Here’s the second roundup post for my featured Pride books of the month. I’m having so much fun with these.
Pride Books Day 6 – My Lord
This will probably come as no surprise to those of you who have been around here for a while, because I do tend to talk about this book quite a lot, BUT FOR GOOD REASON. Today I am excited to share an exclusive interview that L.B. Shimaira was kind enough to do for my blog! Shimaira is one of my good friends, even though we have never met in real life. I truly believe we are kindred spirits and were meant to meet even if it’s only online for the time being. Thank goodness for the Internet for connecting me with some of my best friends!
My Lord is an erotic gothic romance about rediscovering yourself after trauma, and it has f/f and polyamorous rep, among many other diverse characters. I like the characters so much that I have two stuffed alpacas named after Meya and Nina, and if you all know how much I love my alpacas you know what a big deal that is. 🙂
Shimaira recently re-released My Lord with a new cover, interior illustrations, and some bonus content at the end. I’m in love with the new cover, which you can see in this photo. Meya is such a cutie.
You can check out our interview here: https://claireoliviagolden.com/2023/05/17/interview-with-l-b-shimaira/
Pride Books Day 7 – Malinda Lo
What’s the first queer book you ever read? As far as I can remember, the first one I ever heard of was Ash by Malinda Lo, which is a sapphic retelling of Cinderella. I was too scared to actually check it out at the library, though. I remember sneaking furtive looks at it at the bookstore and wanting to read it but being scared somebody would figure out I was questioning my sexuality.
Eventually I did get up the nerve to read it, and now it’s one of my favorite fantasy books. Malinda Lo has the most gorgeous writing that makes you want to take your time while reading her books. I’ve read almost all of her work and it’s all wonderful. She recently won an award for Last Night at the Telegraph Club, which is well-deserved. But I think her other books are still underrated. Ash is still my favorite.
I was lucky enough to meet Malinda Lo a few years ago and it was amazing for me to go from being too shy to read an openly queer book to attending a book signing for one.
Have you read any of her books? I really recommend them!
Pride Books Day 8 – Testament of the Stars
Even though Gurt Dog Press closed down this year, I am still such a fan of their books, and a lot of us GDP authors have republished our books with other presses (like I’ve done with Pigeon Press). One of my faves (they’re all my faves let’s be honest) is Testament of the Stars by Alexandra Beaumont.
It’s a sapphic fantasy about a cult (or is it?) of star-worshippers. Here’s my original review from when I was part of the ARC team.
A creative and original debut fantasy from an author I will definitely continue to watch! I enjoyed the sapphic romance, the political intrigue, and the sweet family relationships in this book. Einya and Tollska are easy to root for, and each of their encounters had me squealing. They are easily my favorite part of the book. The lore of the star-blood is creative and mysterious. I enjoyed the Elizabethan-inspired astrology. I would recommend this book to anyone looking for expansive worldbuilding, realistic and well-developed characters, and a sweet queer romance.
It looks like Testament of the Stars will be released in August by Brigids Gate Press, which is great news. Congratulations, Alexandra!
Fun fact: My sister illustrated the first edition cover. I love it, and I’m also excited to see the new one! I love when books have multiple covers for multiple editions. It just gives more pretty art to admire.
Pride Books Day 9 – Unraveled
Look what we have here – it’s my debut novel! Unraveled is a perfect book choice for Pride month (or really any month of the year, but I might be biased). Here’s why you should pick up a copy for yourself and all your friends:
- lesbian main character
- bisexual main character
- queer and nonbinary supporting characters
- #ownvoices OCD rep without a “fixing the character” narrative
- portal fantasy
- well-known fairytales retold but make it gay
- gorgeous cover
- crochet pattern at the end
Purchase links are available here: https://claireoliviagolden.com/unraveledbook/
You can grab either a physical copy or an ebook. Or let me know if you’d like to buy a signed copy directly from me.
And here’s the blurb:
Auri, teenage crochet expert, lives an ordinary life… until a mysterious crochet shawl appears at the store where she works, Yarn Emporium. The Briars and Roses Shawl, which claimed the life of its previous owner, pulls Auri under its spell. Unable to stop crocheting, she embarks on a quest to break the curse.
Cat has a hard enough time being a teenager with OCD every day without a curse being thrown into the mix. But when her beloved grandmother dies, Cat suspects there’s something more to her death. Her investigation leads her to Auri… whom she’s been crushing on for months.
Auri and Cat plunge into a magical world where ancient curses tangle together and faeries seek revenge. As they navigate Feylinn and their blossoming romance, it soon becomes clear that Auri is in serious danger…and her life isn’t the only one at stake.
I am so proud of this book and want to give it to literally everybody. I hope you’ll check it out!
Pride Books Day 10 – The Miseducation of Cameron Post
This is one of my favorite books ever – not just queer books. It’s been made into a movie starring Chloe Grace Moretz (who is very talented and cute), which I enjoyed, but the movie only covers the second half of the book. So you definitely should read the book if you want to get the full story.
But what’s it about? It’s not really a feel-good story. Cameron is a lesbian growing up in rural Montana. When her parents die, she has to go live with her grandma and Aunt Ruth. When they find out she’s sleeping with another girl, they send her to a Christian camp to “fix” her. It’s conversion therapy, although it’s never named that by anyone in the book.
I can’t believe that people really send their children to conversion therapy. It’s cruel and sad. I hate when people use the Bible to back up their homophobia. I’m a progressive Christian and often get called “not a real Christian” because I am LGBTQ-affirming. Yes, there are a few verses in the Bible that always get used to support homophobia, but if you look at the context and/or history of translation, they can all be refuted. (I will be doing a post on this later. It’s too much to get into right now.)
This book shows the realities of conversion therapy for the queer and trans characters. It’s not an easy read and it will put you through the emotional ringer. But I think it’s important – and it’s really well-written. I actually wrote an essay on this book for my “Bible As Literature” college class. If you’d be interested in reading it, I am happy to post it on my blog. My copy of this book is all marked-up and annotated because it’s really that good.
So, I recommend it, but with caution for the trigger warnings (there’s also a suicide attempt, so please be warned).