Hi Disco Dancers!

I don’t talk about graphic novels enough, I used to read a ton. They’re a great way to get yourself back into reading between long books. Here are some of my fave diverse sci fi and fantasy graphic novels.

Far Sector by N.K. Jemisin

In this standalone Green Lantern story, a Black Green Lantern is sent to a planet to investigate the planets first murder in centuries. Three different races typically live in harmony on the planet, as everyone takes an emotion-inhibiting drug. As the investigation continues, chaos ensues, as the book explores themes of control, rebellion, protest and autonomy. It’s utterly fantastic, beautifully illustrated by Jamal Campbell.

Saga by Brian K. Vaughn

While Brian K. Vaughn is white, so this doesn’t fall under own voices, this brilliant surreal saga is my favourite graphic novel series of all time. Two soldiers on either side of an inter-species war fall in love, run away together, have a very forbidden mixed heritage baby, then form a family with a rag tag group of outcasts trying to hide and survive. It’s bonkers, funny, emotional and brilliant.

Confetti Realms by Nadia Shammas

In this queer story by a Palestinian writer, four teenagers mistakenly go through a portal on Halloween and find themselves in a creepy, crazy fantasy land full of talking animals and very strange rituals. They are told they must collect teeth to get home, and as they do, the bonds between them are tested.

This is wonderful, it really explores the angst of queer adolescence against a backdrop of utterly weird visuals.

Much love,

Disco

Hi party people and disco dancers,

London Trans+ Pride was this past weekend. I usually attend but couldn’t go this time because I wasn’t ready for crowds. I did drag myself out to a smaller music festival with unlimited free ice cream though! Dressed in pink and blue to represent.

Things are pretty darn dire for trans folks here on TERF island. But trans and non-binary authors are writing brilliant stories that showcase how fantastic and resilient our community is.

Here are 3 favourites:

Her Majesty’s Royal Coven trilogy by Juno Dawson

This is a brilliant fantasy series which is basically Desperate Housewives / Spice Girls but they’re British millennial witches. After a magical war, five witches try to rebuild their lives, but a prophecy threatens the world. With a trans side character who becomes more central as it goes on.

What I love so much about this is how specific it is to the experience of being raised as a millennial woman in the UK. I don’t usually vibe with books with tons of pop culture references, but for me specifically, their nostalgia is my nostalgia. It’s so fun.

I just finished the final book, Human Rites, and it was just as fantastic as the others.

Twice Lived by Joma West (my sibling)

This is a short sci fi novel about two teenage girls who share one body across parallel worlds, knowing that one day one of them will get the body for good, and the experiences of their mothers, their hopes, fears and confusion.

People interpret books differently, but for me, this book in part spoke to the frustration of being a person living in a world that does not allow you control of your own body. The doctors who won’t listen, the friends who try but can never truly understand, the hidden dark thoughts you try to push away. It’s an emotional ride of a book, you’re truly rooting for both girls.

More Me with You by Alex Bertie

This is a short audiobook on Audible (I’m not a big fan of Audible though to be honest. I was sent this for review years ago, had to make an account, then Audible made it SO hard to cancel)

I absolutely loved it. It focuses on a trans man in Bristol working in a bookshop who falls for his new coworker. It’s tender, nervous, and sweet. I loved the honestly about dating as a trans person. When do you bring it up? Will they care? Why do dating apps suck so much?

Much love, take care,

Disco x

Trigger warnings for mentions of grief and loss.

Hi party people and disco dancers,

A slightly different newsletter today. I lost my dear friend Piotr recently and I’ve been delving into all the things he loved, to celebrate his life and honour his memory.

One of the things he loved was medieval history, reenactment, tournaments and chivalry. He was a huge fantasy and LOTR fan too.

So it got me thinking, who are my favourite chivalrous, knightly characters in diverse books?

Here are 3 that sprang to mind:

Nicholas in A Witch’s Guide to Magical Innkeeping by Sangu Mandanna.

In this gorgeous found family cosy fantasy, a witch who has lost her magic lives with a rag tag group of diverse misfits, including a young man who works at the local medieval fair, goes everywhere in full plate armour, and is incredibly honourable and protective of his chosen family.

When I read this book initially I immediately thought of Piotr. A true knight who finds his people, who is not just accepted, but appreciated and loved for who he is and what he enjoys.

