Books

By: Sirius (Author), 2022, Paperback

The king is dead.

Long live the king.

Prince Pharun was marked by the gods at birth, yet he has lived his entire life in his younger brother's shadow. Despite becoming Crowned Priest, a right hand to the divine, his father only ever treated him with contempt. Now, the king is dead, and he has named his second son his successor. Pharun is prepared to fight tooth and claw for his birthright, even if that means destroying what little family he has left.

Prince Shrukian has spent his entire life preparing to ascend the throne. When the time comes, he is blindsided by opposition. He never thought that Pharun, the brother he always tried to love, would want to take everything away from him. It hardly seems fair, but Shrukian will not go down without a fight. He will pull on the strings of every foreign and domestic alliance he has, and he is not afraid to challenge the gods.

There is no one to trust in such a perilous game. The one certainty is this; for one king to reign, the other must be uncrowned.

By: Celia Laskey

When outsiders on a mission arrive to change a small town’s attitudes, residents and newcomers alike end up transformed.

Big Burr, Kansas is the kind of place where everyone seems to know everyone—or so they think. But when a national nonprofit labels Big Burr “the most homophobic town in the U.S.” and sends in a queer task force to live and work there for two years, no one is prepared for what will ensue. 

Still grieving the death of her son, Linda welcomes the newcomers, who know mercifully little about her past. Teenage Avery, furious at being uprooted from her life in L.A. and desperate to fit in at her new high school, fears it’s only a matter of time before her classmates discover her mom is the head of the task force. And Gabe, an avid hunter who has lived in Big Burr his whole life, suddenly feels as if he’s in the crosshairs.

As tensions roil the town, cratering relationships and bringing difficult truths to light, both long time residents and new arrivals must reconsider what it means to belong. Told with warmth and wit, Under the Rainbow is a poignant, hopeful articulation of our complicated humanity and the ways we can learn to live with each other and ourselves

By: Chinelo Okparanta (Author), 2016, Paperback

A 2017 Granta's Best of Young American NovelistFinalist for the 2017 International Dublin Literary PrizeOne of NPR's Best Books of 2015A 2016 Lambda Award Winner Long-listed for the Center for Fiction First Novel Prize
Nominated for the 2015 NAACP Image Awards (Outstanding Literary Work of Fiction)
Nominated for the 2015 Nigerian Writers Awards (Young Motivational Writer of the 
A New York Times Book Review Editors' Choice

Inspired by Nigeria's folktales and its war, Under the Udala Trees is a deeply searching, powerful debut about the dangers of living and loving openly.

Ijeoma comes of age as her nation does; born before independence, she is eleven when civil war breaks out in the young republic of Nigeria. Sent away to safety, she meets another displaced child and they, star-crossed, fall in love. They are from different ethnic communities. They are also both girls.   When their love is discovered, Ijeoma learns that she will have to hide this part of herself. But there is a cost to living inside a lie.       As Edwidge Danticat has made personal the legacy of Haiti's political coming of age, Okparanta's Under the Udala Trees uses one woman's lifetime to examine the ways in which Nigerians continue to struggle toward selfhood. Even as their nation contends with and recovers from the effects of war and division, Nigerian lives are also wrecked and lost from taboo and prejudice. This story offers a glimmer of hope -- a future where a woman might just be able to shape her life around truth and love.  Acclaimed by Vogue, the Financial Times, and many others, Chinelo Okparanta continues to distill "experience into something crystalline, stark but lustrous" (New York Times Book Review). Under the Udala Trees marks the further rise of a star whose "tales will break your heart open" (New York Daily News).  

By: Tj Klune (Author), 2023, Paperback

A NEW YORK TIMES, USA TODAY, AND INDIE BESTSELLER
One of Buzzfeed's "Best Books of 2022"!
An Indie Next Pick!
A Locus Awards Top Ten Finalist for Fantasy Novel

A Man Called Ove meets The Good Place in Under the Whispering Door, a delightful queer love story from TJ Klune, author of the New York Times and USA Today bestseller The House in the Cerulean Sea.

Welcome to Charon's Crossing.
The tea is hot, the scones are fresh, and the dead are just passing through.

