Good Lesbian Books

reviews and resources

Posts tagged lesbian

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Lesbian Halloween Costumes

Lesbian Halloween Costumes and Femslash Friendly Cosplay Couples 

We’ve been putting together a list of suggestions for individual and couple lesbian cosplays; the couple ones tend to be popular femslash couples of characters that, while they may have some support for being queer, would not be automatically recognised as such (e.g. Poison Ivy and Harley works as a couple, but Harley on her own? Not so much).

We’ve been trying to pick some awesome lesbian characters who are recognisable, lesbian/bisexual/queer and actually make for good costumes. Most of the lists we’ve looked at… well, I don’t recognise half the characters and of the rest, well, made for very boring costumes.

We’re considering actually writing up ‘how to’ costume pages for some of the characters as well (if we have time!).

Does anyone have suggestions for more costumes? (You can add them straight to the list but you need a Squidoo account; otherwise just reblog and give us suggestions in the comments).

Filed under squidoo halloween costumes cosplay lesbian lgbtq lesbian costumes gay halloween

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Good Lesbian Book Lists: finding lesbian fiction through our site

So the first round-up of links went viral, which was awesome. Unfortunately, it’s also out of date. Out of date in a good way, because now we have more book lists. For the most up-to-date list in future, see this page on the site. For a list and star rating of all the titles we’ve reviewed to date, see the List of Book Reviews.

Themed/Niche Book Lists

Want something FREE?

You don’t quite have what I want… where else can I start looking for good lesbian books?
  • Well, there’s our actual reviews, of course! (Come see what we’ve posted lately!)
  • For general scifi and fantasy, the Gaylactic Spectrum Awards are a great place to start; we’ve got a short list of the lesbian books out of the whole spectrum here: The Gaylactic Spectrum Awards: Overview & Lesbian Recipients
  • The Sci-fi/Fantasy page is also pretty up to date, and gives a nice overview of what we’ve already reviewed on the site so far, and introduces you to some good authors.
  • For reliable lesbian fiction authors, check out the Alice B Readers Awards, which go to authors who publish a lot of good (enough) lesbian fiction, rather than to specific books.
  • To just start browsing books on Amazon, try the Good Lesbian Books Amazon Store. Yes, we know that searching for ‘lesbian’ just brings up porn and everything in the ‘Gay & Lesbian’ category, so we’ve curated this handy store. It doesn’t contain every lesbian book published, but it’s got an awful lot of them.
  • For more award winning GLBTQ books, check the Award Winning Lesbian Books page (we’ve got the Lambda and Stonewall awards up, as well as the previously mentioned Alice B Readers and Gaylactic Spectrum Awards. They tend to be mixed GLBTQ, so we’re going through and identifying the lesbian stuff).
How About Some Fun Arty Stuff?

Why don’t you have a list on…?

  • because we’re still putting it together
  • because we haven’t thought of it yet
  • because there aren’t really any books that fit 
  • because there are way too many and we’re scared

So if there’s something you’re dying to find books on, suggest it! 

Filed under good lesbian books lesbian fiction book lists book reviews lgbtlaughs lesbian gay lesbrarians genres

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Anonymous asked: do you know of any hispanic queer literature?

fuckyeahlesbianliterature:

I can personally recommend Down to the Bone by Mayra Lazara Dole and Flaming Iguanas by Erica Lopez.

Some links that may be helpful:

There are also quite a few books on Latina lesbian books and writers, as well as Latina lesbian anthologies:

  • Tortilleras: Hispanic and U.S. Latina Lesbian Expression edited by Inmaculada Pertusa-Seva and Lourdes Torres.
  • Chicana Lesbians: The Girls Our Mothers Warned Us About by Carla Trujillo
  • Companeras: Latina Lesbians (An Anthology) by Juanita Ramos
  • With Her Machete in Her Hand: Reading Chicana Lesbians by Catrióna Rueda Esquibel
  • Latina Lesbian Writers and Artists by Maria Dolores Costa
  • With Her Machete in Her Hand: Reading Chicana Lesbians by Catrióna Rueda Esquibel

I hope that helps!

Filed under chicana lesbian fiction lesbian books links lesbian literature

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Help! Come To Our Birthday Party!

On Monday, March the 5th, it’s our first birthday. And being young and uncertain in the world, we desperately want people to turn up and visit us.

With presents of course. 

Presents in the form of a guest post answering this question: Which Lesbian Book Should You Read First? 

By which I mean… Your best friend, your grandma, your teenage daughter, some random kid on the street has just come out to you. What book do you give them? What book would you suggest to the dad, daughter, cousin, friend, past self? 

Fantasy? Young adult? A classic? Something that’s all about Feelings and Coming Out? Something that’s really casual about the whole Gay Thing? Something set in the modern world? What?

Can you even choose? What title comes to mind? 

What do you have to do?

