Year of Queer (a reading list)
After three years of challenging myself to read only books written by women, (at least 50% by authors of color), I’m changing things up and reading a year of queer literature in 2021.
My previous challenge led to some truly excellent reads (and listens) that I might not have come across otherwise. Some favorites include the Broken Earth trilogy by N. K. Jemisin, The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo, Because Internet by Gretchen McCulloch, the Wayfarer series by Becky Chambers, the Murderbot series by Martha Wells, An Unkindness of Ghosts by Rivers Solomon, Hood Feminism by Mikki Kendall, and Invisible Women by Caroline Criado Perez. (The Girl with All the Gifts by M. R. Carey also snuck in there, because at this point I just assume that authors who go by two initials are women — oops.)
This year, I’m challenging myself to read only queer books — either books with LGBTQIA+-identified creators or with queer main character(s)—still with the goal of reading at least 50% authors of color.I’ll be updating this list continually throughout the year, with mini-reviews for works I particularly loved or generally feel like I have something to say about. (Disclaimer that no review does not mean it wasn’t a good book; I reserve the right to be too tired to add more than the title and author.)
New books will be added to the top of the list. Links go to the work’s Goodreads page.
Up next: The Mercies by Kiran Millwood Hargrave
Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo
This book is gorgeous. Told in free verse, like Acevedo’s other novels (you should absolutely read The Poet X if you haven’t yet), it has two POV characters, both 16-year-old Dominican girls, one living in DR and one in New York City. One of them, Yahaira, has a girlfriend named Dre. It’s one of the loveliest queer relationships I’ve seen in YA, and such a welcome antidote to the kill your gays trope as Dre loves gardening and brings everything and everyone to life. The story isn’t *about* their relationship, but it’s woven throughout and never sidelined or minimized. The scenes with Dre alone make this worth the read, but I loved the main plot and absolutely everything else about the book, too, just to be clear.
Heartstopper (vol. 1) by Alice Oseman
A very sweet, wholesome boy-meets-boy graphic novel that only took me about an hour to read. Pretty sure I’m very late to the party on this one, and I’m looking forward to borrowing the next volumes!
The Times I Knew I Was Gay by Eleanor Crewes
Another graphic novel that was also a very quick read. I really liked the way this one got into the messiness of ‘coming out’ and how it’s rarely just a single, straightforward event as it’s often portrayed in media. I think reading this would be comforting to people who are not sure about coming out or not comfortable with making a big, public announcement. There are many ways to know you’re queer, and many ways to let others know too, if and when you’re ready.
I mostly know Annalee Newitz from the brilliant podcast Our Opinions Are Correct (with co-host Charlie Jane Anders — see Victories Greater than Death, below), and this was my first time reading one of their books. I loved it. I mean, literally always sign me up for near-future sci-fi that explores important social issues, but this one was better than most, and now I’m looking forward to reading their novel The Future of Another Timeline (feminist punk queer time travel!) as well.
The House in the Cerulean Sea by T. J. Klune
Ahhh, this book. I love it. The author described it as “a love letter to those who should be allowed to feel small and cared for when the world seems dark”, and aye, that’s exactly what it is. Just read it.
Victories Greater than Death by Charlie Jane Anders
This story was delightful. I listened to the audiobook and the narrator (Hynden Walch, aka Princess Bubblegum) was perfect for it. There were some things that weren’t my personal jam, but as a 35 year old I guess that’s to be expected from a YA book, and there was also a lot that was. My personal favorite was the alien species called the Grattna who have three of everything, including three sides in every conflict and three choices in every dilemma. It was an interesting story device and a neat way of challenging humans’ (*cough*cisheteros’*cough*) tendency toward binary thinking. I will definitely read the next two books in the series, and I think the idea of a pacifist protagonist is fascinating and can’t wait to see what the author does with it going forward. This book is also hella queer, and if found family in space is your thing, you will not be disappointed.
