This was as spicy and funny as the cover and title imply. It was a fun read with interesting relationship dynamics (bordering on problematic at times) as Shiki and Enraku competed for Atsushi‘s attention, and entertaining characters. #LGBTQIA

Used for #GottaCatchEmAll Impidimp: guilty pleasure @PuddleJumper and #OwlHouseReadathon King: a character who acts tough

It‘s been a while since I read an epic fantasy, and this one did not disappoint. It was interesting jumping back and forth in time from where Kai is trying to solve why he was assassinated, alongside throwbacks to his journey figuring out his current set of powers.

Used for #OwlHouseReadathon Matt Tholomule: a well organized leader; and #GottaCatchEmAll Grimmsnarl: read the longest book on your TBR @PuddleJumper

Nigel has reached the age where he has to go up against other teens from around their region in a high-stakes competition. The losers lose their magic. This was just alright, but it was still a fun read. I loved how goofy it was, and am always a sucker for magic boosted by love. I‘m not the target audience, so quite a lot felt a little heavy-handed to me. #LGBTQIA
Used for #LGBTQBookBingo2024 Roll a Dice and for ⬇️⬇️

Not a bad read so far, but I have to say I‘m unimpressed with this author‘s needless proliferation of sexist, ableist, and anti-asexual notions. For no reason, he took the time to repeat that a female geologist who had shown no romantic interests left this world with her cold, petrified heart in her collection. The sexuality of the men somehow hasn‘t come up. He also said of Smith‘s wife that she was a burden due to her ill health and…

I opened the door to find some unexpected book mail! I often enter the book drawings on Goodreads and Storygraph for authors I follow, but I thought I‘d be notified if I won one. I guess not 😆 Very excited to read this dense graphic novel and to have it in my collection.

When Kyouhei moves from the countryside to the city for school, he is inexplicably afraid of city dwellers, including his rough-around-the-edges neighbor, who he finds himself drawn to. Not a standout manga, but enjoyable enough. Definitely humorous! #LGBTQIA

It's time to play review catch-up from when I was sick in March!
Childhood friends Yuuta and Ritsu have defined their relationship through team mate bonds for a long time. When their tenure as team mates ends, they have to work to redefine it. I thought this was a sweet, slow-paced manga with a lovely drawing style. #LGBTQIA

Used for #GottaCatchEmAll Farfetch'd: set in spring @PuddleJumper and #OwlHouseReadathon Willow: involves sports.

I made it over to a few local comic shops in my area today for #FreeComicBookDay! One shop was also giving out bags stuffed with a random assortment of backissue comics, which was a fun addition to today's goodies. We wound up purchasing some booster packs and (more) comics, supporting them during our visit 😉 #Comics

Strange alliances definitely characterizes a lot of what happens in this book, as each brother is joined (mostly begrudgingly) by a host of unexpected characters. The story does go a bit off the rails, but I think it's meant to because it is modeled after epics, which also tend to go off on random character-adding tangents. The watercolor art style is such a treat, and I look forward to the next book. #Comic #Chinese

Another enjoyable entry in this series. I was delighted to meet Ross and Violet and get to know Maud and Hawthorn more in this volume. I enjoyed the first book a bit more, because the pacing was better, but I felt the character connections just as strongly and laughed out loud just as often with this. Super excited for the next book! #LGBTQIA #Fantasy

I love sitting at bars just to read. It's just as fun at a cafe, but with fewer people doing the same thing 😆

I started Chef's Kiss last night and it's pretty fun so far! This is definitely a #BlameItOnLitsy for me because I originally didn't look past the cover design of this one. #Comics #LGBTQIA

An LGBTQIA+ read involving a book store and a mysterious power struggle over secret information sounded like a perfect pick for me. Unfortunately, I didn't love this. The writing style didn't quite work for me, and I didn't much enjoy the character relationship. The pacing also felt a bit off, and it's obvious the author doesn't know what PTSD is like. #LGBTQIA

This filled my #LGBTQ2024 "Disappointed" bingo space #LGBTQBookBingo2024

Le Guin's nonfiction is a delight to read. It was interesting seeing such a wide span of writing intents packed into one book. In the book review essays section, I didn't know most of the books she wrote about, but it was still fun reading each one. #Nonfiction

Used for #GottaCatchEmAll Farfetch'd "neutral colored cover" (the audiobook cover is mostly brown) @PuddleJumper
And #OwlHouseReadathon Lily "someone loves history or architecture"

This seems like it should absolutely be on my list of beloved books, but I just am not enjoying it. Maybe it's the hyper focus on the sexual that's just not meshing well this week with my demisexual self. I am also just not quite following on the whole magical girl dominating softball thing. It's not quite as interesting as I expected, but it is still pretty fun. #LGBTQIA #Sports #Comic

