Tag Archives: When the Moon Was Ours

News

Good News Roundup of LGBTQ Reads

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After so many years of LGBTQIAP+ lit struggling for recognition, it’s been pretty killer to watch literary news this year. Whereas a starred review for an LGBTQIAP+ YA book used to be a needle in a haystack, this fall was absolutely rife with them. Whereas coverage of queer Romance novels used to be relegated pretty entirely to queer publications, now it’s been everywhere from Bustle to Washington Post (*tips hat to Sarah Maclean*). And since I think at any given time, we could all use some good news about the progress of LGBTQIAP+ books in publishing, here’s to highlighting some of this year’s biggest successes in mainstream media:

Picture Books

Worm Loves Worm by J.J. Austrian, illustrated by Mike Curato, was named one of the Best Picture Books of 2016 by Kirkus and one of the Best Books for Kids of 2016 by New York Public Library

Middle Grade

Lily and Dunkin by Donna Gephart was named one of the Best Books of 2016 by NPR and one of the Best Books For Kids of 2016 by New York Public Library

Young Adult

Girl Mans Up by M-E Girard was nominated for a Morris Award and named one of the Best Teen Books of 2016 by Kirkus.

If I Was Your Girl by Meredith Russo is the only YA novel named among the Best Books of 2016 by iBooks, among the Best Teen Fiction of 2016 by Chicago Public Library, and among the best YAs of 2016 by Amazon, the B&N Teen Blog, Bustle, Publishers Weekly, Kirkus, and New York Public Library.

When the Moon Was Ours by Anna-Marie McLemore was longlisted for the National Book Award and named one of the Best YAs of 2016 by Bustle and Kirkus.

The Miseducation of Cameron Post by Emily Danforth’s movie news was announced.

Simon Vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli’s movie news was announced, and it was named one of the 30 Best Young Adult Novels of All Time by Paste.

This is Where it Ends by Marieke Nijkamp spent 29 weeks on the New York Times Bestseller list and was named among 19 of the Best YA Books of 2016 by Buzzfeed and one of the best YAs of the year by Paste.

Labyrinth Lost by Zoraida Cordova was named one of the Best Books of 2016 by NPR, among the Best Teen Fiction of 2016 by Chicago Public Library, and one of the Best YAs of 2016 by Bustle, Paste, and New York Public Library.

Highly Illogical Behavior by John Corey Whaley was named one of the Best Books of 2016 by NPR, among the Best Teen Fiction of 2016 by Chicago Public Library, and one of the Best YAs of 2016 by Bustle, Paste, and SLJ.

Georgia Peaches and Other Forbidden Fruit by Jaye Robin Brown was named one of the Best YAs of 2016 by Bustle and Kirkus, among the Best Teen Fiction of 2016 by Chicago Public Library, and one of the Best YA Rom-Coms of the Year by the B&N Teen Blog.

Beast by Brie Spangler was named one of the Best YAs of 2016 by the B&N Teen Blog, Kirkus, Bustle, and Publishers Weekly.

And I Darken by Kiersten White was named one of the Best YAs of 2016 by the B&N Teen Blog, Bustle, and NPR, and hit the NYT bestseller list.

Unbecoming by Jenny Downham was named one of the Best YAs of 2016 by the B&N Teen Blog, Kirkus, and Publishers Weekly.

Being Jazz by Jazz Jennings was named one of the Best Books for Teens of 2016 by New York Public Library.

Shallow Graves by Kali Wallace was named one one of the Best Books for Teens of 2016 by New York Public Library.

We Are the Ants by Shaun David Hutchinson was named one of the Best Books for Teens of 2016 by New York Public Library and one of SLJ‘s Best YAs of 2016.

Lies We Tell Ourselves by Robin Talley was named one of the 30 Best Young Adult Novels of All Time by Paste and hit the New York Times bestseller list.

Last Seen Leaving by Caleb Roehrig was named among 19 of the Best YA Books of 2016 by Buzzfeed and Kirkus, and the Best YA Novel of the Year by Paste.

The Great American Whatever by Tim Federle was named one of SLJ‘s Best YAs of 2016 and among the Best Teen Books of 2016 by Kirkus.

As I Descended by Robin Talley was named among the Best Teen Fiction of 2016 by Chicago Public Library and Paste.

Radical by E.M. Kokie was named among the Best Teen Fiction of 2016 by Chicago Public Library.

