Books

Don’t miss NHL insider and #BookTok influencer Lexi LaFleur Brown’s steamy and superstitious hockey rom-com debut!

Jaylen “JJ” Jones’s hockey career is over. After not securing an NHL contract with the Seattle Rainiers, Jaylen decides to bid the city farewell with a final night of fun, blowing off steam with an anonymous one night stand. But when a last-minute roster spot opens up on the Rainiers, he connects his luck to the girl he spent the night with. Superstitious Jaylen is desperate to keep her around—his career depends on it.

Aspiring tattoo artist Lucy Ross isn’t so sure about the proposition to remain Jaylen’s lucky charm—she’s been called a lot of things in her life, but good luck has never been one of them. But stuck in a career slump, Lucy has everything to gain. Hoping for an apprenticeship hasn’t offered much stability, and Jaylen is willing to pay any price to get Lucy to agree…so maybe sending him a routine text message before each game won’t be too hard.

What starts as an agreement to trade favors—a good luck text in exchange for tattooing practice for Lucy’s portfolio—quickly turns into sizzling chemistry that’s too delicious to deny. But Lucy’s been in too many situationships to even think about getting attached again, and Jaylen is clearly only with Lucy as long as it’s helping his gameplay…

Neither of them expecting getting lucky could be so complicated.

"A hilarious, sexy debut from an author who truly knows her hockey." —Rachel Reid, USA TODAY bestselling author of Time to Shine

by Kirsty Loehr: Paperback; 208 pages / English

[Oneworld Publications] A funny, bullshit-free and surprising history Queer families have always existed Even Sappho, the OG lesbian, had a daughter named Cleis, in honour of vaginas everywhere! For centuries, the women of ‘The Golden Orchid Society’ in Qing-dynasty China were getting married and raising daughters together – platonically, obviously... And Vita Sackville-West and Harold Nicolson’s fabulously bisexual open marriage proved women really can have it all – a husband, two kids, a writing career and Virginia Woolf. Maybe you’re exploring your options. Maybe you don’t want kids but you have questions. Either way, Kirsty Loehr provides another rollicking guide to the ups and downs of queer parenthood through the ages.

By Becky Albertalli, Paperback

Sixteen-year-old and not-so-openly gay Simon Spier prefers to save his drama for the school musical. But when an email falls into the wrong hands, his secret is at risk of being thrust into the spotlight. Now Simon is actually being blackmailed: if he doesn't play wingman for class clown Martin, his sexual identity will become everyone's business. Worse, the privacy of Blue, the pen name of the boy he’s been emailing with, will be jeopardized.

With some messy dynamics emerging in his once tight-knit group of friends and his email correspondence with Blue growing more flirtatious every day, Simon's junior year has suddenly gotten all kinds of complicated. Now change-averse Simon has to find a way to step out of his comfort zone before he's pushed out; without alienating his friends, compromising himself, or fumbling a shot at happiness with the most confusing, adorable guy he's never met.

By: Anita Kelly (Author), 2021, Paperback

After a lifetime of failed relationships, non-binary history professor Sam Bell is committed to a new (non)romantic strategy: Thirst Only. It’s the actual drinking where things get too complicated, where Sam inevitably gets hurt.

Sam is good at being thirsty, though, especially when it's karaoke night at The Moonlight Cafe, otherwise known as Moonie’s to its largely queer regulars. Moonie’s is fun. Comfortable. Safe. Except for tonight, when one by one, all of Sam’s friends abandon them. Disappointed, they prepare to leave. Until their #1 karaoke crush catches their eye...

For Lily Fischer, karaoke at Moonie's is the only time she can step outside of her quiet shell. When there’s a mic in her hand, she’s no longer merely a receptionist harboring big dreams. At Moonie's, Lily can pretend to be someone else: someone bold, who takes what she wants. And tonight, what Lily wants is the way Sam looks at her across the room as she sings her signature opening song, like they see her exactly as she wants to be seen. Like Moonie’s Lily is real.

As the night progresses, both Sam’s and Lily’s personal boundaries are tested, and the real world outside of Moonie’s looms. But maybe sometimes, the real world should be a little more like karaoke. It's not always about knowing all the right words or having the perfect voice. Maybe all Sam and Lily need is a little courage to pick up the mic, and sing anyway.

(Unveiling Aiden)

How Hard Would YOU Fight for True Love?

Fourteen-year-old Aiden Rothe's life is full of secrets, and his sexuality is only the tip of the iceberg. While his high school wrestling team views gay and strong as mutually exclusive, Aiden is determined to prove them wrong. It's time for a gay athlete to take top prize... if only he wasn't crushing hard on Mateo Hernandez, captain of the JV wrestling team and a major heartthrob.

