Staff Picks Category: LGBTQ

The Spear Cuts Through Water by Simon Jimenez [Book]

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It’s very difficult to recommend this book while trying to keep all of its wonderful secrets and surprises under wraps! At its simplest, The Spear Cuts Through Water is a gripping adventure story following two young men, both with mysterious histories of their own, as they rescue a kidnapped goddess and attempt to protect her on a treacherous journey across a country ruled by a corrupt emperor and his three powerful and villainous sons. This description, while accurate, doesn’t capture what makes this book so magical–but rather than spoil the details for you, I will just say that Simon Jimenez tells this story in an utterly unique way, and his lyrical and emotional writing brings the tale to life. No part of the journey goes the way the reader might expect, but every twist and turn adds to the ever-growing danger closing in on the three adventurers, who must learn to trust one another or face certain death. At times violent and grim, it’s certainly not for everyone, but fans of She Who Became the Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan, Black Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse, and Netflix’s The Untamed will find plenty to enjoy in this romantic and folklore-driven fantasy.

How Far the Light Reaches: A Life in Ten Sea Creatures by Sabrina Imbler [Book]

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If you are a fan of science writing and personal essays, and want to hear from young, queer folx, this book is a must-read. Imbler expertly blends their experiences with sea life and their own identity in these ten braided essays, each exploring a different creature from the deep. From feral goldfish to mother octopuses, these essays explore the complexity and beauty of animals that live in an otherworldly plain, whose inner lives we can only guess at.

Insomniac City: New York, Oliver, and me by Bill Hayes [Book]

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Writer and photographer Bill Hayes has written a moving memoir that is equally a love letter to New York City and an affectionate portrait of his partner, the writer and neurologist Oliver Sacks. Through vignettes and diary entries we see the city and the people in it as Hayes does and his enthusiasm and affection are infectious. It’s a particular treat to see Sacks through Hayes’s eyes: here he is revealed, yes, as a brilliant scientist and writer and as a quirky genius with eccentric habits, but, more importantly, as the brilliant scientist and quirky genius whom Hayes adores and who adores Hayes in turn. As for the city, Hayes has a remarkable ability to meet, befriend, and like the people around him, and many of the passages that are not about Hayes and Sacks are about Hayes and the folks he meets: shop owners, skateboarders, dancers, artists, many of whom he meets through his photography. The photographs in the book, even when it is not clear how they relate to the text, further enhance the experience of, again, seeing through Hayes’s eyes.

I Kissed a Girl by Jennet Alexander [Book]

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After dying early in a few horror movies, actress Lilah Silver is headlining for the first time. Noa Birnbaum just dropped out of college to take a makeup artist/special effects job on Lilah’s movie. Lilah hopes this final girl role will open her up to serious acting opportunities. Noa, who has been crushing on Lilah since her first bit part, hopes this gig will get her the hours and recommendation she needs to join the union. There is chemistry between them when they meet, and a rule against fraternization between cast and crew to complicate things. Add an uncannily accurate anonymous item in a gossip magazine and evidence of a dangerous fan, plus the heightened emotion of an intense film shoot, and you have a fast read filled with warmth, romance, coming out, vivid supporting characters, and a behind-the-scenes peek at Hollywood. Lilah and Noa are believably imperfect young Jewish women navigating early adulthood with the support of their friends and families, stumbling into solvable problems on their way to each other. A charming entry in the new adult queer romantic comedies trend in the vein of Casey McQuiston and Alexis Hall.

Dead Collections by Isaac Fellman [Book]

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Sol Katz is the head archivist of an LGBTQ historical society, an avid fan of retro sci-fi television, a Jewish trans man, and a vampire. Any sun exposure could kill him, so his work organizing queer ephemera in a windowless basement suits him well. When Elsie, the widow of a well-known television writer, comes to donate her late wife’s papers, Sol is consumed by the project–both because the writer was the showrunner of his favorite 90’s space drama, Feet of Clay, and because of his growing attraction to Elsie. But things begin going wrong in the archive: film reels disintegrate, papers wither into dust, and Sol begins to suspect that a force beyond nature is to blame. As Sol searches for answers and learns more about the writer’s troubled life and career, he also grows closer to Elsie and begins reckoning with the way his vampirism limits and defines his life.
Though it’s easy enough to say that this is a book about a trans vampire archivist, mere description of the plot doesn’t do it justice. It’s a love letter to archives, but it’s also a meticulous and tender exploration of online fan communities and queer media. The story takes on many forms from chapter to chapter, including emails, forum posts, and scripts. This is my favorite book of the year so far, and I especially recommend it to anyone who enjoys explorations of gender, introspective horror, or Star Trek fanfiction.

She Who Became the Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan [Book]

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In 14th-century China, a fortune-teller reveals to twelve-year-old Zhu Chongba that he is destined to achieve greatness. But when he dies in a bandit raid on their impoverished village, his younger sister assumes his identity and his fate in order to achieve the thing she wants above all else: to survive. She Who Became the Sun is a beautifully written, character-driven story that follows the new Zhu Chongba as she fights to keep her secret and her life in a world upended by war and rebellion in the aftermath of the collapse of the Mongol Empire. Shelley Parker-Chan seamlessly weaves fantasy, humor, and romance into a queer historical military fantasy unlike anything else on the shelf.

Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo [Book]

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In 1950’s San Francisco, seventeen-year-old Lily Hiu’s Chinatown community, including her parents, are constantly under scrutiny for not being “American enough.” Lily works hard to fit in at school and with her friends, but she has a secret she can’t share with anyone: she’s attracted to other girls, a dangerous realization that could put her family’s citizenship at risk. When classmate Kathleen Miller invites Lily to the Telegraph Club, a bar for San Francisco’s underground lesbian community, Lily is torn between her duty to her family and her fascination with the forbidden Telegraph Club—and with Kathleen. At turns hopeful and heartbreaking, Last Night at the Telegraph Club paints a vivid portrait of mid-century San Francisco and the people whose lives were endangered by the fear-mongering and needless moral panic of the Red Scare.

