Tag Archives: The Ripped Bodice

Shopper's Delight

Shopper’s Delight: Independent Bookstore Day (Tomorrow!)

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In honor of Independent Bookstore Day tomorrow (April 29th), here are some of our favorite indies along with some handy links to special, signed (including bookplated), and/or personalized editions that can ship right to you! (Stores are listed alphabetically by state.) Please note that some of these are preorders, and some are already published titles. 

Note: Make sure you request the copy be signed/personalized in the comments of your order!

But first, a couple of queer-owned bookshops!

Book Soup, CA

Mysterious Galaxy, CA

The Ripped Bodice, CA

RJ Julia, CT

East City Bookshop, DC

Charis Books and More, GA

Little Shop of Stories, GA

Swamp Fox Bookstore, IA

Anderson’s Bookshop, IL

Copper Dog Books, MA

Not sure about signed books, but wanted to share their Trans Readathon list!

Porter Square Books, MA

Schuler Books, MI

Your Meryl Wilsner hotspot

Main Street Books, MO

Books of Wonder, NY

Buffalo Street Books, NY

Your Kalynn Bayron shop

The Dog Eared Book, NY

Northshire Books, NY

The Strand, NY

Grass Roots, OR

Your Rosiee Thor Hub

Powell’s, OR

White Whale Bookstore, PA

Parnassus Books, TN

Blue Willow Bookshop, TX

Your Alexis Hall mall!

One More Page, VA

Ballast Book Company, WA

Your Ash Van Otterloo spot!

Third Place Books, WA

Collector's Items

Collector’s Items, Vol. 2: YA Fiction

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This blog series is for helping you track down cool editions of your favorite books, be they special or international editions or what have you! (Available while supplies last, of course; we are not responsible for a fave selling out!)

All That’s Left in the World by Erik J. Brown (Signed UK Edition)

Signed copies of C.B. Lee’s entire backlist

Cafe Con Lychee by Emery Lee (Signed US Hardcover)

Signed copies of Malinda Lo’s entire backlist

Man o’ War by Cory McCarthy (Signed US Hardcover)

I Kissed Shara Wheeler by Casey McQuiston (B&N Exclusive Edition) (Signed Exclusive UK Edition) (Indigo Exclusive Edition)

At the End of Everything by Marieke Nijkamp  (US Edition w/signed bookplate and postcard)

The Lesbiana’s Guide to Catholic School by Sonora Reyes (Signed US Hardcover)

The Hollow Heart by Marie Rutkoski (Illumicrate) (UK Edition, whose design matches the US hardcover of The Midnight Lie, though please note they have different trim sizes)

History is All You Left Me by Adam Silvera (Deluxe Edition, with foreword by Becky Albertalli)

They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera (Waterstones Special Edition)

The First to Die at the End by Adam Silvera (Signed UK Edition)

Mooncakes by Suzanne Walker and Wendy Xu (Collector’s Edition)

Shatter the Sky by Rebecca Kim Wells (Signed US Hardcover)

The Temperature of Me and You by Brian Zepka (Signed US Hardcover)

 

Collector's Items, Shopper's Delight

Collector’s Items, Vol. 1: Adult Fiction

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This series is for helping you track down cool editions of your favorite books, be they special or international editions or what have you! (Available while supplies last, of course; I am not responsible for a fave selling out!))

Our Wives Under the Sea by Julia Armfield (Signed UK Hardcover)

The Atlas Six by Olivie Blake (Waterstones Exclusive Edition)

Her Majesty’s Royal Coven by Juno Dawson (Signed UK Hardcover)

They by Kay Dick (McNally Edition)

This is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone (Illumicrate)

You Made a Fool of Death With Your Beauty by Akwaeke Emezi (Signed UK Hardcover)

Moon Witch, Spider King by Marlon James (Signed Exclusive UK Edition) (Signed US Hardcover)

The Romantic Agenda by Claire Kann (Signed US Paperback)

Love & Other Disasters by Anita Kelly (Book of the Month)

Under the Whispering Door by TJ Klune (Signed UK Hardcover) (Indigo Exclusive Edition)

Wild and Wicked Things by Francesca May (Signed UK Edition)

Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston (Hardcover Collectors’ Edition) (Book of the Month)

