#diverse reads

[ya-world-challenge]

15 YA Books for Hispanic Heritage Month

Just a tiny selection of some of the great Hispanic & Latinx books out there. I just finished Woven in Moonlight the other day and it has such a gorgeous world and magic, I’m tempted to get right to the sequel.

Lobizona by Romina Garber Furia, Yamile Saied Mendez Woven in Moonlight by Isabel Ibañez Meet Me Halfway, Anika Fajardo The Lightning Dreamer by Margarita Engle With the Fire on High by Elizabeth Acevedo The Grief Keeper by Alexandra Villasante Solito: A Memoir, Javier Zamora Where I Belong, Marcia Argueta Mickelson The One Who Loves You Most, Medina Sia Martinez and the Moonlit Beginning of Everything, Raquel Vasquez Gilliland Breathe and Count Back from Ten, Natalia Sylvester Together We Burn, Isabel Ibañez Marcus Vega Doesn't Speak Spanish by Pablo Cartaya The Lightning Queen by Laura Resau

#book list #hispanic heritage month #ya books #latinx books #ya world challenge #diverse reads #argentina #bolivia #columbia #cuba #puerto rico #el salvador #mexico #honduras #peru #spain #central america #south america #guatemala #latina #booklr #bookblr

[margaretthotcher]

Queer Book Recommendations

It's pride season in Wellington, New Zealand and my local library has published its second "Teen Staff Picks" zine! In that spirit, I bring you, a collection of lesser-known queer books featured in the two that have been released so far! I've narrowed the lists down to books that have 1000 or fewer reviews on Goodreads as of posting (though I actually use Storygraph personally). I haven't read most of these, they're new to me as well but looking forward to getting into them.

Sapphic

Trouble Girls - Julia Lynn Rubin

Planning Perfect - Haley Neil

Improbable Magic for Cynical Witches - Kate Scelsa

The Meadows - Stephanie Oakes

Never Trust a Gemini - Freja Nicole Woolf

This Is All Your Fault - Aminah Mae Safi

The Year My Life Went Down the Toilet - Jake Maia Arlow

Youngblood - Sasha Laurens

In the Role of Brie Hutchens - Nicole Melleby

Achillean

We Are Totally Normal - Rahul Kanakia

Two Can Play That Game - Leanne Yong

Blaine for the Win - Robbie Couch

I Like Me Better - Robby Weber

The Language of Seabirds - Will Taylor

The Feeling of Falling in Love - Mason Deaver

Charming Young Man - Eliot Schrefer

Emmett - L. C. Rosen

Pages I Never Wrote - Marco Donati

Trans Characters

Across a Field of Starlight - Blue Delliquanti

Welcome to St. Hell: My Trans Teen Misadventure - Lewis Hancox

The Borrow a Boyfriend Club - Page Powars

If I Can Give You That - Michael Gray Bulla

Transmogrify!: 14 Fantastical Tales of Trans Magic - G. Haron Davis

Jess, Chunk, and the Road Trip to Infinity - Kristin Elizabeth Clark

Magical Boy - The Kao

Kisses For Jet: A Coming-of-Gender Story - Joris Bas Backer

Between Perfect and Real - Ray Stoeve

Featuring Queer People of Colour

Ander & Santi Were Here - Jonny Garza Villa

The Loophole - Naz Kutub

Spell Bound - F. T. Lukens

Tim Te Maro and the Subterranean Heartsick Blues - H. S. Valley

Rise to the Sun - Leah Johnson

Never Kiss Your Roommate - Philline Harms

Rainbow! - Bloom & Sunny

Other Ever Afters: New Queer Fairy Tales - Melanie Gillman

Anne of Greenville - Mariko Tamaki

#lgbtqia #books #books & libraries #public libraries #queer books #lgbtqiia+ #lgbtq+ books #pride #sapphic books #gay books #trans books #bipoc lgbt #wlw #mlm #reading #wellington pride #lgbt #lgbtq #diverse reads #diverse books #graphic novel #fantasy #contemporary romance #romance #coming of age #is this enough tags yet #libraries are important #support your local library #libraries are cool #transgender

[mundanemoongirl]

Happy Black History Month!! To celebrate, I made this list to share some of my favorite books written by Black authors and have Black main characters

Blood Like Magic by Liselle Sambury

This is one of my absolute favorite books. It’s about a Black girl who was born into a witch family, and in order to get powers, she has to pass a task given to her by one of her ancestors. Her task happens to be to find her first love and destroy them. This book has elements of fantasy, sci-fi, mystery, and romance and the sequel is just as good. I will never stop recommending it.