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, Under the Whispering Door is an uplifting story about a life spent at the office and a death spent building a home.

Paperback book. Published by Microcosm! Dr. Faith explains the fundamentals of adulting in this handy guide. Spoiler: None of the requirements are about having certain jobs, kids, possessions, and debts, or being totally bored and stressed out and hating your life. This book will not teach you to change your oil or fold fitted sheets. Instead, Dr. Faith offers wisdom from her life experience and counseling practice like, “If it’s not yours, don’t touch it."

Zine / pamphlet. Published by Microcosm! Unfuck Your Dating: It's Not Relationshipping (and That's a Good Thing) Dating used to be a thing that most people did for a while. Now it's faded to take up a cramped and awkward space in between hooking up and instantly moving into together. If you woke up all alarmed and find yourself wanting all that old shit, letters and sodas, read this zine and get on with doing the stuff that makes up dating. Like having FUN, remember that? And trusting your guts. And taking it slow. Microcosm Publishing bestseller Dr. Faith breaks it down for you with good boundaries, wise counsel, funny jokes, and of course lots of swearing. Thickness: 0.2.

Sex toys, sex tools, sexual aids—whatever you call them, they have the potential to revolutionize your sex life. Whether you use them solo, partnered, or in group play, sex tools can bring you to new heights of pleasure, teach you about your body, affirm your identity, and liberate you from physical or emotional constraints. But damn, they can be expensive if you buy them new. Sexologist and therapist Dr. Faith is all about making sure you know how to get off safely and on a budget, and provides instructions for making a variety of do-it-yourself toys without breaking the bank or taking an embarrassing trip to the ER. She discusses the different types of sexual aids out there, how to figure out what you like, and construction and use of various devices, focusing throughout on safety and hygiene. These 19 projects can be done at home with materials you probably already have. River Katz's illustrations provide clarity, inspiration, and step-by-step instructions.

Stressed? Hell yeah, you are. It's part of living in this modern world. But you don't deserve to feel like you're constantly being chased by your monstrous, growing list of responsibilities—or, worse, like you have to say no to positive opportunities because you just can't take another thing. Dr. Faith G. Harper, author of bestselling books like Unfuck Your Brain, Unfuck Your Boundaries, and Coping Skills, is here to help. Stress isn't inherently bad for us, she points out, although our stress responses can really harm us over time if they get out of hand. She offers strategies for coping with intense feelings and overwhelm in the moment and for shifting our perspective, habits, and self-talk in the longer term to transform distress into helpful motivation, excitement, and action. She also walks us through understanding our physiological stress response and what happens when it turns into chronic stress and adrenal fatigue.

Published by Microcosm! Paperback book. Unfuck Your Worth: Overcome Your Money Emotions, Value Your Own Labor, and Manage Financial Freak-outs in a Capitalist Hellscape Without fear and shame holding you back, it's more possible to move past all those social barriers to actualizing whatever your money aspirations are, whether that's getting a raise, getting out of debt, having honest conversations about money with your family, saving for the future, or wherever your values lead you. Dr. Faith, author of the bestselling Unf*ck Your Brain and Unf*ck Your Intimacy, tackles one of the toughest emotional topics there is with her trademark mix of neuroscience, gentle encouragement, and no-nonsense language. This book isn't about getting rich quick (or necessarily at all)—it's about figuring out your own economic values and baggage, and learning to be the person in the world you know you have it in you to be.

By: Cat Sebastian, 2018, Paperback

One of Library Journal's Best Romances of 2018

The one you love…

Robert Selby is determined to see his sister make an advantageous match. But he has two problems: the Selbys have no connections or money and Robert is really a housemaid named Charity Church. She’s enjoyed every minute of her masquerade over the past six years, but she knows her pretense is nearing an end. Charity needs to see her beloved friend married well and then Robert Selby will disappear…forever.

May not be who you think…

Alistair, Marquess of Pembroke, has spent years repairing the estate ruined by his wastrel father, and nothing is more important than protecting his fortune and name. He shouldn’t be so beguiled by the charming young man who shows up on his doorstep asking for favors. And he certainly shouldn’t be thinking of all the disreputable things he’d like to do to the impertinent scamp.

