A charming, reflective picture book celebrating family heritage and Japanese-American culture with beautiful illustrations. It was sweet seeing this intergenerational day of making mochi and reflecting on loved ones who passed away. As a bonus, I always love food illustrations. #PictureBook #Japan #Mochi

Rook and Sun just want to impress their mentors and be the best magic users they can be. But ithings get complicated when the Consortium starts to pay them some notice. This was a pretty fun read! It's definitely very young adult, but I think anyone looking for a bit of fluffy reading with magic, charming characters, romance, and vengeance you can feel great about will enjoy this read. This reminded me strongly of Owl House. #LGBTQIA #Magic

Naruse pines after his novelist ex boyfriend, and wonders about why their relationship ended. I didn't love this as much as I thought I would. Naruse constantly thinks he doesn't know why he broke up with Toui, and we were never given a compelling reason to like Toui or root for their relationship or for them to stay broken up. #Manga #Lgbtqia

Neurodivergent Marley is determined to finally go to their first ever Pride, but they have to find ways to make Pride work for their sensory needs. I absolutely loved this beautiful picture book. The characters are wonderful, the textures of every page are amazing, and the illustrations are inclusive. #picturebook #Neurodivergent #lgbtqia #inclusive #disabilities

Our library picked this as it's big community read, so I gave it a try. It's really well written and interesting, for sure. Beautiful prose, deep explorations of grief, women's issues, and displacement, and a Colorado setting make this book really shine. It did have the parade of painful tragedies that make me hate historic fiction. I loved hearing from the author during an author presentation at the library. She's wonderful. #ColoradoAuthor

One of our library district's libraries is closing because the library doesn't have the funding it needs to sustain this location. It's a huge blow for the community. There are other libraries somewhat nearby, with a 15 minute drive from this location, but people who don't drive can't get to them because of where they are. The district does have several locations, but people feel this was a rushed decision by the conservative library Board.

Absolute eye candy. The art is so pretty, and every character is ridiculously gorgeous. I love the concept of painted magic. Unfortunately, the story is very much under-developed and the painting magic plays very little role. I'd give this a read because of the pretty art and story potential, but don't bring high expectations for the storytelling aspect. #lgbtqia #comics #astrology #UniqueMagic

This was a pretty entertaining read. I enjoyed the characters and their bothersome relationship in which one leans into their prior relationship in order to stay at the detective agency and tag along on cases. There are some well done spicy scenes in this, and I liked how the seemingly unrelated cases come together in the end. #LGBTQIA #Manga #Detective

Things go from shady oppressive government to running from a hostile government takeover (that we all saw coming) really fast in this volume. I'm always a fan of knowledge keepers providing safe haven. I really enjoyed watching the characters and story continue to develop, and feel like we got even more beautiful panel breaking art. #Comics #PoliticalIntrigue

My husband found this manga at a used bookstore, so of course it joined our collection. It's a dark, humorous, and adorable short in Sadako's afterlife (long after The Ring) imagining what would happen if she was summoned in a post-apocalyptic landscape. #manga #apocalypse #horror

I don't usually read super hero stories because I don't find them engaging, but it was interesting reading this collection of shorts and chapters featuring Marvel's indigenous characters and creators. The essays and interviews in between were also excellent. I was intrigued enough by some of these stories to maybe pick them up again sometime. #Comics #superhero #indigenous

I didn‘t think I could love a book more than I did the first two, but it happened! Marske makes excellent use of a trope I usually hate - enemies to lovers - and continues to build on already vivid character and world dynamics. She‘s also a master at spicy scenes if those are your jam, constantly one-upping her prior scenes somehow. Given how much I love this series, I was delighted to see a glimmer of more on the horizon. #lgbtqia #magic

I‘d call this a fascinating but stressful read. It was a big library read on Libby a while ago, and I was intrigued enough to read it. It starts out with a pretty cool prehistory of North America, and half way through it quickly spirals into a distressing tirade of environmental destruction and needless cruelty as white colonists flood the scene. Indigenous perspectives are definitely missing in this book.

Another excellent read! There is so much going on in this book, between the political strife forming between the clans, the journey of the sea captain, and the emotional hurricane of the new god avatars, but it all works together quite well. I love visiting this world Roanhorse has built. #Fantasy #Indigenous #LGBTQIA #Crows

The writing is just so... Writer-y. I can't stop cringing at the lines used. I almost bailed after the first 4 minutes, but hung on a bit longer to see if it got better. It didn‘t, so after the fire scene, which didn‘t make a lot of sense to me (why did he think the creature would come save him?????) I decided it was time to jump ship.

Wang explores many topics from friendship and strict parents to childhood illness and not being seen as Chinese enough or American enough. I really enjoyed exploring these topics through Christine's struggles as she navigates self expression, academics, friendship, and family to find where she belongs.
#GraphicNovel #AAPI #Childhood

Hiked out to a nearby reservoir and put up my hammock to read while my mom and husband fished. Conditions were absolutely perfect, and mom took two trout home! #OutdoorReading #PerfectSpot #Hammock

This guy gets me 😆 pico de Gallo is one of the only times cilantro is acceptable.