Started working on a small zine today inspired by the Transgender Day of Visibility. I wish I'd had the inspiration a few days ago, but I'm excited to keep working on this mini project. It's going to give details about several books by trans authors to check out! #LitsyCrafters #TDoV #TransgenderDayOfVisibility #Zine

Today is the Transgender Day of Visibility, celebrating trans folks and raising awareness about anti-trans bills and disinformation campaigns impacting the trans community. Here are some books by trans authors or with trans rep you might add to your TBR! #TDoV #TransgenderDayOfVisibility #RepresentationMatters

The Trans Rights Readathon starts today, celebrating trans authors and representation, and to raise funds for and awareness about organizations that support the trans community. I picked out 3 reads to enjoy this week, and look forward to discovering new authors! #TransRightsReadathon #LGBTQIA

I spotted this book at the library while walking past a bookshelf. It's been a fun read so far. This recipe included after a section I read today sounded fascinating and I decided I needed to make it. I'm glad I did, it's super tasty! #Food #Magic

Nico and Will take on a rescue mission that brings them back down into the depths of Tartarus, where they face everything from actual monsters and the environment to their own inner feelings. Another fun romp in the world of demigods and reimagined Greek mythology! I wish more was done with the split timeline. #LGBTQIA #GreekMythology

Used for "an identity not your own" in #LGBTQBookBingo2024 #LGBTQ2024

An excellent guide for LGBTQIA+ teens on the autism spectrum. Erin touches on a huge range of topics, includes references and recommended further reading, and aknowledges areas where she doesn't have firsthand experience. She covered more topics than I thought she would! #LGBTQIA #Autism

Several magical young women support each other in their challenges and adventures. Like the first book, this second volume is charming and I have no doubt it is beloved by many readers. I still don't care for this series, but read it because I like the author's literary videos on YouTube (check her out at LavenderTowne! I particularly loved her Howl's Moving Castle video). #Comics #Magic

This isn‘t actively bad, but isn‘t notably good either. It‘s a bit flat. At 88 pages in I realized I felt so uninterested in the characters‘ lives that I decided it was time to call it quits. Interesting potential, though.

One more shot of the hardest to see area of the Book Nook! #BookNook #DIY #Crafts #LitsyCrafters

Other than being a generally fun craft, this little DIY decoration has some fun to discover while putting it together that is 100% just to entertain you as you build. There are tiny newspapers about the Titanic rolled up as scrolls, and several books (now glued into stacks and not visible) have book titles on them. Clearly just for fun and not for the look of the final product. #DIY #BookNook #Shelf #LitsyCrafters #Craft

This book book is coming right along! I‘m just about finished, and it has been a lot of fun to assemble. #BookNook #Craft #LitsyCrafters

Absolutely gorgeous art wrapped around a story that drops you right into the world and lets you discover the nuances of what is going on. I still have not decided how I feel about the storytelling style, but this was a fun read. I'm looking forward to the next volume. #Comics

Did I just make a long finish-whenever style book challenge on Storygraph? I sure did. Enjoy! (Caution, may cause spoilers)
#ReadingChallenge #ReadingPrompts #Storygraph #OwlHouseReadathon

I‘m a huge fan of legend adaptations, so of course I‘ll read another adaptation of Journey to the West. Naturally, this made me nostalgic for manga I read as a teen line Saiyuki that also adapt this story. This has a fun balance of silly & serious. I laughed when Genie didn‘t react to Sun Wukong‘s identity reveal. I picked this up because I loved Yee‘s work in the Avatar novels & because I needed a local author read for #ReadingWithMaja @maich

I recently got started on the book nook kit my sister gifted me. I now have part of the room assembled and a whole pile of little books!

Definitely a fun gods and spirits read. I've been striking out a lot with Hoopla manga lately, so I wasn't optemistic for this one going in. There were a few things I wish had been developed a bit more like the suspicious glances between Shin's bully/friend and the god Shin looks after. #manga #lgbtqia

Élodie doesn't shy away from showing her struggles to be a supportive parent when her late teens early20s child comes out as trans. Opening the book with information about gender, identity, and sexuality does a lot to show how far she has come since then. This is a meaningful read, and I highly recommend it for anyone who is having cognitive dissonance in supporting trans folks in their own lives. #LGBTQ #Transgender #Comic #NonfictionComic

K-drama actress Hana navigates the complexities of being famous combined with xenophobia, sexism, and homophobia. A high so-so, almost a low pick. At first I thought this was going to be exactly like I'll Be the One by the same author, but it eventually did deviate. If you like popstar drama books or fluffy romances, give this a try!

Breaking out of assigned gender norms and just being yourself is extremely freeing❤️ even for cis folks. As a teen and early 20s young woman, I hated the idea of doing girl things simply because I was female, and sometimes went out of my way to not do them. Eventually I stopped gendering things I was doing and just let myself do what I wanted to, and stopped avoiding experiences I wanted to have.

