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Book CoverThis big, beautifully-written book follows two couples through the decades from WWII to Vietnam. The story creates a genuine feel for middle-America during those eras and covers serendipitous meetings, closely-hidden personal secrets, and how they weave misunderstandings into family lore. It covers tradition and the breaking of tradition, mediums and belief, childhood friendships, and what it means to be parents, partners, and friends through life's trials. A wonderful, warm, and thoughtful novel.

Publisher description:

In Bonhomie, Ohio, a stolen moment of passion, sparked in the exuberant aftermath of the Allied victory in Europe, binds Cal Jenkins, a man wounded not in war but by his inability to serve in it, to Margaret Salt, a woman trying to obscure her past. Cal’s wife, Becky, has a spiritual gift: She is a seer who can conjure the dead, helping families connect with those they’ve lost. Margaret’s husband, Felix, is serving on a Navy cargo ship, out of harm’s way—until a telegram suggests that the unthinkable might have happened. Later, as the country reconstructs in the postwar boom, a secret grows in Bonhomie—but nothing stays buried forever in a small town. Against the backdrop of some of the most transformative decades in modern America, the consequences of that long-ago encounter ripple through the next generation of both families, compelling them to reexamine who they thought they were and what the future might hold.

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Book cover for After years of writing indie horror starring queer characters, screenwriter Misha is finally successful -- until the big shots at his studio demand that he kill off his most beloved characters, because queer tragedy "sells". When Misha refuses, he finds himself hunted by his own movie monsters, somehow brought to life. This meditation on art, creativity, commercialism, and representation from master of horror Chuck Tingle is one of his finest, equal parts thrilling and emotional.

Publisher's description:
Bury Your Gays is a heart-pounding new novel about what it takes to succeed in a world that wants you dead. Misha knows that chasing success in Hollywood can be hell. But finally, after years of trying to make it, his big moment is here: an Oscar nomination. And the executives at the studio for his long-running streaming series know just the thing to kick his career to the next level: kill off the gay characters, "for the algorithm," in the upcoming season finale. Misha refuses, but he soon realizes that he's just put a target on his back. And what's worse, monsters from his horror movie days are stalking him and his friends through the hills above Los Angeles. Haunted by his past, Misha must risk his entire future-before the horrors from the silver screen find a way to bury him for good.

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The Sunbearer Trials by Aiden Thomas ...The Sunbearer Trials is SO good. I loved the LGBTQ+ (especially trans) representation and the world building reminded me a lot of the Percy Jackson series but with Mexican mythology, if it met The Hunger Games. The fast paced and action packed plot was amazing and after finishing, I immediately bought the second book. Aiden Thomas didn't disappoint with The Sunbearer Trials! also: SPARKLY SPACE CHICKEN (you won't get this until you read the second book, but that was my favorite part haha).

Publisher's description:

Transgender demigod Teo is unexpectedly selected for the Sunbearer Trials, a fierce competition among demigod heroes where the winner sacrifices the loser to Sol, their blood fueling the Sun Stones that protect Reino del Sol.

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Cover ArtA pitch-black story about a girl born in the slums of 18th century London, cursed with the desire for more. Mary Saunders should be content with her lot in life, but fine fabrics and ribbons always tempt her. As she wends her way through life on the streets of St. Giles, her eternal desire leads her to darker and darker places. This book has stuck with me for twenty years since I first read it, and it absolutely holds up to the scrutiny of a second read. Not for the faint of heart.
 
Publisher description:

Born to rough cloth in Hogarth's London, but longing for silk, Mary Saunders's eye for a shiny red ribbon leads her to prostitution at a young age. A dangerous misstep sends her fleeing to Monmouth, and the position of household seamstress, the ordinary life of an ordinary girl with no expectations. But Mary has known freedom, and having never known love, it is freedom that motivates her. Mary asks herself if the prostitute who hires out her body is more or less free than the "honest woman" locked into marriage, or the servant who runs a household not her own? And is either as free as a man? Ultimately, Mary remains true only to the three rules she learned on the streets: Never give up your liberty. Clothes make the woman. Clothes are the greatest lie ever told.

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Cover ArtA fun and genuine early college story featuring two A-spec characters! The library's LGBTQIA book club for teens, Book Queeries, read and discussed this book with positive reviews from teen attendees who loved the story because it featured aromantic and asexual characters. Author Ann Zhao captures the undergrad anxiety well, while sprinkling multimedia dialogue throughout. Recommend to fans of Alice Oseman and Becky Albertalli.
 
Publisher description:
Sophie Chi is in her first year at Wellesley College (despite her parents’ wishes that she attend a 'real' university, rather than a liberal arts school) and has long accepted her aromantic and asexual identities. Despite knowing she’ll never fall in love, she enjoys running an Instagram account that offers relationship advice to students at Wellesley. No one except her roommate knows that she’s behind the incredibly popular 'Dear Wendy' account. When Joanna 'Jo' Ephron -- also a first-year student at Wellesley -- created their 'Sincerely Wanda' account, it wasn't at all meant to be serious or take off like it does -- not like Dear Wendy’s. But now they might have a rivalry of sorts with Dear Wendy? Oops. As if Jo’s not busy enough having existential crises over gender, the fact that she’ll never truly be loved or be enough, or her few friends finding The One and forgetting her! While tensions are rising online, Sophie and Jo are getting closer in real life, bonding over their shared aroace identities. As their friendship develops and they work together to start a campus organization for other a-spec students, can their growing bond survive if they learn just who’s behind the Wendy and Wanda accounts?
 
