First book of the year! A really sweet, engaging story about a girl with two moms trying to get through high school. I loved reading about her relationship to her moms; such a great story about queer family. Montgomery's interest in the unexplainable & supernatural was also very fun to read about.

Fulfills read harder challenge's #15: Read a YA or middle grade novel by an author who identifies as LGBTQ+.

An emotional, powerful book about the author's life, family, and relationship to food. Walsh writes about her childhood, her first marriage to a man, her pregnancies, and her eventual marriage to a woman, all while taking the reader on an exciting culinary journey (with plenty of recipes). Her experiences of self-discovery and healing are powerful and inspirational. So happy I read this. #queerbooks

I have a lot of opinions on this book. It's weird to read it as a contemporary fan of horror, since this book doesn't go past the 80s. A lot has changed. King's insights are interesting but he doesn't address the subversive power of horror thoroughly enough for me, esp bc he doesn't closely consider horror as a tool of the marginalized. It was an informative overview, though, even if I didn't love everything he had to say (so, still a 👍).

My partner brought me this great witchy book as a halloween gift!! 🌚🌝🎃🕯

I don't flip to the end of books (yet), but scolding from authors (or any creators - some game designers seem to really love telling ppl how to ~properly~ enjoy their precious work) always makes me want to break all the rules. Yuck. People don't need to be reprimanded for reading "wrong."

Okay, so only some of this book is in a school setting (university), but it's a great October read. Oyeyemi often reminds me (and others) of Shirley Jackson. This book, about a family home full of secrets and magic, is haunting and beautiful.
#booktober #setinaschool #queerbooks

"I find myself at this stage of womankind and nineteen years, a genius, a thief, a liar - a general moral vagabond, a fool more or less, and a philosopher..."

The diary of Mary MacLane, a teen girl struggling through her dull life in Butte, Montana in 1902. Mary was in love with the devil and a woman she refers to as "the anemone lady." She writes about her passions and her frustrations.
#booktober #longtitle #queerbooks

A fictionalization of the life of Hilda of Whitby. This book is impeccably researched, occasionally heart-breaking, and full of adventure and danger. At a very young age, Hild becomes the advisor to her uncle Edwin, who wants to be overking of the Angles. She navigates religious and political conflicts, is fiercely clever, and struggles to protect the people she loves. Amazing book.

#booktober #fullofadventure #queerbooks

Malinda Lo is one of my favourite YA writers, and her first novel is a queer retelling of Cinderella. Love this book. ❤️

#booktober #debutnovel #queerbooks

#booktober #bookmarks
The bookmarks I'm using right now~

#booktober #textonlycovers

Haven't read this one yet, but it's waiting on our shelf! (Fiancée bought it after reading The Fifth Extinction by Elizabeth Kolbert.)

Funny, surprising, and dark. An anthology of short stories about housewives who clean, cook, throw parties, host book club, write, and (when necessary) kill. This was especially entertaining to listen to while doing housework. 👍

went to the bookstore today!! 💕📚

The world is overrun by creatures that, when seen, cause people to go mad, become violent, and kill themselves. Trying to take her two small children to a safe place, Mallorie brings them blindfolded down a river, where they are stalked by someone... or something. This book was neat. It was a great audiobook. Very heavy, pretty scary, and kept me on the edge of my seat.

"Science is cool, and gender no obstacle to rocketing into space or sequencing the genome of a tropical frog. The grander goal was implicit: with proper encouragement and support, kids can be who and what they want. Even the sky is no limit."

On Sally Ride and her vision for girls in STEM.

Laundry and packing today while listening to this creepy business. 💀

pic of the book featuring one of my fave bookmarks, from borderlands in San Francisco! This was a fun read, though I enjoyed certain essays a lot more than others. Watsky is funny, and tells some neat stories about his life. There were also some pretty gross stories about college living/hygiene... Overall, quick & entertaining read.

research-related reading today. these books were essential when i was writing my thesis this year. #queerbooks

Stephen King on the 'pressure points of fear' that influence horror stories.

Stephen King on the 'pressure points of fear' that influence horror stories.

still no power. reading and making notes, for a letter to send to a friend. going to be away for a while, so we're planning to send letters back and forth, detailing our thoughts on the books we recommend to each other. so far, watsky's essays are charming and funny.

nothing like a power outage to get you reading up on horror!

guess what came in the mail!!

I loved this book until the end, which I won't spoil but can't forgive (but that's just personal, I guess). Waters writes amazing characters and builds intense intimacy between them. The story follows Margaret Prior, who begins making visits to a women's prison, where she meets Selina Dawes, a medium who claims a spirit is responsible for her crime. It was an engaging, absorbing story, beautifully written and emotionally vivid.

still really loving this book, and love watching margaret's relationship with selina develop. #queerbooks

gf and i made two very different book purchases yesterday: The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg (not pictured), for our joint investigation of popular business/workplace books; and the first Little House on the Prairie book, for our new read-aloud-to-each-other tradition. She's reading Little Women to me right now; next it's my turn to read this to her~

spent the day shopping and eating tasty food with my gf, watching movies in the evening, and flipping thru this anthology before bed 💜 #queerbooks

spending the night reading and writing and wishing it was halloween. this one was a gift from my parents, after their trip to salem ☠

There's something really special to me about reading stories about women who love women, especially because lesbian/bi women were so absent from most books I read when I was younger. There's also something special about knowing those characters are there, rather than just guessing and hoping (which becomes its own sacred ritual for young queer kids, I guess). So yeah - I'm having a lot of feelings about Affinity. ❤️

This is the first ending I got and I'm not sure I can beat it. 👍

Margee Kerr digs into the psychology of fear and why we (sometimes) like being afraid. As an incredibly nervous person who loves horror movies and ghost stories, this book was super fun and enlightening to read. Kerr also writes about creating positive & uplifting interactive scare experiences - which is refreshing because some commercial scares prioritize being shocking over everything else.