The Little Library by Kim Fielding introduces us to Elliott Thompson, a disgraced scholar who has retreated from life and now gets by teaching online courses. One day he's going thru the overflow of books he's accumulated over the years, and decides it might be fun to set up a little library in front of his house. It brings a smile to his face to see books start to disappear, but little does he know one of his borrowers is a man who might change his life forever.
#QueerBooksforPride

June 26 🏳️‍🌈📖 #queerBooksForPride

Lord Mouse by Mason Thomas is a light, fast-paced MM fantasy. Mouse usually steals jewels and gold, not trapped lords in towers, yet he finds himself doing just that -- hired to rescue Lord Garron from his tower prison for enough gold that Mouse can't refuse. And is it better or worse that he's unexpectedly attracted to the young lordling when they finally meet?

Not an overly complex plot, but I found it a very fun romp and finished it within a day.

Halfway Home by Paul Monette is a poignant story of a man living with AIDS who has retired to a friend's beach house only to find there's still a lot to do in the time he has left.
#QueerBooksforPride

June 25 🏳️‍🌈📖 #queerBooksForPride

The Space Between Worlds by Micaiah Johnson doesn't fall into any of the usual "parallel universe" tropes. You know, the almost-utopian future earth where the privileged (usually straight white) rich men are traversing between often radically-different universes where the story is about preventing some cataclysmic event.

1/2

June 24 🏳️‍🌈📖 #queerBooksForPride

The Summer Prince by Alaya Dawn Johnson is a YA dystopian fantasy. Every 5 years a Summer King is chosen, given everything, and then sacrificed. But that doesn't mean he won't fall in love.

The world and culture is vivid and rich and the characters are deep and believable. The relationships between the characters are fantastic and I enjoyed how same-sex relationships were totally normal. The plot itself wasn't mind-blowing but the journey was most enjoyable.

When Frankie Meets Johnny by Xio Axelrod is a quick read at less than 100 pages. Frankie Llewellyn is the overnight DJ at a Philadelphia radio station, and just coming off a break-up. The station has hired John Burton to do some remodeling, and decided he would be less of a distraction if he did the work during overnight hours. Less of a distraction that is to everyone but Frankie.
#QueerBooksforPride

June 23 🏳️‍🌈📖 #queerBooksForPride

Last Night in Nuuk by Niviaq Korneliussen is a modern queer coming-of-age story following 5 distinct characters in their early 20s. Each chapter is a vignette into a different, but connected, queer Greenlander and has its own unique style. The way the author weaves the stories and characters together is engaging, and I found Ivik's chapter heart-wrenchingly good.

The stream-of-consciousness writing was a struggle to get into but was worth it.

A Friend in the Dark by Gregory Ashe and C.S. Poe introduces us to Rufus O'Callaghan, who scrapes out an existence as a police informant. He's thrown for a loop when he goes to visit his main client, Jake Brower, and finds him dead. Meanwhile Sam Auden, an army buddy and former lover of Jake's, gets news of Jake's death and hops a Greyhound bus to New York. He heads for Jake's apartment and finds Rufus sitting there. It soon becomes obvious that what has been officially reported as a suicide was anything but, and the two men form an Odd Couple alliance to seek justice for their friend and maybe find love along the way.
#QueerBooksforPride

June 22 🏳️‍🌈📖 #queerBooksForPride

In Ink Blood Sister Scribe by Emma Törzs, the Kalotay family has guarded a library of rare magical books for generations. After their father suddenly dies from a book no one remembers seeing, sisters Esther and Joanna are brought back together to understand why. Apparently the Kalotay family isn't the only ones with a library of magical books, and the other party is seeking to expand their collection.

Features a queer protagonist!

