Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge discussion

I do not know what I'm going to read for Pride month!! I only count own voices books towards my cultural appreciation month reading. I can't find anything that fits any of my other remaining open challenge categories, and I don't see any new publications that look interesting. I'm stumped and hoping for ideas.

I've rounded up five possible books; by coincidence, most of these are probably bi authors. Maybe these will be the only five I read for Pride, and that's okay. Maybe I won't even get to these and I'll read completely different books!

Challenge reads:
Rebel Girl: My Life as a Feminist Punk by Kathleen Hanna - some sites quote Hanna saying she is bisexual, and if that's the case, this book will be a Pride month read for me. (I'm reading it this month no matter what. My library hold just came in.)

Novels:
The Atlas Six by Olivie Blake - does the author identify as bi? I googled and found this book on some lists but I can't tell if it's ownvoices.

Margo's Got Money Troubles by Rufi Thorpe- Thorpe identifies as bi, and her new book comes out in June. Hopefully I can get a copy from my library this month.

Poetry:
Shame Is an Ocean I Swim Across by Mary Lambert
Hanging On Our Own Bones by Judy Grahn

What open prompts do you have left?

I've got a list of a few books that I might include for Pride Month.

Indigenous/Two-Spirit:

I want to focus on books related to Indigenous/Two-Spirit topics.

Thunder Song: Essays

Reclaiming Two-Spirits: Sexuality, Spiritual Renewal & Sovereignty in Native America

A Generous Spirit: Selected Works by Beth Brant

A Two-Spirit Journey: The Autobiography of a Lesbian Ojibwa-Cree Elder

*****

Fiction:

Megan Rapinoe and Sue Bird are working on turning this into a series so I might add it to my list.

Cleat Cute

*****

General Nonfiction:

If I get the chance, I might add some random nonfiction to my list.

A Secret I Can't Tell: The First Generation of Children from Openly Gay and Lesbian Homes

The Stonewall Reader

Love Wins: The Lovers and Lawyers Who Fought the Landmark Case for Marriage Equality

Jennifer W wrote: "What open prompts do you have left?"



A book by a blind or visually impaired author

A book from an animal's POV (I've got Dog on It borrowed from the library for this one, but I am wondering ... are the Sneaky Pie Brown books by Rita Mae Brown from an animal's POV? My memory says no. I know Sneaky Pie is listed as a co-author, but I don't remember the books being from an animal's POV.)

A book that was published 24 years ago (2000)

A book written during NaNoWriMo


(I've got four other open categories but I've already got books borrowed for them.)

Not reading specifically for Pride month, but I do have these lined up for June:
The Stars Too Fondly by Emily Hamilton
Not for the Faint of Heart by Lex Croucher
Private Rites by Julia Armfield

Nadine in NY wrote: "The Atlas Six by Olivie Blake - does the author identify as bi? I googled and found this book on some lists but I can't tell if it's ownvoices...."

She seems to really dislike labels from everything I've read when i was trying to look her up for previous prompts! There *is* a British MP called Olivia Blake who is openly bisexual, so I don't know if people have got mixed up. Still her books are full of LGBT+ characters.

Nadine in NY wrote: "Jennifer W wrote: "What open prompts do you have left?"

A book by a blind or visually impaired author

A book from an animal's POV

A book that was published 24 years ago (2000)

A book written during NaNoWriMo..."

Hmm, nothing comes immediately to mind, but it doesn't seem like it should be too hard to find a LGBTQ+ visually impaired author or one who wrote a book in 2000. I will think on it!

Ellie wrote: "She seems to really dislike labels from everything I've read when i was trying to look her up for previous prompts! There *is* a British MP called Olivia Blake who is openly bisexual, so I don't know if people have got mixed up. Still her books are full of LGBT+ characters...."



LOL I found the MP while googling!

I can respect not wanting a label, it just means I won't check my little box to count the book towards my own little list.

Jennifer W wrote: "it doesn't seem like it should be too hard to find a LGBTQ+ visually impaired author or one who wrote a book in 2000...."



Right? it seems like there must be some. But I haven't found anything that looks good. 2000 is tough because I already read a lot of them.

The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay was published in 2000. The author is married to a woman, but his wikipedia article cites 2 relationships with men in his younger years. (he also wears glasses, not sure how visually impaired you consider that)

The Danish Girl was published in 2000.

