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The Lesbrary

Sapphic Book Reviews

the cover of The Low, Low Woods
Lesbrary Reviews

Folk Horror Misogyny: The Low, Low Woods by Carmen Maria Machado and DaNi

October 22, 2023 by Danika Ellis

Bookshop.org Affiliate Link I read this during Dewey’s 24 Hour Readathon in the last hour before I went to sleep, and I think this is a perfect choice for a horror graphic novel to read on an October night. El and Vee are two queer teens living in the small town of Shudder-To-Think. As theyRead More

Uncategorized

Meagan Kimberly reviews Her Body and Other Parties by Carmen Maria Machado

November 24, 2020 by Danika Ellis

In this collection of short stories, Carmen Maria Machado does what skilled horror writers do best: she examines real-world beliefs through a lens that highlights that real horror isn’t monsters, but our own societies. This collection grapples with the trauma and horror women and women’s bodies are put through by a patriarchal society that wantsRead More

Carmilla: Bringing the Lesbian Vampire Home graphic
Articles

Bringing the Lesbian Vampire Home: Carmen Maria Machado’s Reclamation of CARMILLA

September 12, 2020 by Danika Ellis

Carmilla is a lesbian vampire story that predates Dracula by decades. It’s a story I’ve come back to over and over, in the same conflicted way that I am drawn to lesbian pulp. In fact, I wrote a post about queer culture’s tendency to reclaim toxic representation, and how Carmilla and lesbian pulp fits into that. On the one hand, it’sRead More

Lesbrary Reviews

Danika reviews In the Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado

January 3, 2020 by Danika Ellis

Trigger warning: This review discusses emotional abuse.  I have been simultaneously excited for and dreading reading In the Dream House since I first heard of its existence. I absolutely loved Her Body and Other Parties as well as Machado’s edition of Carmilla, so those put her books on my automatic must read list. This memoir, though, is about aRead More

Carmilla edited by Carmen Maria Machado
Lesbrary Reviews

Danika reviews Carmilla by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu, edited by Carmen Maria Machado

April 20, 2019 by Danika Ellis

The act of interacting with text—that is to say, of reading—is that of inserting one’s self into what is static and unchanging so that it might pump with fresh blood. Having read this introduction, I hope you will enter into Carmilla thusly, using your fingertips and mouth and mind to locate the lacunae where LeFanuRead More

Lesbrary Reviews

Danika reviews Her Body and Other Parties by Carmen Maria Machado

November 24, 2017 by Danika Ellis

What a book. What a journey. Her Body and Other Parties is a short story collection that blends feminism, queerness, and fabulism into a haunting read. I have to say, when I saw this book included on queer book lists, I kept my expectations low. I was already sold on reading it (feminism & fabulism &Read More

About Me

About the Lesbrary

The Lesbrary is a sapphic book blog that started in 2010. It's run by Danika Ellis, and we have about a dozen reviewers from around the world recommending sapphic books in every genre. Check out the top navigation bar for more about the Lesbrary as well as options to browse by genre, age category, rating, and more.

Sapphic Book Blogs

  • Bi and Lesbian Literature: The Lesbrary's tumblr
  • Autostraddle's Books Coverage
  • I Heart Sapphfic
  • The Lesbian Review
  • Okazu: Yuri Manga

Queer Book Blogs

  • Book Riot's LGBTQ Coverage
  • Gay League: LGBT Comics
  • Lambda Literary
  • LGBTQ Reads
  • LGBTQ Reads tumblr
  • Our Queerest Shelves: My LGBTQ Books Newsletter at Book Riot.
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