If you’re after good #OwnVoices transmasc rep, read this one! This book was absolutely beautiful, and I would definitely love to listen to it again. I highly recommend the audiobook (which, for Norwegian visitors, is available on the Libby app with you library card!) — Nonbinary, Latinx narrator Avi Roque really brings Yadriel, Julian and Maritza to life, and I very much enjoyed having their voice in my ears for 13 hours. The world of this book is so rich and detailed, and I really can’t say enough good things about it. Yadriel, a 16-year-old trans brujo, is a YA hero for the ages, and Julian is exactly the kind of love interest we need more of.
This book is a (sadly) rare example of a trans narrative that is not mired in tragedy, and a perfect antidote when you’re tired of the ‘bury your gays’ trope. That’s not to say that Yadriel’s life is free from prejudice or hardship, but this is very far from the ‘trauma porn’ that some trans narratives (primarily those written by cis authors) engage in.
Dette blir mellom oss by Alexander Kielland Krag
So, I didn’t like this book. I’m definitely glad it’s out there — there is way too little original queer literature in Norwegian — but I just could not relate to this main character. He felt very flat, like a caricature of the vestkant boys I see on the tram. (They can’t really be that shallow, right??) There are some sweet bits, and I can see how this could be an important book for boys who may be struggling with their own sexuality, but I am just not personally that interested in the stories of wealthy, tennis-playing white boys whose biggest problem is that they’re gay.
Frankissstein by Jeanette Winterson — I’m still in the middle of this one. It’s weird, and I’m not sure if I like it yet, but Frankenstein is one of my all-time favorite books and I couldn’t resist a retelling with a nonbinary main character.
Update: I returned this one to the library before finishing it. The trans/nonbinary representation in this book is (in my cis opinion) pretty terrible. Descriptions of the main nonbinary character’s body are very sensationalized, and a lot of it just feels like what someone who doesn’t actually know any trans people thinks trans people are like. I do love the premise of this story, but I think what I would really love is a fanfic mashup that keeps Winterson’s original Mary Shelley POV chapters and interleaves them with new versions of the present-day chapters written by a nonbinary author. (Anyone out there up for writing it??) I would like to read some of Winterson’s other work because the Mary Shelley chapters really were beautiful, but I think maybe she should have stayed in her lane, or at least gotten feedback from a few (more?) nonbinary sensitivity readers before publishing this one.
Ti kniver i hjertet by Nora Dåsnes — Oh I loved this book, and I dearly hope it will be available in English soon. A graphic novel for ages 9 and up, it tells the story of 12-year-old Tuva and her first crush. This is a book I would have adored as a middle schooler, and that probably would have helped me find my way to the label ‘bisexual’ a lot sooner than I did. An incredible exploration of the tiny boxes girls are often forced into, and a roadmap for how to get out.
Space Opera by Catherynne M. Valente — Main character Decibel Jones is a pansexual/omnisexual icon. This book is A Lot™ and I liked it best in short doses, but it was definitely worth reading, and I intend to check out more of Valente’s work.
The City We Became by N. K. Jemisin—I mean, it’s N. K. Jemisin. Just read everything she’s ever written. I have a feeling I’d like this one even better if I had any kind of positive connection to New York City (other than having a couple of dear friends who live there and for whom I am occasionally willing to be there for a short time), but the premise and the writing are fantastic anyway.
This is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El Mohtar and Max Gladstone — Technically this is the last book I read in 2020, but I had to include it here because holy hell. This is the best book I’ve read in a long time. I don’t understand how it does not have a perfect 5-star rating on Goodreads and can only say that anyone who gave it less than 5 stars is wrong. Every time I read something by Amal El Mohtar, I feel like she is writing just for me, and I think this is a book I’ll come back to many times in the future. If you like this one, then please go read or listen to her short story “The Truth about Owls,” (here read by the one and only LeVar Burton), which is easily my favorite short story of all time.
New books will be added to the top of the list.
