June is Pride Month, celebrating and commemorating all things lesbian, gay, bi, queer and transgender. We asked a few of our buyers to give us their Pride Picks for the month and beyond. And watch this space for more in August, when Pride Amsterdam takes off.
Iris
The Empress of Salt and Fortune by Nghi Vo
Anyone who knows me knows I can’t resist a good novella. I am just in awe the craft that goes into it – creating rich stories, set in evocative worlds and populated by compelling characters, all in just a few dozen pages. The Empress of Salt and Fortune is the first novella in a series (there’s three out currently, and a fourth one coming in September) in which we meet a travelling cleric tasked with collecting stories from the past. The beautiful and complicated sapphic love story they collect in this first part is quite the stunner.
Ace Voices by Eris Young
When I read books on asexuality, I often come away feeling like I’m not quite the intended audience. Many ace books are aimed at people who are only just starting their journey, figuring out whether the aspec label even applies to them. There’s nothing wrong with that, and I heartily support every ace book out in the world. But as someone who has been on this journey for a while, I’m just not that interested anymore in lists of definitions and tips for coming out. This book is different. The author approaches every topic with an extremely open mind and shares the input of many, many aces from all across multiple spectrums. Not a quick read by any means, but definitely worthwhile!
The Last Firefox by Lee Newbery
Charlie is having a hard time: he’s leaving school, he’s getting bullied, and his dads are seriously thinking about adopting another child. When he is entrusted with a magical firefox, it’s like being handed an orange puppy. Except he must keep it a secret – oh, and it might set his house, clothes and eyebrows on fire. This middle grade book is a beautiful adventure story, with a good helping of queer family life and a dash of magic. My favorite thing: it’s properly funny, in a way that is able to make even an adult reader laugh out loud.
Natalia
Gender Euphoria by Laura Kate Dale
A wonderful collection of essays by 19 non-cisgender people. They each share their own honest and heartfelt experience of what it means to be trans. I highly recommend this anthology to those who desire to read trans stories that don’t center around gender dysphoria but are more about embracing who they are.
Delilah Green Doesn’t Care by Ashley Herring Blake
Delilah Green Doesn’t Care is one of my favorite female lead queer stories. The chemistry between Delilah and Claire is palpable. The story packs an emotional punch, but thankfully it also makes you laugh along the way. These are the queer narratives I love to read: well-rounded characters and a storyline that doesn’t solely revolve around a (tragic) coming-out story.
Juliet Takes a Breath by Gabby Rivera
A cute young adult coming-of-age novel about the young Puerto Rican Juliet who is trying to figure out her sexuality, gender and what she wants out of life. As she meets her idol, Harlowe Brisbane, who has written her favorite feminist book, she learns that there are many aspects of feminism. She discovers that many of the feminist ideas in her idol’s book are heavily influenced by so-called white feminism, and not all of those ideas feel familiar or relatable to Juliet. Her journey of self-discovery shows that realizing you might be Queer is not as black and white as some people might think.
Naomi
A Lady for a Duke by Alexis Hall
A Lady for a Duke is a beautiful and gentle love story between a trans woman and a disabled war hero. The conflict of the story is not tied to the heroine’s transgender identity, but the realization that sometimes people’s rights and needs can clash while still both being valid. Hall strikes just the right balance between angst and tension and slice-of-life moments. There’s also a wonderful cast of charming and supportive secondary characters to round out the story. There truly is comfort in reading a historical romance filled with queer characters and with family and friends who are accepting and supportive of queer characters. While reading, I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop, because there’s no way that a book can be this good. Well, worry not, because the book really is that good.
The Romantic Agenda by Claire Kann
The Romantic Agenda provides a window into the life of Joy, who is asexual. If you like a fierce heroine who is unapologetic about her identity as a Black asexual woman and complex friendship dynamics, this is the novel for you. Asexuality is underrepresented in romance, and while not everyone might identify with Joy’s version of it, Kann does a good job of showing that it’s a spectrum. Joy does a lot of reflecting on how her sexual orientation has influenced and impacted her relationships with the people around her. This book also emphasizes the main characteristic of a romance novel: everyone deserves to be happy, no matter what that looks like for them.
A Taste of Gold and Iron by Alexandra Rowland
Have you ever wanted to experience a world where queerness was utterly normal? A Taste of Gold and Iron takes place in a fantasy kingdom based on the Ottoman Empire. The main characters, a prince and his bodyguard, must learn to work together to solve the mystery of who is threatening the kingdom. Their eventual love story is based on mutual respect, kindness and admiration. This novel is filled with lush and vivid descriptions, casual diversity and representation and beautiful world-building.