This is another book I found while doing library social media and I'm glad I did. The author shares their experiences and feelings visiting family in mexico as a teen beautifully. They explore identity, family, culture, language barriers, and more in this heartfelt story. I loved their use of the inner them to convey more of their feelings. Also, shout-out to beautiful food illustrations (which are always my favorite!) #Comic #Nonfiction

I learned about this book during a special Stuff You Missed In History podcast episode featuring the author. I forgot about it until I spotted it on a library display recently. It's a pretty fun book and taught me about many historic and mythic women I'd never heard of. The author's humor is throughout each description and he's kind of an adorable dork. I loved the illustrations and wish every image had art notes. #WomensHistory #History

It looks like the second book, Theory of Happiness isn't quite on Litsy yet. I really enjoyed the character exploration we get in this second volume as Tai explores career options in accessibility and Kohei works to understand the ways an inaccessible society have impacted his behavior and social relationships over time. Some very sweet moments in their relationship growth as well. #manga #LGBTQIA #DisabilitiesRep

This is a slow-paced, lengthy book but it was worth getting through to the end. I enjoyed seeing how neurodiverse Ox fit in and found companionship with a family of werewolves, as well as with a vehicle repair shop full of delightful side characters (who I 100% adore). Everything with Ox and Joe took so long that by the end I wasn‘t really rooting for them. I would be happy either way. I‘ll definitely read the next book eventually. #lgbtqia

Stunning art and fun page layouts tell the story of a girl with mysterious ties to water magic as she takes on a destructive dam project, tries to find her father after an accident, and is kidnapped by pirates. This is a soft pick for me because although the art is beautiful, the story is a bit underdeveloped. It was a fun read, though. #Comics #Africa

It was interesting learning about the strata maps that helped launch a widespread understanding and acceptance of geology. Overall, this isn't a bad read. I was put off, however, by the author's unnecessary proliferation of sexist, ableist, and anti-asexual notions. #Nonfiction #Science

Clementine and found-family escape the mainland for a while and experience what zombie life is like on an island. We really dive even deeper into the characters' want for safe, stable home as they establish spaces that are their own for the first time. We also get a great look at their developing relationships in this volume. #Lgbtqia #Comics #Zombies #DisabilitiesRep

I'd recommend this even though I give it a so-so rating because it's a pretty cute story. I enjoyed watching this quiet, extremely awkward nerd navigate his major crush on the local delivery guy. There are a lot of shining moments like the jogging thing and both men struggling with feeling like they're enough. The character development could have been better, though, especially for side characters. #manga #lgbtqia

Overall, pretty cute! I really enjoyed the characters and watching their relationship move from friends with benefits to much more. The emotional development in this volume is more intriguing than in the prior volume. I'm also almost always a sucker for a happy, sappy ending. #Manga #LGBTQIA

Zombie stuff is almost never my cup of tea, but I really enjoyed this graphic novel. The horror elements are minimalized and the character development and growth is outstanding. I also really enjoyed seeing the characters take to the mountains to escape their usual reality of lower elevations. #DisabilitiesRep #LGBTQIA #Jewish #Amish

My low expectations going in (based on another book by the same author) were not warranted. I was advised to give this book a try and I'm glad I did. This fake dating story in which a dare turns into a genuine connection is adorable and heartfelt while also touching on some tough family topics. I enjoyed this quite a bit. Also, loving the maybe demisexual/romantic rep. #LGBTQIA #FakeDating

I just finished listening to one of her books yesterday, so it was fun finding this interview with Rebecca Roanhorse in this comic collection! I didn't realize she did any comic writing. #Comics

Unsurprisingly, I've only read 3% of the books The New York Times claims to be the top 100 books of the century. I usually don't enjoy the sorts of books that end up on lists of this nature (partly because they almost never include fantasy or graphic novels, which are two of my go-to reading experiences). Also, is splayed open really the only image of Fun Home they had available to them?

This book is what happens when someone comes up with a spicy smut idea, dresses it up in weak character and story development, and then gets shy and pulls back from their spicy smut idea and only half executes it. I didn‘t expect this to be very good, and it wasn‘t. I didn‘t bother to add it to any of my ongoing reading challenges. The art is pretty, though. #manga #lgbtqia

This one has a seemingly interesting premise with characters reborn into modern times searching for each other after recovering their past life memories. However, it was not pulled off well. It felt weak, more like someone sprinkled glitter on a story when they could have used gold. Overall, pretty cute and I liked the characters. #LGBTQIA #MagicalRealism #reincarnation #Manga

A bit of a surprisingly pleasant read. Kouki takes a bit of an overdone premise (roommates becoming unattached friends with benefits) and does great emotional exploration with the characters. I definitely enjoyed this one. I also read Ryouma as more on the ace spectrum like me based on some of the things he says and thinks. There were a few spots that were a bit more on the problematic side for both characters. #Manga #LGBTQIA

