I cheated and looked at some reviews for this book the other day, and I see a lot of them hating on Gene. I understand, she's definitely a pain and she has a ton of growth to do, but I absolutely adore her. She's not a bad person. She's very driven and single-minded and not a stellar girlfriend, but overall she's a pretty good character. She's funny, adorable, and has a ton of compelling areas to learn from. I'd read a book about her.

Sometimes you find perfect books for yourself. When you read chaotically like me and don't read the backs of books before you read, they're even more random and satisfying to find. I picked this one up feeling like it might be a so-so read for me and so far it's extremely perfect. I absolutely adore the characters, and the silly situations they get into. The literary references, nerdy manga love, and charming hate banter are also delightful.

I'm absolutely delighted by how often LGBTQIA+ books catch my eye. Queer stories are always my favorite. I don't usually read the backs of books, especially graphic novels, when I decide I'm going to read them. I read a bit chaotically and it usually works out well. Somehow, more often than not, the books that catch my eye end up being queer like this one, which I picked up because I liked the title and spine design.

An adorable reimagining of Baba Yaga as a witch from Santa Fe. I loved all of the nods to the inspiration, like the roadrunner legs and the prickly pear fence. I'm not sure why the girl looks like she stepped out of Tim Burton's imagination in most scenes. #Retelling #BabaYaga #Witch #PictureBook

This manga is unreasonably beautiful and has quickly become a favorite. I absolutely love the character designs, how the world is illustrated, and the layout of each page. The story is fun too, as Coco strives to enter the world of magic that wizards are born into. I can't wait to read more. #manga #magic

I'm not all that into superhero comics because they just don't interest me enough, but I do really enjoy the Marvel Voices collections. My favorite in this one was definitely the issue that reimagined several characters including Wolverine and Venom (and characters I don't know) in a Japanese mythology landscape. #comics #inclusive #AAPI

This picture book is absolutely gorgeous and such a delight to read. I learned a lot about Lotte Reiniger's work (since I have not gotten around to reading books about her) and had fun looking up some of the animations described in this book. Definitely a lot of work and care went into this and if you're interested in women's history or animation and film history, this might be a fun little treat for you too.

This is an excellent exploration of neurodiveristy, terminology definition (which was so helpful!), and applying queer theory. It took a long time to get around to what the author meant by neuroqueer theory, but she explains it extremely well, and everything leading up to it aptly broadened my understanding before we got there. There's a lot from this book that I take away to use in my life both in understand and making space for neurodiveristy.

Thanks everyone for the helpful suggestions for ways to make these tiny books turn out better! I realized I could post a picture showing off the books themselves. I made two copies of each book as an experiment, one with small versions of the existing book pages and one with book info to be a book recommendation. I'll probably only do the version that can be a recommendation instead of the small pages version moving forward. #LitsyCrafters

I'm making pocket libraries from old Altoids tins. More books fit inside than expected! Top row is mini book recommendations with details about each book and the second shelf has small versions of the first 10ish pages for each. Next is finishing the insides and decorating the outsides!
The glue warped my books and now they don't stay put well, so I'm going to try gluing them to card stock or something unless anyone has suggestions? #LitsyCrafters

As an LGBTQIA+ woman with queer, trans, and nonbinary family and friends, Muslim family, family at risk of pregnancy complications, and other at risk friends and family, as a person invested in education and literacy, as a person who wants marginalized communities to be safe and thrive... And so many other factors, it's been high emotions for the last few days. Mostly fear, sorrow, and anger. But also determination to keep making (...)

A lovely, calming collection of illustrated poems especially for young poets. This touches on topics highly relevant to kids, as well as encouraging writers to keep going even when the page is a little too blank. For adults, it's nostalgic and encouraging. #poetry

Curtis walks readers through his life with humor and ample reflection. It was interesting reading about his experiences in his family's restaurant alongside his experiences as he grew into young adulthood. This was a pleasure to read. #nonfiction #LGBTQIA

Nathan is flung into an unexpected adventure when he meets up with the mysterious Haven and crosses path with the volken chasing after him. This was a fun read. I wish it was a bit more developed, but I loved the characters and how the story unfolds. #Nonbinary #Hispanic #Fantasy #Comics

Explore human culture after becoming a space faring species out of necessity for generations, and then a species split between planed and the ships wee survived on. A scifi slice of life: Another excellent read in this series exploring the many aspects of being human. I loved this as much as Chambers' other books. #scifi #SpaceColony

It was pretty cool learning about the women of Disney Studios history. They had to put up with a lot in order to follow their career dreams. I also really enjoyed learning the history of many of the films these women worked on, and learning a bit of cinima history along the way. Check content warnings before reading. #WomensHistory #FilmHistory #Animation

While I was disappointed at first not to return to the crew of the Wayfarer, it didn't last long. I greatly enjoyed getting to know Lovelace as she settles into her new life outside of a ship framework, and enjoyed exploring the troubling survival story of a small girl created for one purpose until accidentally unmoored from it. I adored the ending as well. #LGBTQIA #SliceOfLife #Cozy

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