Define "Normal" published in 2000.

ETA: I read Adventures quite a few years ago. I liked it well enough, but I wasn't gushing over it the way some people do. I haven't read the other 2.

Nadine in NY wrote: "Jennifer W wrote: "it doesn't seem like it should be too hard to find a LGBTQ+ visually impaired author or one who wrote a book in 2000...."



Right? it seems like there must be some. But I haven'..."

I read Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris, which is a 2000 pub. He is gay, and depending on how broadly you define it, somewhat visually impaired, as he needs glasses.

I wouldn't give it a full-throated 'you must read this' endorsement, but it's amusing enough, especially if you're looking to fill spots.

Happy start of Pride Month everyone!

Starting my first book today:

Thunder Song: Essays

It's time to go put up my rainbow flag! And ... keep reading the same books I was reading LOL I have such a library backlog right now.

I just found this article of adult LGBTQ+ books. More than half of them I hadn't heard of before and pretty much all of them sound great!

https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/essen...

Jennifer W wrote: "I just found this article of adult LGBTQ+ books. More than half of them I hadn't heard of before and pretty much all of them sound great!

https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/essen......"




ooh some good books on that list. In Universes & Four Squares & The Charm Offensive and I can see I am going to have to sit down and spend some serious time with this list. Thanks? I think? lol

Hehe, yeah, blow up the TBR....

I could definitely fly a Pride flag, my 6 year old loves rainbows! lol We actually went over the flag today in Girl Scouts, though I still don't think she totally gets it.

And GR published their own great list - A LOT of memoir and literary fiction on this list

https://www.goodreads.com/blog/show/2...

Added a few more to my list:

Queerbaiting and Fandom: Teasing Fans through Homoerotic Possibilities

Lesbians on Television: New Queer Visibility & the Lesbian Normal

*****

And a graphic novel:

Junior High

I'm definitely planning to read Til Death Do Us Bard this month.

I've started A Secret I Can't Tell: The First Generation of Children from Openly Gay and Lesbian Homes .

This marks my second book for Pride Month.

Don't know how many I'll actually read, but there's still plenty of time in the month so it will be interesting to see what that final number ends up being.

I have read two books this month featuring LGBTQIA+ characters written by LGBTQIA+ authors.
1. Thirsty Mermaids by Kat Leyh.
2. Spinning by Tillie Walden.
3. The Secret to Superhuman Strength by Alison Bechdel. (Currently reading)

Others books I read this year featuring the same:
1. Leap Year by Peter Cameron.
2. We Are Okay by Nina LaCour.
3. Freshwater by Akwaeke Emezi.
4.Nimona by N.D. Stevenson.
5. The Girl from the Sea by Molly Knox Ostertag.

Good news for me! My hold on The Z Word just came in! YES!! ZOMBIE STORIES FOR PRIDE!!


I just finished Rebel Girl: My Life as a Feminist Punk (and it was excellent) and while she does mention quite a few queer friends, and she had identified as bi elsewhere, I would not say this is a good choice specifically for Pride Month. She doesn't really talk about it in this book.

My library had a cybersecurity issue and we haven't been able to access holds, put holds on books, or check out ebooks or audiobooks for almost two weeks! So...I don't know what I'll end up reading.

I did go browse shelves today and picked up Paris Daillencourt Is About to Crumble and The Thirty Names of Night and still have Long Live the Tribe of Fatherless Girls, She Who Became the Sun, and This One Summer that I picked up for AAPI and didn't read/finish. Hopefully holds will be back up soon! I'm on my last audiobook I have checked out.

I finished (after starting for AAPI) Horse Barbie: A Memoir of Reclamation, which I came across randomly and found quite interesting.

Traci wrote: "My library had a cybersecurity issue and we haven't been able to access holds, put holds on books, or check out ebooks or audiobooks for almost two weeks! So...I don't know what I'll end up reading..."




My library was hacked by ransomware a few years ago, and it was AWFUL, it lasted a long time, and right after they got that fixed they started construction so they shut down again (and then less than a year later Covid hit, so it was like I was NEVER in my library for a few years!!). In my case, we could not borrow hardcopy books, but I think that Overdrive/Libby was still functioning. I learned to make good use of e-books during that time. Luckily, I had a huge backlog of books checked out when the ransomware hit, so I had stuff to read!