The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller (Illumicrate) (Indigo Exclusive Edition)

Best Laid Plans and Better Than People by Roan Parrish (Signed US Paperbacks)

The Verifiers by Jane Pek (Book of the Month)

Detransition, Baby by Torrey Peters (German hardcover)

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid (Book of the Month)

Honey Girl by Morgan Rogers (Book of the Month)

Real Easy by Marie Rutkoski (Waterstones Special Edition)

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab (B&N Exclusive Edition) (Special Edition)

Afterparties by Anthony Veasna So (Book of the Month)

Young Mungo by Douglas Stuart (Signed UK Hardcover)

Xeni by Rebekah Weatherspoon (and others) (Signed US paperbacks)

To Paradise by Hanya Yanagihara (Waterstones Special Edition)

 

Happy Holigays

Happy (Upcoming) Independent Bookstore Day!

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As you may know, Independent Bookstore Day was rescheduled this year, but no matter the date, there’s been no year in which it’s more important to show whatever support you can. Behold, here are a bunch of wonderful indies that show great support to queer books, each with a little recommended list of books to buy from them!

This year, with the advent of Bookshop, some of these stores have shifted their ordering over there, so this will be a little hodgepodge, but what else would you expect of 2020?

(Stores are organized in alphabetical order by state, then city.)

Changing Hands Bookstore, Tempe and Phoenix, AZ

The Ripped Bodice, Los Angeles, CA

Vroman’s Bookstore, Pasadena, CA

Mysterious Galaxy, San Diego, CA

Books, Inc., San Francisco, CA

Shop at Matter, Denver, CO

Burgundy Books, Saybrook, CT

East City Bookshop, Washington, DC

Writer’s Block Bookstore, Winter Park, FL

Avid Bookshop, Athens, GA

Brave and Kind Books, Decatur, GA

Brain Lair Books, South Bend, IN

Raven Bookstore, Lawrence, KS

Tubby and Coo’s, New Orleans, LA

Copper Dog Books, Beverley, MA

Porter Square Books, Boston, MA

Silver Unicorn Books, West Acton, MA

Loyalty Bookstores, Silver Spring, MD and Washington, DC

Brilliant Books, Traverse City, MI

Moon Palace Books, Minneapolis, MN

  • Check out their book lists for their selections for Non-Binary Book Club and Queer Book Club!

Red Balloon Bookshop, St. Paul, MN

This House of Books, Billings, MT

Firestorm Books + Coffee, Asheville, NC

Bookworks, Albuquerque, NM

Kew and Willow, Queens, NY

Books of Wonder, New York, NY

Oblong Books, Rhinebeck, NY

Powell’s Books, Portland, OR

See also: their list of Black LGBTQIA+ Voices (20% off)

Harriett’s Bookshop, Philadelphia, PA

Parnassus Books, Nashville, TN

Interabang Books, Dallas, TX

One More Page Books, Arlington, VA

Books and Crannies, Martinsville, VA

Fountain Bookstore, Richmond, VA

Third Street Books, Seattle, WA

Happy Holigays

Happy Indie Bookstore Day!

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Here at LGBTQReads the sole non-donation income that keeps the site running does come from a certain website’s affiliate links, but don’t let that fool you into thinking we don’t love indies, especially the ones that carry small-press/self-pub queer books! To celebrate those very stores, here are a bunch of links to celebrate indie bookstore day the best way possible and get some amazing books in the process!

This will be an annual feature, so if a bookstore you love isn’t on this year’s list, it may be on next year’s! I obviously couldn’t feature every store or every book, but if this post sells a few books and even helps people find some signed copies of their faves, I feel good about it!

Note: I did not list a book as signed if the *listing* for the book did not say it, but many of these books were pulled from “Signed Books” lists on the sites. If you want a signed copy, double check!

