A Year in Queer
As a self-proclaimed bibliophile growing up in an age of technology, I find great pleasure following the Booktube community (Youtube channels dedicated to the discussion of literature). I have been following Booktube for as long as I can remember, yet somewhere along the lines of searching for a voice and discovering my identity, I realized a mass under-representation of my personality and that of many others in the Booktube community.
About a year ago there was discussion on social media, mainly twitter, on the representation of LGBTQIA+ characters, authors and books in the Bookish community. Many LGBTQ+ book nerds felt the Booktube community was lacking in queer literature and discussion. Since then, there has been a shift in discussion and representation and of course there are Booktubers who have been disussing queer literature since Day 1, such as:
I have decided to create a TBR list, naming it "A Year in Queer," in which I will read LGBTQ+ literature (written by a queer author or narrated/focused on a queer character). Queer bibliophiles of the Internet, this list is for you. Feel free to read along with me or wait until I post my review + discussion of the book!
(I've already read this but it is a book that left me speechless once I set it down. Written by the incomparable Benjamin Alire Sáenz, it is impossible to shake this book off from your memory)
This story chronicles the quest (both literal and figurative) Juliet Milagros Palante takes from the Bronx to Portland, Oregon in hopes to better understand her identity as a Latina and lesbian.
George is a children's novel centered around a young transgender girl.
Set in the 18th century, the book follows Monty, an English "Gentlemen" embarking on a Grand Tour of Europe. However, his life full of pleasure and vice is coming to an end, not only does his father expect him to run the family business but he harbors an impossible crush on his traveling companion and best friend, Percy.
When four classmates from a small Massachusetts college move to New York to make their way, they are broke, adrift and buoyed only by friendship and ambition. Over the decades, their relationships deepen and darken, tinged by addiction, success, and pride. Their minds and bodies scarred by unspeakable childhoods and haunted by trauma. If graphic scenes are a trigger for you, I do not suggest this book.
