Holy shit. Holy fuck. I got my little sister the book “sex is a funny word” because she’s at that age where she’s reading a lot of puberty books and I’d heard that this one was lgbtq+ friendly, but I was checking it over for accuracy and I gotta say, even with the totally gender neutral language they were using to talk about body parts and the really respectful way they talk about gender and their portrayals of same sex couples I was so fucking sure that I would have to mention that not everyone gets crushes or feels attraction separately. Because these books never talk about that. But here it is. The one thing I was so absolutely sure wouldn’t be included.
I honest to god dropped the book when I saw this I was so shocked. And I’m so fucking happy right now. I can’t exspress how much I wish this was mentioned in the books I read when I was a kid. It would have saved me so much confusion, and I’m so happy that kids today are gonna read this and know that it’s okay and normal to not get curses. I’m so so fucking happy you have no idea.
Yes! There’s a whole feature on the site called Under the Gaydar that’s exactly books whose covers and blurbs don’t reveal that the book has queer content: https://lgbtqreads.com/category/under-the-gaydar/ (note: read the intros carefully, as a couple of the posts are dedicated to books that are obviously queer but aren’t obvious that they have very rare rep.)
If you can’t safely open that link, I’ll just tell you some great options:
If you’re a fantasy person, try LABYRINTH LOST by Zoraida Cordova and GIRLS MADE OF SNOW AND GLASS by Melissa Bashardoust.
If you’re a thriller-mystery person, try FAR FROM YOU by Tess Sharpe, TRUST ME, I’M LYING by Mary Elizabeth Summer (character comes into her sexuality in the second book but it’s worth starting at the beginning), BEFORE I LET GO by Marieke Nijkamp, and PEOPLE LIKE US by Dana Mele.
If you’re interested in more intense contemporary, try THIS IS WHERE IT ENDS by Marieke Nijkamp, PICTURE US IN THE LIGHT by Kelly Loy Gilbert, and PAPERWEIGHT by Meg Haston. (And set your sights on ANGER IS A GIFT by Mark Oshiro, which releases May 22.) For lighter stuff, grab CHERRY by Lindsey Rosin and WINNING by Lara Deloza.
For sci-fi and speculative fiction under that umbrella, try PROXY by Alex London, THE SCORPION RULES by Erin Bow, HEART OF IRON by Ashley Poston, and THEY BOTH DIE AT THE END by Adam Silvera.
For magical realism, you want WILD BEAUTY by Anna-Marie McLemore.
Most of those should be in the YA section at your local library as they’re all either pretty big titles or recent releases, but if you need more suggestions, let me know!
I’m reading this queer anthology and the first story is a fairytale about a queer Latina girl whose anger was so fierce it literally poisoned the rich white men who unfairly captured the transgender soldier she was in love with and my heart is literally bursting I’m going to cry
the second story is about two queer girls who leave their husbands-to-be at the altar and flee together on a boat to become pirates IM FUCKING SCREAMING THIS IS EXACTLY THE KIND OF GAY CONTENT I SIGNED UP FOR
okay this is the anthology and it’s entirely written by queer authors and inspired by the stories of real queer teens in history and it’s the most wholesome and epic thing I’ve read in a long while
A standalone fantasy in a world of merfolk and pirates…
The ocean is uncontrollable and dangerous.But to the sirens who swim the warm island waters, it’s a home more than worth protecting from the humans and their steam-propelled ships. Between their hypnotic voices and the strength of their powerful tails, sirens have little to fear.
That is, until the ruthless pirate captain, Kian, creates a device to cancel out their songs.
Perle was the first siren captured, and while all since have either been sold or killed, Kian still keeps them prisoner. Though their song is muted and their tail paralyzed, Perle’s hope for escape rekindles as another pirating vessel seizes Kian’s ship. This new captain seems different, with his brilliant smile and his promises that Kian will never again be Perle’s master. But he’s still a human, and a captor in his own way. The compassion he and his rag-tag human family show can’t be sincere… or can it?
