October was a great reading month for me! New releases from three of my favorite authors: T. Kingfisher, forthright, and Nalini Singh. Also I learned a lot about myself in Tia Williams’ Seven Days in June, Nalini Singh’s Archangel’s Storm, and Hayao Miyzaki’s Spirited Away.
Books
Zoraida Córdova’s The Inheritance of Orquídia Divina
The book I’ve been waiting for since Labyrinth Lost. Magical, filled with love.
forthright’s Fumiko and the Finicky Nestmate (Amaranthine Saga #5)
I’ve said it before, but the worldbuilding in this universe has made this a go-to comfort read for me. I love the intimacy (especially physical touch) everyone gets: family, friends, lovers. There’s also a B-plot queerplatonic romance between two men in this one! A five book long slow burn no less!! My spirit left my body.
Given the way intimacy is high regardless of whether a relationship is platonic, familial, romantic, or sexual, I wasn’t entirely sure if Akira/Suuzu was going to be endgame. So I’m very delighted to see the two of them affirm they want to spend the rest of their lives together, do some courtship stuff, while also having it explicitly stated sexual attraction doesn’t have to be the basis for the above. Note the text doesn’t label the relationship, but it reads as queerplatonic to me.
I’ve never read a queerplatonic romance, so to find one that’s also high intimacy and slow burn? *chefs kiss*. Note, the series is best read in order, and book 1 doesn’t quite show that this is an eneesmble story. Patreon here.
T. Kingfisher’s Paladin’s Hope (World of the White Rat)
This was a surprise release to me, so seeing it in my inbox on a Friday night was super exciting. I just really dig this fantasy romance series. Subscribe to Kingfisher’s Patreon, and you get the new releases for free, which is a deal in my book.
Tia Williams’ Seven Days in June
The cover doesn’t look like a romance, but make no mistake this is a swoony romance. I love that the two of them don’t let each other go. Also, the cultural commentary and humor is razor sharp. Will definitely be keeping an eye on what Williams publishes next.
Reread: Nalini Singh’s Archangel’s Storm (Guild Hunter #5)
After reading the latest book in the series (Archangel’s Light, which is indeed gay, huzzah!), I didn’t want to leave the universe. This is my third time reading this, so I’m going to buy a hardcopy.
Reread: forthright’s Tsumiko and the Enslaved Fox (Amaranthine Saga #1)
Reread: forthright’s Dragged Through Hedgerows (Songs of the Amaranthine #3)
These are sidestories to the main story in the Amaranthine Saga. I love the found family/queerplatonic vibes in this one. ❤
Podcasts
Roxane Gay & Tressie McMillan Cottom’s Hear to Slay
The series is on seasonal hiatus, but a good chunk of their back catalogue is no longer behind a pay wall. It’s absolutely worth checking out.
Reveal’s Fighting Fire With Fire
Transcript available at link. Donate.
Michelle Tea’s Your Magic
I like to listen to this while I get ready for bed, especially the Ask The Tarot episodes. Note this is only on Spotify. Patreon here.
Music
Eme Alfonso’s Tiny Desk Concert
Holy shiiiit this is fire. Libre and El Bote especially. Will be keeping an eye on what she’s doing from now on. Would also love to see her live.
Desta French’s Bendecida music video
This is a vibe. The blessing of the booty is excellent.
Meagan McNeal’s No Ordinary Love (Sade cover) and Roses
Whewwww her voice on No Ordinary Love! And the lyrics in Roses? Swoon!
Emeli Sandé’s Look What You’ve Done
This is a jam, and I’ve been listening to it on repeat.
Misc.
Film: Spirited Away dir. Hayao Miyazaki
I’ve rewatched this multiple times and I love it each time.
Articles
So You’re Ready To Choose Love Workbook by Kai Cheng Thom
A short workbook. Even if you don’t want to do the self-reflection parts, the graphics are well-worth looking at.
Studies show that white people drive anti-Asian hate. So why are the ‘solutions’ targeting brown people? by Justin Phillips
“Here’s what she found: While there is limited data about who commits hate crimes, the national statistics that do exist routinely show that perpetrators are most often white. That extends to those committing anti-Asian incidents as well, where a study of law enforcement statistics from 1992 to 2014 and a separate study of media reports from last year both found that around 75% of offenders were white.
Here in the oh-so-progressive Bay Area, this research gets ignored while traditional power structures push “solutions” that help them thrive: more policing in brown neighborhoods, not white ones, and a return to a “tough-on-crime” ’90s mindset that will jump-start the mass incarceration of Black and brown people in the 21st century.”
Is Your Project Rooted in Social Justice? rubric by Freedom Lifte
Quick, short, and easy to read and adapt. Ask yourself these questions when decision making.
A moving love letter to queer Indigenous folks photo series by Jenny Irene Miller
Thinking Through Perpetrator Accountability (2009)
Lot of questions to think through.
Writing Erotica fro Trans Readers, part 3: Is Something Missing? by Xan West
I read this months ago and have been thinking about it ever since. While this blog does not include the smut I write, I’m reconsidering the way I write sex scenes.
Esther O. Lee 