So, I know what you're going through. You've got my sympathies!!

Listening to Cleat Cute right now. Did not plan it, library hold just happened to come in. And it fits for trans or nonbinary author.

I just picked up copies of The Guncle and It Came from the Closet: Queer Reflections on Horror from my local library. I'm really looking forward to reading both of them!

Milena wrote: "Listening to Cleat Cute right now. Did not plan it, library hold just happened to come in. And it fits for trans or nonbinary author."

Oh nice. I have a physical copy of this book that I want to get to. I don't think I'll have the time to read it this month though since my plate is already full, but I certainly want to start it, especially since it's going to be turned into a series at some point in the future thanks to Megan Rapinoe and Sue Bird.

I will only list authors I'll read for Pride month who are openly out. Rumours of LGBT orientation exist for some other authors on my TBR for the month, but none of them ever, or have ever, publicly owned to it. I refuse to indulge in gossip or speculation, so that leaves me with:

*Karla Villavicencio – The Undocumented Americans

*Emily Mandel – Sea of Tranquility

I usually read more LGBT authors than this, but sometimes the months shake out this way.

Looks like the only book I'm going to read for Pride is All Boys Aren’t Blue by George M. Johnson, which I finished this week. Glad I read it.

My Pride reading has not been going well.

Rebel Girl turned out to not really be LGBT

The two books of poetry that I borrowed from the library were NOT my thing. Luckily, I had a Kay Ryan volume that I bought a year or two ago, and I'm reading that and it is just a breath of fresh air.

I REALLY did not like Thirsty Mermaids.


And that's it. That's all I got. I do have Margo's Got Money Troubles borrowed from the library, patiently waiting for me to make time for it, and I think Rufi Thorpe is LGBT, or, to use her terms, "gay." (I know some women don't like to use that term to self-identify, but I've seen Thorpe use it.)

I finally finished Proxy and I loved it! But though the main character identifies as gay, it's not really important to the book. He also may be black or Jewish (Yiddish actually plays an important part in the story, that's how I came to that conclusion). He's described as a darker skin tone with curly hair, but that doesn't really play much of a role either. It makes me wonder (especially as a cis, straight, white female), is it better to have these identifiers in stories but not all that prominent? Does it lead to whitewashing? Or is it good to have them there kind of "in the background" to normalize it? I don't have a good answer to any of that, just musing.

Jennifer W wrote: "It makes me wonder (especially as a cis, straight, white female), is it better to have these identifiers in stories but not all that prominent? Does it lead to whitewashing? Or is it good to have them there kind of "in the background" to normalize it? I don't have a good answer to any of that, just musing."

I was having a similar conversation with myself just mere moments ago, although it had to do with how I track information about the books I read. Do I really need to keep track of second-generation Americans as being from their parents' home countries instead of a general American category and not keep track of how how their culture might tie into their books? It interests me, and it is only for my own benefit, but I still got thinking about it.

Jennifer W wrote: "I finally finished Proxy and I loved it! But though the main character identifies as gay, it's not really important to the book. He also may be black or Jewish (Yiddish actually pla..."




as a middle class white cis het person myself, I wonder this too!!!


Unless it's REALLY egregious, I won't pick up on white washing. My brain just accepts it as is.


What I really love is a story about a character dealing with one or more marginalized identities, but the story is not about that, although it may have some effect on the story. For example, everyone knows the protagonist of The Guncle is gay - I mean, that's why he's their "guncle" and not their "uncle" - but the story is not about that. He's a guy dealing with grief and taking in two children for the summer who are also dealing with grief, and he happens to be gay too.

ok I gotta go drive my kid to school one last time ... (yes she graduated, but she has a few loose ends to tie up today)

I finished the Lumberjanes series - felt like the writers forgot about a few plot points they'd lined up earlier in the series and the end was a rush to tie those up, but overall very wholesome and sweet and funny.

Then there was the second volume of the Static reboot, Static: Shadows of Dakota - I love how they're bringing characters from the tv show into the comic, and Nikolas Draper-Ivey's colors and artwork remain phenomenal.

And Nicola Griffith's Menewood! What a completely engrossing book. Hoping there will be more, and I don't care how long I have to wait for it.

I've also fallen in love with Seanan McGuire's InCryptid series, and I'm currently four books deep.

