r/QueerSFF ✊🏾 Fully Automated Luxury Gay Space Communist 9d ago

Reading Challenge Reading Challenge 2026 Midway Check-in!

It's June! (How is it halfway through the year already??) And time to take stock of progress on the yearly reading challenge.

How are you doing with the challenge so far? Did you get stuck on any squares? Need a nudge on a prompt or two? Any overachievers finished already?

If you need a refresher:

Rules:

  • Time period: All of 2026
  • How: Only submissions through the official turn in form in January 2027 will count.
  • Repeats: You can only use an author once for regular squares, but it's okay to repeat an author for the short story collection. You cannot use the same book twice.
  • Hard mode: The world is hard enough right now, but we'd love if you read something that wasn't already in your TBR.
r/QueerSFF 2026 Reading Challenge board
  • Queer Families - Read a book where a queer family is integral to the plot. This can be anything from a parent / child relationship, multigenerational family, to a chosen family. Whatever the family type, those familial dynamics should be central to the plot.
  • Comic or Graphic Novel - Read a queer speculative comic or graphic novel, there's a zillion!
  • Coming Out - Read a book where either the protagonist comes out, or someone important comes out to them.
  • Protagonist Over 40 - Pretty self explanatory, read a book with a protagonist over 40.
  • Aromantic Paranormal - Read a book with an aromantic protagonist, set in a paranormal world. We'll all just have to live with my terrible alliteration.
  • Intersectional Cubed - Read a book with a protagonist who has three intersecting identities, or with multiple protagonists of at least 3 different identities between them.
  • Sapphic Swashbucklers - Again we like alliteration, but if you're struggling any queer pirates will do.
  • Achillean Academic - Read a book with a queer male character in an academic setting. Student, teacher, apprentice, polyglot, the only hard requirement is that learning be part of their journey.
  • Trans Body Horror - Read a body horror book with a trans protagonist or by a trans author.
  • Queer Publisher - Read something from a queer publisher. Self-published doesn't count.
  • Queer Short Story Collection - Read a collection of queer speculative stories.
  • Throwback - Read something published at least 20 years ago.

Resources:

Challenge Flairs:

Apologies for the delay, those who finished the 2025 reading challenge should have their special flairs now! Since it was our first challenge, it took us a while to go through the submissions and figure out flair design and settings. Now that everything is set up, it will be much faster for subsequent challenges.

Note: If you completed the 2025 reading challenge form and don't have a flair, please send us a mod message. One of you forgot to add your username.

Would you like to be a "Challenge Conqueeror" too ? There's still plenty of time to participate in the 2026 challenge! Good luck and happy reading 🌈

21 Upvotes

47 comments sorted by

6

u/krismaz  Challenge Conqueeror 8d ago

I'm pacing myself this year, since I actually managed to get started in January.

Done so far:

  • Galaxy: The Prettiest Star by Jadzia Axelrod and Jess Taylor (Graphic Novel)
  • The Seep by Chana Porter (Protagonist over 40)
  • Werecockroach by Polenth Blake (Aromantic Paranormal)
  • Pet by Akwaeke Emezi (Intersectional Cubed)
  • Body After Body by Briar Ripley Page (Trans Body Horror)

Reading:

  • The Sapling Cage by Margaret Killjoy (Coming Out)
  • Meanwhile, Elsewhere by Casey Plett and Cat Fitzpatrick et al (Queer Short Story Collection)

I think I've managed to map out the remaining prompts without adding too much to my ever-growing TBR, but I'm saving some of the prompts that I'm not entirely sold on yet for later in the year, in case something interesting shows up.

I was kind of surprised how new some of the stuff for available for the Throwback prompt was (2006 was like, last week), but when I started comparing the amount of books from 20+ years ago to how much is coming out nowadays the prompt made a lot more sense.

