Housemates

Housemates by Emma Copley Eisenberg is the story of friendship, love and photography in Philadelphia. 

When Bernie replies to Leah’s ad for a new housemate in Philadelphia, the two begin an intense and defiantly uncategorizable friendship based on a mutual belief in their art, and one another. Both aspire to capture the world around them: Leah through her writing; Bernie through her photography.

After Bernie’s former photography professor, the renowned yet tarnished Daniel Dunn, dies and leaves her a complicated inheritance, Leah volunteers to accompany Bernie to his home in rural Pennsylvania, turning the jaunt into a road trip with an ambitious mission: to document America through words and photographs.

What ensues is a journey into the heart of the nation, bringing the housemates into conversation with people from all walks of life—“the absurd dreamers and failures of this wide, wide country”—as they try to make sense of the times they are living in. Along the way, Leah and Bernie discover what it means to chase their own ideas and dreams, and to embrace what they are capable of both romantically and artistically.

Warm and insightful, Housemates is a story of youth and freedom—a glorious celebration of queer life, and how art and love might save us all.

Eisenberg, Emma Copley. (2024). Housemates. New York: Hogarth

Jellyfish Have No Ears

Jellyfish Have No Ears by Adele Rosenfeld, translated from French by Jeffrey Zuckerman, is a novel of the authors process of going deaf. 

Louise has always felt adrift between communities: not deaf enough to be a part of Deaf culture, not hearing enough to be fully within the hearing world. Hearing, for Louise, is inseparable from reading other people's lips. Through sight, she perceives words and strings them together like pearls to reconstruct a conversation.

Then an audiology exam shows that most of her hearing has gone, and her doctor suggests a cochlear implant. With this irreversible intervention, Louise would gain a new, synthetic sense of hearing - but she would lose what remains of her natural hearing, which has shaped her unique relationship with the world, full of whispers and shadows.

As she weighs the prospect of surgery, she must also contend with the chaotic reality of her life as she falls in love, suffers through her first job, and steadies herself with friends.

A masterclass in wordplay and language's possibilities and limitations, this fiercely original debut plunges readers into Louise's world as she grapples with loss, and considers what she might gain in the process.

Rosenfeld, Adele. (2024). Jellyfish Have No Ears. Minneapolis: Greywolf Press. 

The Ballad of Jacquotte Delahaye

The Ballad of Jacquotte Delahaye by Briony Cameron is the fictionalized story of a real woman who was one of the more successful pirates of the Caribbean in the mid-1600s.

In the tumultuous town of Yáquimo, Santo Domingo, Jacquotte Delahaye is an unknown but up-and-coming shipwright. Her dreams are bold but her ambitions are bound by the confines of her life with her self-seeking French father. When her way of life and the delicate balance of power in the town are threatened, she is forced to flee her home and become a woman on the run along with a motley crew of refugees, including a mysterious young woman named Teresa.

Jacquotte and her band become indentured servants to the infamous Blackhand, a ruthless pirate captain who rules his ship with an iron fist. As they struggle to survive his brutality, Jacquotte finds herself unable to resist Teresa despite their differences. When Blackhand hatches a dangerous scheme to steal a Portuguese shipment of jewels, Jacquotte must rely on her wits, resourcefulness, and friends to survive. But she discovers there is a grander, darker scheme of treachery at play, and she ultimately must decide what price she is willing to pay to secure a better future for them all.

An unforgettable tale told in three parts, The Ballad of Jacquotte Delahaye is a thrilling, buccaneering escapade filled with siege and battle, and is also a tender exploration of friendship, love, and the search for freedom and home.

Cameron, Briony. (2024). The Ballad of Jacquotte Delehaye. New York: Atria Books.

Love at 350º

 

Love at 350º by Lisa Peers is a lesbian romance centered around cooking. 

Kendra Campbell is the owner and chef at a well-known restaurant in Sonoma, CA. She is also a notoriously ruthless judge on a reality cooking contest show, Bake-O-Rama. 

