Welcome to Litsy!

A classic queer novel that sat on my TBR for far too long. Our main character Jess is a butch lesbian growing up and trying to survive through the 1940-80s. The story takes you through the police harassment, the abuse of society, the stress and fear of job unstableness that comes with being different. But it also focuses on the loves and friendships Jess makes through her life. The essential relationships to get through this hard life.

This is what courage is. It's not just living through the nightmare, it's doing something with it afterwards. It's being brave enough to talk about it to other people. It's trying to organize to change things.

#weeklyforecast
Women's Prize long list comes out on Tuesday and I am so excited. For now this is what my reading week looks like.
Am half into White Horse and have started VenCo and Stone Butch Blues. I have Upgrade and Sign Here on audio to help things along.

#bookspinbingo

Ready to GO!

@thearomaofbooks

#7Days7Books
Day 5
We present here seven books that will remain in our minds, because they touched us so much, changed us. No further comment!
#QueerBooks #LGBTQBooks #LGBTQ #TransBooks #LeslieFeinberg

This book is a difficult but rewarding read. It recounts the brutal, often harrowing experiences of gender queer, transgender, and other lgbtq people that culminated in the events at the Stonewall Inn and other lesser known revolutions. #lgbt #lgbtq #lgbtqcharacter #lgbtliterature #genderqueer #lgbthistory #queerbook

Just finished this chapter that I simply loved and currently feeling a wide range of emotions. Love. Awe. Fondness. Also horror, regret. Respect. I‘ve never read about braver people.

This book was a Lambda Literary award finalist in 1994.Described as a genderqueer narrative,a powerful novel about growing up different in upstate NY in the 1940‘s thru 1970s.There are TWs in this book .Jess must navigate her identity,& harassment for being butch.A lot of insight how any gay/lesbian bars were busted and harassed almost constantly . It is also a working class novel.Bet Jess had a #ringofkeys & some swagger. #MusicalNewYear

I‘m a day late to the #HolidayGratitudeChallenge, but being on break from school makes me want to JOIN ALL THE THINGS! 😂 Day 1 = books that changed our lives: The first time I read Stone Butch Blues, I recognized my gender in a book for the first time ever. That‘s powerful stuff.
(It was also the first book we read for my local queer book club, where I first got to spend time with @brandybear22 in a social capacity) 🤗🤓 #ButchFemme #queerbooks

Just incredible. I‘ve read it before and it makes me cry every time. So powerful and important.

Second book club meeting discussing Stone Butch Blues. Love how conversations flow from the smallest details.

Book club is at 11:30, 20 minutes away. I‘m not dressed yet. Totally got this. 🙄😬🤓

Discussing food and love with my coworkers, and recounting my glorious brunch on Sunday with the wonderful waiter, delicious food, sunny outdoor table, and the peach sangria garnished with nasturtiums, I was reminded of this scene from Stone Butch Blues that always guts me. But in the good way. 💜 #queerbooks

An amazingly powerful book about gender, gender identification, and sexuality. But more than anything it's also about trying to survive as an outsider, feeling different, loneliness, isolation, and struggling to matter. It's a book about love. Learning to truly love and how to let yourself be loved. It is heartbreaking and many parts are emotionally hard to read.

This book is absolutely heartbreaking.

Free download of Stone Butch Blues at http://www.lesliefeinberg.net/ today in honour of International Day of Trans Visibility. If you haven't already read this important book check it out. #transbooks

This book wasn't an easy read, but it really changes your perspective. It's so powerful and eye-opening.

Today I went to the library to return The Scorpion Rules (which I liked, in the end), and ended up reading there The Argonauts by Maggie Nelson in one go (really interesting!). Now I'm reading Stone Butch Blues--I've heard a lot about this book, and surprisingly, my library had it. On a sidenote, when I'll finish it, this would be the 100th book I read this year! Some were quite short, though, so the number isn't as impressive as it might sound...

One of my favorite dedications ever, from Feinberg to partner Minnie: "The dirt from your garden is still smudged on my blues. Oh, my love, haven't we written a chapter together since"

#nationalcomingoutday

More awesome #queerbooks to celebrate #NationalComingOutDay! 🌈

I love how much awesome stuff there is out there. #WeNeedDiverseBooks has made a big push in the publishing world when it comes to showcasing more #diversebooks, and it shows. Not that *nothing* existed on this front before, but sometimes activism really goes a long way to make more of a good thing happen. I'm really glad it has. 💕

❤️💛💚💙💜💖

#NationalComingOutDay - Reflecting on a few books that were important to my coming out and early days as a young(er) queer person. Sending lots of love to other LGBTTIQQA littens and gratitude to all the straight allies sending love our way! 🌈💜

"I was the only expert on living my own life, the only person I could turn to for answers."

#DiversityMonday, #transbooks, #queerbooks I read this when I was 19 and it gutted me. Not just because of the trans storyline; when I was coming out, it was into a community that was still somewhat separated into butch and femme, that was rife with class differences. Stone Butch Blues spoke to all those parts of me and to those things I never really knew existed. One of those books that everyone needs to read.

...your eyes caught mine and played with me before you set me free

This book changed the way I thought/think about gender and class. Heartbreaking, groundbreaking, not an easy book to read at all. But absolutely life-changing. Hands down one of my favorite books in the world.

I don't want another label either. I just wish we had words so pretty we'd go out of our way to say them out loud.