Boy Meets Boy

by David Levithan

In this delightful young adult novel for readers 12 and up, high school sophomore Paul says, “There isn’t really a gay scene or a straight scene in our town. They got all mixed up a while back, which I think is for the best.” And, as he observes at the end of the story, “It’s a wonderful world.” Paul has both gay and straight friends, and they all hang out together at terrific bookstores and concerts, and advise one another on the sometimes troubled progress of their various romances. Paul is smitten with Noah, and they are beginning a serious relationship when Kyle, Paul’s ex, complicates things by deciding that all is forgiven. Joni is going out with Chuck, who dominates her, much to her friends’ disapproval. Tony’s conservative parents refuse to acknowledge that he is gay, so the others must bone up on Bible verses all week so they can pretend Saturday night is a study group. And then there’s Infinite Darlene, football quarterback and Homecoming Queen, who deserves a whole romance novel of her own. Life in their town is gloriously accepting of differences and only occasionally verges on magic realism, in this first novel in which same sex preference is not the problem. —Patty Campbell

Read an excerpt on Kobo

Ask & Tell: Gay and Lesbian Veterans Speak Out

by Steve Estes

Drawing on more than 50 interviews with gay and lesbian veterans, Steve Estes charts the evolution of policy toward homosexuals in the military over the past 65 years, uncovering the ways that silence about sexuality and military service has affected the identities of gay veterans. These veteran voices—harrowing, heroic, and on the record—reveal the extraordinary stories of ordinary Americans, men and women who simply did their duty and served their country in the face of homophobia, prejudice, and enemy fire. Far from undermining national security, unit cohesion, or troop morale, Estes demonstrates, these veterans strengthened the U.S. military in times of war and peace. He also examines challenges to the ban on homosexual service, placing them in the context of the wider movement for gay rights and gay liberation. Ask and Tell is an important compilation of unheard voices, offering Americans a new understanding of the value of all the men and women who serve and protect them.

Preview on Amazon

fuckyeahlesbianliterature:

Kindred Spirits: An Anthology of Gay and Lesbian Science Fiction Stories edited by Jeffrey M. Elliot

[via People Reading]

The Other Side of Paradise: A  Memoir

By Staceyann Chin

No one knew Staceyann’s mother was pregnant until a dangerously small baby was born on the floor of her grandmother’s house in Lottery, Jamaica, on Christmas Day. Staceyann’s mother did not want her, and her father was not present. No one, except her grandmother, thought Staceyann would survive.

It was her grandmother who nurtured and protected and provided for Staceyann and her older brother in the early years. But when the three were separated, Staceyann was thrust, alone, into an unfamiliar and dysfunctional home in Paradise, Jamaica. There, she faced far greater troubles than absent parents. So, armed with a fierce determination and uncommon intelligence, she discovered a way to break out of this harshly unforgiving world.

Staceyann Chin, acclaimed and iconic performance artist, now brings her extraordinary talents to the page in a brave, lyrical, and fiercely candid memoir about growing up in Jamaica. She plumbs tender and unsettling memories as she writes about drifting from one home to the next, coming out as a lesbian, and finding the man she believes to be her father and ultimately her voice. Hers is an unforgettable story told with grace, humor, and courage.

A personal favourite of mine.

Sorry about the long delay. I’ve been sick and was hospitalized. Back home and resting but I won’t be able to post as often. Please submit books if you can :)

Thanks for following!

Dyke Drama: Your Guide to Getting Out Alive

by Leslie Lange

In this essential handbook, noted dyke drama scholar Leslie Lange presents a hilarious history of this cultural institution, passed nobly down from Sappho to “The L Word,” and offers valuable coping and survival tips for all types of situations, including:

• how to avoid a barroom altercations with a bat-wielding, softball player

• how to tell if you’re a dangerous lesbian stalker—and how to get rid of one

• the truth about lesbian bed death, pillow princesses, pet custody issues, and drunk drama

• why shedding the stigma of dyke drama is so hard

• what drama-free lesbians do in their spare time (the answer may surprise you)

The Stepsister’s Scheme

by Jim Hines

Cinderella–whose real name is Danielle Whiteshore (nee Danielle de Glas)–does marry Prince Armand.  And if you can ignore the pigeon incident, their wedding is a dream come true.

But not long after the “happily ever after,” Danielle is attacked by her stepsister Charlotte, who suddenly has all sorts of magic to call upon.  And though Talia–otherwise known as Sleeping Beauty–comes to the rescue (she’s a martial arts master, and all those fairy blessings make her almost unbeatable), Charlotte gets away.

That’s when Danielle discovers a number of disturbing facts: Armand has been kidnapped and taken to the realm of the Fairies; Danielle is pregnant with his child; and the Queen has her own very secret service that consists of Talia and Snow (White, of course).  Snow is an expert at mirror magic and heavy duty flirting.

Can the three princesses track down Armand and extract both the prince and themselves from the clutches of some of fantasyland’s most nefarious villains?

Although not the main focus, one of the central characters is lesbian. This is the first book in the ongoing fairytale series by the author.

You can read the first chapter HERE (pdf)

*sidenote: I really enjoy this series and would recommend it to all those interested in a fairytale remix of buttkicking proportions.

10, 000 Dresses

by Marcus Ewert

Every night, Bailey dreams about magical dresses: dresses made of crystals and rainbows, dresses made of flowers, dresses made of windows… . Unfortunately, when Bailey’s awake, no one wants to hear about these beautiful dreams. Quite the contrary. “You’re a BOY!” Mother and Father tell Bailey. “You shouldn’t be thinking about dresses at all.” Then Bailey meets Laurel, an older girl who is touched and inspired by Bailey’s imagination and courage. In friendship, the two of them begin making dresses together. And Bailey’s dreams come true!

This gorgeous picture book—a modern fairy tale about becoming the person you feel you are inside—will delight people of all ages

Trans Forming Families: Real Stories About Transgendered Loved Ones

Edited by Mary Boenke

This is a family oriented book published especially for families, friends, and others interested in understanding and learning about transgendered persons. It deals with all ages and types of transgender - FTM, MTF, Intersex, crossdressing, and androgeny.

There are seven sections:

Section one is comprised of stories written by parents of very young gender variant children, i.e pre-schoolers and school age children who insisted they were not the gender their parents thought they were.

Section two is by parents of adult transgenders, each describing their child’s coming out process and the journey this revelation started for both the adult child AND the whole family.

Section three includes stories by spouses and partners who have weathered the trauma of living through a gender change with their most significant other.

Section four is by strategic others - grandparents, siblings, friends, children of trangenders.

In Section five, transgender folks tell about coming out to their children, with both positive and some painful results.

Section Six includes short autobiographies by transgender persons, who are FTM, MTF, Intersex, crossdresser, and androgenous.

In Section Seven, several psychotherapists talk about common issues transgenders raise in therapy.

Check it out on Amazon

PsyCop (Series)

by Jordan Castillo Price

Victor Bayne, the psychic half a PsyCop team, is a gay medium who’s more concerned with flying under the radar than in making waves.

He hooks up with handsome Jacob Marks, a non-psychic (or “Stiff”) from an adjacent precinct at his ex-partner’s retirement party and it seems like his dubious luck has taken a turn for the better. But then a serial killer surfaces who can change his appearance to match any witness’ idea of the world’s hottest guy.

Solving murders is a snap when you can ask the victims whodunit, but this killer’s not leaving any spirits behind.

Read excepts and samples from the PsyCop series.

Author Website