Shop at…

Anderson’s Bookshop (Naperville, IL)

YA

Book Culture (NYC Area)

Adult

The Brain Lair (South Bend, IN)

PB

MG/YA

Adult

Non-Fiction

Brazos Bookstore (Houston, TX)

YA

Adult

Gay’s the Word

Books of Wonder (NYC, NY)

PB

MG

YA

McNally Jackson (NYC, NY)

Adult

Little Shop of Stories (Decatur, GA)

YA

Fountain Bookstore (Richmond, VA)

PB

MG

YA

Adult

Joseph-Beth Booksellers (OH/KY)

YA

NA/Adult

Malaprop’s (Asheville, NC)

YA

Murder by the Book (Houston, TX)

Adult

Myst Galaxy Books (San Diego, CA)

YA

Adult

Northshire Bookstore (NY/VT)

YA

Adult

Oblong Books (Rhinebeck, NY)

MG

YA

Adult

One More Page Books (Alexandria, VA)

YA

Park Road Books (Charlotte, NC)

YA

Adult

Poetry

Parnassus (Nashville, TN)

MG/YA

Adult

Powell’s (Portland, OR)

MG/YA

NA/Adult

Quail Ridge Books (Raleigh, NC)

YA

The Ripped Bodice (LA, CA)

PB

YA

NA/Adult

The Strand (NYC, NY)

YA

Adult

Third Place Books (Seattle, WA)

PB

MG

YA

Adult

Nonfiction

Poetry

Trident Booksellers and Cafe (Boston, MA)

YA

Adult

Writer’s Block Bookstore (Winter Park, FL)

YA

Adult

Miscellaneous

End of Year Book Survey: 2016

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This is one of my favorite posts (courtesy of Jamie of Perpetual Page Turner) to do on my personal blog, and I thought it’d be fun to bring it here, using just the LGBTQIAP+ books I’ve read this year, and hear what your answers would be in the comments! (Note: a few of these answers on my personal blog were LGBTQIAP+ books anyway, so those have been copy-pasted here.) So, let’s see how this goes:

2016 Reading Stats

Number Of Books You Read: 64 books w/LGBTQIAP+ protags
Number of Re-Reads: Just Out on Good Behavior, for obvious reasons!
Genre You Read The Most From: Contemporary YA

  1. Best Book You Read in 2016:

YA Fantasy: And I Darken by Kiersten White
YA Contemporary: If I Was Your Girl by Meredith Russo
YA Thriller: Last Seen Leaving by Caleb Roehrig
YA Sci-Fi: The Abyss Surrounds Us by Emily Skrutskie
NA Romance: Hold Me by Courtney Milan
Adult Romance: Strong Signal by Megan Erickson and Santino Hassell

2. Book You Were Excited About & Thought You Were Going To Love More But Didn’t?

Pretty much any book I expected/hoped would have better representation than it does.

 3. Most surprising (in a good way or bad way) book you read?  

Best surprises are the ones that had queer POVs in books I definitely did not expect to see them in, and wouldn’t necessarily have read this year (if ever) if bloggers didn’t push me to! So: Cherry by Lindsey Rosin, Winning by Lara Deloza, and This Song is (Not) For You by Laura Nowlin.

 4. Book You “Pushed” The Most People To Read (And They Did)?

I asked Twitter, and apparently it’s between Cherry by Lindsey Rosin, The Abyss Surrounds Us by Emily Skrutskie, and This Song is (Not) For You by Laura Nowlin!

 5. Best series you started in 2016? Best Sequel of 2016? Best Series Ender of 2016?

Series Started: Five Boroughs by Santino Hassell and Cyberlove by Megan Erickson and Santino Hassell. I’m much worse about reading YA series than I am about Romance series, but I’m super excited to read the sequels to And I Darken by Kiersten White (i.e. Now I Rise), Not Your Sidekick by C.B. Lee (i.e. Not Your Villain), and The Abyss Surrounds Us by Emily Skrutskie (i.e. The Edge of the Abyss).

Sequel: The Shadow Hour by Melissa Grey

Series Ender: Pretty sure Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo’s the only one I read with any queer POVs!

 6. Favorite new author you discovered in 2016?

Santino Hassell – picked up one book, continued to read four more of his throughout the year.

7. Best book from a genre you don’t typically read/was out of your comfort zone?

The Abyss Surrounds Us by Emily Skrutskie! I know that conceptually that book is so many people’s dream, but it’s not my usual thing and I found it totally unputdownable. And Not Your Sidekick by CB Lee – not usually a superhero-book reader but this was so much fun, and I’m so psyched it’s gonna be a continuing series.