Tori Moore is a high school chemistry teacher. She teaches her students chemistry in a cooking class. Her dream has always been to open a bakery. Her two teenage children secretly enter her into a competition to apply to Bake-O-Rama, where the prize money could help their mom's dream. 

Peers has created a great romance novel with delicious food and attraction.

Peers, Lisa. (2023). Love at 350º. New York: The Dial Press. 

Briefly, A Delicious Life

Briefly, A Delicious Life by Nell Stevens is an unforgettable glimpse into George Sand's life with Frederic Chopin, via the eyes of a ghost. 

In 1473, fourteen-year-old Blanca dies in a hilltop monastery in Mallorca. Nearly four hundred years later, when George Sand, her two children, and her lover Frederic Chopin arrive in the village, Blanca is still there: a spirited, funny, righteous ghost, she's been hanging around the monastery since her accidental death, spying on the monks and the townspeople and keeping track of her descendants. 

Blanca is enchanted the moment she sees George, and the magical novel unfolds as a story of deeply felt, unrequited longing - the impossible love of a teenage ghost for a woman who can't see her and doesn't know she exists. As George and Chopin, who wear their unconventionality on their sleeves, find themselves in deepening trouble with the provincial, 19th-century villagers, Blanca watches helplessly and reflects on the circumstances of her own death.

A creative and compelling story written beautifully.

Stevens, Nell. (2022). Briefly, A Delicious Live. New York: Scribner.

Winter's Orbit

Orbit by Everina Maxwell is a gay space romance between people married as a political contract. 

Prince Kiem is a minor royal of the Empire, the least favorite grandson of the Empress. He is about to be married to Count Jainen, a treaty to keep the outlying planets in line. Their marriage is one of the items to get in line before the Empire renews a Resolution with the alien species that keeps them from being invaded by neighbors.

Neither Prince Kiem nor Coutn Jainen want to be married, but understand it is their duty. To add pressure to a new couple who had never met before, there is a conspiracy and a plot to sabotage the Resolution.

Maxwell's novel is everything you could want in a space opera or in a romance story. A great read!

Maxwell, Everina. (2021) Winter's Orbit. New York: Orbit.

How You Get The Girl (Nashville Love #3)

How You Get the Girl by Anita Kelly is the third book in the Nashville Love queer romance series. 

Julie Parker coaches the girls' basketball team at Nashville High. When she is told a new girl is joining the team she is prepared to help her fit in. When that girl's aunt walks into the gym, however, she is shocked. Her all-time favorite WNBA, Elle Cochrane, is taking care of her niece. 

Elle has not been on a basketball court since she left the WNBA with an injury. She left that part of her life behind. She is not sure how she will feel even watching her niece practice. 

Anita Kelly has written a hot, queer romance series tied to characters in New Orleans. I have loved all three books, but this one is my favorite. Read it today!

Kelly, Anita. (2024). How You Get the Girl. New York: Forever Books.

The Fiancée Farce

The Fiancée Farce by Alexandria Bellefleur is a lesbian romance with an unusual start. 

Tansy Adams is tired of going to family get togethers about her step-cousin's upcoming wedding to the worst man in the world. To get out of a dinner she makes up a date. When asked with whom, Tansy says Gemma. Gemma West is a woman she has never met, but is the cover model on a book she was looking at during the call.

Months later, at the cousin's wedding, Gemma walks into the room. Of course Tansy's step-sister says something to Tansy. But Tansy never dreams that not only will Gemma go along with her lie, she will up the stakes.

Bellefleur has written a sweet, hot romance about a bookstore manager and a publishing heiress. A really fun read.

Bellefleur, Alexandria. (2023). The Fiancée Farce. New York: Avon.

Looking for a Sign

Looking for a Sign by Susie Dumond is a romance set in New Orleans.

Gray has just moved to New Orleans. She is starting over after a divorce and her best friend Cherry lives there. With all of the changes in her life, Gray is taking her Cherry advice and seeing an astrologer.