The Truth Is by NoNieqa Ramos [Book]

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Author of The Disturbed Girl’s Dictionary, NoNeiqa Ramos’ second book, The Truth Is, explores LGBTQ+ identities, teenage homelessness, grief and trauma through the eyes of Verdad, a fifteen-year-old Puerto Rican queer kid who is just trying to get by.

After losing her best friend to gun violence, Verdad is not okay. And by the end of the book, she is still not okay. That’s what is so amazing about this novel. There are no easy outs or tidy endings. It demonstrates how messy (and joyful) life can be, especially for those with underrepresented and marginalized identities. Verdad’s friends have diverse races, genders and sexualities, and they are all fully developed characters with charms and flaws just like the next person. Their identities are pieces of who they are, but they aren’t all of who they are. Even as an adult I felt so much joy and recognition in these pages. If you’re looking for a YA book to read this spring, pick this up! You won’t regret it.

Upright Women Wanted by Sarah Gailey [Book]

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The Midnight Lie by Marie Rutkoski [Book]

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This YA fantasy novel is the first in a duology about Nirrim, a young woman who lives in a remote island city. Nirrim is Half Kith, which means she cannot wear bright colors, eat flavorful food, or leave the walled-in neighborhood she calls home. Beyond the walls, the privileged class known as the High Kith live lavishly. When an unlucky accident lands Nirrim in the city jail, she meets Sid, a traveler with a mysterious past who somehow convinces the guards to let Nirrim free. Sid has questions Nirrim never thought to ask, like: why do the High Kith get all of life’s pleasures? How was the city founded? And who built the wall around the Half Kith? Together, Nirrim and Sid set out to find the answers.

Though this plot description has elements that will be familiar to anyone who reads YA fantasy and dystopian sci-fi, I found it to be a unique and engrossing story that isn’t quite like anything I’ve read before. The island of Herrath, where Nirrim lives, is immersive and detailed, and Marie Rutkoski’s writing brings it vividly to life. The primary romance in this book is between two women, and the characters feel well-developed and real. I picked this book up on a whim one Sunday morning and didn’t put it down until it was finished–it totally hooked me from the first few pages. Highly recommended to teens and adults who love complicated heroes, LGBTQ romance, and unique fantasy worlds.

Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir [Book]

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Gideon the Ninth is a dark fantasy. The world in which it is set seems to be the decaying remanent of a once prosperous interplanetary empire, but don’t let the occasional space ship fool you—this isn’t science fiction and the physics of this world are very different from our own in one notable way: some individuals are born with necromantic abilities and can learn to manipulate, blood, bone, and even the souls of the dead. This would be unbearably dark and gruesome were it not for a few things:

• Our protagonist, Gideon, is strong, queer, contrary, and absolutely hilarious. Despite all her complexities and her own dark past it is her irreverence that keeps the book from being too dark.
• The relationships are complex and intriguing. It quickly becomes clear that while Gideon may put on a show of hating everyone and everything, in actuality her feelings are rarely so simple. It should be noted that some of the relationships portrayed in this book seem deeply unhealthy—but they are also interesting and too believable to be simply dismissed.
• There is a murder mystery—with a small closed circle of suspects, mostly unknown to each other, and all brought together by unsolicited invitations we are treated to a peculiarly mystery that has something of the feel of a classic country house mystery, just with more skeletons and swordfighting.
• The book is full of details that make its world feel much larger than what is revealed. We might suppose that Gideon and her companions have some idea of the history of the once prosperous empire, but it is clear that even their understanding is incomplete and the reader is left to imagine what might have happened. And when it comes to understanding necromancy, we get a glimpse here and there of the complex rules that seem to govern it, but we soon see that even those in the book that profess to understand it best have much to learn.
• Finally, a word must be put in about the swordfighting. Very early in the book we learn that Gideon is very proficient with a two-handed longsword, but circumstances will requirer her to play the part of a cavalier, convincing her audience that she has always trained with a rapier. Muir could easily have left it at that, but she clearly did her homework, and it shows in every mention tactics, posture, and training. These descriptions of swordwork feel real and they serve to ground the fantasy.

So, yeah. I kind of loved this book. It is crass, violent, and excessively gory, but its also good, for all the reasons I gave above and probably for many more I’m not clever enough to put my finger on. This is definitely not the right book for everyone, but if the above sounds appealing, I urge you to give it a try.

Carry On by Rainbow Rowell [Book]

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Rainbow Rowell’s Carry On reads like a compact and quirky alternative Harry Potter. The parallels are impossible to miss. Our protagonist had no knowledge of the magical world until he was discovered and brought to a magic school where he quickly makes friends and begins a series of fantastic adventures. We have characters who clearly have analogs in Harry, Hermione, Draco, Hagrid, and Voldemort, and there are more subtle references as well. Carry On is more than an homage, however. It is an engaging fantasy with good world building and a satisfying plot. Many aspects of the book simply seem better than they have to be, which is delightful. The story is told from a number of viewpoints, each of which satisfyingly reveals something different about the characters. (The everchanging dynamic between our protagonist Simon and his rival Baz is a driving force in the book, and the contrast between their individual perspectives is part of what makes the book work so well.) The world is well thought out with complex politics and an intriguing, novel, and entertaining magic system. And Carry On is compact—it is as if Rowling had decided to tell the entire Harry Potter story in a single Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone sized volume that concentrated mainly on Harry’s last year, only touchiching upon earlier adventures in brief flashbacks.