Cover ArtI had never heard of Jennifer Boylan before, and after reading Cleavage, she is a name to remember for sure! She fosters a safe space to learn about, hear, and understand transgender perspectives. A great book to explore the different experiences of transgender people, but also to become acquainted with the similarities! Boylan offers really unique insight to her life and lived experiences and captivates the reader to continue reading until the book is done!
 
Publishers description:
What is the difference between men and women? Jennifer Finney Boylan examines the divisions-as well as the common ground-between the genders, and reflects on her own experiences, both difficult and joyful, as a transgender American. Jennifer Finney Boylan's She's Not There was the first bestselling work written by a transgender American. Since its publication twenty years ago, she has become the go-to person for insight into the impact of gender on our lives, from the food we eat to the dreams we dream, both for ourselves and for our children. But Cleavage is more than a deep dive into gender identity; it's also a look at the difference between coming out as trans in 2000-when many people reacted to Boylan's transition with love-and the present era of blowback and fear. How does gender affect our sense of self? Our body image? The passage of time? The friends we lose-and keep? Boylan considers her womanhood, reflects on the boys and men who shaped her, and reconceives of herself as a writer, activist, parent, and spouse. With heart-wrenching honesty, she illustrates the feeling of liminality that followed her to adulthood, but demonstrates the redemptive power of love through it all. With Boylan's trademark humor and poignancy, Cleavage is a sharp, witty, and captivating look at the triumphs and losses of a life lived in two genders. Cleavage provides hope for a future in which we all have the freedom to live joyfully as men, as women, and in the space between us.
 
Cover ArtImmerse yourself in this beautifully illustrated graphic novel that follows the story of Mags and Nessa as they navigate queer love, heartache, secrets, and power.
 
Publisher description: 

Everyone has secrets. Mags's has teeth. Magdalena Herrera is about to graduate high school, but she already feels like an adult with serious responsibilities: caring for her ailing grandmother; working a part-time job; clandestine makeouts with a girl who has a boyfriend. And then there's her secret, which pulls her into the basement each night, drains her of energy, and leaves her bleeding. A secret that could hurt and even kill if it ever got out — like it did once before. So Mags keeps her head down, isolated in her small desert community. That is, until her childhood friend Nessa comes back to town, bringing vivid memories of the past, an intoxicating glimpse of the future, and a secret of her own. Mags won't get attached, of course. She's always been strong enough to survive without anyone's help. But when the darkness starts to close in on them both, Mags will have to drag her secret into the daylight and choose between risking everything... or having nothing left to lose.

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Cover ArtA Minor Chorus is equal parts love letter to storytelling and searing critique of colonialism. In true Billy-Ray Belcourt fashion, the writing is concise and lyrical, bringing sensation to the forefront and encouraging active participation from the reader. It doesn't shy away from hard truths, and yet the tone is stubbornly hopeful. This short book has changed my relationship with reading, writing, and the world.

Publisher’s description
A debut novel from a rising literary star that brings the modern queer and Indigenous experience into sharp relief. In Northern Alberta, a queer Indigenous doctoral student steps away from his dissertation to write a novel. He is adrift, caught between his childhood on the reservation and this new life of the urban intelligentsia. Billy-Ray Belcourt's unnamed narrator chronicles a series of encounters: a heart-to-heart with fellow doctoral student River over the mounting pressure placed on marginalized scholars; a meeting with Michael, a closeted adult from his hometown whose vulnerability and loneliness punctuate the realities of queer life on the fringe. Amid these conversations, the narrator is haunted by memories of Jack, a cousin caught in the cycle of police violence, drugs, and survival. Jack's life parallels the narrator's own; the possibilities of escape and imprisonment are left to chance with colonialism stacking the odds. A Minor Chorus introduces the dazzling literary voice of a Lambda Literary Award winner and Canadian #1 national best-selling poet to the United States, shining much-needed light on the realities of Indigenous survival.

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Cover Art
The Girl from the Sea is an inspiring bildungsroman about a 15-year-old girl, Morgan Kwon, who struggles with coming out to her family and close friends. During the summer, she unexpectedly meets another girl, and while Morgan falls in love, her plans seem to fall apart. She is learning more about herself while trying to keep her relationship a secret. The captivating pictures express strong emotions and help weave the story of this brilliant graphic novel. With exciting plot twists and conflicts, this book is hard to put down once you start reading it.
 
Publisher's Description:
Fifteen-year-old Morgan has a secret: She can't wait to escape the perfect little island where she lives. She's desperate to finish high school and escape her sad divorced mom, her volatile little brother, and worst of all, her great group of friends...who don't understand Morgan at all. Because really, Morgan's biggest secret is that she has a lot of secrets, including the one about wanting to kiss another girl. Then one night, Morgan is saved from drowning by a mysterious girl named Keltie. The two become friends and suddenly life on the island doesn't seem so stifling anymore. But Keltie has some secrets of her own. And as the girls start to fall in love, everything they're each trying to hide will find its way to the surface...whether Morgan is ready or not.
 
Cover ArtA very cute story that has a really refreshing take on death that I hadn't seen before. The theme takes a gentle and meaningful approach to dealing with grief and the unanswered question of what comes next after death, endearing you to its characters to the point where you feel like you yourself are experiencing their feelings, all in a cute and cozy setting, taking place primarily in a tea shop with a bunch of kooky and interesting characters popping in for a drink away from busy life. FUN!
 
Publisher's description:
A ... queer love story ... When a reaper comes to collect Wallace from his own funeral, Wallace begins to suspect he might be dead. And when Hugo, the owner of a peculiar tea shop, promises to help him cross over, Wallace decides he's definitely dead. But even in death he's not ready to abandon the life he barely lived, so when Wallace is given one week to cross over, he sets about living a lifetime in seven days. Hilarious, haunting, and kind; an uplifting story about a life spent at the office and a death spent building a home.
 
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