Akata Witch by Nnedi Okorafor

Although the main character of this book is in middle school, I think it’s a good read for people of all ages. The story follows Sunny, a Nigerian girl with albinism. After learning she is a witch, she begins to live a double life. One where she pretends to be her same non-magical self to her family, and one where she learns about magic and herself with Orlu, her friend from school; Chichi, Orlu’s mysterious friend; and Sasha, an American boy who moved to Nigeria.

Caucasia by Danzy Senna

Caucasia is the coming of age story of a girl born to a White mother and Black father in the 1970s. As someone who passes for White, she struggles to find where she belongs. She experiences being both Black and White, changing her race as easily as changing clothes, depending on who she needs to be at the time. She also has to deal with her family splitting up and her parents’ activism that might get them into serious trouble.

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

I’m sure everyone��s heard of this one, but in case you haven’t: Starr was in her friend’s car the night he was killed by a police officer. She struggles afterwards to cope with his violent death and to speak up while remaining anonymous. This book is so so important. Police brutality never seems to stop, even in my own neighborhood. Everyone will benefit by learning more and speaking out against it.

Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson

Black Cake is about siblings Byron and Benny who are left with only a black cake and a tape recording when their mother dies. In the recording, their mother tells the story of someone they don’t even know, and the two have to learn to be a family again after a falling out they had years ago.

Here are some more that aren’t my favorites but I think others might love

Rust in the Root by Justina Ireland

This one is about a Black, queer mage in 1930s America trying to get a license to practice magic. Her new government job sends her on a journey to fix a blight that is more deadly than anyone expected.

Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi

Set in a land similar to Africa, the magi, people who have magic, have all been killed by the monarchy. One day magic returns and one of the last remaining magi teams up with the princess to protect magic and prepare the magi to fight for their lives.

Cinderella is Dead by Kalynn Bayron

200 years of Cinderella dies, the land is ruled by Prince Charming, who forces all young women to attend a ball to find a suitor. Sophia, who is queer, opposes this lifestyle and runs away. Once she’s away from the prince’s influence, she discovers the true story of Cinderella and what she can do to stop the balls.

#black history month #black books #books and reading #book recommendations #black writers #diverse books #diverse reads #bookish #fantasy books #black stories

[desdasiwrites]

Happy Bi Visibility Day!

(And happy Bisexual Awareness Week! 💗💜💙)

Here's a list of books with bisexual representation, or by bisexual authors.

Books in the pictures are:

Red, White and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston

Gearbreakers by Zoe Hana Mikuta

Sisterland by Curtis Sittenfeld

Revolutions of All Colors by Dewaine Farria

Running With Lions by Julian Winters

Our Own Private Universe by Robin Talley

Heartstopper, by Alice Oseman

Take a Hint, Dani Brown by Talia Hibbert

Difficult Women by Roxane Gay

I’ll Be the One by Lyla Lee

Two Serious Ladies by Jane Bowles

A Darkly Beating Heart by Lindsay Smith

Fresh by Margot Wood

Just Your Local Bisexual Disaster by Andrea Mosqueda

Subatomic: And Other Stories By and About Bisexuals edited by Mariëlle S. Smith and Sìne Màiri Ní Ailpín

I Hate Everyone But You by Gabe Dunn and Allison Raskin

#BiWeek #bisexual day #bisexual author #bi rep #ya #non-ya #book recs #fantasy #scifi #bisexual protagonist #bisexual characters #black author #diverse reads #alice oseman #running with lions #roxane gay #red white and royal blue

[tenderwillow9]

What are your opinions on modern-day fiction? I see a lot of people criticising recent works of fiction due to the lack of 'depth' and things of that sort, while others just say 'if you don't like, just don't read it'. But what do you think? Is literature being harmed by this new fiction focused primarily on the market, or is it just something unimportant?