Well. Pick a book, and tell us about it. Whip up a list of Awesome, gush about your favourite novel, dash out a paragaph, send us suggestions in meme format, create an essay analysing lesbian literature, compose a poem to the best lesbian book for beginners - whatever. WE WANT YOU(R POSTS).

If you’ve never really read any… tell us what you’d WANT to read. Describe your imaginary perfect first lesbian book.

Drop us an email at goodlesbianbook on Gmail, attach any blurb about you, links, favourite pet, preferred number of pages in a book, credit card details and PIN, pseudonym, etc that you want used, and accept our gushing thanks and a piece of imaginary cake. 

Write it now, before you forget. Send it to us by the 5th. Send it afterwards, if you must, but we might haven eaten your cake by then. Reblog this, send it to your book loving friends, and COME WRITE SOMETHING.

Background details and motivations and cake here.

Filed under guest post lesbian lesbian books lesbian fiction good lesbian books

35 notes

goodlesbianbooks: fuckyeahlesbianliterature: [image description: the cover of Trans-Sister Radio by Chris A. Bohjalian. It features a person from behind. They are lying down, with their legs up, calves taking up most of the picture. They have light skin, their toenails are painted, and they are holding a daisy between their toes. End description.] School teacher, divorcee and parent Allie falls in love with Dana, a local college professor, just before [Dana] comes out to her as transgender and transitions. Despite the risk of backlash from the community and her own misgivings, she decides to stick with [Dana] once [she comes out] and see if this now-lesbian relationship can be made to work or not. A sort of realistic and bittersweet romance, that follows the various people involved equally as they adjust.The various issues and facts of transsexuality are presented well, and older teens can identify with college-age Carly (the daughter). Also a good book for any teens who are having to come to terms with an older family member or friend. Ah ha! Finally! I’ve been looking for a trans lesbian book since I started this blog. Has anyone read this? I’m half way through a proper review for this right now, and I thought I’d come back and tell you that it’s very good. An issue novel, through and through, but a positive, accessible, interesting and educational one. And I stand by its inclusion on the YA genderqueer booklist. Well, here it is: Book Review: Trans-Sister Radio by Chris Bohjalian It has all kinds of bits that could be picked at, because something so sensitive always does. But overall it’s well researched, and readable, and up to date and positive. It’s the sort of book I’d hand to boring straight people, and really, I think that’s who it is largely written for. It’s also one I think I would feel safe recommending to someone transgender, though it does make a deal about the whole ‘transgender’ thing, and the whole book is essentially a coming out story. Which is fine, in some ways. I just appreciate that people may have hoped for a ‘yeah, so what, get to the transgender lesbian romance’ story. And as a completely non-transgender person I am slightly somewhat terrified about this review (which ended up being very long). Because while I hope I picked up on all the potential triggers and issues, that doesn’t mean I saw the same problems as actual genderqueer people would. So my apologies in advance for any offence, or excessive belabouring of the obvious. And, to add an unfortunate spoiler: lesbians, don’t get your hopes too high.

goodlesbianbooks:

fuckyeahlesbianliterature:

[image description: the cover of Trans-Sister Radio by Chris A. Bohjalian. It features a person from behind. They are lying down, with their legs up, calves taking up most of the picture. They have light skin, their toenails are painted, and they are holding a daisy between their toes. End description.]

School teacher, divorcee and parent Allie falls in love with Dana, a local college professor, just before [Dana] comes out to her as transgender and transitions. Despite the risk of backlash from the community and her own misgivings, she decides to stick with [Dana] once [she comes out] and see if this now-lesbian relationship can be made to work or not. A sort of realistic and bittersweet romance, that follows the various people involved equally as they adjust.

The various issues and facts of transsexuality are presented well, and older teens can identify with college-age Carly (the daughter). Also a good book for any teens who are having to come to terms with an older family member or friend.

Ah ha! Finally! I’ve been looking for a trans lesbian book since I started this blog. Has anyone read this?

I’m half way through a proper review for this right now, and I thought I’d come back and tell you that it’s very good. An issue novel, through and through, but a positive, accessible, interesting and educational one. And I stand by its inclusion on the YA genderqueer booklist.

Well, here it is: Book Review: Trans-Sister Radio by Chris Bohjalian

It has all kinds of bits that could be picked at, because something so sensitive always does. But overall it’s well researched, and readable, and up to date and positive. It’s the sort of book I’d hand to boring straight people, and really, I think that’s who it is largely written for. It’s also one I think I would feel safe recommending to someone transgender, though it does make a deal about the whole ‘transgender’ thing, and the whole book is essentially a coming out story. Which is fine, in some ways. I just appreciate that people may have hoped for a ‘yeah, so what, get to the transgender lesbian romance’ story.

And as a completely non-transgender person I am slightly somewhat terrified about this review (which ended up being very long). Because while I hope I picked up on all the potential triggers and issues, that doesn’t mean I saw the same problems as actual genderqueer people would. So my apologies in advance for any offence, or excessive belabouring of the obvious.

And, to add an unfortunate spoiler: lesbians, don’t get your hopes too high.