Locked out of the wrestling scene, Aiden finds an unlikely mentor in his English teacher, Lloyd Samuels, who introduces him to karate. When Aiden's honesty about his sexuality backfires with some homophobic fellow students, Mr. S even steps in to protect him, creating a school martial arts club in the process. Once word gets around, there's an exciting new challenge on campus-the championship wrestling team against a bunch of outsiders and underdogs. It's the ultimate battle between the cool kids and the rebels. And for the main event? A showdown between Aiden versus Mateo. But can Aiden fight his first love and prove himself at the same time?

Dripping with raw emotion, unexpected twists, and more than a dash of hope, Singlets and Secrets isn't just more high school drama. It's a deep dive into figuring out who you are and accepting it no matter what someone else may think-a heroic journey that speaks to the struggling teenager in us all.

The world’s only non-denominational exorcist—the inspiration for a forthcoming scripted television series—tells her astonishing true story: a riveting chronicle of wrestling entities from infected souls, showing how the way pain and trauma open us to attach from forces that drain our energy . . . and can even destroy our humanity. We may not be able to see them, but they’re always there. Smoke and shadows, ghoulish features or lifelike forms, are the demons, or what Rachel Stavis calls “entities,” that float around us, or even attach themselves to our bodies, feeding off our fears and our negative energy. Sister of Darkness is Rachel’s story—how she discovered her gift for communicating with the spirit world and how she learned to accept it and use it to help those in need, from small children to musicians, politicians, and everyone in between.

Presenting the essential writings of black lesbian poet and feminist writer Audre Lorde, Sister Outsider celebrates an influential voice in twentieth-century literature.

“[Lorde's] works will be important to those truly interested in growing up sensitive, intelligent, and aware.”—The New York Times 

In this charged collection of fifteen essays and speeches, Lorde takes on sexism, racism, ageism, homophobia, and class, and propounds social difference as a vehicle for action and change. Her prose is incisive, unflinching, and lyrical, reflecting struggle but ultimately offering messages of hope. This commemorative edition includes a new foreword by Lorde-scholar and poet Cheryl Clarke, who celebrates the ways in which Lorde's philosophies resonate more than twenty years after they were first published.

These landmark writings are, in Lorde's own words, a call to “never close our eyes to the terror, to the chaos which is Black which is creative which is female which is dark which is rejected which is messy which is . . . ”

Paperback, English – July 6, 2021

A memoir-in-essays from disability advocate and creator of the Instagram account @sitting_pretty Rebekah Taussig, processing a lifetime of memories to paint a beautiful, nuanced portrait of a body that looks and moves differently than most.

Growing up as a paralyzed girl during the 90s and early 2000s, Rebekah Taussig only saw disability depicted as something monstrous (The Hunchback of Notre Dame), inspirational (Helen Keller), or angelic (Forrest Gump). None of this felt right; and as she got older, she longed for more stories that allowed disability to be complex and ordinary, uncomfortable and fine, painful and fulfilling.

Writing about the rhythms and textures of what it means to live in a body that doesn’t fit, Rebekah reflects on everything from the complications of kindness and charity, living both independently and dependently, experiencing intimacy, and how the pervasiveness of ableism in our everyday media directly translates to everyday life.

Disability affects all of us, directly or indirectly, at one point or another. By exploring this truth in poignant and lyrical essays, Taussig illustrates the need for more stories and more voices to understand the diversity of humanity. Sitting Pretty challenges us as a society to be patient and vigilant, practical and imaginative, kind and relentless, as we set to work to write an entirely different story.

By: Caroline Huntoon (Author), 2024, Paperback

A heartwarming debut from author Caroline Huntoon about a young figure skater discovering who they are on and off the ice.

Life isn’t easy on twelve-year-old Mars. As if seventh grade isn’t hard enough, Mars is also grappling with the recent death of their father and a realization they never got to share with him: they’re nonbinary. But with their skates laced up and the ice under their feet, all of those struggles melt away. When Mars’ triple toe loop draws the attention of a high school hot shot, he dares them to skate as a boy so the two can compete head-to-head. Unable to back down from a challenge, Mars accepts. But as competition draws near, the struggles of life off the rink start to complicate their performance in the rink, and Mars begins to second guess if there’s a place for them on the ice at all.

Skating on Mars is a tender examination of grief and a hopeful middle grade tale of self-discovery.