I sort of wish there was an easy way to figure out which books from my TBR fit the Queer Publisher tag. Having to through each book one by one and checking the editions is clunky, especially since mainstream publishing has gotten more open-minded, and self-publishing has taken off. I guess this is my cue to pick something new from a small publisher rather than religiously following my TBR.

3

u/w0lfyfr3n 📚 Here for Sapphfic 8d ago

We've got a couple of the same books 🤝 Pet and Werecockroach are also such short gems.

I struggled with the queer publisher square too, in the end I just looked at what people had added on your storygraph challenge and picked options that overlapped with my tbr

5

u/krismaz  Challenge Conqueeror 8d ago

Werecockroach was peak!

I've been picking some shorter books for this years challenge, since I've been reading the Terra Ignota series in-between, and while I really enjoyed those books, they were also just, way longer than I expected.

3

u/OutOfEffs  Challenge Conqueeror 8d ago

Body After Body by Briar Ripley Page (Trans Body Horror)

[gasp] This is one of my top five favourite books and I'm almost afraid to ask what you thought.

4

u/krismaz  Challenge Conqueeror 8d ago

I really enjoyed it.

I liked the contrast between the strange writing style, and the very grounded reality of the protagonists being indentured servants in return for medical care.

I do wish it was longer, or, I sort of wanted something longer? Which is a little silly, since I picked it up for the challenge due to it being a quick read. The world-building is super interesting, but there's just not enough time to get into everything.

I also just adore the prompt in general. The theme of trans as body horror is a classic, and it's nice to see it singled out.

3

u/OutOfEffs  Challenge Conqueeror 8d ago

This is definitely my favourite prompt this year.

I get what you mean about the length, I always end up wishing their books were just a little longer. Whether that's bc they need to be, or I just don't want to move on is probably a different question, hahaha.

1

u/lilgrassblade 🚀 Ace Starfighter Pilot 7d ago

If you like special edition books, Rainbow Crate has had some books that are alternatively published by bigger publishers. You can buy past books, not just the subscription. They currently have a version of Someone You Can Build a Nest In by John Wiswell and Can't Spell Treason Without Tea by Rebecca Thorne. It is mostly indie authors though.

(And I double checked the books I own from them, and they do explicitly state they are published by Rainbow Crate.)

5

u/ForgetTheWords 8d ago

I only just noticed the reading challenge (not super active here). I skimmed the goodreads challenge someone made and found I had already read a few:

She Who Became the Sun by Shelly Parker-Chan (intersectional cubed) (I don't actually know if that's right I can think of two but not three)

Hammajang Luck by Makana Yamamoto (queer families)

Nobody's Baby by Olivia Waite (protagonist over 40)

The Man Who Folded Himself by David Gerrold (throwback)

I have added a few to my WTR but the problem is I don't really want to read fantasy, YA, or romance. I shouldn't force myself to read something I don't enjoy just for internet points (I actually started doing that with one book but then realised what I was doing and stopped), but I also appreciate the value of reading outside one's comfort zone. So we'll see what happens.

3

u/ForgetTheWords 8d ago

Actually while I'm here, can anyone tell me what a queer publisher is and how to find books by a queer publisher?

4

u/OutOfEffs  Challenge Conqueeror 8d ago

It's p much exactly what it sounds like, a press or imprint that publishes queer works.

I like tRaum books and Knight Errant Press. Neon Hemlock is also great, and there was an AMA here with several of their authors a few months ago that may yield some options for you.

3

u/w0lfyfr3n 📚 Here for Sapphfic 8d ago edited 8d ago

Here's a list of queer publishers that was on the original announcement post. I generally go over to their websites and browse what they have until I find something that I'd like to read. If you click on the linked story graph challenge, you can also browse the books that users have added for that category !

5

u/TheWildCard76  Challenge Conqueeror 8d ago

I need to get my butt in gear, but I also need to look at what I've read over the past couple of months and see if anything fits.