 8. Most action-packed/thrilling/unputdownable book of the year?

Apparently The Abyss Surrounds Us!

 9. Book You Read In 2016 That You Are Most Likely To Re-Read Next Year?

Uhhhh definitely at least the opening of Sutphin Boulevard by Santino Hassell. I don’t get much time to reread, but.

10. Favorite cover of a book you read in 2016?

Perfect Ten by L. Philips, which is fun since that was revealed here!

11. Most memorable character of 2016?

Juliet from Juliet Takes a Breath by Gabby Rivera.

 12. Most beautifully written book read in 2016?

When the Moon Was Ours by Anna-Marie McLemore. Honestly, in any given year she writes a book, that book’s gonna be the answer.

13. Most Thought-Provoking/ Life-Changing Book of 2016?

Juliet Takes a Breath by Gabby Rivera.

 14. Book you can’t believe you waited UNTIL 2016 to finally read? 

How to Repair a Mechanical Heart by JC Lillis. That’s one of my favorite LGBTQIAP YAs of all time now and people were talking about its greatness for SO LONG, but I was slow to it for no good reason.

 15. Favorite Passage/Quote From A Book You Read In 2016?

To the boys who get called girls,
the girls who get called boys,
and those who live outside these words.
To those called names
and those searching for names of their own.
To those who live on the edges,
and in the spaces in between.
I wish for you every light in the sky.

~the dedication of When the Moon Was Ours by Anna-Marie McLemore

16.Shortest & Longest Book You Read In 2016?

Under Threat by Robin Stevenson (144 pp)
Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo (536 pp)

17. Book That Shocked You The Most

A Darkly Beating Heart by Lindsay Smith, both because of how scarily compelling I found it and because it’s kinda dark and terrifying.

18. OTP OF THE YEAR (you will go down with this ship!)

Oof, this is tough. I think maybe Kai and Garrett from Strong Signal? I am bad at choosing these.

19. Favorite Non-Romantic Relationship Of The Year

Frances and Aled in Radio Silence by Alice Oseman.

20. Favorite Book You Read in 2016 From An Author You’ve Read Previously

Published in 2016: Georgia Peaches and Other Forbidden Fruit by Jaye Robin Brown
Coming in 2017: History is All You Left Me by Adam Silvera
But it feels like a lie not to mention Girl Made of Stars by Ashley Herring Blake, coming in 2018

21. Best Book You Read In 2016 That You Read Based SOLELY On A Recommendation From Somebody Else/Peer Pressure:

How to Repair a Mechanical Heart by JC Lillis, which thank God Becky Albertalli finally got me to read. Should also mentioned that I would never have picked up This Song is (Not) For You by Laura Nowlin if not for Rachel G. telling me it had an ace MC.

22. Newest fictional crush from a book you read in 2016?

I am not good at this. Can I pass?

23. Best 2016 debut you read?

If I Was Your Girl by Meredith Russo and Last Seen Leaving by Caleb Roehrig.

24. Best Worldbuilding/Most Vivid Setting You Read This Year?

I mean, Leigh Bardugo’s pretty unbeatable here, right? Although definite shoutout to Zoraida Cordova’s Labyrinth Lost.

25. Book That Put A Smile On Your Face/Was The Most FUN To Read?

Published pre-2016: How to Repair a Mechanical Heart by JC Lillis
Published in 2016: Cherry by Lindsey Rosin
Coming post-2016: The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee (June 20, 2017)

26. Book That Made You Cry Or Nearly Cry in 2016?

We Are Okay by Nina LaCour. It didn’t even happen immediately, but as the book sank in, I just completely lost it.

27. Hidden Gem Of The Year?

I feel like in LGBTQIAP+ lit almost everything is a hidden gem because they rarely get decent marketing budgets, but I have such a soft spot for Seven Ways We Lie by Riley Redgate, for quietly delivering both (explicit) pan and (implicit) ace rep in a mainstream YA. While both of those words pop up a bunch in 2017 YA, 7WWL was the only mainstream 2016 YA I saw to contain either one. (And yes, it’s also a good book!)

28. Book That Crushed Your Soul?

This is Where it Ends by Marieke Nijkamp.

