Cannon by Lee Lai (she/her) is a thought-provoking and propulsive graphic novel that explores how one can get taken advantage of in all different types of relationships—family, friend, romantic, and professional—and the importance of making yourself and your mental health a priority. Lucy, also known as Cannon, a nickname lovingly coined by her best friend, Trish,Read More
A Two-Spirit Journey by Ma-Nee Chacaby with Mary Louisa Plummer Review
A Two-Spirit Journey: The Autobiography of a Lesbian Ojibwa-Cree Elder by Ma-Nee Chacaby with Mary Louisa Plummer was this year’s winner of Canada Reads, and if you’re not Canadian, I can tell you that’s a big deal. It’s a TV/radio program where five “personalities” (celebrities of some kind) debate which book the country should beRead More
Sugar, Spice, and Suffragettes: When We Lost Our Heads by Heather O’Neill
I admit, I am tired of feminist retellings. Or rather, books marketed as powerful treatises on female rage, when in reality, they are often little more than palatable, watered-down morsels of women’s empowerment, lacking any nuance. Unfortunately, even fictional empowerment remains a privilege usually afforded to classically beautiful, relatively upper-class white women, who enjoy maximumRead More
Cozy Meets Eldritch Horror in Direct Descendant by Tanya Huff
A force to be reckoned with, Tanya Huff has been writing books for nearly forty years. I grew up among her worlds, inhaling words and dreaming of places that would welcome me one day. I still have tattered copies of No Quarter (1996) and Summon the Keeper (1998) on my bookshelves. So, it’s not much of a surprise thatRead More
Lush, Atmospheric Queer Historical Fiction: A Sweet Sting of Salt by Rose Sutherland
A lush, atmospheric queer historical fiction for fans of Portrait of a Lady on Fire and The Birth House, Rose Sutherland’s A Sweet Sting of Salt (Dell 2024) is the perfect read to cozy up with this fall. Sutherland’s queer retelling of the folktale The Selkie Wife follows Jean, a midwife in a Nova Scotia village who is as renowned for herRead More
A Fresh, Queer Take on Crime Fiction: Behind You by Catherine Hernandez
Amazon Affiliate Link In her new novel, Catherine Hernandez weaves gripping suspense and affecting emotion into a story of trauma, survival, and healing against the backdrop of one of Canada’s most terrifying historical events. Behind You (HarperAvenue 2024) follows Alma, a Filipina woman working as an editor for a true crime series called Infamous, which features sketchesRead More
A Sapphic Nova Scotia Gothic: A Sweet Sting of Salt by Rose Sutherland
Buy this from Bookshop.org to support local bookstores and the Lesbrary! I couldn’t tell you why, but I am obsessed with sapphic selkie stories. There are very few of them out there, but I leap on the chance to read any that I stumble upon. Don’t get me wrong: I like sapphic mermaids, too, butRead More
A Celebration of Sapphic Love & Loss: Something, Not Nothing by Sarah Leavitt
Buy this from Bookshop.org to support local bookstores and the Lesbrary! Something, Not Nothing (September 24, 2024) is a stunning graphic memoir by cartoonist and educator Sarah Leavitt (she/her). In April 2020, Leavitt’s partner of twenty-two years, Donimo, died with medical assistance after years battling chronic pain. After Donimo’s death, Leavitt turned her immense grief and lossRead More
Love at First Selkie: The Girl from the Sea by Molly Knox Ostertag
Buy this from Bookshop.org to support local bookstores and the Lesbrary! On a recent trip to Portland, my partner and I picked up The Girl from the Sea by Molly Knox Ostertag (she/her) from Powell’s City of Books. This gorgeous graphic novel follows Morgan Kwon, a 15-year-old young woman living with her mom and younger brother on WilneffRead More
A Cozy Queer Comic of Community: Matchmaker by Cam Marshall
Buy this from Bookshop.org to support local bookstores and the Lesbrary! This was a surprise, last-minute entry in my list of favourite reads of 2023! I stumbled on this while researching new releases for Our Queerest Shelves, and I was pleasantly surprised to see it was by a local British Columbia author/artist! I requested itRead More