8 Exceptional Excerpts From “The Joy of Lesbian Sex”
“We have heard of a number of attempts to go down on a lover underwater, but apparently few women possess the breath-holding capacity to take their lover all the way to orgasm.”
Read A F*cking Book: “The Mystics of Mile End”
In Sigal Samuel’s The Mystics of Mile End, three members of the Meyer family encounter Jewish mysticism, and are drawn apart in their very different quests for the divine.
Read a F*cking Book: “(RE)Sisters” Knows That to Be Queer Is to Be Powerful
Through rule-breaking, more than one unauthorized hot air balloon flight, and a lot of other creative and brave attempts at escape, (RE)Sisters reveals truths about what we know, but may not always be able to say: that we are itching to break free of the implicit and explicit confines the white supremacist, patriarchal, heterosexist, cissexist, ableist, imperialist world puts on us.
Read A F*cking Book Club: We’re All Reading “Juliet Takes A Breath”
You can totally read Gabby Rivera’s debut novel “Juliet Takes A Breath” right now! Join us for another fantastic Autostraddle Book Club.
Read a F*cking Serialized Book: “Tremontaine” Is a Paradise of Queerness and Chocolate
“Every love story is between men who love men, or women who love women, or men and women who love both men and women. The sex is good fun, but the romance is deliriously well-written. Such aching and longing and pining and promises (amid cups and cups of chocolate!).”
Read a F*cking Book: Dryland, by Sara Jaffe
“Dryland,” by Sara Jaffe, is a quiet coming of age tale clad in flannel on the outside; on the inside, it’s draped in gorgeous prose.
Hidden Gems of Queer Lit: Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha’s “Dirty River”
“This memoir will appeal to those seeking a gritty, glorious, multi-layered story of homecoming and self-healing.”
Read a F*cking Book: You Simply Must Get Your Hands on “I Must Be Living Twice”
“I Must Be Living Twice” is a strong place to first get acquainted with every aspect of Eileen Myles’ work, but it’s also a deeper look into her story for those of us who have been attempting to follow it all along.
Hidden Gems of Queer Lit: Leigh Matthews’ “Don’t Bang the Barista!”
If smart, well-written theatrics are your thing, you’re in for a fun ride with Don’t Bang the Barista!
Were We Ever So Young: Rereading Julie Anne Peters’ “Luna” for the Seventh Time
Luna opened a door for me — no, it opened a thousand doors, doors that I’ve been confidently walking through ever since I came out.
Read a F*cking Book: Eileen Myles’ “Chelsea Girls” is Back, Better Than Ever
It’s the kind of book that takes hold of you. Chelsea Girls is like sitting in someone else’s heart and mind as they go back through an entire lifetime of becoming who they are in that moment, and those are the kinds of moments you can’t just walk into and out of at random.
Hidden Gems of Queer Lit: Deb Jannerson’s “Rabbit Rabbit”
In 26 slight pages, Rabbit Rabbit chronicles a personal unraveling, offering insightful treatment of the intricate connections between family and trauma.
Were We Ever So Young: Revisiting “Empress of the World”
The names of the main characters, Nic and Battle, were gender neutral enough that I projected heterosexuality onto them, not yet knowing that gay YA lit was something even there to be looked for.
Read A F*cking Book: Robin Talley’s What We Left Behind
Despite its shortcomings when it comes to theory, the story does the important work of allowing the characters to ask questions and struggle with their identities.
Hidden Gems of Queer Lit: “Fledgling” and Queer Black Vampire Mythology
If you’re interested in seeing the complexities of polyamorous relationships interpreted through the lens of speculative fiction, or in reading a quietly queer sci-fi great’s exploration of sexual fluidity, Fledgling will be up your alley.
“Pedal Zombies” Is The Feminist Bicycle Science Fiction You Didn’t Know You Needed
“Zombies signify failure — of political will and social cohesion, of technology and medicine, of the human body and soul. These are all topics that are being battled over right now, among people who care about all three worlds that this series occupies: science fiction, feminism, and bicycling.”
Hidden Gems of Queer Lit: “The Gilda Stories” and Queer Black Vampire Myth
The Gilda Stories was published in 1991 and hasn’t been out of print since — it uses the vampire myth to tackle new themes, including Black American life and queerness.
Hidden Gems of Queer Lit: Meredith Maran’s “A Theory of Small Earthquakes”
A Theory of Small Earthquakes is a novel about bisexuality, family, and secrets, with a narrative that’s quite different from the typical work of women’s fiction.
Fool’s Journey: “She Is Sitting in the Night” is the Queer Tarot Book You’ve Been Waiting For
It’s a queer tarot guidebook and a celebration of an 80s feminist tarot deck rolled into one; a book of beautiful and radical tarot card meanings, and a conversation across generations of feminism and LGBTQ politics.
Drawn to Comics: Kate Beaton Tells Us What Would Happen if Lois Lane Met Wonder Woman
Kate Beaton talks to Autostraddle about why Ida Wells is her hero, the fascinating Filles de Roi, and obviously Wonder Woman.