29. Most Unique Book You Read In 2016?

For sheer standout beauty, When the Moon Was Ours by Anna-Marie McLemore.

30. Book That Made You The Most Mad (doesn’t necessarily mean you didn’t like it)?

A Darkly Beating Heart by Lindsay Smith, which is definitely by design and which I utterly loved.

1. New favorite book blog you discovered in 2016?

Queer Lit on my Mind, which isn’t exactly a book blog but it’s a (now-) friend’s Tumblr I think posts great reviews.

2. Favorite review that you wrote in 2016?

I’m actually a terrible reviewer, and since I keep needing to remind people this isn’t a review site, I’m going to abstain from this question so I don’t send the wrong message!

3. Best discussion/non-review post you had on your blog?

Not that I can take any credit for it, personally, but gotta go with Casey Lawrence’s “Goodbye, Bad Bi“!

4. Best event that you participated in (author signings, festivals, virtual events, memes, etc.)?

Only did one LGBTQ panel this year – with Adam Silvera, Jenn Marie Thorne, and Kenneth Logan – but it was great! Also attended a good one featuring Rebecca Podos, Kenneth Logan, Cordelia Jensen, and I.W. Gregorio.

5. Best moment of bookish/blogging life in 2016?

Kicking off this site, I’d say!

7. Most Popular Post This Year On Your Blog (whether it be by comments or views)?

Thank you to guest-posting author Casey Lawrence, whose “Goodbye, Bad Bi” was by far the most popular post on the site this year.

8. Post You Wished Got A Little More Love?

I did hope more people would share the post of Trans Lit Under $5 – most of those books are #ownvoices titles that could definitely use some love!

9. Best bookish discovery (book related sites, book stores, etc.)?

The LA all-Romance bookstore The Ripped Bodice is amazing, and so great for queer romance. And I’m not just saying that because they made Out on Good Behavior their book club pick one month, but I’m also not not saying that? Because choosing an f/f NA for book club is pretty damn awesome.

10.  Did you complete any reading challenges or goals that you had set for yourself at the beginning of this year?

Finally launching this site! (And my personal Goodreads challenge of reading 175 books.)

1. One Book You Didn’t Get To In 2016 But Will Be Your Number 1 Priority in 2017?

So Sweet by Rebekah Weatherspoon – I’ve been saving that series for myself forever!

2. Book You Are Most Anticipating For 2017 (non-debut)?

Little & Lion by Brandy Colbert. I freaking loved Pointe and this character is bi and Jewish, so, no-brainer! But absolutely highly anticipating Noteworthy by Riley Redgate and Tash Hearts Tolstoy by Kathryn Ormsbee, both of which sound super clever and fun, and by authors I’m really curious to see more from as well. Redgate did something really fantastic for YA by bringing it its first mainstream on-the-page pansexual character, and Tash reportedly contains fantastic on-the-page ace rep, so, lots to look forward to!

3. 2017 Debut You Are Most Anticipating?

It’s Not Like It’s a Secret by Misa Sugiura, hands-down.

 4. Series Ending/A Sequel You Are Most Anticipating in 2017?

Series Ending: The Savage Dawn by Melissa Grey
Sequel: The Edge of the Abyss by Emily Skrutskie (which is also a series ending)
Companion: YA: Not Your Villain by CB Lee; Romance: Hard Wired by Megan Erickson and Santino Hassell

5. One Thing You Hope To Accomplish Or Do In Your Reading/Blogging Life In 2017?

Actually have a new “Better Know an Author” up every month. (And yes, I have ones scheduled for January and February!)

6. A 2017 Release You’ve Already Read & Recommend To Everyone:

There are actually a lot of these, which is delightful! How to Make a Wish by Ashley Herring Blake, Our Own Private Universe by Robin Talley, and The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee are three I loved, blurbed, and definitely recommend. History is All You Left Me by Adam Silvera is fantastic, Perfect Ten by L. Philips and Queens of Geek by Jen Wilde are so delightful, We Are Okay by Nina LaCour is beautiful and emotional and makes you scared to love anyone but also so grateful that you do, and…I could probably go on forever, so I’ll shut up, but you’ll see plenty more in discussion soon!

That’s my year! How was yours?