"This timely, triumphant novel about figure skating, identity, loss, and love will move and entertain readers―and it might just inspire them to find their own ways to change the world. " ―Laurie Morrison, author of Up for Air and Coming Up Short

By: Marika McCoola (Author), Aatmaja Pandya (Illustrator), 2022, Paperback

An emotional LGBTQ coming-of-age graphic novel, with a magical twist, for fans of Bloom and Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up With Me, where a pottery student finds her artistic voice—and her first love.

Just as Jade is about to leave for a summer art program, her best friend, Phoebe, attempts suicide. How is Jade supposed to focus on her ceramics when Phoebe is in so much pain?

At the Art Farm, Jade is thrust into a whirlwind of creation, critiques, and the fervor of her fellow artists. As she gets to know her classmates, she begins to fall for upbeat, whimsical Mary.

The Art Farm is competitive. Jade's teachers are exacting. Overwhelmed, Jade pours herself—and her emotions—into making clay creatures. When she fires them in the kiln, something unreal happens: they come to life, running wild and wreaking havoc. If Jade won’t confront her problems, her problems are going to confront her, including the scariest of them all: If Jade finds a way to grow, thrive, and even fall in love this summer, is she leaving Phoebe behind?

Will Darling came back from the Great War with a few scars, a lot of medals, and no idea what to do next. Inheriting his uncle’s chaotic second-hand bookshop is a blessing...until strange visitors start making threats. First a criminal gang, then the War Office, both telling Will to give them the information they want, or else. Will has no idea what that information is, and nobody to turn to, until Kim Secretan—charming, cultured, oddly attractive—steps in to offer help. As Kim and Will try to find answers and outrun trouble, mutual desire grows along with the danger. And then Will discovers the truth about Kim. His identity, his past, his real intentions. Enraged and betrayed, Will never wants to see him again.But Will possesses knowledge that could cost thousands of lives. Enemies are closing in on him from all sides—and Kim is the only man who can help. A 1920s m/m romance trilogy in the spirit of Golden Age pulp fiction.

From acclaimed author Phil Stamper (The Gravity of Us and As Far as You’ll Take Me) comes a poignant coming-of-age, contemporary middle grade debut novel about finding your place, using your voice, and the true meaning of pride. Perfect for fans of Rick by Alex Gino and The Best at It by Maulik Pancholy.

Jake is just starting to enjoy life as his school’s first openly gay kid. While his family and friends are accepting and supportive, the same can’t be said about everyone in their small town of Barton Springs, Ohio.

When Jake’s dad hangs a comically large pride flag in their front yard in an overblown show of love, the mayor begins to receive complaints. A few people are even concerned the flag will lead to something truly outlandish: a pride parade.

Except Jake doesn’t think that’s a ridiculous idea. Why can’t they hold a pride festival in Barton Springs? The problem is, Jake knows he’ll have to get approval from the town council, and the mayor won’t be on his side. And as Jake and his friends try to find a way to bring Pride to Barton Springs, it seems suspicious that the mayor’s son, Brett, suddenly wants to spend time with Jake.

But someone that cute couldn’t possibly be in league with his mayoral mother, could he?

* An ALA Rainbow List Pick
* A 2022 Goodreads Choice Awards Finalist for Best Middle Grade and Children’s Book
* A School Library Journal Best Book of 2022
* A Maine Student Book Award 2023-2024 Reading List Nominee

** This paperback includes a swoonworthy bonus chapter, plus a sneak peak of book two!

An INSTANT National Bestseller!

Whip-smart and immersive, this Jamaican-inspired fantasy follows a gods-blessed heroine who’s forced to choose between saving her sister or protecting her homeland—perfect for fans of Iron Widow and The Priory of the Orange Tree. 
 
Faron Vincent can channel the power of the gods. Five years ago, she used her divine magic to liberate her island from its enemies, the dragon-riding Langley Empire. But now, at seventeen, Faron is all powered up with no wars to fight. She’s a legend to her people and a nuisance to her neighbors.
 
When she’s forced to attend an international peace summit, Faron expects that she will perform tricks like a trained pet and then go home. She doesn’t expect her older sister, Elara, forming an unprecedented bond with an enemy dragon—or the gods claiming the only way to break that bond is to kill her sister.
 
As Faron’s desperation to find another solution takes her down a dark path, and Elara discovers the shocking secrets at the heart of the Langley Empire, both must make difficult choices that will shape each other’s lives, as well as the fate of their world.

"By turns hopeful and devastating, So Let Them Burn is a masterful debut with a blazing heart. I was captivated from beginning to end by Cole’s sharp, clever prose and by her protagonists—two remarkable sisters with an unforgettable bond." — Chelsea Abdullah, author of The Stardust Thief