In European folk and fairytales, a journey through the woods represents the characters’ coming of age—their passage from the pastoral, relative security of familial and familiar hearths into a fraught, shadowy place where metaphors for social anxieties lurk around every corner. Only with wit and friendship can one come out the other side, though theyRead More
Queer Graphic Novels and Illustrated Books for Preteens and Teens
These four books are listed in order of suitability for middle-to-high schoolers and deal with the timeless experiences of feeling like an outsider, finding the fortitude to be yourself, and the need for proper communication with partners. They’re great books to start conversations about these things, and have lovely art that are sure to make themRead More
Must-Read Poetry Collections by Queer Women
It can be easy to feel overwhelmed during trying times, and to feel like you have less time/energy to sit down with a book and really immerse yourself in plot or nonfiction. I’ve personally always turned to poetry during periods like this, and in light of everything going on everywhere, these books have been particularlyRead More
A Lush and Sensual Greek Myth Retelling: The Palace of Eros by Caro de Robertis
Buy this from Bookshop.org to support local bookstores and the Lesbrary! It’s no secret that Anne Carson has inspired many a sapphic love affair with ancient Greek myths, or that stories like Malinda Lo’s Ash, Sarah Diemer’s The Dark Wife, and a vast world of AU fanfiction showed that the threads from which most modern myths areRead More
The Beauty and Bitterness of Unrequited Love: The Italy Letters by Vi Khi Nao
Buy this from Bookshop.org to support local bookstores and the Lesbrary! The Italy Letters by Vi Khi Nao (August 13, 2024) reads like bitter chocolate with rich undertones that will pique the acquired tastes of readers looking for poetic experimental fiction and stories about the mid-life crises of disillusioned literary fiction writers who are not cishet whiteRead More
We Have Always Been Here: 3 Essential Historical Sapphic Reads
As Pride Month draws to a close here in the states, here are three historical fiction books that blend insightful writing with action/adventure, twisty thriller tension, and bon-mot brilliance, respectively. So much of history is about teaching us what has been possible, about what sorts of lives have survived, been mythologized, codified, recognized as worthyRead More
Tove Jansson: Life, Art, Words by Boel Westin, translated by Silvester Mazzarella
Buy this from Bookshop.org to support local bookstores and the Lesbrary! A queer, iconoclast, anti-fascist, anti-war comic artist, and joyfully adventurous woman, the Tove Jansson brought to life by Boel Westin’s considered pen is a complicated, innovative creative in resolute pursuit of independence—in both her art and romances. Meticulously researched but rarely dry, this isRead More
Queer Smuggler-Duggery: Rough Trade by Katrina Carrasco
Buy this from Bookshop.org to support local bookstores and the Lesbrary! (Note: This book is a sequel but can be enjoyed without reading the previous one) Fans of historical fiction with high-stakes hijinks and well-developed human characters with strong internal compasses can rejoice! Rough Trade by Katrina Carrasco opens on the early days of organized labor and careens headlongRead More
Sapphic Slice of Life in Pastels: Rainbow! Vol. 1 by Sunny & Gloom
Buy this from Bookshop.org to support local bookstores and the Lesbrary! Boo is a high schooler who likes cute outfits, daydreaming, and also the new girl at school (maybe). New girl Mimi—with her wild mint-colored mane, low tolerance for sleazy douchebags, and modern-day chivalry —seems like the perfect “prince” to give Boo the whirlwind high-schoolRead More
A Memoir of Medical Bias—Bless the Blood: A Cancer Memoir by Walela Nehanda
Buy this from Bookshop.org to support local bookstores and the Lesbrary! Bless The Blood: A Cancer Memoir is a striking book that gets under your skin and stays there for days afterward. Though billed as a YA book, the writing and story hold a depth of feeling and insight that will engage far older readers, too.Read More