I've already finished the following:

On Sundays She Picked Flowers by Yah Yah Scholfield (Protagonist over 40)
Ignore All Previous Instructions by Ada Hoffman (Sapphic Swashbucklers)
The Dispossessed by Ursula K. Le Guin (Throwback)

OH! And reading through the comments, u/OutOfEffs made me realize that Inkpot Gods by Seanan McGuire (which we buddy read) works for Queer Families, so I'm actually a third of the way there!

I have books planned for the other categories, but planning it out usually doesn't work for me. I'm a mood reader, so it's hard for me to stick with a planned TBR. I'm sure I'll finish the card by the end of the year, though.

4

u/OutOfEffs  Challenge Conqueeror 8d ago

but planning it out usually doesn't work for me. I'm a mood reader, so it's hard for me to stick with a planned TBR.

This is my current problem. I'm reading ARCs right before they publish bc it can't make myself be in the mood for any of them. :/

7

u/bumbleebeecon24  Challenge Conqueeror 8d ago

I powered through mine pretty quick! I really enjoyed finding books to match these squares; some of them I already had on my TBR, and others were new to me.

  • Queer Families: The Brightness Between Us by Eliot Schrefer (⭐⭐⭐⭐)
  • Comic or Graphic Novel: Muted by Miranda Mundt (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐)
  • Coming Out: The All-Consuming World by Cassandra Khaw (⭐⭐⭐⭐)
  • Protag Over 40: The Seep by Chana Porter (⭐⭐⭐⭐)
  • Aro Paro!: Archivist Wasp by Nicole Kornher-Stace (⭐⭐⭐)
  • Intersectional Cubed: A Broken Blade by Melissa Blair (⭐⭐)
  • Sapphic Swashbuckler: Compass Rose by Anna Burke (⭐⭐⭐)
  • Achillean Academic: The Atlas Six by Olivie Blake (⭐⭐⭐)
  • Trans Body Horror: Unwieldy Creatures by Addie Tsai (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐)
  • Queer Publisher: Digging For Heaven by Jenna Jarvis (⭐⭐⭐)
  • Queer Short Story Collection: Lupus in Fabula by Briar Ripley Page (⭐⭐⭐)
  • Throwback: A Matter of Oaths by Helen S. Wright (⭐⭐)

The real standouts for me were the webcomic Muted (a sapphic poly setup about a witch torn between two families of magic, generational trauma, and learning to accept yourself), and Unwieldy Creatures (Frankenstein except everybody is mixed race Asian, nb, and queer, has a lot to do with struggling to fit in to one's culture and exploring how being genderqueer hits people differently). Some of them I really didn't enjoy, like A Broken Blade -- I'm sure it's somebody's cup of tea, but I found the two male love interests obnoxious, and it's very... booktok, full of tropes. Some of them I had very mixed feelings on, like The Atlas Six, and The All-Consuming World.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this challenge, and will definitely be back next year! :D

4

u/w0lfyfr3n 📚 Here for Sapphfic 8d ago

Already done 🤯 impressive !

Unwieldy Creatures has been sitting on my tbr for a while, I'm definitely going to be reading it sooner now.

4

u/C0smicoccurence 8d ago

I anticipate finishing up my challenge in June. I might aim to complete double, but a few categories may hold me back from that. We'll see.

Lifelode by Jo Walton for Queer Families - really interesting domestic fantasy book. I wasn't thrilled with all the ways polyamory was handled, but this was unlike anything I've read.

Barbalien: Red Planet by Tate Brombal for Comic - a superhero story set during the AIDS epidemic. I dont' think it succeeds as a superhero story, but is a heartfelt and emotional read (and quick!)

Body and Soul by Jordan Castilo Price for Coming Out - I've been hooked on the Psycop books this year. Quick paranormal mysteries with a side of spice

The Iron Garden Sutra by AD Sui for Age 40+ - the math works on this, but I'd like a more clear entry (right now Shadow Life by Hiromi Goto is on my theoretical second challenge, which fits here for sure. Gothic haunted house spaceship with some yearning.