Symptoms of Being Human by Jeff Garvin was named among the Best Teen Fiction of 2016 by Chicago Public Library.

True Letters From a Fictional Life by Kenneth Logan was named one of the Best Teen Books of 2016 by Kirkus.

Bleeding Earth by Kaitlin Ward was named one of the Best Teen Books of 2016 by Kirkus.

Without Annette by Jane B. Mason was named among 19 of the Best YA Books of 2016 by Buzzfeed.

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz was named one of the 30 Best Young Adult Novels of All Time by Paste.

Ash by Malinda Lo was named one of the 30 Best Young Adult Novels of All Time by Paste.

Adam Silvera’s New York Times bestselling More Happy Than Not was named one of the 30 Best Young Adult Novels of All Time by Paste.

The Abyss Surrounds Us by Emily Skrutskie was named one of the Best YAs of 2016 by Paste.

Timekeeper by Tara Sim was named one of the Best YAs of 2016 by Paste.

Romance

Fast Connection by Santino Hassell and Megan Erickson was named one of the Best Romance Novels of 2016 by The Washington Post.

Luchador by Erin Finnegan was named one of the Best Romances of 2016 by Publishers Weekly.

24/7 by J.A. Rock was named among the Best Fiction of 2016 by Kirkus.

Idlewild by Jude Sierra was named among the Best Fiction of 2016 by Kirkus.

Strong Signal by Santino Hassell and Megan Erickson was named among 17 of the Best Romance Novels of 2016 by Bustle.

General Fiction

Imagine Me Gone by Adam Haslett was longlisted for the National Book Award, a finalist for the Kirkus Prize, named one of the Best Books of 2016 by NPR and Popsugar, one of the 24 Best Fiction Books of 2016 by Buzzfeed, and one of the 18 Best Fiction Books of 2016 by The Huffington Post.

What Belongs to You by Garth Greenwell was longlisted for the National Book Award, named one of the Best Books of 2016 by NPR and Publishers Weekly, one of the 24 Best Fiction Books of 2016 by Buzzfeed, one of the 25 Best Books to Read in 2016 by Esquire, and one of the 10 Best Books of 2016 by Vulture.

Here Comes the Sun by Nicole Dennis-Benn was named among the Best Fiction of 2016 by Kirkus and one of the 24 Best Fiction Books of 2016 by Buzzfeed.

SFF

Every Heart a Doorway by Seanan Mcguire was named among the Best Genre Fiction (SF/Fantasy) of 2016 by Library Journal.

The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers was named among the Best Genre Fiction (SF/Fantasy) of 2016 by Library Journal.

New Releases

New Releases: October 4, 2016

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Big YA Release Day! Two of these are among my favorite reads of the year (that’s not shade re: the third; I just haven’t read it yet!) and I’m not online to enthuse about them allllll day because it’s Rosh Hashana, so I need other people to buy and read them immediately so we can gush about them for the rest of the week!

When the Moon Was Ours, by Anna-Marie McLemore

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When the Moon Was Ours follows two characters through a story that has multicultural elements and magical realism, but also has central LGBT themes—a transgender boy, the best friend he’s falling in love with, and both of them deciding how they want to define themselves.

To everyone who knows them, best friends Miel and Sam are as strange as they are inseparable. Roses grow out of Miel’s wrist, and rumors say that she spilled out of a water tower when she was five. Sam is known for the moons he paints and hangs in the trees, and for how little anyone knows about his life before he and his mother moved to town.

But as odd as everyone considers Miel and Sam, even they stay away from the Bonner girls, four beautiful sisters rumored to be witches. Now they want the roses that grow from Miel’s skin, convinced that their scent can make anyone fall in love. And they’re willing to use every secret Miel has fought to protect to make sure she gives them up.

Buy it: Amazon — Barnes & Noble — Books-a-Million — IndieBound — Powell’s

Last Seen Leaving, by Caleb Roehrig

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Flynn’s girlfriend has disappeared. How can he uncover her secrets without revealing his own?

Flynn’s girlfriend, January, is missing. The cops are asking questions he can’t answer, and her friends are telling stories that don’t add up. All eyes are on Flynn—as January’s boyfriend, he must know something.

But Flynn has a secret of his own. And as he struggles to uncover the truth about January’s disappearance, he must also face the truth about himself.

