pride month (part 2)
So this is Part 2 of the project I started here — celebrating a different queer book for each day of pride month. This covers June 8 to June 14, and includes a couple of favourites — including Gender Queer, a Memoir by Maia Kobabe, which punched me right in the feels (in the best way). It’s such a stunning, honest, beautiful book, and I cannot even begin to express how grateful I am that Maia put eir story into a book.
It has been a very odd week. On the one hand, I’ve been seeing lots of people share wonderful books, and wonderful stories. I went to two book launches for two exciting books (Jodi McAlister’s An Academic Affair and Thomas Vowles’ Our New Gods). Celebrating books and spending time with writers felt like it recharged something I hadn’t realised was running low.
On the other hand, it’s been a pretty rough start to Pride. I’ve spent a lot of time being angry, or sad, or both, about all the communities under attack right now, and all the bad things happening in the world. I believe so strongly in the power of storytelling to do all sorts of things, including bring joy and comfort during shitty times. But this week, sharing or celebrating queer stories has felt…futile, maybe. Or as though celebrating queer joy is somehow insensitive, or diminishing the seriousness of what is happening.
But also, not celebrating queer stories (including silly ones) feels like letting the shitheads win. And I do not wish to do that. So I will continue to share books I love, and write fun stories where nothing bad happens to any queer people.
On that notes, books for this week!
June 8 (Sunday)
Heat and Light by Ellen van Neerven. This book has gotten all the acclaim. I can struggle with short story collections (I can’t explain it, it’s something about my brain), but these are so beautiful and evocative.
June 9 (Monday)
You Made a Fool of Death With Your Beauty by Akwaeke Emezi. I started this a couple of years ago, then put it down despite finding the writing beautiful, and now I am extremely glad to have remembered to pick it up again.
June 10 (Tuesday)
Gender Queer, a Memoir by Maia Kobabe. This is a lot. In a good way. But also a lot. Is there anything more simultaneously affirming and vulnerable than reading or seeing bits of a story and thinking that’s me.
June 11 (Wednesday)
Hijab Butch Blues by Lamya H. I bought this earlier in the year, and I can’t wait to read it. I have heard many amazing things.
June 12 (Thursday)
The Lost Arabs by Omar Sakr. Omar Sakr’s poetry is incredible — I definitely cannot do them justice with my own words, but two of the poems from this collection can be read here.
June 13 (Friday)
The Dawnhounds by Sascha Stronach. This is so delightful, and also weird, and queer. I really want to read it again, because I am sure I didn’t absorb some of the astonishing worldbuilding details the first time around.
June 14 (Saturday)
Ace: What Asexuality Reveals About Desire, Society and the Meaning of Sex by Angela Chen. I have underlined so much of this book. I am only about halfway through, because I find it affirming, and fascinating, and also A Lot. But I am so glad it was written. I wish I had read it about…fifteen years ago.
More books next week!
Darcy xx