As her Saturn's Return is due - a time thought of as when we assess the next phase in our lives (every 29 years) - she is going on a date with someone of each sign to see which she may be compatible with. Her goal is to find someone who wants to start a family.

Dumond has written a fun lesbian romp through New Orleans. 

Drmond, Susie. (2024). Looking for a Sign. New York: Dial Press.

Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress

Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress by Dai Sijie is a classic novel set in the Chinese Cultural Revolution. 

Two sons of doctors have been sent to the countryside to be re-educated in this novel of Mao's China.

This is a beautiful telling of being sent to the mountains to unlearn what was seen as Western ideas. Luo and Ma play tricks on the villagers, do manual labor, live in a barn, and meet a seamstress who distracts them from the situation they find themselves in.

As a bonus, the audiobook is read by D.B. Wong.

Sijie, Dai. (2001). Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress. New York: Knopf.

Sandwich

Sandwich by Catherine Newman is a beautiful look at a hard time in life - being part of the sandwich generation between aging parents and newly adult children. 

Rocky and Nick are spending a week on Cape Cod with their adult children and Rocky's aging parents. This is a tradition of two decades, each in the same rental house. 

If you have not yet had the pleasure to read a Catherine Newman adult book (she is also a children's book author) - NOW is a good time. She writes about the parts of life that many books gloss over. You will laugh out loud and you will sob at some point. 

Sandwich is a story about love and family. It is relatable even if you don't have children, but I imagine even more impactful if you do. Go buy this book today. Once you read it a few times, you can gift it to a loved one.

Newman, Catherine. (2024). Sandwich. New York: Harper.

Margo Zimmerman Gets the Girl

Margo Zimmerman Gets the Girl by Brianna Shrum and Sara Waxelbaum is a YA queer romance and a fun read. 

Margo Zimmerman is gay, but she didn’t know until now. An overachiever at heart, Margo is determined to ace her newly discovered gayness. All she needs is the right tutor.
 
Abbie Sokoloff has her own gayness down to a science. But a flunking grade in US History is threatening her acceptance to her dream school. All she needs is the right tutor.
 
Margo agrees to help Abbie get her history grade up in exchange for “Queer 101” lessons. But as they spend more and more time together, Margo realizes she doesn’t want just any girl—she wants the girl. [fantastic fiction]

This is a great YA romance filled with humor. Read it.

Shrum, Brianna and Sara Waxelbaum (2023). Margo Zimmerman Gets the Girl. New York: Inkyard Press.

Bitch: On the Female of the Species

Bitch: On the Female of the Species by Lucy Cooke is an update to Darwin's Victorian view for biology across species.

Cooke, a well-known science writer spent two years interviewing biologists in many, many fields across the fauna of our planet. Building on some of these scientists, Cooke has created an overview of the errors of Charles Darwin - looking at the male of the species as the only factor while also ignoring any animals who did not fit his view of the sexes.

Fans of Mary Roach and Bill Bryson who love animals will adore this book. Cooke presents science for the lay reader with care and humor. 

Read this book if you live on the planet Earth.

Cooke, Lucy. (2023). Bitch: On the Female of the Species. New York; Basic Books.

The No-Girlfriend Rule

The No-Girlfriend Rule by Christen Randall is a YA coming of age novel set around a Dungeons & Dragons-like game.

Hollis is looking for a place to play S&S. Her boyfriend plays with his friends - and it is all they talk about. But the group has a no girlfriend rule. 

After trying a random game at a gaming store, Hollis is worried that there is no place for her at the game. On her way out, she sees a flyer looking for girls and queers to create a new game.

As Hollis gets to know the other player she learns more about who she wants to be. 

Randall has written a sweet coming of age YA queer, geek girl romance about learning to like yourself the way you are - and finding your group of people.

Randall, Christen. (2024). The No-Girlfriend Rule. New York: Pushkin.

Love and Other Disasters (Nashville Love #1)

 

Love and Other Disasters by Anita Kelly is the first book in their Nashville Love romance series. 