Such a silly, fluffy romance full of nonsense and beautiful food illustrations (which are my favorite 🤩)! I loved seeing Ben stumble into this restaurant position and discovering a passion for cooking that he didn‘t explore while getting his degree in English. This exploration of future potential was a lot of fun. I wasn‘t a huge fan of the chef‘s emotional abuse but otherwise a great cast of characters. #LGBTQIA #Comics #Food

This was a lovely introduction to kitchen witchery (though the author seems to take liberties with history and prehistory). I am surprised by how much of this magic resonates with me. The author has a lot of fun explaining the essence of kitchen magic and lays out excellent examples of rituals and recipes. I made a few recipes while I had this from the library and they were really tasty. #magic #Cooking

One of my favorite uses for hammocks! The birds are very active today as well, providing an amazing soundtrack to this relaxing afternoon ❤️ #Hammock #ReadOutside

This was just the level of sugar-saturated fluff I was looking for. While grieving the end of yet another short-lived relationship, Riku manages to fall into what seems like a quick rebound with none other than the man who owns the cafe he works at. An appallingly adorable read. The author does a good job of allowing Riku the space he needs to grow and explore his own insecurities as he navigates this new relationship.

Two siblings are forced into hiding when a relative stages a coup to usurp their noble house. They take on new identities within a magical order of women and plan their next move. I absolutely loved this book. The characters have a lot of room to explore themselves and grow, and the art is stunning. I read this back in March for #TransRightsReadathon.

Went to a local authors event at my library today and had so much fun meeting a bunch of Colorado authors. I wish I could have bought from every author I spoke to! 🤩 This was such an amazing event and I can't wait to read these books! #MountainOfAuthors #LocalAuthor #IndieAuthor #ColoradoAuthor

Yamilet doesn't feel comfortable at her catholic school for many reasons, from being low-income to navigating her queerness. An excellent, complex read that really delves into the characters' feelings and explores a lot of issues that intersect in people's lives. I loved Yamilet and enjoyed seeing all of the directions her story takes. I read this for #TransRightsReadathon in March. #LGBTQIA

I read this back in March for #TransRightsReadathon and really enjoyed it. Naturally, I didn't read the description before diving into what I thought would be a fluffy book, so I was blindsided by the intense portrayal of childhood grief. I loved the exploration of identity and friendship, as well as exploring social life on the autism spectrum. I didn't realize it was a novel in verse because I listened to the audiobook. #LGBTQIA

Happy Pride Month!
In celebration, here are the June 2024 bonus bingo prompts for this year‘s LGBTQIA+ Book Bingo. For this board, count any read from June - December. These are available on Storygraph as well. If you haven‘t been doing this year-long bingo and want to, feel free to join in the fun! You can start with these bonus prompts or take on the full challenge.

This was as spicy and funny as the cover and title imply. It was a fun read with interesting relationship dynamics (bordering on problematic at times) as Shiki and Enraku competed for Atsushi‘s attention, and entertaining characters. #LGBTQIA

Used for #GottaCatchEmAll Impidimp: guilty pleasure @PuddleJumper and #OwlHouseReadathon King: a character who acts tough

It‘s been a while since I read an epic fantasy, and this one did not disappoint. It was interesting jumping back and forth in time from where Kai is trying to solve why he was assassinated, alongside throwbacks to his journey figuring out his current set of powers.

Used for #OwlHouseReadathon Matt Tholomule: a well organized leader; and #GottaCatchEmAll Grimmsnarl: read the longest book on your TBR @PuddleJumper

Nigel has reached the age where he has to go up against other teens from around their region in a high-stakes competition. The losers lose their magic. This was just alright, but it was still a fun read. I loved how goofy it was, and am always a sucker for magic boosted by love. I‘m not the target audience, so quite a lot felt a little heavy-handed to me. #LGBTQIA
Used for #LGBTQBookBingo2024 Roll a Dice and for ⬇️⬇️

Not a bad read so far, but I have to say I‘m unimpressed with this author‘s needless proliferation of sexist, ableist, and anti-asexual notions. For no reason, he took the time to repeat that a female geologist who had shown no romantic interests left this world with her cold, petrified heart in her collection. The sexuality of the men somehow hasn‘t come up. He also said of Smith‘s wife that she was a burden due to her ill health and…

I opened the door to find some unexpected book mail! I often enter the book drawings on Goodreads and Storygraph for authors I follow, but I thought I‘d be notified if I won one. I guess not 😆 Very excited to read this dense graphic novel and to have it in my collection.

When Kyouhei moves from the countryside to the city for school, he is inexplicably afraid of city dwellers, including his rough-around-the-edges neighbor, who he finds himself drawn to. Not a standout manga, but enjoyable enough. Definitely humorous! #LGBTQIA

It's time to play review catch-up from when I was sick in March!
Childhood friends Yuuta and Ritsu have defined their relationship through team mate bonds for a long time. When their tenure as team mates ends, they have to work to redefine it. I thought this was a sweet, slow-paced manga with a lovely drawing style. #LGBTQIA

Used for #GottaCatchEmAll Farfetch'd: set in spring @PuddleJumper and #OwlHouseReadathon Willow: involves sports.