#book blog #bookish #books #books and reading #bookworm #writerscommunity #writing #book reading #fiction #modern #english literature #gay literature #black literature #literary fiction #literary analysis #literary criticism #literature #diverse books #diverse reads

[highpriestessarchives]

Expectations: In Which Diverse Stories Have Extra Criteria

CW: mentions of racism, brutality, colonization, more of a vent post than anything informative

As much as I don’t like it, I feel as though the best way to start this off is to provide context on my own background. I’ll get to why I don’t like it in a moment, so bear with me. I’m a first generation born Filipino American. My parents are from Tarlac (and a DNA test shows that we also have lineage traced back to Northern and Western Philippines as well some Central & Eastern and Southern China), and they raised us in a semi-traditional Filipino fashion. They didn’t teach us the language in fear of us being made fun of by other Americans, but we did grow up eating the food, respecting our elders, and practicing Filipino Catholic traditions that my parents grew up with in their homeland.

Needless to say, the remarks that followed me into my adult life have pulled my resonance with my heritage in every which way. To other Filipinos and other Asians, I looked part white, and they would ask for pictures of my parents for “proof” that I wasn’t. True story: I remember one of my college friends grabbing my phone and showing her friends in an “I told you so” manner, as if my race was some mystery for them to crack. It wasn’t. I fully told them from the start that I’m Filipino. My Titas would tell me that I looked “mestiza,” and how many young girls in the Philippines would want to look the way I do, and I didn’t know how to explain to them that I started hating how pale I am because of how other Asians would assume my race because of it.

At the same time, my non-Asian counterparts (yes, majority of the people who made these comments were white) would assume that I was some hodge-podge of all Asian cultures. I remember my high school teacher showing us a Vietnamese medicine commercial (this was a class on medical malpractice, and, if I remember correctly, she wanted to show us how medicine is advertised internationally), and she walked into class saying, “The only one who might understand this clip is Rory.” She’d used my deadname at the time, but you get the idea. Jaw-dropped, I had to say, “I don’t speak Vietnamese. I’m not Vietnamese.”

I know, what does this have to do with writing? We’ll get there; don’t worry.

Around 2018, the term “decolonization” entered my realm of awareness. I would see other children of immigrants from all over the world dive into their heritage and continue their ancestors’ practices. Thinking that this would be a genuine way to connect with my roots (I had, and still have, a complicated relationship with the Catholic Church, so I was excited to hear about other Filipino faiths), I began doing my research. At the time, I had a sizable following on TikTok, and I would post entertainment-only sort of videos regarding my spirituality and craft, and I even had to put out a video explaining why I didn’t go into more detail with the Filipino aspects of it. I wasn’t as learned with it as I am now, and I was afraid of the criticism and backlash others would have towards it. In hindsight, I really shouldn’t have given a sh*t, but the internet, as we all know, is cruel.

See, I use my writing as a way to connect with myself and other people, mainly. Yes, I have a story to tell, but a majority of my purpose is to discover and process my own emotions and findings. I use what I observed in society and how I grew up as well as what I learned from my own research. I won’t go into detail of the racism Asian Americans face nor the brutality we have endured over the years; frankly, if you are not already aware of it, Google is free.

Still, my work seemed to be followed by one main criticism: this isn’t yours to tell.

There were a myriad of reasons behind it. I wasn’t born in the Philippines, I’m white-passing, I wasn’t raised with anitismo, other marginalized groups have it “exponentially” worse, etc. I’d be lying if I said this didn’t affect my writing. I froze. I grappled with what I was “allowed” to tell based on all of these criteria. I’d pull up article after article of what I learned in hopes to justify the reasons for including certain aspects in my work; but because of my own upbringing, it never seemed to be enough. What’s worse, a portion of these criticisms completely dismissed the aspects of racism that Asian Americans have spoken up about time and time again (once again, because other’s have it worse or because there just wasn’t enough awareness about it for it to be “valid.”)

Imagine that. We read of thousands of iterations of medieval fantasies from white authors, thousands of European fae romances, thousands of Greek mythological retellings, and treat it as the default. There is no question of whether the author is Greek or Gaelic enough or if their ancestors played a huge role during the medieval era. Hell, my first published work was based on Greek and Celtic mythology, and no one talked about my race then, whether it was about how white I look or how I'm not white at all.