My brain since I just recently read the tagged: just like Doctor Chef‘s species! I love finding sci-fi stories in biology 😆

My sister sent me a DIY book nook kit, and I'm super excited to put it together. Does anyone have suggestions on what glue I should use? The pieces are mostly wood and paper.

#BookNook #DIY #ShelfDecoration #LitsyCrafters

I'm a long way from a first bingo for this year's bingo board!
Recently added:

📖Another country: Flip the Script
📖New genre/format: Drag: the complete story
📖New author: Slip
📖Made me smile: A Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet
📖Coming of age: Welcome Back Aureole

#LGBTQ2024 #LGBTQBookBingo #lgbtqbookbingo2024

Bailing on a second #Roll100 pick this morning! I know before I started that I probably wouldn't finish this book. I don't enjoy this style of surreal, dark, pain and anger-stuffed books. I figured I would give it a try, though.

One of my #Roll100 picks this month is already off the table at just 20 minutes in. I choose my books somewhat at random, which makes me pick up books I might hate because there have been several times when a book I thought I'd hate turned out to be a fun book. I'm bailing on this one because I really hate popularity contest books, and so far this book has hit every checkmark for why I hate them.

I've been looking forward to reading this one for a long time, and it was well worth the wait. I absolutely loved this! The characters are so fun, and the world building delves deeply into each race's culture and mannerisms in such interesting ways. It's lower action than most scifi, so it won't be everyone's favorite. It reminded me a lot of Firefly and Titan AE. #LGBTQIA #SciFi

This seems cute, but after reading only 28 pages I've seen so many typos, annoying sentences, and grammar errors where the thing receiving the action isn't the thing that's meant to be getting it (example: "She set the box on the seat and fired it into gear...") that it feels like the author didn't take very much care with writing and editing this book. That leaves me with the impression that it wasn't very important to them, so why should I care?

I am ready for February's #Roll100 and will read at least one of these!

Two security agents who serve a family by protecting their petulant son navigate falling for each other. The style of this was a bit chaotic, and the story wasn't engaging for me for about 100 pages. I wouldn't say I disliked it, but it wasn't excellent. #Manga #LGBTQIA

A calm slice of life with slow burn romance mixed in. This book centers perfectly average characters in perfectly average situations. It works well, and is enjoyable. Unfortunately, it is ultimately a bit forgettable as a result. #LGBTQIA #Manga

A low pick, because the last two chapters were excellent. This is an interesting overview of drag, but not really “the complete story” as the subtitle claims. The author speeds through name drops, glosses over topic explanations, and uses many art terms that are not accessible by non-art-scene folks like he wants drag to stay exclusive to that community. Lots of interesting info and photos, and much deeper dives in the last two chapters. #LGBTQIA

I don‘t remember who, but this is a #BlameItOnLitsy pick. Step into young Jezebel‘s life as she and her twin brother start learning root magic, and experience a vibrant story exploring Gullah life and culture, friendship, and history. I absolutely loved this. Every choice Jezebel makes feels authentic to her character, and we‘re brought on an emotional ride filled with friendship, grief, the terrors of racism, and magic. #Magic #BlackHistory

I‘m excited about this local author reading challenge from @maich ! Read a book by a local author each month. I‘m not sure if I‘ll get one for January, but I‘ll try! #ReadingWithMaja

I‘m off to a solid start for this year‘s LGBTQIA+ Book Bingo! It‘s also been a lot of fun seeing what everyone else is reading. Thanks for tagging me in your posts!

📖 Features a Business: The Holiday Trap
📖 Seasonally appropriate: Finding My Elf
📖 New author: Slip
📖 Trans or nonbinary (author): Lost in the Neverwoods

#LGBTQ2024 #LGBTQBookBingo #lgbtqbookbingo2024

Cam, back from college for winter break, works through rekindled old feelings (and new) and a clash between his new college self and who he‘s always been at home. I almost bailed after 15 minutes but decided to stick it out just a bit longer and wound up enjoying it. Such a fun holiday romance! The characters all grew on me quickly, and it was great getting to slowly step into each of their lives. #LGBTQIA #Holidays

Wendy‘s life was upended years ago when she and her brothers went missing in the woods, and only she returned (with no memory of what occurred). I enjoyed this Peter Pan-inspired story. It didn‘t wow me, but I enjoyed the experience. Wendy‘s complicated relationship with Peter, and Peter‘s complicated relationship with stories were compelling enough to keep me reading. The ending feels both like a little much and very satisfying. #Retelling

I read a lot of positive things about this unique anime full of crystal beings fighting entities from their moon, so I thought I‘d give the manga a try. I didn‘t care for it, unfortunately! I liked the concept and what I made out of the story, but It was extremely difficult to figure out what was happening in unclear illustrations, and I had trouble telling many of the characters apart. The fight scenes were the most unclear. #manga