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Remember to celebrate the LGBTQ+ community and embrace self-love! The 10 books in this week's newsletter are perfect for people who are looking for books with LGBTQ+ themes that range from quirky to sombre. Enjoy!
1. I'll Give You the Sun | Jandy Nelson (YA)
At first, Jude and her twin brother Noah, are inseparable. Noah draws constantly and is falling in love with the charismatic boy next door, while daredevil Jude wears red-red lipstick, cliff-dives, and does all the talking for both of them.
Years later, they are barely speaking. Something has happened to change the twins in different yet equally devastating ways... but then Jude meets an intriguing, irresistible boy and a mysterious new mentor. The early years are Noah's to tell; the later years are Jude's. But they each have only half the story, and if they can only find their way back to one another, they'll have a chance to remake their world.
Key Themes
art
independence
grief & guilt 😢
magic 🔮 & the supernatural 🌿
love 🥰 & fear 😱
Ratings
✘ sexual themes & violence
✘ drugs
❗I'll Give You the Sun is recommended to Year 8+.
2. The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet | Becky Chambers (sci-fi • space opera)
Space opera: a novel set in outer space, typically of a simplistic and melodramatic nature.
Follow a motley crew on an exciting journey through space-and one adventurous young explorer who discovers the meaning of family in the far reaches of the universe-in this light-hearted debut space opera from a rising sci-fi star.
Rosemary Harper doesn’t expect much when she joins the crew of the aging Wayfarer. While the patched-up ship has seen better days, it offers her a bed, a chance to explore the far-off corners of the galaxy, and most importantly, some distance from her past. An introspective young woman who learned early to keep to herself, she’s never met anyone remotely like the ship’s diverse crew, including Sissix, the exotic reptilian pilot, chatty engineers Kizzy and Jenks who keep the ship running, and Ashby, their noble captain.
Life aboard the Wayfarer is chaotic and crazy—exactly what Rosemary wants. It’s also about to get extremely dangerous when the crew is offered the job of a lifetime. Tunneling wormholes through space to a distant planet is definitely lucrative and will keep them comfortable for years. But risking her life wasn’t part of the plan. In the far reaches of deep space, the tiny Wayfarer crew will confront a host of unexpected mishaps and thrilling adventures that force them to depend on each other. To survive, Rosemary’s got to learn how to rely on this assortment of oddballs—an experience that teaches her about love and trust, and that having a family isn’t necessarily the worst thing in the universe
Key Themes
family 👩👩👧👦
adventure
friendship 💃🕺
Ratings
✘ drugs
❗The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet is recommended to Year 8+.
3. I Wish You All the Best | Mason Deaver (romance • YA)
When Ben De Backer comes out to their parents as nonbinary, they're thrown out of their house and forced to move in with their estranged older sister, Hannah, and her husband, Thomas, whom Ben has never even met. Struggling with an anxiety disorder compounded by their parents' rejection, they come out only to Hannah, Thomas, and their therapist and try to keep a low profile in a new school.
But Ben's attempts to survive the last half of senior year unnoticed are thwarted when Nathan Allan, a funny and charismatic student, decides to take Ben under his wing. As Ben and Nathan's friendship grows, their feelings for each other begin to change, and what started as a disastrous turn of events looks like it might just be a chance to start a happier new life.
At turns heartbreaking and joyous, I Wish You All the Best is both a celebration of life, friendship, and love, and a shining example of hope in the face of adversity.
Key Themes
identity
mental health
family & acceptance
Rating
❗I Wish You All the Best is suitable for all ages.
4. Juliet Takes a Breath | Gabby Rivera (YA)
Juliet Milagros Palante is leaving the Bronx and headed to Portland, Oregon. She just came out to her family and isn’t sure if her mom will ever speak to her again. But Juliet has a plan, sort of, one that’s going to help her figure out this whole “Puerto Rican lesbian” thing. She’s interning with the author of her favorite book: Harlowe Brisbane, the ultimate authority on feminism, women’s bodies, and other gay-sounding stuff.
Will Juliet be able to figure out her life over the course of one magical summer? Is that even possible? Or is she running away from all the problems that seem too big to handle?
With more questions than answers, Juliet takes on Portland, Harlowe, and most importantly, herself.
Key Themes
feminism
coming of age
identity
family & acceptance
human nature
Rating
✘ drug use
❗Juliet Takes A Breath is suitable for all ages.
SAC's Sassy Sidenote:
There is a graphic novel under the same title! Beautiful watercolour illustrations, definitely worth a read!
5. They Both Die at the End | Adam Rivera (YA • adventure)
Adam Silvera reminds us that there’s no life without death and no love without loss in this devastating yet uplifting story about two people whose lives change over the course of one unforgettable day.
On September 5, a little after midnight, Death-Cast calls Mateo Torrez and Rufus Emeterio to give them some bad news: They’re going to die today.
Mateo and Rufus are total strangers, but, for different reasons, they’re both looking to make a new friend on their End Day. The good news: There’s an app for that. It’s called the Last Friend, and through it, Rufus and Mateo are about to meet up for one last great adventure—to live a lifetime in a single day.
Key Themes
human connection
social media
friendship
choices & consequences
Rating
✘ violence
✘ explicit language
❗They Both Die at the End is suitable for all ages.