But gods help us if a minority doesn’t fit the ultimate minority model while telling their stories. To be honest, this was why I started disliking the need to talk about my background; it has begun to feel as though it is more to provide credentials rather than to satiate genuine curiosity from other people.

Yes, I do recognize that I wasn’t born in the Philippines and that I was raised Catholic, but I’ve come to terms with how I feel like that is okay.

First of all, if we want to hear from more diverse writers, we cannot keep projecting this “model minority” expectation towards them. Otherwise, it will discourage other diaspora writers, such as myself, from connecting and relaying their heritage in fear of not being “[insert marginalized group here] enough,” whatever that even means at this point.

Secondly, our history is full of movement, whether it was by our own will, such as my parents’ decision to come to America, or if it was forced upon us by our oppressors. As such, those raised outside of their homeland only further enriches our culture, not dilutes it.

To filter the perspectives of or to project your own biases towards diaspora writers is to promote the narratives of the colonizers. We are valid, and our stories should be, too.

#writingcommunity #writing #writers of tumblr #writers on tumblr #writers #writeblr #writers and poets #writerscommunity #writing life #poc author #diverse reads #diverse books #filipino #filipina #poc writer #creative writing #writer #writerslife #writer stuff #novel writing #on writing #writing community #authorlife #authors of tumblr #author #author life #author blog #author speaks #diverse authors #authors of color

[sapphicbookclub]

Author Spotlight - Rien Gray

Rien Gray, author of Her Wolf in the Wild, brings a fascinating guest post about the history of lesbian mystery novels! Her Wolf in the Wild is a paranormal romance that our members are current reading.

Like a lot of F/F readers, I struggled finding books with sapphic protagonists when I was younger, and held onto every book I could find like it was worth its weight in gold. So when I found out about the history of lesbian mystery novels, I was shocked to find out that hundreds of them had been published since the 1970s, often distributed through mailing services, magazines, and independent feminist presses like Naiad.

Also known as lesbian detective fiction, these books follow, you guessed it, lesbian detectives. Despite the name, plenty of characters in these novels are also bisexual or unlabeled but clearly attracted to women, and the gamut of the queer community tends to appear as the mysteries in question progress. 

The genre appears to have started with A Reason to Kill by Eve Zaremba in 1978 with her middle-aged lesbian private investigator Helen Keremos. Mary Wings joined soon after with a butch protagonist named Emma Victor, a private eye. Nikki Baker became the first Black writer of lesbian mysteries with In the Game, a series that follows financial analyst and burgeoning sleuth Virginia Kelly. And there are dozens and dozens more.

Most of these authors wrote substantial series, following the same protagonists for years, taking their detectives through new jobs, heartbreaks, and self-discovery with each case. It’s worth noting that a lot of these characters are cops, but what I found interesting about that in the novels I read was how deeply the authors engaged with what that means when a protagonist is both queer and a member of law enforcement, and how often that clashed, especially in decades-old books where gay bars being raided was in recent memory.

If you want to know more about the genre, Megan Casey wrote The Lesbian Detective Novel, which features a database of every fitting writer and title the author could find, as well as several essays on the books in question.

#guest post #sapphic books #diverse reads #diverse fantasy #paranormal romance #paranormal books #booklr #lesbian mystery novels #lesbian #book recs

[intotheescape]

this semester's reads (spring '24)

#bookblr #book lover #diverse reads #diverse representation #my photos #my post #black representation #octavia butler #borderlands #latinx reads #english class #postcolonial decolonial literature #borders race and literature #classic reads #classic books #latine reads #english major #womens gender and sexuality studies #mexican american studies #english studies #books #books and reading #books and literature #university student #university studyblr

[caribeandthebooks]

Caribe's Top Reads

An Ordinary Wonder by Buki Papillon

Genres: Contemporary Fiction, Adult Fiction

Setting: Nigeria

Description: An Ordinary Wonder is a powerful coming of age story of an intersex twin, Oto, who is forced to live as a boy and adhere to prohibitive Yoruba traditions despite his desire to live as a girl. His wealthy and powerful family are ashamed of him and we see Oto become more estranged from his twin sister and experience heart-breaking brutality at the hands of his mother…Read more on Goodreads/Storygraph

Content Warning information can be found via the above Storygraph link.