But is who you need…

When Charity’s true nature is revealed, Alistair knows he can’t marry a scandalous woman in breeches, and Charity isn’t about to lace herself into a corset and play a respectable miss. Can these stubborn souls learn to sacrifice what they’ve always wanted for a love that is more than they could have imagined?

By: Nicole Zelniker (Author), 2021, Paperback

Isla, a Black, transgender girl, is just an ordinary student when government forces arrest her and her teacher for revolutionary activity. This action turns Isla into an activist working for social justice. What follows is an exhilarating ride marked by danger, close calls, and betrayals, with love and friendship as the reward among a LGBTQ+ community. Throughout this coming of age dystopian novel are the cornerstones of an authoritarian government: loss of civil rights, violence, suppression, and, most importantly, the inevitable countermovement. It is within this movement that all human life is valued and fought for, and it is within this movement that heroes are born.

By: Eden Finley (Author), Saxon James (Author), 2023, Paperback

SANDEN

When it's your job as groomsman to tell the groom his wedding isn't happening, the smartest thing to do is get it over and done with and then tell the guests to leave.

Yeah, well, I never said I was smart.

I might ... accidentally, maybe on purpose, suggest to Remy that the best form of revenge is to have a party anyway. I mean, he's already got catering, a DJ, and guests, so what better time to throw a petty party?

My loser high school friend never deserved him anyway. If I'd had the chance, I would have locked Remy down years ago.

Only, when the party leads to a drunken kiss, going on their honeymoon, and sharing their marital bed, I have to say, I'm not entirely sad that their wedding went up in flames.

If you've got a vagina, you may need this owner's manual. In this book from author Lili Sohn, she explores the questions that confronted her about her own anatomy in the wake of a breast cancer diagnosis at age 29. Using science, personal anecdotes, humorous quips, Sohn sets out to provide you with all the information you never knew you needed about vaginas. From masturbation, to periods, to contraceptives and more, this book is a comprehensive guide to knowing and owning your vagina. 

By: J.E. Sumerau, Paperback, 2020

What is a family? How do families of choice develop?

These questions permeate Via Chicago as ten people come together as a familial unit after each experiencing and (at least) beginning to recover from prior traumatic experiences. Ella and Linsk are a nonmonogamous couple who have helped one another heal and built an unconventional family together with Case, Kaisa, Reeves, Jo, Andrei, and Michelle over the course of a decade. As the novel begins, Mercury has just moved to Chicago to pursue graduate study when they begin a romantic relationship with Ella and a broader emotional engagement with the family. At the same time, Mercury is beginning to work through traumatic past experiences while Jo might have found love in the form of a new guy the family just calls Twitter Boy. As the novel progresses, we follow Mercury, Jo, and the rest of the family as each relates to their own and others’ traumatic experiences and bonds together over these and other shared aspects of their lives, desires, and goals.

Via Chicago could be utilized in the teaching of sociology, families, romantic relationships, gender, sexualities, geography, urban studies, LGBTQIA studies, polyamory, trauma recovery, or narrative courses, or of course, it could be read entirely for pleasure.

By: Matthew Riemer (Author), Leighton Brown (Author), Hardcover, 2019

Have pride in history. A rich and sweeping photographic history of the Queer Liberation Movement, from the creators and curators of the massively popular Instagram account LGBT History.
 
“If you think the fight for justice and equality only began in the streets outside Stonewall, with brave patrons of a bar fighting back, you need to read We Are Everywhere right now.”—Anderson Cooper

Through the lenses of protest, power, and pride, We Are Everywhere is an essential and empowering introduction to the history of the fight for queer liberation. Combining exhaustively researched narrative with meticulously curated photographs, the book traces queer activism from its roots in late-nineteenth-century Europe—long before the pivotal Stonewall Riots of 1969—to the gender warriors leading the charge today.

Featuring more than 300 images from more than seventy photographers and twenty archives, this inclusive and intersectional book enables us to truly see queer history unlike anything before, with glimpses of activism in the decades preceding and following Stonewall, family life, marches, protests, celebrations, mourning, and Pride. By challenging many of the assumptions that dominate mainstream LGBTQ+ history, We Are Everywhere shows readers how they can—and must—honor the queer past in order to shape our liberated future.