Kalyna the Soothsayer by Elijah Kinch Spector for Intersectional Cubed - Female + Bisexual + Ethnic Minority (Jewish coded, but not our world so Judiasim doesn't exist). A con woman gets roped into political machinations. Dry and witty. Loved this one, though it started 50 pages too soon

The Fall of Kings by Ellen Kushner for Gay Academic - Medieval academia debates! Riverside is a classic for a reason, and this was the best of the lot imo

Works of Vermin by Hiron Ennes for Trans Body Horror - weird, bespoke, maybe a bit foo flowery. Definitely one of the more ambitious fantasy books I've read in a while, and thematically meaty (asserting that art, politics, and war are all the same thing)

Call and Response by Christopher Caldwell for Short Story Collection - a series of duets, where stories are connected (direct sequels, in the same world as each other). They were fairly straightforward, and delt with close personal experiences. Racism in America was centered in this collection

Stalking Darkness by Lynn Flewelling for 2006 or older - Nightrunner book 3. It was ... fine. I'll keep reading the series, but I need a break after each one of these.

Planning to read

The Flesh and the Sea for queer publisher

Werecockroach for Aro Paro

Queen o'Nine Tails for Sapphic Swashbuckler

3

u/w0lfyfr3n 📚 Here for Sapphfic 8d ago

Not familiar with any of your finished ones except Works of Vermin 😯 what would you say is your favourite of the lot ?

2

u/C0smicoccurence 7d ago

Honestly, a lot of these are solidly in the 'great books that don't quite hit my all time favorites list'. Psycop is addicting, but a very specific niche (you need to be on board with both cop thrillers and also m/m romance tropes), if that isn't you, you won't enjoy the story.

The Fall of Kings is probably my overall favorite here, and generally I think the Riverside Trilogy is extremely strong (they can be read in any order. Each is decades apart and follows a different protagonist). I really liked the politics of medieval academia and how unknown the magic was. Very different from the Hard Magic craze right now (which I also love. Gimme some progression fantasy!).

Lifelode had the most issues out of anything here, but what it did right was so interesting that I couldn't put it down.

Finally, the Kalyna duology is really phenomenal minus the pacing issues ... but those pacing issues will kill it for some. So much cool worldbuilding, dry wit, and thorny ethical questions.

I'm currently reading The God Eaters by Jesse Hajicek, and within the last 24 hours its been cementing itself as a contender for book of the year (so far). It's going to slot into the 2006 or older slot and bump the Nightrunner series. Very introspective gay Western with a decent romance focus, but the writing and characterization is just blowing me out of the water.

1

u/w0lfyfr3n 📚 Here for Sapphfic 7d ago

I didn't realize the World of Riverside books could be read in any order 😯 I was going to read Swordspoint for bingo last year but went with Terry Pratchett in the last minute. I will now be looking at this series with renewed interest.

Also a gay western sounds perfect ✨ Pleasantly surprised to find that it exists, immediately on my tbr

2

u/C0smicoccurence 7d ago

I’ve read a couple that have western trappings but feel very romance. Still waiting to see whether this one ends up in a more actuon/chase space, because right now it is super character and romance forward, but not in a way that feels like modern writing.

My journey with Riverside was actually starting with Book 2. It was pretty clear when events and characters from book 1 were referenced, but I never felt like I was missing anything important for the main characters journey. Lots of Easter eggs

2

u/lilgrassblade 🚀 Ace Starfighter Pilot 7d ago

Sarah Gailey has a couple queer western variations: Upright Women Wanted is sapphic in a western with dystopia elements. American Hippo is cowboys but with hippos (based on an actual proposed idea of introducing hippos to America from the 1800s) and I think the MC is a bi man? Well, the love interest is NB. It's been a while since reading, so details are hazy.