Garad in Blackheart Knights by Laure Eve.

In this futuristic Arthurian retelling, knights ride on motorbikes and fight in cages to settle disputes. Once such knight is King Arthur’s champion Garad, a non-binary fighter and the best in the land. Though they are only a side character, they totally captivated me. Their loyalty to the king and their little friend group was so well written.

Nick in the Legendborn series by Tracy Deonn

MILD SPOILERS FOR LEGENDBORN, BLOODMARKED AND OATHBOUND

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Look, I love both Nick AND Sel, okay? I’m team throuple all the way. What I love most about Nick is his sense of justice, his willingness to stand up for Bree, to recognise all the patriarchal bullshit and refuse to go along with things just because they’re tradition. He’s noble, and he honestly gets better as the books go on.

And yes, Nick and Bree are a bit insta love and Sel is more fun in a way with his ‘whole dark brooding ocean of meloncholy, can pull off a long dark swishy coat without looking ridiculous’ thing, but I don’t care, they’re both great. Sometimes, the good guys really are good.

My friend is all of these things and more, and I’m lucky to have known him.

Be good to yourselves, and stand up for others. Chivalry is beautiful.

Much love,

Disco xxx

Hi folks,

As it’s Disability Pride Month, and I have a chronic illness and chronic pain, I wanted to share my 3 favourite books with this representation.

What all of these books have in common is, despite being fantasy books, there is no magical cure. People live with their conditions in realistic ways, finding comfort and respite where they can, while still having incredible adventures.

A Spell for Heartsickness by Alistair Reeves

A queer magical fashion designer with a chronic illness (caused by a curse), is told he must travel to a remote island where he is prophesied to meet his true love. When he gets there, however, he’s torn between two men. Which one is his destiny?

I loved this book so much, and really related to the MCs determination. Occasionally he’d burn himself out trying to stay on top of creative projects. However, over the course of the book, he learns to accept help, and makes some brilliant friendships. It’s a gorgeous, emotional story.

Cursed Cocktails by S.L. Rowland

A queer retired blood mage with chronic pain moves to the seaside and opens a cocktail bar with a local (very handsome) bartender. Just one problem though, their building seems to be cursed…

This is such a sweet cosy fantasy MM romance.

Reclaimed by Seth Haddon

This is another fantasy with an MM romance, about a trans man who is accused of a heinous crime, and the investigator who doesn’t believe he’s guilty. The investigator uses a cane and has chronic leg pain, and I also appreciated the plus size rep. The trans character is also fascinating, he is uncomfortable in his body and striving to change it through magical/alchemical means. I typically read a lot of cosy trans books with minimal dysphoria, as it can be very hard to read, but I stuck with this one and I’m glad I did. I felt the journey he went on was very raw and real and sensitively told.

That’s all for now folks! Be excellent to yourselves.

Disco xx

Trigger warnings for discussions of addiction and withdrawal.

Hi there Disco Dancers,

As it’s Disability Pride Month, I’ve been reflecting on conditions that don’t get a huge amount of rep. While addiction isn’t necessarily a disability, it did pop into my mind. I’m 5 years sober and clean, and I love it when I come across books that represent this experience well.

Here are 3 of my faves:

The Final Strife by Saara el-Arifi.

In this African and Arabian-inspired fantasy, a queer woman from a downtrodden class has trained her whole life to overthrow the ruling, oppressive regime. When the plan sets in motion, however, she finds all is not as she’d been led to believe.

The FMC in this series has an addiction to a kind of seed, and goes through periods of withdrawal and suffers a lot because of it. It was a hard read occasionally, but I felt it was treated sensitively, and she is never magically cured. Even when she is weaned off the drug, she has to put work in to maintain her health. It’s a great aspect to a well rounded character.

Evocation by ST Gibson

This is a polyamorous occult romance between a sorcerer, a medium and a witch. The medium is a wealthy man in his mid-twenties, a sober alcoholic, who reconnects with his ex-boyfriend, the sorcerer, who knew him when he was drinking. Occasionally they have flashbacks to those times, and we see how it put a strain on their relationship, and the love and support that they show each other through all of it.

I felt it was a good depiction of how sobriety doesn’t magically make the past go away, and how people can grow and heal together.

