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
An Exploration of Queer Muslim Diasporic Identity: The Last One by Fatima Daas
I snagged Fatima Daas’s The Last One because someone—I forget both where and who—mentioned it had won France’s Prix de Flore. Look, I’ll admit it, I’m a magpie for any book that makes the French literary crowd uncomfortable enough to shower it with accolades. What blindsided me? Three hours hunched over the book in my café’s corner,Read More
A Quietly Mythic Coming-of-Age Novel: The Archer by Shruti Swamy Review
The Archer moves with the methodical, recurring, and emotionally controlled intensity of mastered movement. In this debut novel, Shruti Swamy resists spectacle in favour of scrutiny—of the body, of memory, and of the hidden labour of becoming someone you were assured you couldn’t be. Set in mid-century Bombay, The Archer follows Vidya, a girl drawn to kathak dancingRead More
Sapphic Throwback: Why Annie on My Mind by Nancy Garden Still Resonates
I was feeling nostalgic this month and decided to re-read Annie on My Mind by Nancy Garden (she/her), one of the first queer books I ever read. My ability to remember specific plot details is notoriously bad, so it was almost like reading it for the first time. I am pleased to report, it did not disappoint! Originally publishedRead More
Calling All Basketball Gays: A Sharp Endless Need by Marisa Crane + Other Sporty Sapphic Books
Happy March Madness season! It’s just a few weeks until the NCAA tournament begins, so in the spirit of basketball, I decided to review a book about it. A Sharp Endless Need (out May 13th) by Marisa Crane is a love letter to basketball and everything that comes along with it—including falling for a teammate. IRead More
A Delicious Debut: A Bánh Mì for Two by Trinity Nguyen
A Bánh Mì for Two by Trinity Nguyen (she/her) is the perfect delicacy to round out your February reading. This dual perspective debut novel follows two young women over the course of a semester as they learn more about themselves, each other, and the rich, beautiful, and complex Vietnamese culture that binds them. Lan is aRead More
Secrets & Sorcery & Sapphics: A Review of The No-Girlfriend Rule by Christen Randall
Dungeons & Dragons (or in the case of Christen Randall’s The No-Girlfriend Rule, Secrets & Sorcery), has been one of my favorite hobbies since I started playing in middle school. Because of this, I love reading stories about people falling in love with the magic of Dungeons & Dragons! The only thing that made thisRead More
Classic Sapphic YA Throwback: Keeping You a Secret by Julie Anne Peters Review
Keeping You a Secret by Julie Anne Peters (she/her) is one of the first sapphic books I ever read. While I can’t remember exactly when I picked it up, my educated guess would be somewhere between high school and the beginning of college, probably before I ever even kissed a girl. This month, I decidedRead More
Compelling, Real, & Raw: Roses in the Mouth of a Lion by Bushra Rehman
Razia Mirza grows up amid the wild grape vines and backyard sunflowers of Corona, Queens, alongside her best friend, Saima. When a family rift drives the girls apart, Razia’s heart is broken. She finds solace in Taslima, a new girl in her close-knit Pakistani-American community, all while trying to manage the religious and cultural expectationsRead More
Finding a New Favorite YA Contemporary Author: Ophelia After All and You Don’t Have a Shot by Racquel Marie
Recently, I got to read Racquel Marie’s debut and sophomore releases: Ophelia After All and You Don’t Have a Shot. While the two books had different focuses, they were both compulsively readable coming-of-age stories, and I think any reader of sapphic contemporary YA will find at least one of them to be up their alley. Though it isn’tRead More
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