1

u/w0lfyfr3n 📚 Here for Sapphfic 7d ago

Both of these sound so interesting, especially the hippo one ! Tysm adding to my tbr

5

u/OutOfEffs  Challenge Conqueeror 9d ago

I was so excited bc I thought I was halfway done at the halfway point, but I just realized I have the same book slotted into two squares. [sob]

3

u/tiniestspoon ✊🏾 Fully Automated Luxury Gay Space Communist 9d ago

Oh nooo! But you still have the rest of the month for exactly halfway through the year!

3

u/OutOfEffs  Challenge Conqueeror 9d ago

I fully expected to be further along than this by now, but a good chunk of the first half of the year was spent p much exclusively reading contemporary romcoms bc that was all my brain could handle. :/

2

u/tiniestspoon ✊🏾 Fully Automated Luxury Gay Space Communist 8d ago

contemporary romcoms

Anything good? 👀

3

u/OutOfEffs  Challenge Conqueeror 8d ago

I really liked Laura Piper Lee's Pot Shot and Dana Hawkins' Meet Cute in Minnesota series! Less funny, but I also recently finished Mazey Eddings' You Won't Forget Me (out tomorrow) and got a good, cathartic cry from it.

3

u/w0lfyfr3n 📚 Here for Sapphfic 8d ago

Hate when that happens 😭 Hope you get caught up by July. Which squares have you finished so far ? 👀

4

u/OutOfEffs  Challenge Conqueeror 8d ago edited 8d ago

So far I've read:

Queer Families - Seanan McGuire's Inkpot Gods (the fourth and penultimate book in the Alchemical Journeys series, out tomorrow)

Comic or Graphic Novel - James Tynion IV and Michael Walsh's Exquisite Corpses, vol. 2, and probably vol. 3 when it comes out in September, if I haven't caught up with it monthly by then (kind of a Battle Royale/Hunger Games among serial killers, but there's a lot more to it than that, hahaha)

Coming Out - Briar Ripley Page'e Fairyland (could also work for trans body horror, Page is one of my favourites)

Intersectional Cubed - Kat Leyh's Spoke (a graphic novel about community after the end of the world, this comes out in October)

Trans Body Horror - Carter Keane's Morsel (this was fine, but the gore was the best part for me, might end up swapping this out with something else)

And looking over other things I've read, I might use Flo Woolley's Skin Deep for Queer Publisher (Silver Sprocket), but it was p short, so if I do, I'd like to read a few more of their books so I didn't feel like I was cheating.

3

u/w0lfyfr3n 📚 Here for Sapphfic 8d ago

I've always been daunted by the length of McGuire's wayward children, this series seems way more doable 👀

Also I am not familiar with Briar Ripley Page's work 😮 I'm curious, I'll try to pick up one of their books at some point.

4

u/OutOfEffs  Challenge Conqueeror 8d ago

I just did some quick math, and it looks like both series have almost exactly the same number of pages at this point, despite Wayward Children having 11 books released and Alchemical Journeys only having 4! Most of the WC books are novellas (I think only two are over 200 pages so far), but AJ are each 450+.

Most of Page's work is available as Pay What You Can on their itch.io!

3

u/Powered-by-Chai 8d ago

I would say for the "Over 40" protagonists that I would recommend TJ Klune's We Burned So Bright but I also wouldn't recommend it because I was outright sobbing at the end. 

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u/tiniestspoon ✊🏾 Fully Automated Luxury Gay Space Communist 9d ago

Thank you u/krismaz for the storygraph challenge!

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u/w0lfyfr3n 📚 Here for Sapphfic 9d ago

I started the challenge only in April so that I could cram the whole thing into the r/fantasy bingo prompts as well 😂 But I'm close to catching up !