I have mixed feelings after finishing Like People in History by Felice Picano. The story centers around Roger Sansarc and his cousin Alistair. Told thru the eyes of Roger, the story opens on the night of Alistair's 45th birthday party which Roger attends with his lover Wally. The story then unfolds as a series of memories which Roger has as the night turns into morning. The main drawback for me was that I found Alistair to be a bit of a pill that I could have easily punched out if I knew him in real life. That being said, I was almost in tears reading the final chapter of the book.
#QueerBooksforPride

June 21 🏳️‍🌈📖 #queerBooksForPride

The Black Coast by Mike Brooks is the first of an epic fantasy trilogy. Raiders have come again to Black Keep, this time not to kill and pillage but to settle as they flee a demonic overlord. The knights of Black Keep meet them on war dragons, confused by the Raiders' white flag of parley. Can the once-enemies live together?

The fast-paced story is engaging and I loved how same-gender relationships -- and gender itself -- was viewed by the different cultures.

The Fancy Dancer by Patricia Nell Warren is the story of a Catholic priest assigned to a small town parish in Montana whose world is turned upside down when he finds himself attracted to a male parishioner. Pretty heady stuff for 1976.
#QueerBooksforPride

In Shade by H.N. Hirsch we meet Marcus George, a junior faculty member at Harvard. When a former student, and member of a prominent Boston family, is found dead on the beach Marcus is asked by the student's parents to try and find out if there might be a connection between the student's activity at Harvard and his death. Along the way Marcus meets Bob Abramson, the roommate of the murder victim, which proves to be a life changing event for both of them.
#QueerBooksforPride

June 20 🏳️‍🌈📖 #queerBooksForPride

In Some Desperate Glory by Emily Tesh, Kyr has been trained all her life to avenge the murder of planet Earth. While most of the remains of humanity live under the rule of the destroyers, the militants of Gaea Station seek revenge.

But when her brother is assigned to a suicide mission she starts to question the system she was brought up in. Turns out the universe is far more nuanced and complicated than she was brought up to believe. (Spoiler: here be queers!)

June 19 🏳️‍🌈📖 #queerBooksForPride

The novella The Empress of Salt and Fortune by Nghi Vo is the unusual friendship between exiled empress In-yo and her handmaiden Rabbit. Despite being exiled to a remote border town, the empress isn't as powerless as she seems.

The story itself is about strong, clever women forming friendships and overcoming adversity. I particularly enjoyed the way the story within the story is told. Bonus was the superbly natural presence of the central enby character.

A Series of Rooms by A.J. Barlowe starts out in a bar on Liam's 21st birthday, where a chance meeting in the men's room is soon followed by a tasteless prank on the part of Liam's friends. The title of the book soon becomes self-explanatory as events unfold that will change Liam forever.(CW for scenes involving assault and abuse)
#QueerBooksforPride

@gairdeachas I only just came across the #queerBooksForPride hashtag. Great stuff!

I’m wondering: are you familiar with Marlon James’ “Black Leopard, Red Wolf”? Awesome fantasy based on a range of African mythology, with lots of queer themes.

It’s got some of the best, most powerful writing about sex and violence that I’ve come across.

June 18 🏳️‍🌈📖 #queerBooksForPride

Machine by Elizabeth Bear (on Masto at @matociquala) takes places in her White Space universe. Bear is a prolific writer of #scifi & #fantasy and her books always include queers.

Machine follows Dr. Jens, a medic who literally leaps into unknowns to help others. This time she and her crew stumble onto an ancient generation ship that can't be where it is -- that's only the start of several impossible things.

The 3rd book in this universe released this week!

1/x

In The Secret Life of Albert Entwistle by Matt Cain we meet Albert, a postman in a small English village who has just received his retirement papers. Suddenly left with too much time on his hands, Albert gets lost in the memory of the one that got away. He decides to start living life on his own terms, determined to find out if a second chance could be in the cards.
#QueerBooksforPride

June 17 🏳️‍🌈📖 #queerBooksForPride

Somewhere Beyond the Sea by T.J. Klune is the sequel to The House in the Cerulean Sea and worthy of a call-out on its own.

Arthur has worked so hard to protect the magical kids under his care -- particularly Lucy -- from their powers and the outside world. But the outside world, and Arthur's past, come knocking. Thankfully he has Linus and Zoe to help him fight for his family, and for all magical people.