Queer Lit Readathon TBR

I haven’t participated in a readathon in a while and I’ve really been wanting to, so I couldn’t pass on this opportunity.

The Queer Lit Readathon is a bi-anual event created and hosted by Kathy Trithardt and Rogan Shannon. For each round there is a special guest host, and this time it’s Jean Menzies. As you can imagine, this readathon is all about reading and celebrating queer literature, which is very exciting 🌈

The Queer Lit Readathon is taking place from June 6th to June 12th.

If you want more information, all the hosts have posted announcement videos (Kathy’s, Rogan’s, and Jean’s). There are also official Twitter and Instagram accounts. Finally Rogan’s announcement post comes with some FAQ which is worth reading!

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The Challenges and My TBR

There are 16 challenges, and I will be attempting to complete almost all of them. The probability of me failing is quite high since I’m out of practise, but I hope to at least knock some books off my TBR. Because we can stack up challenges, I’m aiming to read about 5 books — hopefully 6 if my copy of One Last Stop arrives in time.

Without further ado, here is the bingo board with all the challenges:

The way I’ve gone about creating my TBR has been to pick five/six challenges I was very interested in and choose a book for those. And after that, go through the different prompts to see which of them I could cross off with my current selection. I do this so I don’t end up with a huge TBR and instead I have a manageable number of books to read.

Because of this, most of the reads I’ve chosen can be used for many of the prompts, so I will be listing all of them, and I will underline the challenge that made me decide on each book.

In the Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado

For years Carmen Maria Machado has struggled to articulate her experiences in an abusive same-sex relationship. In this extraordinarily candid and radically inventive memoir, Machado tackles a dark and difficult subject with wit, inventiveness and an inquiring spirit, as she uses a series of narrative tropes—including classic horror themes—to create an entirely unique piece of work which is destined to become an instant classic. Add on Goodreads →

I’ve been wanting to read this for quite a while — ever since Hannah @ A Clockwork Reader mentioned it in one of her videos. It sounds like a very interesting book, so I think it’s perfect for someone who, like me, wants to read more non-fiction. I’m hopefully also going to be buddy-reading this with Morgan @ Morgan is Reading Again.

Works for these challenges: Memoir, M-Spec, not set on your continent, intersectional, under-represented, recommended, BIPOC author

Freshwater by Akwaeke Emezi

Ada begins her life in the south of Nigeria as a troubled baby and a source of deep concern to her family. Her parents, Saul and Saachi, successfully prayed her into existence, but as she grows into a volatile and splintered child, it becomes clear that something went terribly awry. When Ada comes of age and moves to America for college, the group of selves within her grows in power and agency. A traumatic assault leads to a crystallization of her alternate selves: Asụghara and Saint Vincent. As Ada fades into the background of her own mind and these selves–now protective, now hedonistic–move into control, Ada’s life spirals in a dark and dangerous direction. Add on Goodreads →

I don’t usually participate in group reads, but this one sounded like something I might enjoy so I want to give it a try. Additionally, I’ve been hearing nothing but good things about this book so I’m definitely intrigued.

Works for these challenges: Group Read, hard-hitting contemporary, not set on your continent, intersectional, under-represented, religion, recommended, BIPOC author

People Like Us by Dana Mele

Kay Donovan may have skeletons in her closet, but the past is past, and she’s reinvented herself entirely. Now she’s a star soccer player whose group of gorgeous friends run their private school with effortless popularity and acerbic wit. But when a girl’s body is found in the lake, Kay’s carefully constructed life begins to topple.

The dead girl has left Kay a computer-coded scavenger hunt, which, as it unravels, begins to implicate suspect after suspect, until Kay herself is in the crosshairs of a murder investigation. But if Kay’s finally backed into a corner, she’ll do what it takes to survive. Because at Bates Academy, the truth is something you make…not something that happened. Add on Goodreads →

Out of this TBR, this might be the book I’m most excited about. I mean, there’s just something about the combination of dark academia and sapphics that makes me extremely eager to read this. This book has been on my radar for more than one year and I haven’t had the chance to pick it up, so this is the perfect opportunity. My expectations are quite high, so I truly hope they’re met.

Works for these challenges: ??? (I’ve decided this to for Dark Academia), M-Spec, not set on your continent, under-represented

Orlando by Virginia Woolf

Virginia Woolf’s exuberant “biography” tells the story of the cross-dressing, sex-changing Orlando who begins life as a young noble in the sixteenth century and moves through numerous historical and geographical worlds to finish as a modern woman writer in the 1920s. The book is in part a happy tribute to the life that her love for Vita Sackville-West had breathed into Virginia Woolf’s own day-to-day existence; it is also Woolf’s light-hearted and light-handed teasing out of the assumptions that lie behind the normal conventions for writing about a fictional or historical life. Add on Goodreads →

Like I mentioned on my last post, this year I’m diving into more classics. I’ve never read a Virginia Woolf and this one seems like the perfect one for me to get started.

Works for these challenges: Vintage, under-represented

Guardians of the Galaxy, America Chavez: Made in the U.S.A or X-Factor

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I’m a biiiig fan of the Young Avengers, and recently I’ve been catching up on all of them after their time in the team, so I’m super excited to read any of these. I cannot choose between Guardians of the Galaxy by Al Ewing, America Chavez: Made in the U.S.A by Kalinda Vázquez or X-Factor by Leah Williams right now, so I’ll just read whatever I feel like in the moment! Or I might even read more than one of them since they’re so short.

Works for these challenges: Shorter than a novel, brings you joy, M-Spec (for GotG and X-Factor), not set on your continent, intersectional (for America), superheroes, under-represented (for GotG and X-Factor), BIPOC author (for America)

One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston

For cynical twenty-three-year-old August, moving to New York City is supposed to prove her right: that things like magic and cinematic love stories don’t exist, and the only smart way to go through life is alone. She can’t imagine how waiting tables at a 24-hour pancake diner and moving in with too many weird roommates could possibly change that. And there’s certainly no chance of her subway commute being anything more than a daily trudge through boredom and electrical failures.

But then, there’s this gorgeous girl on the train. Read full synopsis on Goodreads →

Red, White & Royal Blue is one of my favourite books, so I’ve been looking forward to the release of this book. Especially since it is a sapphic romance, and I always want more of those. I will admit that time travel is not exactly something I enjoy in books, but I’m more than willing to give this a chance, and I’m sure I’ll adore it. It’s possible that I won’t get to read this one, but I truly hope it arrives on time!

Works for these challenges: Hard-hitting contemporary, brings you joy, M-Spec, not set on your continent, intersectional, summer vibes, under-represented

Are you going to participate? Have you read any of the books I’ve mentioned? Or are some on your own TBR?