LGBTQIA+ fiction – Page 2 – Equal Opportunity Reader

[REVIEW] The Secret Lives of Church Ladies, by Deesha Philyaw

(Buy it from Bookshop) sigh I don’t think this collection of short stories was meant for me, y’all. I wanted it to be. Nine stories about Black women and their connections to themselves and the church seemed right up my alley, and I was genuinely excited to get into this and see myself and myContinue reading “[REVIEW] The Secret Lives of Church Ladies, by Deesha Philyaw”

[REVIEW] This Is How You Lose The Time War, by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone

ID: A black tablet displaying the cover of This Is How You Lose The Time War(sky blue background with red and blue cardinal birds reflecting each other surrounded by title text). The tablet is held in front of a leafy green bush by a black woman's hand.

(Buy it from Bookshop) This may be the unlikeliest romance novel I have ever read. Red and Blue are super soldiers in the time war, traveling across the 4th dimension bending history through sheer violence. Somehow, they begin a mocking correspondence, taunting each other while busy sinking Atlantis and riding with Genghis Khan to manipulateContinue reading “[REVIEW] This Is How You Lose The Time War, by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone”

[Review] A Little Life, by Hanya Yanagihara

Black and white book with photo of man's tightened face on cover held up in front of apartments buildings on a snowy street

(Find it HERE.) Jude, Willem, JB and Malcolm meet during their freshman year of university, and luckily the friendship lasts a lifetime–through failures, successes, relationships, jobs, deaths and heartbreak. They’re a motley crew–all different races, classes and sexualities–but the main character is Jude, the shyest and most secretive of the group, tortured by an unspeakableContinue reading “[Review] A Little Life, by Hanya Yanagihara”

[BOOKLIST] Books by Trans Folks; A Quickie Booklist for Trans Awareness Week 2020

Update: As of March 31st, 2021(aka Transgender Day of Visibility) I’ve updated the booklist with a few new titles. See the whole thing at this link). Today, November 20th, is Transgender Day of Remembrance. It’s a day to memorialize the individuals who have lost their lives due to anti-transgender violence — a shockingly normal occurrence.Continue reading “[BOOKLIST] Books by Trans Folks; A Quickie Booklist for Trans Awareness Week 2020”

[BOOKLIST] Pride Month Reads 2020: A Wrap-Up and Booklist

Happy Pride Month, fellow readers! The genesis of LGBTQIA+ Pride is a long story that begins before the 1969 Stonewall riots and still continues today. Notably, in 1970 a bisexual woman named Brenda Howard first proposed a planned Pride march to celebrate and take joy in queer identities and the rest is history. I’m notContinue reading “[BOOKLIST] Pride Month Reads 2020: A Wrap-Up and Booklist”

[REVIEW] Odd One Out, Nic Stone

(Buy it HERE) ⭐⭐⭐/5Courtney loves his best friend Jupiter. Jupiter loves girls. New girl Rae isn’t sure who she loves or how she feels about it. Odd One Out explores their individual perspectives & the questions they have about their emerging sexualities & relationships.⠀🏳️‍🌈⠀I love how casually diverse this book is. Race, culture and sexualityContinue reading “[REVIEW] Odd One Out, Nic Stone”

[REVIEW] Invisible Life, E. Lynn Harris

(Buy it HERE.) Raymond Tyler Jr. is Black, middle-class, and upwardly mobile. He has a job at a hot law firm in NYC, a loving Southern family, a supportive friend group and a really nice apartment. He’s a catch on the dating market, and everyone wants to know when he’ll get married. He’s also inContinue reading “[REVIEW] Invisible Life, E. Lynn Harris”

[REVIEW] Let’s Talk About Love, by Claire Kann

(Buy it HERE.) ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5⠀💕⠀Ok so first of all, isn’t that a *gorgeous* book cover? Second – good grief. When was the last time I actually read an ink and paper book? The Kindle is getting a workout lately! ⠀💑⠀It’s rare that a book completely surprises me, but this one did. After all, who expects anContinue reading “[REVIEW] Let’s Talk About Love, by Claire Kann”

[REVIEW] The Hundred Wells of Salaga, Ayesha Haruna Attah

⭐⭐⭐⭐(4/5) ⠀ (Buy it HERE.)⠀ ⠀⠀💧Wow, where do I even begin? I don’t think I’ve ever read anything quite like this before, even though all of the elements of it are familiar. There’s a misfit princess, warring nations, a beautiful foreign slave girl, and strange visitors from a faraway land. Characters struggle with unrequited love,Continue reading “[REVIEW] The Hundred Wells of Salaga, Ayesha Haruna Attah”

[REVIEW]No One Can Pronounce My Name, Rakesh Satyal

(Buy it HERE.) ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5⠀ This book is easily my second favorite read of the year so far after Girl, Woman, Other. It’s funny, touching, warm-hearted, and surprisingly deep. It’s also ferociously well-written. (One chapter made me close the book, say WOW, & sit for a while with the words.) I can’t believe I’ve never heardContinue reading “[REVIEW]No One Can Pronounce My Name, Rakesh Satyal”