Books With Morally Grey Gay People for Pride Month (Except, I'm Late)

Happy Late Pride, everyone! I’m sure many of you, like me, are tired of reading about perfect gay people doing everything right – you want some chaos in your stories! You want some problematic gays! So, even though I missed the end of Pride Month by about two days  – and as a reminder that every month is Pride Month! –I’ve compiled a list of 5 books that have something super cool about them: their gays are bananas, complex as fuck and ready to wreck hell. 

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Book recommendations: queer adult SFF

It's been a while since I did one of these posts but I'm thinking of doing more regularly. I have read a lot more new books that I hope some of you will pick up and I've made another selection. I'm reading more and more adult SFF lately because lots of YA is getting a little too young for me. But I also find that transitioning to reading more adult can be difficult, and it's not always easy to find what you're looking for. I found YA a far easier market to navigate, so I figured I'd make a post featuring some of my favorite adult SFF books.

I haven’t read any of these, but The Jasmine Throne and Some Desperate Glory are on my TBR!

Midyear queer book rec 2023: even more gay, even more slaps!

Another wide selection of achillian, sapphic, and bisexual (is there a term for that?) relationships, basically all adult fiction and lots of romance, historical, and fantasy with happy endings because of who I am as a person. But these are all books I gave at least 3/5 stars that offer a fun range of relationships and writing styles!

If you want even more queer book recs, check out my many previous posts! Now go enjoy some queer reading and support authors writing queer fiction!

I read and adored A Marvellous Light and A Restless Truth! I also read and enjoyed Something Fabulous and The Charm Offensive.

I finished My Policeman and Brokeback Mountain and am already halfway through Arrête avec tes mensonges. Arrête avec tes mensonges evokes memories of my own first love, which was also queer, obsessive, and all-consuming.

Currently reading My Policeman by Bethan Roberts, On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong, Brokeback Mountain by Annie Proulx, and Arrête avec tes mensonges (Lie with me) by Philippe Besson.

Thank you for the tag @yourneighborhoodbibliophile! <3

Rules: In a text post, list ten books that have stayed with you in some way. Don’t take but a few minutes, and don’t think too hard — they don’t have to be the “right” or “great” works, just the ones that have touched you.

Tagging (no pressure!): @maddiesbookshelves

I haven’t read any of these, but the Echo Wife is on my TBR! I’m also eyeing A Memory Called Empire. 👀

Mid Year Book Tag!

Nabbed from @theinquisitxor, who said I should tag myself if I was interested. (And then I got tagged by @readingbooksinisrael.)

1.Best book you’ve read so far: Diary of a Misfit by Casey Parks

2.Best sequel you’ve read so far: The House with the Golden Door by Elodie Harper

3.New Release you haven’t read yet but want to: The Remarkable Retirement of Edna Fisher by E.M. Anderson

4.Most anticipated release for the second half of the year? I have a few! But The Frugal Wizard’s Guide to Surviving Medieval England by Brandon Sanderson sounds like a tonne of fun.

5.Biggest Disappointment: British Columbiana by Josie Teed

6.Biggest Surprise: When the Angels Left the Old Country by Sacha Lamb

7. Favorite new author: Janie Chang

8.Newest Fictional Crush: I don’t crush, but Sir Kay from Perilous Times is the exact kind of guy I’d want in my corner.

9.Newest Favorite Character: Amina al-Sirafi

10.Book that made you cry: Diary of a Misfit or, not to repeat myself, The Magician’s Daughter by H.G. Parry

11.A Book that made you happy: The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi or, not to repeat myself, Emily Wilde’s Encyclopedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett

12. Favorite Adaptation: Bold of you to assume I remember things i watch! 😜 Um, finally watched the Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell miniseries? Twas very good.

13. Prettiest Cover: the UK edition of The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison, which I reread a few months ago

14. A book you need to read before the end of the year: Gonna go with a deep cut and say The Great Cat Massacre by Robert Darnton

Tag yourself if you’re interested too!

Bold of you to claim that you only have a few anticipated releases. Your 2023 Release TBR says otherwise. ;) (I never know if my tone translates across text, but please know that I’m teasing you.)

I added When the Angels Left the Old Country and The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi to my TBR based on your earlier reviews!

See, there’s “I want to read this at some point” and “I need to have read this yesterday!” With a list that long, I have to distinguish.

I’m so glad you added those two! Enjoy them!

At this point, I’ve given up on prioritizing my TBR. I pick up whichever book is within reach and read it. 😂 And thank you! <3

📚🗓 Mid-Year Freakout Tag 2023 🗓📚

jumping on the hype train because it’s fun

How many books have you read so far?

69 including comics & graphic novels (nice)

What genres have you read?

Mostly fantasy and sci fi, but also a bit of historical fiction.

Best book you’ve read so far in 2023?