#an ordinary wonder #buki papillon #contemporary fiction #adult fiction #books set in nigeria #read around the world challenge #read around the world #diverse books #diverse reads #favourite reads #lgbtqia #queer

[alexa-santi-author]

I’m still not sure what happened, but Thirsty, the first book in my friend Mia Hopkins’s Eastside Brewery trilogy, went out of print a couple of years ago. I kept trying to recommend it because it’s steamy and sexy and gritty and working class, and the characters get a happy ending even if one of them is a reformed gang member trying to stay out of prison.

Guess what — it’s back! And now I can recommend it again!

#romance recs #contemporary romance #Latine romance #inclusive romance #diverse books #diverse reads #latinx romance #asian american author #filipina american author

[musingsofmonica]

March 2024 Diverse Reads

March 2024 Diverse Reads:

•”The Great Divide” by Cristina Henriquez, March 05, Ecco Press, Literary/Historical/Sagas/Hispanic & Latino

•”Anita de Monte Laughs Last” by Xochitl Gonzalez, March 05, Flatiron Books, Literary/Historical/Coming of Age/Hispanic & Latino/Multiple Timeliness

•”Thunder Song: Essays” by Sasha Lapointe, March 05, Counterpoint, Essays, Anthropology/ Ethnic Studies/Indigenous Studies/Popular Culture/Cultural, Ethnic & Regional/Native American & Aboriginal

•”James” by Percival Everett, March 19, Doubleday Books, Literary/Historical/Satire

•”Parasol Against the Axe” by Helen Oyeyemi, March 05, Riverhead Books, Literary/Magical Realism/Friendship

•”36 Ways of Writing a Vietnamese Poem” by Nam Le, March 05, Knopf Publishing Group, Poetry, Asian American/European/English, Irish, Scottish, Welsh

•The Moon That Turns You Back: Poems” by Hala Alyan, March 12, Ecco Press, Poetry, Middle Eastern/Family/Places

•”Ward Toward: Volume 118” by Cindy Juyoung Ok, March 05, Yale University Press, Poetry/Asian/Women/Spaces/Mental Health/Hospitalization/Cultural & Social Themes

•”There's Always This Year: On Basketball and Ascension” by Hanif Abdurraqib, March 26, Random House, Personal Memoir/Ethnic Studies/African American Studies/Basketball

•”You Get What You Pay for: Essays” by Morgan Parker, March 12, One World, Essays/Ethnic Studies/African American Studies/Cultural, Ethnic & Regional/African American & Black

•”Pride and Joy” by Louisa Onomé, March 12, Atria Books, Contemporary/Women/Family Life/African American 

•”Like Happiness” by Ursula Villarreal-Moura, March 26, Celadon Books, Literary/Coming of Age/Feminist/LGBT/Hispanic & Latino

•”Memory Piece” by Lisa Ko, March 19, Riverhead Books, Literary/Women/Asian American

•”The Angel of Indian Lake” by Stephen Graham Jones, March 26, S&S/Saga Press, Horror/Thriller/Suspense/Native American & Aboriginal

•”Women of Good Fortune” by Sophie Wan, March 05, Graydon House, ContemporaryWomen/Crime/Friendship/Feminist/World Literature/Asia/China

•”Victim” by Andrew Boryga, March 12, Doubleday Books, Literary/Satire/Humorous/Black Humor

•”The Emperor and the Endless Palace” by Justinian Huang, March 26, Mira Books, Historical/Fantasy/Folk Tales, Legends & Mythology/Romance/LGBT/Asian American/Cultural Heritage

•”Until August” by Gabriel García Márquez & Anne McLean (Translator), March 12, Knopf Publishing Group, Literary/Women/Family Life/Marriage & Divorce

•”A A Year of Last Things: Poems” by Michael Ondaatje, March 19, Knopf Publishing Group, Poetry/Death, Grief, Loss/Love & Erotica/America/World Heritage

•”Green Frog: Stories” Gina Chung, March 12, Knopf Publishing Group, Short Stories/Family Life/Folktales/Fantasy/American/Korean American

Happy reading!