Not sure I'll get through anything else as this week is looking fairly busy, but I'm pleased that I've enjoyed all of these :)

Nadine in NY wrote: "as a middle class white cis het person myself, I wonder this too!!!

Unless it's REALLY egregious, I won't pick up on white washing. My brain just accepts it as is.

What I really love is a story about a character dealing with one or more marginalized identities, but the story is not about that, although it may have some effect on the story...."

Teri wrote: "Do I really need to keep track of second-generation Americans as being from their parents' home countries instead of a general American category and not keep track of how how their culture might tie into their books? It interests me, and it is only for my own benefit, but I still got thinking about it..."

Yeah, I'm way too clueless about whitewashing and microaggressions.

To me, it's kind of a relief when characters who are often discriminated against are allowed to just BE. But is that realistic? I'm someone who is almost always allowed to "just be".

K.L. wrote: "I'm definitely planning to read Til Death Do Us Bard this month."

Quick update: I finished Til Death Do Us Bard a couple days ago and really enjoyed it. I thought the story was good, and really liked the characters. Content Alert: (view spoiler)[ This book does include multiple animal deaths, a reference to animal cruelty, and an abusive relationship (not involving the main character). (hide spoiler)]

Nadine in NY wrote: "What I really love is a story about a character dealing with one or more marginalized identities, but the story is not about that, although it may have some effect on the story. For example, everyone knows the protagonist of The Guncle is gay - I mean, that's why he's their "guncle" and not their "uncle" - but the story is not about that. He's a guy dealing with grief and taking in two children for the summer who are also dealing with grief, and he happens to be gay too."

I loved The Guncle so much! Such an incredible story about family and grieving! I'm really looking forward to reading the next book.

I did actually manage to read a few books that count this time around...

Two memoirs:
XOXO, Cody: An Opinionated Homosexual's Guide to Self-Love, Relationships, and Tactful Pettiness
Congratulations, the Best is Over!

And a YA Graphic:
As the Crow Flies

Don't think I'll be getting to anymore this month since I have a few books due this week that I still have to finish, none of which is LGBT+.

Well with only 5 days left until the end of Pride Month I know I won't be able to get in anymore reading done.

Sadly I only read 2 books that were related to LGBTQIA+. Not the 6 or 7 that I had planned. I had really hoped to read Cleat Cute, but I didn't have the time, and a lot of my reading (100%) was focused on nonfiction.

All that said, these are the two books I read for Pride:


Thunder Song: Essays


A Secret I Can't Tell: The First Generation of Children from Openly Gay and Lesbian Homes

Here's what I've read in June that I consider Pride-related. Some of these don't focus on LGBTQIA+ identities, but simply feature them casually as part of the story, but I'm still going to list them because frankly we need more of that.

Role Playing: The primary romance is het, but (view spoiler)[the MMC is both bi and demisexual, and his sexuality plays an important role in his story. (hide spoiler)]

A manga Cinderella Closet Vol. 1: The whole reason is a spoiler for the first volume. (view spoiler)[One of the main characters, Hikaru, appears to be genderfluid. They are AMAB but dress in both men's and women's clothes. Some of this may be the English translation, which switches between using she, he, and they pronouns for the character depending on who's thinking/speaking and how Hikaru is presenting at the time. (hide spoiler)]

Mirrored Heavens: At least one of the main characters is bi/pan, and several characters use xe/xir pronouns.

Tidal Creatures: Loads of casual rep of all sorts of identities, from both main and secondary characters.

Wordslut: A Feminist Guide to Taking Back the English Language: There's a chapter titled "Time to Make This Book Just a Little Bit Gayer", so I had to include it. :)

Last night I started Beyond Magenta: Transgender and Nonbinary Teens Speak Out for a memoir that explores queerness (though it was written by someone else, whatev.). I don't expect to finish it before the end of the weekend, even though it's only 5 hours long. The first couple of chapters are good so far.

I ended up reading 2 more books for pride month adding to my list:
1. The Fox Maidens by Robin Ha
2. Blind Space by Marie Sexton.
I also plan on reading Notes of a Native Son by James Baldwin, Small Gods of Calamity by Sam Kyung Yoo, Hearts Forged in Dragon Fire by Erica Hollis, House of Agnes by Fiona Zedde and Rock by Anyta Sunday this year.