Buy it: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository

Look Past, by Eric Devine

Someone brutally murdered Mary Mathison, daughter of a prominent and very conservative local pastor. Whoever it was is now taunting Avery, a transgender boy, with disturbing messages, claiming that Mary’s murder was revenge for her relationship with Avery. The killer’s demands are simple and horrific: Avery must repent for changing his gender identity, or he will be the next one killed.

Can Avery deny who he is to catch Mary’s killer? Or will sacrificing himself be the ultimate betrayal?

Buy it: Amazon * IndieBound

Fave Five

Fave Five: YA with South Asian MCs

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Not Your Sidekick by C.B. Lee (B, Vietnamese-Chinese)

When the Moon Was Ours by Anna-Marie McLemore (T, Pakistani)

Vanished and Avenged by E.E. Cooper (B, Indian)

A Love That Disturbs by Medeia Sharif (L, Pakistani)

Afterworlds by Scott Westerfeld (Q, Indian)

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TBRainbow Alert!

TBRainbow Alert #1

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For those of you who feel like you’ve already read every LGBTQIAP+ book in existence, not to worry – there’s plenty still to come! Every TBRainbow Alert will have a mix of five LGBTQIAP+ titles to make sure are on your radar, along with three reasons why you should know them. Here are a few coming up in 2016! (Title links to Goodreads; Author links to book pages for preorder.)

Title: Roller Girl (July 25)
Author: Vanessa North
Genre/Category: Contemporary Romance
Rainbow details: f/f, trans woman and cis woman
Why put it on your radar?
1. Ummm roller derby? Did you not catch that?
2. This is actually gonna be my first Vanessa North read, but far as I can tell she’s pretty great!
3. Mainstream f/f Romance is still reasonably rare, and including at least one trans woman even more so.

Title: Georgia Peaches and Other Forbidden Fruit (August 30)
Author: Jaye Robin Brown
Genre/Category: Contemporary YA
Rainbow details: f/f, both MC and LI are lesbian and cis
Why put it on your radar?
1. Super fun, cute, and hot f/f YA with an HEA; all the things I almost never find together in one space.
2. Really great exploration of the intersection between queerness and religion.
3. It’s set in the south, where queer teens could especially stand to see their stories in happy contexts right now.

Title: As I Descended (September 6)
Author: Robin Talley
Genre/Category: Paranormal YA
Rainbow details: f/f, bi MC
Why put it on your radar?
1. This is a freaking Macbeth retelling. In boarding school. With ghosts. I MEAN.
2. I haven’t read this one yet but I’ve heard rumblings of a much A+ representation in this book, in addition to queerness.
3. Robin Talley is maybe the author most frequently and consistently publishing LGBTQ YA with a big house right now, and always does so with an eye on intersectionality; she’s just generally a fabulous person to support.

Title: Last Seen Leaving (October 4)
Author: Caleb Roehrig
Genre/Category: YA Thriller
Rainbow details: Questioning/Gay boy
Why put it on your radar?      1. Thrillers are my crack. Willing to bet I’m not alone there.
2. Debut author! Love getting in on the ground floor of a potential great new voice in LGBTQIAP+ YA, and all signs (and reviews)(and, if I’m being honest, his tweets) point to him being someone to watch
3. It’s just so…interesting. And resonant. And the representation is every bit as beautiful as the writing.

Title: When the Moon Was Ours (October 4)
Author: Anna-Marie McLemore
Genre/Category: Magical Realism YA
Rainbow details: m/f, queer cis girl and straight trans boy
Why put it on your radar?
1. The writing is melt-your-brain beautiful.
2. QPoC are incredibly rare in YA, as are romances between PoC (and especially interracial romances between PoC), and this is between a Latina girl and a Desi boy.
3. It’s just so…interesting. And resonant. And the representation is every bit as beautiful as the writing.

Stay tuned for the next TBR Alert, coming soon; in the meantime, please spread the word about these!

Fave Five

Fave Five: LGBTQ YAs by Latinx Authors with Latinx MCs

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Juliet Takes a Breath by Gabby Rivera (Contemp)

More Happy Than Not by Adam Silvera (Light Sci-Fi)

When the Moon was Ours by Anna-Marie McLemore (Magical Realism)

Down to the Bone by Mayra Lazara Doyle (Contemp)

 Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe (and presumably its future companion, There Will Be Other Summers) by Benjamin Alire Saenz  (Contemp)

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