6. The Danish Girl | David Eberstoff (romance • historical fiction)
The Danish Girl is a shockingly original novel about one of the most unusual and passionate love stories of the 20th century.
Loosely inspired by a true story, this tender portrait of marriage asks: What do you do when the person you love has to change?
It starts with a question, a simple favour asked by a wife of her husband while both are painting in their studio, setting off a transformation neither can anticipate. Uniting fact and fiction into an original romantic vision, The Danish Girl eloquently portrays the unique intimacy that defines every marriage and the remarkable story of Lili Elbe, a pioneer in transgender history, and the woman torn between loyalty to her marriage and her own ambitions and desires.
Key Themes
gender
identity
marriage & love
perseverance
Rating
✘ sexual references
• Film starring Eddie Redmayne & Lily James released in 2015.
👑
❗The Danish Girl is suitable for all ages.
The real life Lili Elbe.
We highly recommend watching the movie! Eddie Redmayne did an amazing job.
7. Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit | Jeanette Winterson (fictional autobiography • Bildungsroman)
Bildungsroman: genre depicts and explores the manner in which the protagonist develops morally and psychologically.
This is the story of Jeanette, adopted and brought up by her mother as one of God's elect. Zealous and passionate, she seems destined for life as a missionary, but then she falls for one of her converts.
At sixteen, Jeanette decides to leave the church, her home and her family, for the young woman she loves.
Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit is a few days ride into the bizarre outposts of religious excess and human obsession.
Key Themes:
Values & religion
Coming of age
Good vs evil
Rating:
❗Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit is recommended to Year 8+.
8. Under the Udala Trees | Chinelo Okparanta (literary fiction • Bildungsroman)
Ijeoma comes of age as her nation does; born before independence, she is eleven when civil war breaks out in the young republic of Nigeria. Sent away to safety, she meets another displaced child and they, star-crossed, fall in love. They are from different ethnic communities. They are also both girls.
When their love is discovered, Ijeoma learns that she will have to hide this part of herself. But there is a cost to living inside a lie.
Key Themes:
Identity
Love
War
Coming of age
Family
Religion
Rating:
✘ explicit sexual themes
✘ PTSD
❗Under the Udala Trees is recommended to Year 9+.
9. The Guncle | Steven Rowley (comedy)
A warm and deeply funny novel about a once-famous gay sitcom star whose unexpected family tragedy leaves him with his niece and nephew for the summer.
Patrick, or Gay Uncle Patrick (GUP, for short), has always loved his niece, Maisie, and nephew, Grant. That is, he loves spending time with them when they come out to Palm Springs for weeklong visits, or when he heads home to Connecticut for the holidays. But in terms of caretaking and relating to two children, no matter how adorable, Patrick is honestly a bit out of his league.
So when tragedy strikes and Maisie and Grant lose their mother and Patrick’s brother has a health crisis of his own, Patrick finds himself suddenly taking on the role of primary guardian. Despite having a set of “Guncle Rules” ready to go, Patrick has no idea what to expect, having spent years barely holding on after the loss of his great love, a somewhat-stalled career, and a lifestyle not-so-suited to a six- and a nine-year-old. Quickly realizing that parenting—even if temporary—isn’t solved with treats and jokes, Patrick’s eyes are opened to a new sense of responsibility, and the realization that, sometimes, even being larger than life means you’re unfailingly human.
With the humor and heart we’ve come to expect from bestselling author Steven Rowley, The Guncle is a moving tribute to the power of love, patience, and family in even the most trying of times.
Key Themes:
Family
Grief
Love
Rating:
✘ grief and loss
✔️very light-hearted and funny
❗The Guncle is suitable for all ages.
10. The Price of Salt | Claire Morgan (pseudonym) & Patricia Highsmith (romance)
The story of Therese Belivet, a stage designer trapped in a department-store day job, whose salvation arrives one day in the form of Carol Aird, an alluring suburban housewife in the throes of a divorce. They fall in love and set out across the United States, pursued by a private investigator.
Key Themes:
Love
Identity
Society & class
Rating:
👑 Adapted into the film, Carol, in 2015 and is winner of many Academy Awards and Golden Globes and starring Cate Blanchett
✘ explicit sexual themes
❗The Price of Salt is recommended for Year 9+.
Looking for some spicy, incredibly atmospheric movie to watch in the holidays? Why not try:
Portrait of A Lady on Fire
An amazing 2019 French historical romantic drama film written and directed by Céline Sciamma.
👑 won the Queer Palm at Cannes, becoming the first film directed by a woman to win the award.
👑 nominated for Independent Spirit Awards, Critics' Choice Awards and Golden Globe Awards for Best Foreign Language Film and was chosen by the National Board of Review as one of the top five foreign language films of 2019.
Set in France in the late 18th century, the film tells the story of an affair between an aristocrat and a painter commissioned to paint her portrait.
Marianne arrives on a distant island, where she has been commissioned to paint a gentry woman, Héloïse, a portrait to be sent to her future fiancé. Héloïse's mother, the Countess, tells Marianne that she refuses to pose for portraits, and that Marianne must paint her without her knowing.
The more Marianne spends time with Héloïse under the façade of a walking companion, and the more she memorises Héloïse's features and paints secretly at night, the more her feelings become apparent...
Such beautiful cinematography!