A Lady for a Duke by Alexis Hall

In this historical romance, a trans woman reconnects with her ex best friend who knew her when she presented as a man, and now believes she died in battle. Her best friend is now wounded, depressed, grieving, and struggling with a laudanum addiction.

I’ll admit, this book did take me a while to get into because I thought the initial set up was unfair to the best friend, but I absolutely loved it by the end. And the intersection of addiction, pain management and depression was represented well.

Much love, take care,

Disco x

Hi there party people and disco dancers,

Happy Non-Binary People’s Day to my non-binary pals!

Here’s a list of my fave books by BIPOC non-binary authors to celebrate.

Face by Joma West

Disclaimer - Joma is my sibling! That doesn’t stop this from being a brilliant dystopian conceptual sci fi though, published by Tor, blurbed by Sylvain Nuevel and it even had a conference paper written about it.

It’s an unsettling, Black Mirror-esque story set in a world where no one can touch, babies are designed, and online social status dictates wealth and prosperity. Joma is third culture and non-binary.

In the Watchful City by S. Qiouyi Lu

I’m always going on about this amazing, bizarre bio-cyberpunk novella about a human who surveils a totalitarian city state through a biological network, and has aer perception of the universe and aer own history challenged by a mysterious story collector. The story is Asian-inspired and both MCs have neopronouns, as does the non-binary author (ae/aer).

The Black Tides of Heaven by Neon Yang

This is book 1 in a 4 novella fantasy series about the twin children of a regent who are, like everyone, non-binary at birth until they choose their gender when they’re older, but unlike everyone, possess special powers. As they grow, they disagree on gender, power and politics, with ramifications for the whole empire. Neon Yang is Singaporean and non-binary.

Zachary Ying and the Dragon Emperor by Xirin Jay Zhao

I’m a huge Iron Widow fan, and I also loved this middle grade fantasy from the same non-binary author. Queer Chinese-American, Hui Muslim teenager Zachary finds he is connected to the spirit of the First Emperor of China, and must got on a quest to close a portal to the underworld.

Felix Ever After by Kacen Callender

I adore this YA novel Black trans boy navigating first love and identity. It does feature a transphobic subplot, so be warned, but the romance is wonderful and Felix feels so real. I promise you’ll be smiling at the end! Kacen Callender uses they/them pronouns and is queer, trans and non-binary. The story also features a demiboy character.

This reminds me that demigender awareness day is in December so I’d also like to do a post for that. This is the only book I’ve read so far that features a demigender character so please do let me know if you have recs!

Much love,

Disco

Hi party people and disco dancers!

I don’t know about you, but I’ve been needing some really low stakes reads recently. I keep picking up epic fantasy and finding it all too much. Luckily, I’ve happened upon some real cute gems in the last week, all coincidentally East Asian.

The Village Beyond the Mist by Sachiko Kashiwaba

This is the 1974 Japanese children’s book thar the Ghibli movie Spirited Away is based on, now available in English translation with adorable illustrations.

In this very short book, a young girl is sent to stay in a mysterious village for the summer, full of mystical creatures and magical people. She’s told she must earn her keep, and so apprentices to several village shopkeepers, each with their own unique quirks and surprises.

This is pretty different from the movie in that the village isn’t a bathhouse and many of the creatures are different, but the core story is the same, and it’s just as whimsical, cute and surreal. I read it in one sitting.

That Prince is Mine by Jayci Lee

I just finished this! This is a contemporary royal romance about a Korean-American culinary instructor who asks her matchmaker aunt to find her the perfect husband. But then she meets a prince who’s only in town for three months, before he has to go back and rule his country. She tells herself it’s just a fling… but is that really what they both want?

This was so silly and adorable. I usually avoid royal romances because they’re often British and I’m not a fan of the monarchy, but in this book he’s from a fictional European country, Princess Diaries style, so I let it slide and ended up really enjoying it.

And I’m just about to start Red String Theory by Lauren Kung Jessen, which is a contemporary romance about an artist who believes that fate will provide the right man for her, but when she meets the perfect guy for a magical date, they lose touch. Can fate bring them together again?

I’ll let you know my thoughts…

Wishing you all a comforting reading month!

Much love,

Disco

Hi there Disco Dancers!

I hope you’re surviving the heat. I’ve just realised we’re halfway through the year, madness! To mark the occasion I’ll be doing a TikTok about my top 10 reads so far this year. That’ll come out later this week, but wanted to give you folks first look and a handy list.