Monica ✌️

#books #bookworm #bookish #bibliophile #book lover #bookaddict #reading #book #booklr #bookaholic #books & libraries #reading list #to read #reader #reading recommendations #diverse books #diverse reads #read diversely #bookblr #booklover #books and libraries #books and reading

[evereadssapphic]

Book Reviews - Cinderella Is Dead, A Clash Of Steel and You're Not Supposed To Die Tonight

#sapphic books #book recommendations #queer books #bookstagram #wlw books #lgbtqia books #sapphic fiction #books and reading #lesbian books #lesbian fiction #sapphics #book reviews #book recs #bipoc books #bipoc representation #bipoc authors #diverse books #diverse reads #fantasy books #sapphic fantasy books #sapphic horror book #sapphic cinderella retelling #sapphic historical fiction #Instagram

[black-is-beautiful18]

I started a dive into my tbr and it’s amazing how many genuinely good fantasy books get overlooked by the booktok girlies because the protagonists aren't white. Like I’m just beginning Beast if Prey with Skin of the Sea and The Gilded Ones up next and I am just BAFFLED (not really because racism) that the same people who swoon over half-baked “fantasy” books on booktok are ignoring and under promoting these genuinely great books. It’s just so painfully transparent that booktok and bookish spaces in general are for white people and the books that keep them front and center, and it irks me beyond belief.

I’m just now seeing this, but the white part of booktok and the other small parts that try to kiss up to them are deeply unserious. Fourth Wing was blowing up on there even with actual critiques from ppl who have read it. Not to mention the fact that the author is a weirdo. Then the fact that there are so many good books by Black and Brown authors but it’s either they’re not talked about or ppl act as if only one book/author can be praised at a time. That’s not how it works. Also, while it is on my shelf, I’ve heard Skin of the Sea actually has harmful portrayals of the Orisha so ppl are saying that it probably isn’t the best book to read. But I literally am doing two projects on diverse reading and even the mistreatment and disregard of Black characters in media for school. Like it’s absolutely ridiculous. So many amazing books and they not reading them cuz they “can’t relate” when that’s not the point. Like be fr 🙄

#diverse reads #diverse representation in books #booktok #it truly is frustrating #and sad #and even stupid #unique answers

[leskami]

First episode is out!

The first episode of my original audiobook has been posted to YouTube!

Thalassophobia is set in a world where demons roam the earth along side humans. The two species are far from a harmonious cohabitation, and nowhere is this more true than in the town of Reveldad. Due to a prophecy woven many years ago, Reveldad underwent an oppressive rule governed by the wolf demon known as Ma'relle. Her rule ended the day that the human woman known as Krona cast her into the ocean. Ma'relle escaped her imprisonment after a year, but has since opted to live a life far removed from what anyone would consider a reign. As such, demon-kind was forced to suffer a terrible retreat and their hope and faith in Ma'relle as their hero wanes by the day while humanities faith that Krona is the 'one true victor' foretold by the prophecy grows ever stronger. Still, demons remain a presence in Reveldad, making it so visitors are rare, and often leave as quickly they come. New residents, however, are nearly unheard of. So when Vitala Ston, a woman free from any experience with demons or prophecies, decides to make herself at home in the town of Reveldad, she will earn experiences far beyond what she imagined when she set out with her horse and cairn terrier. Her curiosity and thirst for knowledge will earn her friends, enemies, and most unexpected of all: a love that may be the catalyst for a prophecy that has long waited to be fulfilled.

This story is, at its core, a lesbian love story, but that's not all it's got going for it. Are you into monsters? Fleshed out characters? Fleshed out characters who are monsters? Warrior women? Swords? Good stories? Or are just intrigued by the description above? Well, welcome to Reveldad!

#lesbian #lesbians #lgbt #lgbt representation #poc #poc representation #creative writing #writing #diverse stories #diverse reads #lgbt stories #gay representation #gay #monster lover

[desdasiwrites]

– Erik J. Brown, All That's Left in the World

#book quote of the day #erik j brown #all thats left in the world #post apocalyptic #lgbtq literature #dystopia #romance #ya #debut novel #diverse reads #book quotes #book recommendations

[annelisreadingroom]

Do you have any books based on Asian mythology that you would recommend? I recently read A Mortal Song and I quite liked it. It's a story about Japanese kami who live among humans.

#books #booklr #bookblogger #book photography #ya books #books outside #fantasy books #traveling reader #books on the beach #kolobrzeg #a mortal song #japanese kami #diverse reads #diverse books #asian mythology #ebooks #bookish tumblr #reading recs