I’ve been obsessed with Carmilla by Sheridan Le Fanu for years—and more specifically, queer reclamation of Carmilla. I’ve written about several times, on Book Riot and the Lesbrary. For example: Bringing the Lesbian Vampire Home: Carmen Maria Machado’s Reclamation of Carmilla. So, when I was browsing The Mary Sue’s list of the best comics andRead More
The Unique Venom of Found Family: Sister Snake by Amanda Lee Koe Review
Su and Emerald are sisters with nothing in common: Su lives in Singapore, playing the perfect wife to her conservative politician husband. Emerald is a queer sugar baby in New York, barely scraping by living with an artist friend. While their current lives look very different and they rarely speak, they have a shared past:Read More
A Sapphic Take on a Classic: Tink and Wendy by Kelly Ann Jacobson Review
Tink and Wendy sets the story of Peter Pan with a small twist that changes everything: instead of bringing the Darling siblings into their world, Peter and Tink stay in our world. As Peter brings his chaotic brand of fun to their dour lives, Tink grows more and more concerned over the impact this will haveRead More
All of the Sapphic Vampires, None of the Victorian Homophobic Overtones: An Education in Malice by S. T. Gibson
Like many queer women, I’m sure, I have a strange relationship with the original Carmilla. On the one hand, sapphic vampires are objectively sexy. On the other hand, the way the danger she poses is framed as inextricably linked to her queerness (and her foreignness) is, well, unpleasant, to say the least. I always say thatRead More
Blood, Sex, and Poetry: An Education in Malice by S. T. Gibson
“She kissed me with a martyr’s agonized desperation, like I was the only sword she ever wanted to fall on.” I’ve been eagerly anticipating this book since it was announced: I loved Gibson’s queer polyamorous take on Dracula’s wives in A Dowry of Blood, and I have written several times about my complicated relationship withRead 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 Sapphic and Metis Secret Garden: Into the Bright Open by Cherie Dimaline
Buy this from Bookshop.org to support local bookstores and the Lesbrary! Into the Bright Open by Cherie Dimaline is part of MacMillan’s Remixed Classics series, which has diverse authors reimagine beloved classics through their own perspective. In this offering, Dimaline remixes The Secret Garden, setting it in Canada and filling it with Metis characters andRead More
Gay Arthurian Hijinks in Space: Once & Future by A.R. Capetta and Cory McCarthy
Buy this from Bookshop.org to support local bookstores and the Lesbrary! Once & Future, by married couple A.R. Capetta and Cory McCarthy, takes Arthurian mythos into the stars. It follows the latest, and hopefully last, reincarnation of King Arthur, now a teenage girl named Ari, and the wizard Merlin, who, due to his backwards aging,Read More
10 Sapphic YA Horror Books to Read In October
With fall finally here, you might be looking for some spooky books to read in October and to get you in the perfect eerie mood. Featuring ghosts, aliens, demons, and zombies, these books are a great way to get in touch with your sinister side and prepare yourself for the best night of the year:Read More
Ungovernable Gender Chinese Fantasy: The Water Outlaws by S.L. Huang
Bookshop.org Affiliate Link When a book is described as being about ruthless bandits with unseemly femininity and ungovernable gender, let’s just say that I had little to no choice in devouring every single page of The Water Outlaws by S.L. Huang. It’s a queer martial arts political epic fantasy retelling of a Chinese classic called Water Margin. ButRead More