Chef's Special cooking show is filming its eighth season. Contestants come from all over the country to participate.

Dahlia Woodson has not been cooking for long. It is something she has been exploring for the last two years, since her divorce. She loves to cook. Also, the hundred thousand dollar prize would get her out of debt and give her a chance to figure out what to do next. 

London Parker has been cooking for years. Their twin, Julie, has encouraged them along the way. If they win, they are going to open an LGBTQ nonprofit in Nashville. But the first set is coming out as nonbinary to the camera.

Kelly's books are both sweet and super hot. Their characters are well written and fleshed out. She is quickly becoming one of my favorite queen authors.

Kelly, Anita. (2022). Love & Other Disasters. New York: Forever Books.

The Gods Below (Hollow Covenant #1)

The Gods Below by Andrea Stewart is the first book in her Hollow Covenant fantasy series. 

After the world was shattered, a man went down to the realm of the gods near the center of the planet. Most gods ignored him, but Kluehnn made a deal. He would restore the kingdoms to lush, plentiful lands. But he would also change the people to be better for the planet.

Harara and Rasha are sisters. They are on their own since their mother and grandmother died. Hakara dives for fish and abalone to eat and sell. Rasha is only nine. But the restoration is coming soon - a wall of darkness that will transform some people into altered. Others will disappear forever. 

In the next kingdom of Langzu the land is dying. The people hold onto their ways. The rich hording wealth and the rest just trying to survive. 

Told from different points of view, Stewart introduces us to her world. This is GREAT fantasy book. Put it on your reading list and wait impatiently with me for the next book!

Stewart, Andrea. (2024). The Gods Below. New York: Orbit.

Arsenic and Adobo (Tita Rosie's Kitchen Mystery #1)

Arsenic and Adobo by Mia P. Manansala is the first book in her Tita Rosie's Kitchen culinary cozy mystery series.

When Lila Macapagal moves back home to recover from a horrible breakup, her life seems to be following all the typical rom-com tropes. She's tasked with saving her Tita Rosie's failing restaurant, and she has to deal with a group of matchmaking aunties who shower her with love and judgment. But when a notoriously nasty food critic (who happens to be her ex-boyfriend) drops dead moments after a confrontation with Lila, her life quickly swerves from a Nora Ephron romp to an Agatha Christie case.

With the cops treating her like she's the one and only suspect, and the shady landlord looking to finally kick the Macapagal family out and resell the storefront, Lila's left with no choice but to conduct her own investigation. Armed with the nosy auntie network, her barista best bud, and her trusted Dachshund, Longanisa, Lila takes on this tasty, twisted case and soon finds her own neck on the chopping block… [fantastic fiction]

Manansala, Mia P. (2021). Arsenic and Adobo. New York: Berkeley Prime Crime.

The Future of Another Timeline

The Future of Another Timeline by Annalee Newitz is a queer, feminist, punk time travel novel. 

1992 - Beth is at a Riotgrrl concert with her friends when a decision they make creates a new path in the timeline. 

2022 - Beth is part of a group of time travelers who are hoping to make small changes in the past to ensure body autonomy for women in all timelines. 

1892 - In the White City as Chicago's World's Fair is about to open the battle for the future in on. Trends started by Comstock and his followers could take away women's rights for the whole of the future.

Newitz is a science fiction genius. They take stories to places few others would think of. Due to the current political climate in the US this is not an easy book to read right now, but maybe corrections are coming here too.

Newitz, Annalee. (2019). The Future of Another Timeline. New York: Tor.

The City in the Middle of the Night

The City in the Middle of the Night by Charlie Jane Anders

January is a dying planet - divided between a permanently frozen darkness on one side, and blazing endless sunshine on the other. Humanity clings to life, spread across two archaic cities built in the sliver of habitable dusk. 

But life inside the cities is just as dangerous as the wastelands outside. Sophie, a student and reluctant revolutionary, is supposed to be dead, after being exiled into the night. 