The Tyrant Baru Cormorant by Seth Dickinson! The first two books in the series were dubious, but things really came together for me in this one and I'm so excited for the conclusion. Also Baru is the character ever.

Best sequel you’ve read so far in 2023?

Nona the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir; it really recontextualizes the first two books and is therefore the best at being a sequel.

New release you haven’t read yet, but want to

Titanium Noir by Nick Harkaway (saw it at a festival), Translation State by Ann Leckie (I really liked her other books), and also New Suns 2 (I read New Suns last year and it had some really good stories!)

Most anticipated release for the second half of the year

Alecto the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir! After reading Nona I need to know.

Biggest disappointment

It's a tie between The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson (boring and somehow shallow-feeling worldbuilding, and managed not to get me very invested in the characters even with over 1000 pages?), Dune by Frank Herbert (all the worst parts of 60s sci fi), La passeuse de mots by Jennifer and Alric Twice (all the worst parts of 2000s YA fantasy), or Der Dunkle Schwarm by Marie Grasshoff (somehow uninteresting despite what could be a very compelling world). I can't choose between any of these because none of them really got under my skin, they were just meh in ways I wasn't expecting them to be.

Biggest surprise

The Well by Jake Wyatt; I convinced myself it was going to be mediocre despite the awesome cover, but it's actually my favourite graphic novel of the year so far! The art is gorgeous and the story is a fun spin on traditional quest narratives.

Book that made you cry

Small Game Hunting at the Local Coward Gun Club by Megan Gail Coles. This book reminded me why I don't read sad literary fiction, even though it was really good (highly recommend if you can tolerate it!)

Book that made you happy

A Pho Love Story by Loan Le; I really appreciated how the characters learned to live with their immigrant parents and also the romance was really sweet!

Most beautiful book cover of a book you’ve read so far this year

Either Even Though I Knew The End by C.L. Polk (I am a sucker for vintage anything) or Squire by Sara Alfageeh and Nadia Shammas (I am also a sucker for clouds)

How are you doing with your year’s goal?

Don’t have one!

What books do you need to read by the end of the year?

De Profundis, The Secret History, Lord of the Flies, The Origins of Political Order, and After the Victorians (I think I've given up on reading War and Peace, at least for the moment). Oh, and Alecto, when it comes out. (There are, as always, Too Many Books)

(and since they haven't done it yet I tag @maddiesbookshelves and @yourneighborhoodbibliophile (but only if they feel like it))

I’ve also primarily read fantasy (particularly historical fantasy), but I’ve reached a slump of sorts (in that specific genre). Do you have any fantasy or science-fiction recommendations that subvert classic SFF tropes (or do them particularly well)? 👀

Sure! I don't really pay much attention to which tropes books do well, because most story elements are tropes in the end and all I see is the book as a whole (especially for sci fi), but I do have recommendations for trope subversion!

For subversion of the legends surrounding King Arthur and their tropes, I highly recommend Spear by Nicola Griffith and The Guinevere Deception by Kiersten White. Both are queer and both twist the story in fun ways, and I had a lot of fun reading them!

For subversion of fairy tales, I recommend The Well by Jake Wyatt (graphic novel), Nettle & Bone by T. Kingfisher, and The Last Wish by Andrzej Sapkowski. The first two are books I consider cozy, and both deal with characters being assigned three impossible tasks, which is a trope I enjoy. The Last Wish is a book of short stories featuring the witcher having nonstop moral dilemmas about the various monsters he is paid to deal with (and also kicking ass). I would also recommend reading or watching Nimona (very different but equally enjoyable experiences).

For subversion of various superhero-related tropes, I recommend Hench by Natalie Zina Walschots, which is about an accountant working for a supervillain and questioning the system that allows heroes and villains to exist at all.

(I would also recommend The Assassin's Guide to Love and Treason because you liked A Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue :) I really enjoyed both)

Thank you so much for the recommendations! <3 I’m particularly intrigued by Spear, Hench, and An Assassin’s Guide to Love and Treason (based solely on the comparison to TGGTVAV). 👀

Reading She Who Became the Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan.

Oh, you're likely going to love it! I fell in love with this book. Epic East Asian-ish fantasy with all the trademarks of your typical European fantasy novel salted with a little magic and LGBT rep. A proper reviewer will give you a much better recommendation, but you're in for a really great read.

You were right — I absolutely adored it! I cannot wait for the sequel, but luckily, I only have to wait another month! *cue calendar countdown to the release of He Who Drowned the World*

@yourneighborhoodbibliophile thank you so much for the tag ❣️❣️ i havent done one of these in forever !!

Rules: In a text post, list ten books that have stayed with you in some way. Don’t take but a few minutes, and don’t think too hard — they don’t have to be the “right” or “great” works, just the ones that have touched you.

heres who i'm tagging, but dont feel pressured to do it. :3 @obvusly @childofthetreetops @endlessfurore @llovelymoonn

Maurice, my beloved. <3 I haven’t read any of the others, but I’m curious to check them out. 👀

🌻 Mid-Year Freakout Tag 2023🌻

I’ve been on a brief hiatus, but I’m back with my favorite tag of the year!