Soon it becomes clear that Kian will hunt Perle relentlessly, taking down any siren in her path. As the tides turn, Perle must decide whether to run from Kian forever, or ride the forming wave into battle, hoping their newfound human companions will fight with them.
Our Bloody Pearl is a fantasy novel, with slight steampunk world building and a bit of both romance and deep friendships. It has a simplistic but endearing plot, with strong themes of family, forgiveness, and home. Prepare for a voyage of laughter and danger while your heart is stolen – if not eaten – by sirens.
I haven’t talked about this during the month of pre-release info, because these aren’t the character’s defining characteristics and I don’t want to portray them as token diversity to gain brownie points, but because this is the final release post:
Yes,this is an #ownvoice book about a nonbinary, disabled protagonist (who isn’t“healed” by some ablist power of love) and an asexual love interest. Yes, the entire cast are characters of color. Yes, Simone is a trans woman, and she and her future wife do live happily ever after.
For those of you who are enthusiastic about OBP but don’t have the funds to purchase it right now, please note that in the tags when you reblog the post, and I’ll see what I can do for you!
So I finished Our Bloody Pearl and I can confirm…
This book is everything I wanted and more. I knew from the first page that it was going to be good, but it grabbed me by my face and also by my heart and dragged me into the ocean depths, never to be seen again xD I have left my (more sensible) review on goodreads, and you should have a look there to see if this is the book for you! SPOILER: if you like mermaids and adventure and character relationships that will warm you to the bottom of your soul, I would definitely give it a try.
With @brynwrites’ name on the cover, I knew it would be quality, and OBP does not disappoint. ❤
i just found this site, which (admittedly, using older terminology) has a bunch of positive reinforcement for trans orthodox people! it covers a lot of questions about whether you’re allowed to be trans (yes) and get surgery (yes) and what gender a trans person is (whichever one you are, naturally). personally this is super cool to see as an orthodox nb person!
please spread around for your trans jewish friends
♡
Just skimmed over this article and bookmarked it for later! A super important read for ALL Jews, especially LGBT+ and Orthodox Jews. Many thanks to Rabbi Dr. Zev Farber for writing this.
A standalone fantasy in a world of merfolk and pirates…
The ocean is uncontrollable and dangerous.But to the sirens who swim the warm island waters, it’s a home more than worth protecting from the humans and their steam-propelled ships. Between their hypnotic voices and the strength of their powerful tails, sirens have little to fear.
That is, until the ruthless pirate captain, Kian, creates a device to cancel out their songs.
Perle was the first siren captured, and while all since have either been sold or killed, Kian still keeps them prisoner. Though their song is muted and their tail paralyzed, Perle’s hope for escape rekindles as another pirating vessel seizes Kian’s ship. This new captain seems different, with his brilliant smile and his promises that Kian will never again be Perle’s master. But he’s still a human, and a captor in his own way. The compassion he and his rag-tag human family show can’t be sincere… or can it?
Soon it becomes clear that Kian will hunt Perle relentlessly, taking down any siren in her path. As the tides turn, Perle must decide whether to run from Kian forever, or ride the forming wave into battle, hoping their newfound human companions will fight with them.
Our Bloody Pearl is a fantasy novel, with slight steampunk world building and a bit of both romance and deep friendships. It has a simplistic but endearing plot, with strong themes of family, forgiveness, and home. Prepare for a voyage of laughter and danger while your heart is stolen – if not eaten – by sirens.
I haven’t talked about this during the month of pre-release info, because these aren’t the character’s defining characteristics and I don’t want to portray them as token diversity to gain brownie points, but because this is the final release post:
Yes,this is an #ownvoice book about a nonbinary, disabled protagonist (who isn’t“healed” by some ablist power of love) and an asexual love interest. Yes, the entire cast are characters of color. Yes, Simone is a trans woman, and she and her future wife do live happily ever after.
For those of you who are enthusiastic about OBP but don’t have the funds to purchase it right now, please note that in the tags when you reblog the post, and I’ll see what I can do for you!
you over there! you want to read gay books? YA gay books? good, here’s the must must MUST read books, AND MOST IMPORTANT! when you pick one up and read it TELL ME!
willowfoot 