Saved only by forming an unusual bond with the enigmatic beasts who roam the ice, Sophie vows to stay hidden from the world, hoping she can heal. But fate has other plans - and 

Sophie's ensuing odyssey and the ragtag family she finds will change the entire world. [from fantastic fiction]

Anders is a talented writer who takes stories places other authors don't even think of. Her science fiction is amazing and will leave you thinking of the characters long after you finish reading. 

Anders, Charlie Jane. (2019). The City in the Middle of the Night. New York: Tor.

Something Wild & Wonderful (Nashville Love #2)

Something Wild & Wonderful by Anita Kelly, from her Nashville Love romance series, takes place over about a thousand miles of the Pacific Coast Trail. 

Ben is hiking the PCT for two reasons. First, his dad always took in hiking and bird watching. And second, his parents have disowned since he came out to them as gay. His goal is to use the solitude to think about what he wants to do next - likely involving moving away from southern Washington where his parents live. 

Alexi is hiking the PCT as a challenge and a celebration. He just completed nursing school and wants to do this before he dives in to work. He is also grieving a loved one he recently lost. 

Ben and Alexi meet when Ben stops a hiker from stepping on a rattlesnake. When the group meets up again at one of the popular towns along side the trail, Alexi asks Ben if he can hike with him for a while. 

Kelly has written a wonderful queer romance series set around a group of friends from Nashville. These books are sweet, hot and fun.

Kelly, Anita. (2023). Something Wild &Wonderful. New York: Forever books.

Hello Beautiful

Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano is centered around the four Padavano sisters in the Pilsen neighborhood of Chicago. 

William Waters grew up in a house without love. His parents barely looked at him. The only time he had any happiness was when he was playing basketball. When William earns a scholarship, he chooses a school away from his parents. He meets Julia Padavano during his freshman year.

Julia comes with her family. The four sisters are inseparable. As William become part of the Padavano circle, he has his first experiences of a loving family. The house is always full of love and chaos.

Napolitano writes characters whom you would want in your own life. Her stories will stay with you for long after you have stayed up all night to finish her books. 

Napolitano, Ann. (2023). Hello Beautiful. New York: The Dial Press.  

Lessons in Chemistry

Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus is one of the most delightful books I have read this year. 

Elizabeth Zott is a chemist. In the early 1960s there are not many women who have braved the gauntlet required to get an advanced degree. Now she works at the Hastings Research Institute. And Hastings is where she meets Calvin Evans - a man who sees her like no one else has. 

Filled with amazing characters and laugh-out-loud scenes, but also containing the realities of the time, the struggle to be taken seriously and one of the best dogs ever written. 

Read this book. I have listened to the audiobook and am now reading it - back to back. 

Garmus, Bonnie. (2022). Lessons in Chemistry. New York: Doubleday. 

Zeitoun

Zeitoun by Dave Eggers is the true story of one family's experiences in and around Hurricane Katrina.

Nola residents Kathy and Abdulrahman Zeitoun own and run a construction and painting company. They are known as good neighbors and loving parts of Syrian Muslim community. 

When the news starts talking of a storm headed toward New Orleans, Kathy decides to take the children to a relative's house farther inland. Zeitoun stays to watch the house and be available for their customers' needs. 

After weathering the storm with some leaks, water starts slowly flooding in. Zeitoun moves everything he can upstairs to keep it dry. He takes a used canoe out of the garage and ties it to the from porch. 

After the flooding, Zeitoun uses his canoe to search for people who need help. He finds one of their buildings that still have phone services and keeps in touch with Kathy. 

Then random police from all over the country arrive, volunteering to "protect the city" from looters. Zeitoun, his building tenant, an acquaintance from their mosque, and a stranger are all arrested. Having identification showing that be belongs has no effect. 

What follows is one of the failures of FEMA and law enforcement. Read this book. It is important to see what really goes on in times of chaos. 

Eggers, Dave. (2009). Zeitoun. New York: McSweeny's Books.