1.  How many books have you read so far?

I’ve read 15 books (so far!).

2. What genres have you read?

Fantasy, historical fantasy, historical fiction, historical romance, romance, and LGBTQ+ fiction.

3. Best book you’ve read so far in 2023

A Marvellous Light and A Restless Truth by Freya Marske, In Other Lands by Sarah Rees Brennan, and Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett (all of which I rated 5/5 stars).

4. Best sequel you’ve read so far in 2023

A Restless Truth by Freya Marske. It exceeded all of my (already admittedly high) expectations.

5. New release you haven’t read, but want to

Tim Te Maro and the Subterranean Heartsick Blues by H.S. Valley. I preordered it, but my pre-order was delayed due to Indigo’s cyber security incident and I have yet to receive it.

6. Most anticipated release of the second half of the year

You can find my most anticipated releases here.

7. Biggest disappointment

Greywaren by Maggie Stiefvater. The conclusion to the Dream Trilogy and the broader Raven Cycle universe, Greywaren was a highly anticipated release of mine, but I was ultimately underwhelmed by it.

8. Biggest surprise

I’ve largely read within my preferred genres (namely queer historical fiction/fantasy) so I have yet to be surprised by anything. Hopefully I’ll be surprised as I diversify in the coming months!

9. Book that made you cry

No tears have been shed in the reading of these books.

10. Book that made you happy

All of them! However, if I had to choose only one… In Other Lands by Sarah Rees Brennan.

11. Most beautiful cover of a book you’ve read so far this year

Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett, followed closely by A Restless Truth by Freya Marske and In Other Lands by Sarah Rees Brennan. Evidence that we should, indeed, judge a book by its cover. ;)

12. How are you doing with your year’s goals?

I set the (admittedly ambitious) goal to read 50 books (of which I’ve read 15).

13. What books do you need to read by the end of the year?

My most anticipated releases of 2022, my new year book haul, and my most anticipated releases of the second half of 2023.

@thecasualbookreviewer Thank you! <3 Sending them right back at you! *showers you in reading beans*

🌻 Mid-Year Freakout Tag 2023🌻

I’ve been on a brief hiatus, but I’m back with my favorite tag of the year!

1.  How many books have you read so far?

I’ve read 15 books (so far!).

2. What genres have you read?

Fantasy, historical fantasy, historical fiction, historical romance, romance, and LGBTQ+ fiction.

3. Best book you’ve read so far in 2023

A Marvellous Light and A Restless Truth by Freya Marske, In Other Lands by Sarah Rees Brennan, and Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett (all of which I rated 5/5 stars).

4. Best sequel you’ve read so far in 2023

A Restless Truth by Freya Marske. It exceeded all of my (already admittedly high) expectations.

5. New release you haven’t read, but want to

Tim Te Maro and the Subterranean Heartsick Blues by H.S. Valley. I preordered it, but my pre-order was delayed due to Indigo’s cyber security incident and I have yet to receive it.

6. Most anticipated release of the second half of the year

You can find my most anticipated releases here.

7. Biggest disappointment

Greywaren by Maggie Stiefvater. The conclusion to the Dream Trilogy and the broader Raven Cycle universe, Greywaren was a highly anticipated release of mine, but I was ultimately underwhelmed by it.

8. Biggest surprise

I’ve largely read within my preferred genres (namely queer historical fiction/fantasy) so I have yet to be surprised by anything. Hopefully I’ll be surprised as I diversify in the coming months!

9. Book that made you cry

No tears have been shed in the reading of these books.

10. Book that made you happy

All of them! However, if I had to choose only one… In Other Lands by Sarah Rees Brennan.

11. Most beautiful cover of a book you’ve read so far this year

Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett, followed closely by A Restless Truth by Freya Marske and In Other Lands by Sarah Rees Brennan. Evidence that we should, indeed, judge a book by its cover. ;)

12. How are you doing with your year’s goals?

I set the (admittedly ambitious) goal to read 50 books (of which I’ve read 15).

13. What books do you need to read by the end of the year?

My most anticipated releases of 2022, my new year book haul, and my most anticipated releases of the second half of 2023.

@moranjpg Howdy, partner. 🤠 Since I switched from reading in English to reading in French, I’ve read almost half as much as I did in the first half of the year in these last two weeks alone. Here’s to the end of our respective reading fatigue. 🥂

My favorites from the first half of 2023!

There weren’t a lot of standouts until the end of May/beginning of June when I read The Salt Grows Heavy, The Last Tale of the Flower Bride, and A Marvellous Light in a row. I’m hoping for a great second half to the year though.