Woodworking by Emily St. James is a novel for mere mortals. It takes place in the shadow of the 2016 presidential election, and of all the goings-on of those few months, of all the things said and seen; Woodworking is set in rural South Dakota, against a backdrop of bad community theatre and doomed local progressiveRead More
The Redemption of Daya Keane by Gia Gordon Review
This book is so delightfully, perfectly messy. Titular character Daya lives in a small, conservative town in Arizona, surrounded by small-minded, conservative classmates and a small-minded, conservative mom. It’s a tough place to be queer. When Daya begins a friendship that turns to something more with megachurch poster-girl Beckett Wild, she might be making moreRead More
A Sincere Satire — Spent: A Comic Novel by Alison Bechdel Review
Fun Home is one of my all-time favourite books, but I haven’t enjoyed Alison Bechdel’s subsequent memoirs as much, and I’ve only read bits and pieces of Dykes to Watch Out For. So I wasn’t sure what to expect when I picked up her newest graphic novel, Spent. It stars a graphic memoirist named AlisonRead More
The Most Sapphic of Romance Novels: Cosmic Love at the Multiverse Hair Salon by Annie Mare Review
When Tressa Fay gets a text from a wrong number, it’s not long before they’re flirting. In fact, they decide to meet up that night. But when she arrives at the bar, Tressa Fay is disappointed to realize the cute engineer is not there, despite Meryl’s continual texts insisting she is. Soon, Tressa Fay learnsRead More
Falling in Love in a Historic Theater: If We Were a Movie by Zakiya N. Jamal Review
When I read YA, particularly contemporary YA and most especially sapphic contemporary YA, I always approach it from the perspective of my sixteen-year-old self. If this book had existed when I was a teenager, what would I have thought of it? Zakiya N. Jamal’s If We Were a Movie would have caught my attention right from the Hannah MontanaRead More
Beyond Pride and Prejudice: The Unlikely Pursuit of Mary Bennet by Lindz McLeod
Despite what the title suggests, Lindz McLeod’s The Unlikely Pursuit of Mary Bennet (out April 29th) is in fact a Pride and Prejudice retelling that centers Charlotte Lucas, Lizzie’s best friend, who marries the dull Mr. Collins. Set four years after the original novel, McLeod’s story begins with Mr. Collins’s death, a rather somber start that quickly brightens upRead More
The Little Things that Add Up: The Care and Feeding of Waspish Widows by Olivia Waite Review
Olivia Waite’s The Care and Feeding of Waspish Widows is the second book in her Feminine Pursuits historical romance series, and although they are connected loosely, one can easily start here. Waspish Widows centers on beekeeper Penelope and printer Agatha, two women in their 40s who form a deep friendship through caring for a colony of bees that happenedRead 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
Queer Small Town Livin’: Like Other Girls by Britta Lundin
Mara loves basketball—which is a problem, because she’s currently not allowed to play. After getting in a fight during a game, her coach kicks her off the school team and bars her from rejoining until she can prove that she can be a team player. In an attempt to prove her ability to not let her angerRead More
The Magic of Community: Brooms by Jasmine Walls and Teo DuVall
Buy this from Bookshop.org to support local bookstores and the Lesbrary! Brooms is a YA graphic novel created by Jasmine Walls (writer) and Teo DuVall (illustrator) and published in 2023 by Levine Querido. It is set in an alternate 1930s Mississippi where magic flows all around, but is heavily restricted. Only certain people are allowed toRead More