book recommendation

BASIA:

Pond by Claire-Louise Bennett. Quote: "A quirky, lush little novel that's perfect for readers who love a stream-of-consciousness style."

Rest is Resistance by Tricia Hersey. Quote: "A great resource for unpacking the problems of grind culture and finding alternatives."

BANKSTON:

Farthing by Jo Walton- speculative fiction murder mystery set in an alternate timeline where WWII ended in a peace accord between Britain and Nazi Germany.

Jesus and John Wayne by Kristin Kobes Du Mez- nonfiction about the relationship between conservative masculinity and white Christian evangelism.

SAVANNAH:

Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler - dystopian sci-fi that takes place in 2025 and eerily relatable to today's society.

The Iron Flower by Laurie Forest - YA fantasy. 2nd book in the black witch chronicles. The magic school has opened up to a full fledged rebellion/war.

We Hunt the Flame by Hafsah Faizal - YA middle-eastern fantasy about a girl who's an assassin.

ANG:

French Lieutenants Woman by John Fowles - Written in 1969, this is the story of a Victorian love triangle as well as a critique of the Victorian and modern time period or mores. 

KATE:

Small Great Things by Jodi Picoult - This page-turner "tackles race, privilege and prejudice" in a court-room drama. 

This is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar - Time travel, sci-fi, fantasy with queer love. I wish I understood more about each character's world and why they were fighting the time war. But as soon as I finished, I wanted to re-read to find all the things I missed the first time!

KATE & ANG'S BOOK CLUB:

Chronicle of a Death Foretold by Gabriel Garcia Marquez - Kate didn't finish this one. She struggles to read books that aren't plot-driven. Ang, on the other hand, really enjoyed the rich characters and writing style of this one. 

Tongue Party by Sarah Rose Etter - Collection of quirky short stories. Etter has an incredible ability to unapologetically immerse the reader into an absurd world. Her stories are imaginative and delightfully disturbing. This is a MUST READ.

And now we are watching schools ban books, especially those that address LBTQIA issues and feature LGBTQIA characters.

It is terrifying. And we must fight on several fronts, of course. But one way is to lift these voices, to read these books and share these books. The more books we have in our repertoire the more we can convince others that these books are not propaganda, but rather they are stories. About people. Who exist. 

So here is our small contribution to the fight to lift all voices. Here are some books by LGBTQIA authors or those featuring stories of LGBTQIA characters that we love.