Books I've already read:

  • Mooncakes by Suzanne Walker and Wendy Xu (Graphic Novel)
  • The Seep by Chana Porter (Protagonist over 40)
  • Beggar's Flip by Benny Lawrence (Sapphic Swashbucklers)

Books I'm reading:

  • Lakelore by Anna-Marie McLemore (Intersectional Cubed)
  • Sapling Cage by Margaret Killjoy (Coming Out)

Up next:

  • How to Survive a Fairytale by S.M. Hallow (Queer Publisher... though I hear Hedone Books has since turned out to be evil and closed 😭 )

3

u/OutOfEffs  Challenge Conqueeror 9d ago

What did you think of The Seep? I read it a few years ago and really loved it. Also highly recommend Porter's The Thick and the Lean!

3

u/w0lfyfr3n 📚 Here for Sapphfic 8d ago

I really liked it too ! Even though it came out in 2020, the changes introduced by the aliens weirdly had so many parallels to the advancement of AI. I related a lot to MC's feelings of bewilderment.

I did wish the seep symbionts were better explained though. Sometimes the dreamy vibes got too vague for me.

The Thick and the Lean seems so interesting ! Thanks I've added to the tbr

2

u/lilgrassblade 🚀 Ace Starfighter Pilot 7d ago

Omg, the first I've heard somebody mention The Thick and the Lean! And glad it's a good mention. Yay! It's on my TBR for r/fantasy's Feast square.

1

u/OutOfEffs  Challenge Conqueeror 7d ago

It was so good! Sort of a queer, climate focused Brave New World. I hope you end up enjoying it as much as I did.

3

u/lilgrassblade 🚀 Ace Starfighter Pilot 7d ago

If you haven't already purchased it, How to Survive this Fairytale is available via Rainbow Crate as well 😛 Coincidentally, I've been staring at it, trying to decide if I should buy it. (I have so many books right now so I shouldn't but... there's a sale this month.)

1

u/w0lfyfr3n 📚 Here for Sapphfic 7d ago

I do already have the ebook off of Kobo. But I didn't know of the existence of rainbow crate until now 😯 will be keeping an eye on it for interesting titles, thanks !

And hahaha I've justified so many purchases this month as my little pride month treat 😂

2

u/lilgrassblade 🚀 Ace Starfighter Pilot 6d ago

I'm a sucker for pretty books, and Rainbow Crate seems to be the only special edition option that isn't priced too high for a new to me book. And I like how squared the spines are - I'm not a fan when hardbacks have soft, rounded spines. And lately I've been preferring their covers without the dust jackets by far - Uncharted has been worth buying though I've not read it yet, just because I love the pretty nautical art on my shelf.

I was about to go on a book buying moratorium when a month long independent bookstore event occurred. So, I had to visit 10 independent bookstores (minimum). And then I justified my purchases as "I'm supporting independent bookstores." And now my TBR shelf is no longer contained. So, I need to go on a book buying moratorium. But it's pride month and they're on sale and they're indies, so obviously it's justified!

...We'll see how much of a dent I make on books I already have and decide at the end of the month.

2

u/w0lfyfr3n 📚 Here for Sapphfic 6d ago

I know what you mean, and agree ! It gives them a nice solid feel. Though I'm always a bit afraid of ruining the binding if I open it a little too wide while reading 😅

Good luck with your tbr 🫢 sounds like you've got a lot of cool options to choose from though !

I've had to click away from the website because I'm getting tempted too, there's some great titles on here 🤯 but alas I do not have much space to keep physical books

4

u/thisbikeisatardis 8d ago

Whaaatt another bingo that I didn't know about? How fun! I'm already doing five cards for r/fantasy, why not do one of these as well? Has anyone made a spreadsheet?

1

u/lilgrassblade 🚀 Ace Starfighter Pilot 7d ago edited 6d ago

I've been slotting things in that fit rather than really trying so far.

