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Sometimes radical inquire maine if I’m a temper scholar oregon a TBR-maker, and I ne'er cognize however to reply due to the fact that I don’t truly recognize the question — I’m both! I’m perpetually making TBRs for myself (yearly, monthly, weekly), and I’m besides perpetually ignoring those TBRs and speechmaking random room books instead. I work what I consciousness similar reading, and I similar having lists of options.
If you’re similar me, this database is for you! It’s a queer TBR for February that celebrates the period and the season. I’ve chosen books that grant queer Black past for Black past month, books with wintery themes, romances (and anti-romances!) for Valentine’s Day, and, of course, immoderate fantastic caller releases. If you’re looking to work seasonally, oregon if you’re the benignant of scholar who enjoys themed reading, I anticipation this database volition assistance you trade the cleanable February TBR. If you’re a staunch temper reader, I anticipation you’ll inactive find thing large to suit your February whims.
Of course, what’s astir breathtaking astir making these monthly queer publication lists is conscionable however galore books determination are to take from! We are positively swimming successful caller queer books, and — you guessed it — the oversea of queer backlist titles isn’t getting immoderate smaller, either. There’s a publication present for each reader, nary substance what benignant of queer lit you’re craving.
Get Excited About New Releases
Choosing Family by Francesca T. Royster (February 7)
In this beauteous and susceptible memoir, Royster writes astir her winding travel to motherhood. She shares the communicative of however she and her achromatic spouse adopted their daughter, arsenic good arsenic stories from her puerility and household history. She explores the galore ways that Black families and queer families person ever fought backmost against the rigid, heteronormative ideas astir kinship imposed connected them. It’s a wise, open, and hopeful publication astir what it means to physique household with volition and care.
Hijab Butch Blues by Lamya H (February 7)
In this memoir-in-essays, Lamya H uses stories from the Quran to analyse their ain beingness and the ways their galore identities — Muslim, queer, migrant — intersect. It’s a almighty communicative astir self-discovery, belonging, and community. Lamya H rejects casual binaries, alternatively sharing a rich, analyzable representation of their messy and multifaceted life.
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Endpapers by Jennifer Savran Kelly (February 7)
I emotion books astir authors/characters who enactment successful publishing, but I don’t deliberation I’ve ever work a caller astir a publication conservator, truthful I’m particularly excited astir this one! Dawn is simply a bookbinder with a large occupation astatine Met, but she’s feeling stuck — successful her gender, her relationship, her work, and her art. When she finds an aged queer emotion letter, her obsession with discovering who wrote it turns retired to beryllium conscionable the happening she needs to get unstuck and fig retired who she genuinely wants to be.
Honor Black History Month
Wayward Lives, Beautiful Experiments by Saidiya Hartman
In this illuminating history, Hartman explores the extremist lives of young Black women successful New York and Philadelphia during the aboriginal 20th century. She shares stories of women who broke distant from expected radical and sex norms, creating queer and originative networks of kinship and support. It’s hefty, thoughtfully researched, and moving enactment of assistance that reexamines the prevalent, elemental communicative astir aboriginal 20th period Black beingness and tells a overmuch much nuanced and analyzable one.
Miss Major Speaks by Miss Major with Toshio Meronek
When a queer elder speaks, it’s up to each of america to listen. In this memoir, legendary Black trans activistic Miss Major shares her story, arsenic good arsenic the galore lessons she’s learned on the way. She offers firsthand accounts of defining moments and periods successful queer past — the Stonewall Riots, 1960s ballroom culture, and the AIDS epidemic. This is the champion benignant of past book, written by idiosyncratic who lived done it.
Read a Romance for Valentine’s Day…
A Dash of Salt and Pepper by Kosoko Jackson
If you’re looking for a fun, low-angst, lighthearted romance to work for Valentine’s Day, look nary further. Xavier is not precisely thrilled to beryllium backmost successful his tiny Maine hometown, surviving with his parents. He’s conscionable gone done a atrocious breakup and helium truly needs a occupation — truthful helium starts moving arsenic a prep navigator astatine a caller edifice successful town, owned by hotshot cook and single-dad Logan. Xavier is conscionable going to prevention up capable wealth to get the hellhole retired again. He’s decidedly not going to stay. Or autumn successful love. Or thing similar that. This caller is saccharine and comic and silly and yes, there’s a batch of delicious nutrient descriptions.
…or Don’t!
Kings of B’More by R. Eric Thomas
Valentine’s Day not your thing? That is wholly fair! Why not prime up a publication that isn’t astir romance astatine all? This joyful YA caller centers relationship — thing that is perfectly arsenic important arsenic romance, adjacent if determination inactive aren’t capable books written astir it. Black queer besties Harrison and Linus are conscionable trying to person 1 cleanable time earlier Linus moves to a antithetic state. But things support getting successful their mode — small, silly obstacles arsenic good arsenic real, devastating injustices. It’s specified a moving and honorable portrayal of queer teenage friendship.
Celebrate Audre Lorde’s Birthday!
Sister Outsider by Audre Lorde
Black lesbian writer and writer Audre Lorde was calved connected February 18! You could easy walk the full period speechmaking done her galore superb books, but if you’re looking for determination to start, you can’t spell incorrect with Sister Outsider. This postulation of essays and speeches makes for a thorough instauration to her reasoning connected race, art, womanhood, feminism, queerness, activism, and more.
Read a Short Book (for the Shortest Month)
Hot, Wet, & Shaking by Kaleigh Trace
February is the shortest month, which makes it a large clip to work abbreviated books. (Don’t question my logic here, conscionable spell with it.) This postulation of essays astir sex, disability, and queerness seems to person flown a spot nether the radar. It perfectly deserves each the attention, though. Trace writes with a batch of wit astir her changing narration to her disabled body, ableist ideas astir enactment and desire, moving astatine a enactment shop, exploring her queerness, and more. It’s lighthearted and fun, but besides informative and thought-provoking.
La Bastarda by Trifonia Melibea Obono, Translated by Lawrence Schimel
If nonfiction isn’t your thing, but you’re inactive looking for a abbreviated read, this novella — the archetypal publication by an Equatorial Guinean pistillate to beryllium translated into English — packs a punch successful nether 100 pages. It’s astir a queer teenager, Okomo, who lives with her strict grandparents successful a tiny village. She’s trying to find the abstraction to beryllium and explicit herself amidst rigid taste expectations. Though this abbreviated publication deals with immoderate dense subjects, it is overflowing with queer love, arsenic Okomo yet finds belonging with a queer household of her own.
Read a Wintery Book
Small Beauty by Jia Qing Wilson-Yang
This quiescent quality survey is acceptable successful a tiny Canadian town, and mostly takes spot implicit the people of a agelong winter. Mei is simply a trans Asian Canadian pistillate who moves backmost to the municipality she grew up successful aft her relative dies and leaves her his house. What follows is simply a gorgeous mediation connected grief, family, lineage, home, and memory.
Looking for much queer books to capable up your February TBR? Check retired this database of the champion LGBTQ+ books of 2022, successful lawsuit you missed a few! And if you’re successful the temper to preorder immoderate large queer books, we’ve got you covered with these 2023 LGBTQ books, and these indie queer books retired this year!
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