Seven Recipes for Revolution by Ryan Rose

Food magic, queer normative, angry revolution, eat the rich!!

A Witch’s Guide to Magical Innkeeping by Sangu Mandanna

Cosy, cute, found family, zombie rooster!

Of Monsters and Mainframes by Barbara Truelove

Monsters in space, queer AI, more found family.

Songs for Ghosts by Clara Kumagai

Queer teenage angst, Madam Butterfly retelling, beautiful prose, family secrets

The Saint of Heartbreak by Morgan Dante

Judas x Lucifer love story, very sad bois, slowest of slow burns, literally thousands of years

Self Made Boys by Anne-Marie McLemore

The Great Gatsby but they’re both transmasc, the romance, oh the romance

(S)Kin by Ibi Zoboi

Poetry novel, Caribbean folklore, fire witches, I just want to be a normal girl

The Chromatic Fantasy by H.A.

Runaway nun becomes a transmasc highwayman, meets another transmasc highwayman, shenanigans

A Gentleman’s Gentleman by TJ Alexander

A transmasc Earl who doesn’t want a valet but gets a handsome valet and regrets everything (but not really)

Tradwife by TC Parker

Queer investigator looks into unsolved murders in a Tradwife community, everyone’s a suspect, fictional true crime

Special mention - The Buffalo Hunter Hunter by Stephen Graham Jones. I’m only halfway through this but it’s SO good so far.

All the best,

Disco

Hi there party people and disco dancers!

June is Caribbean Heritage Month, which is recent news to me (the UK only started celebrating it last year).

Since I’m half Trinidadian and lived there as a kid, I’m super happy to have a month dedicated to our beautiful islands and culture.

Here are 3 Caribbean books in 3 different genres that I really enjoyed:

The Haunting of Tyrese Walker by J.P. Rose

This is a YA horror book about a Jamaican-British boy who goes to spend the summer in Jamaica after his father passes away. His grandmother warns him to take care to avoid evil spirits, called duppies, on the island. At first he refuses to believe, but then sinister things begin to go bump in the night…

I’m a scaredy cat, and the creepy crawleys in this were terrifying! But I loved the sinister atmosphere, it’s a great book for horror fans. I also loved learning about Jamaican folklore, which is slightly different to Trinidad.

(S)Kin by Ibi Zoboi

In this beautiful poetry novel, two teenage girls in Brooklyn live two very different lives. One is a soucouyant, a Caribbean fire witch, seeking freedom from her controlling mother. The other is a mixed heritage girl with a hidden past. But their destinies soon entwine.

This was stunning! I felt like it was made just for me. And the Trinidadian folklore aspects were great.

Where the Rhythm Takes You by Sarah Dass

In this Persuasion retelling, a teenage girl in Tobago working in her family’s resort is horrified when her now-famous ex comes to stay. She’s even more horrified when she’s asked to show him and his friends around the island.

This was super cute, and feels like a love letter to soca, Tobago and island life.

That’s all for now!

Much love,

Disco

Hi there party people and disco dancers,

Happy Juneteenth to those who celebrate! We don’t have this in the UK (I celebrate Trinidad Emancipation Day in August), but I wanted to share some books by Black American authors anyway.

Here are 3 Black US books I rarely see on social media:

Love in the Age of Dragons by Fatima R. Henson

In this YA post apocalyptic novel, the world has been overrun by dragons, and humans have fled underground. A Black teenage girl is determined to save her sick mentor, and so braves a trip to the surface to find medicine…

This is a lot more about survival and inter-personal drama than it is about dragons, as most of the action takes place underground, but it’s a great, tense read. Perfect for post-apocalyptic sci fi fans.

A Heart to Hold by Sula Sullivan

In this Snow White retelling, a curvy brewer with seven brothers meets and falls for a non-binary newcomer to the town, naked Apple. But they may be hiding a secret.

This is so sweet! A cosy fantasy novella set in an all-Black fantasy world with elements of the American South.

The Gilda Stories by Jewelle Gomez

This is a lesbian novel about a woman who escapes slavery, gets turned into a vampire and then lives the next 200 years determined to build lasting friendships and safe Black, queer communities amidst the turmoil of a changing world. Written in the 80s, it’s a brilliant book that swept me away when I read it a few years ago.

With love,

Disco x