy something, I might get a small referral fee. For even  more links, check out the Lesbrary’s twitter! We’re also on FacebookGoodreadsYoutube and Tumblr.

Thank you to the Lesbrary’s Patreon supporters! Special thanks to Jacqui Plummer, Chris Coder, Ivy Quinn, Breanne Royce, Kath, Kayla Fuentes, Mark, Sarah Neilson, Martha HansenLindsy Lowrance, Amy Hanson, Ann, Ellen Zemlin, and Casey Stepaniuk.

Support the Lesbrary on Patreon at $2 or more a month and be entered to win a queer women book every month!


Keep up with all the Lesbrary posts and extra content by signing up for the Lesbrary newsletter!