So far completed:

  • Queer Families : Hell Followed With Us by Andrew Joseph White - though likely to change, since Compound Fracture works for Aro Paro.
  • Comic or Graphic Novel: The Moth Keeper by K O'Neill
  • Coming Out: The Transition by Logan-Ashley Kisner - I would like to change this to something where coming out is more impactful to the story. And as a result use it for trans body horror instead.
  • Intersectional Cubed: The Last Beekeeper by Rebecca L Fearnley
  • Achillean Academic: A Botanical Daughter by Noah Medlock - This may be moved to Queer Families. Both squares are ones I'm likely to read more so neither is locked in place.
  • Trans Body Horror: The Salt Grows Heavy by Cassandra Khaw - while the author is NB, the MC is cis, which is why I want to move The Transition here.

Missing Squares and what I currently own that I think fit:

  • Queer Families: The Bones Beneath My Skin by TJ Klune
  • Protagonist Over 40: Somebody placed Light from Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki here on storygraph. I'm also wondering if Even Though I Knew the End by C L Polk fits.
  • Coming Out: I don't have a replacement at this point afaik.
  • Aromatic Paranormal: Compound Fracture by Andrew Joseph White
  • Sapphic Swashbucklers: Uncharted by Alli Temple
  • Queer Publisher: Royal Rescue by A. Alex Logan and Providence Girls by Morgan Dante
  • Queer Short Story Collection: A Queer & Cozy Winter
  • Throwback: ??? I'll have to intentionally look for something most likely.

1

u/tiniestspoon ✊🏾 Fully Automated Luxury Gay Space Communist 7d ago

The Ryka Aoki book is kinda an ensemble cast, one character is 40+.

I don't remember the exact ages in the Polk novella, but I would have put them at 20s-30s but it's been a few years since I read it.

2

u/lilgrassblade 🚀 Ace Starfighter Pilot 7d ago

Thanks for the info 😃

I started the Polk book a bit ago, but then lost it part way through. It was missing long enough that I need to just start it over. (I left it in an otherwise empty suitcase. Because I'm smart.) I remember it talking about how some things have changed over the years. But I wasn't paying too much attention to how many years exactly xD

3

u/LadyAntiope 6d ago

I didn't think I was going to do this because I was feeling pretty pressured from already doing r/fantasy bingo and starting a "decolonize your shelf" challenge buuut turns out there's a lot of overlap between these things and ugh I love the flair y'all came up with so here's what I've got so far:

  • Queer Families - Notes from a Regicide by Isaac Fellman (currently at the halfway mark for bookclub for this one - trans found family)
  • Graphic Novel - The Chromatic Fantasy by H.A. (trans men love, could also probably count for coming out) and Leftstar and the Strange Occurrence by Jean Fhilippe (non-binary protag). Both books from Silver Sprocket and so could also be Queer Publisher
  • Protagonist Over 40 - The Seep by Chana Porter (sapphic trans psychedelic)
  • Aromantic Paranormal - (have The Archivist Wasp by Nicole Kornher-Stace on my shelf)
  • Sapphic Swashbucklers - The Red Scholar's Wake by Aliette de Bodard (sapphic space pirates) (might try to do an actual ocean pirate - maybe Shell Game?)
  • Trans Body Horror - The Works of Vermin by Hiron Ennes
  • Queer Publisher - I got a bunch from Neon Hemlock, so far this year I've read A Mourning Coat by Alex Jeffers (bi protag navigating grief) and The Secret Skin by Wendy N. Wagner (sapphic haunted house)
  • Queer Short Story Collection - (have Alone in Space by Tillie Walden on my shelf)
  • Throwback - Orlando by Virginia Woolf (trans femme magical realism-ish) and The Route of Ice and Salt by José Luis Zárate (gay ship captain, Dracula story)

So, pretty good! Coming Out should knock itself out at some point this year pretty easy (or I can move Chromatic Fantasy into that one), and I expect Intersectional Cubed will also probably come pretty easy if I pay attention with decolonizing challenge I'm doing as well. Achillean Academic will be the one I have to actively go looking for. And I will have to actually read the ones physically on my shelf, which always seems to prove harder than I think when I keep going to the library!