(via fuckyeahlesbianliterature)

Filed under Chris Bohjalian transgender lesbian fiction transsexual lesbian queer prejudice

35 notes

fuckyeahlesbianliterature: [image description: the cover of Trans-Sister Radio by Chris A. Bohjalian. It features a person from behind. They are lying down, with their legs up, calves taking up most of the picture. They have light skin, their toenails are painted, and they are holding a daisy between their toes. End description.] School teacher, divorcee and parent Allie falls in love with Dana, a local college professor, just before [Dana] comes out to her as transgender and transitions. Despite the risk of backlash from the community and her own misgivings, she decides to stick with [Dana] once [she comes out] and see if this now-lesbian relationship can be made to work or not. A sort of realistic and bittersweet romance, that follows the various people involved equally as they adjust.The various issues and facts of transsexuality are presented well, and older teens can identify with college-age Carly (the daughter). Also a good book for any teens who are having to come to terms with an older family member or friend. Ah ha! Finally! I’ve been looking for a trans lesbian book since I started this blog. Has anyone read this? I’m half way through a proper review for this right now, and I thought I’d come back and tell you that it’s very good. An issue novel, through and through, but a positive, accessible, interesting and educational one. And I stand by its inclusion on the YA genderqueer booklist.

fuckyeahlesbianliterature:

[image description: the cover of Trans-Sister Radio by Chris A. Bohjalian. It features a person from behind. They are lying down, with their legs up, calves taking up most of the picture. They have light skin, their toenails are painted, and they are holding a daisy between their toes. End description.]

School teacher, divorcee and parent Allie falls in love with Dana, a local college professor, just before [Dana] comes out to her as transgender and transitions. Despite the risk of backlash from the community and her own misgivings, she decides to stick with [Dana] once [she comes out] and see if this now-lesbian relationship can be made to work or not. A sort of realistic and bittersweet romance, that follows the various people involved equally as they adjust.

The various issues and facts of transsexuality are presented well, and older teens can identify with college-age Carly (the daughter). Also a good book for any teens who are having to come to terms with an older family member or friend.

Ah ha! Finally! I’ve been looking for a trans lesbian book since I started this blog. Has anyone read this?

I’m half way through a proper review for this right now, and I thought I’d come back and tell you that it’s very good. An issue novel, through and through, but a positive, accessible, interesting and educational one. And I stand by its inclusion on the YA genderqueer booklist.

Filed under transgender mtf lesbian books lesbian

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Do I need to explain that Barbara and Donna were two of the founders of Naiad Press, which went on to be the longest-lived and largest of all the lesbian presses? That Barbara Grier and Donna McBride had been partners in everything since the early 70s? I hope not… But it’s also possible that lesbians reading this blog have never heard of either woman or Naiad. But your life was touched by them nevertheless.
Karin Kallmaker, on Barbara Grier’s passing. (via fuckyeahlesbianliterature)

(via fuckyeahlesbianliterature)

Filed under Naiad Press Barbara Grier karin kallmaker lesbian lesbian literature

53 notes

Good Lesbian Books: Asexual Lesbians/ Asexual Women in Fiction

acesomniacs:

WHAT *likes to look at later*

Mom is right by me and when I opened the link there was a lot of rainbows, LESBIAN, and pics of kissing girls so XD.

We are entirely unrepentant. In fact, clearly we need to add MORE rainbows. And glitter. Rainbow glitter. So much rainbow glitter that it spills out of the page and gets all over your browser and your other websites.

(Source: fuckyeahlesbianliterature)

Filed under asexual lesbian fiction glitter

196 notes

fuckyeahlesbianliterature: [image description: three panels of the Sailor Moon manga. The first shows a silhouette of Haruka’s face. Beside her in a free-floating text bubble that says “Guy or girl…” and on the other side of her head is the sound effect “clunk”. The next panel shows Haruka and Usagi with their foreheads pressed together, as if they were about to kiss. They are looking into each other’s eyes. Haruka looks taller and is crouching down to her level. Her hand is over Haruka’s. Usagi’s hair is swirling around them. Another floating speech bubble is over their head that says “Is that so important?” The last panel is a closeup of half of Usagi’s face, her expression difficult to read. End description.]

fuckyeahlesbianliterature:

[image description: three panels of the Sailor Moon manga. The first shows a silhouette of Haruka’s face. Beside her in a free-floating text bubble that says “Guy or girl…” and on the other side of her head is the sound effect “clunk”. The next panel shows Haruka and Usagi with their foreheads pressed together, as if they were about to kiss. They are looking into each other’s eyes. Haruka looks taller and is crouching down to her level. Her hand is over Haruka’s. Usagi’s hair is swirling around them. Another floating speech bubble is over their head that says “Is that so important?” The last panel is a closeup of half of Usagi’s face, her expression difficult to read. End description.]

Filed under Sailor Moon manga lesbian huraka scanlation Sailor Pluto Usagi