Taproot: A Story About a Gardener and a Ghost by Keezy Young

3.5 stars A truly beautiful book. I loved the aesthetic. Ghosts, gardens, romance, and necromancy. A winning combination. The story itself was a bit disjointed. The connections in the second half weren’t very clear. Honestly, I’m not mad about it though. I was perfectly content to be along for the ride. The characters are all…

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Beyond the Gender Binary by Alok Vaid-Menon

4 stars An excellent starting point in understanding gender nonconforming identities. In the first half of the book, Vaid-Menon discusses various issues experienced by the gender nonconforming community, connecting them to their own life, and making the case for why a rigid gender binary is harmful. The second half goes into specific arguments against gender…

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In Transit: Being Non-Binary in a World of Dichotomies

by Dianna E. Anderson 3 stars Overall, an interesting read. Anderson tackles quite a few topics in this book, mostly centering around the language of trans identity and gender-nonconformity, and the issues of a world that seeks binaries. The book is a bit tricky to pin down because it’s a little bit of everything. Part…

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The Girl Who Married a Skull and Other African Stories

3 stars I recently read The Woman in the Woods and Other North American Stories and absolutely loved it. So, I thought I’d read some of the earlier collections in the series. What I loved about The Woman in the Woods is that it showcases a variety of indigenous authors and artists. As far as I can…

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You Don’t Know Everything, Jilly P! by Alex Gino

4 stars A powerful read about friendship and family with an emphasis on the continuous learning and action against prejudice, specifically racism and ableism. Nicely written. This book tackles quite a bit. From police shootings and microaggressions, to dissuading Deaf individuals from using ASL, to family making (intentional and unintentional) racist remarks. While it is…

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Even Though I Knew the End by C. L. Polk

5 stars Gonna keep this one short and sweet because I have nothing but wonderful things to say about this book. What an incredible read! Even with its short length, Polk packs an entire world into this book. They really made every word count and I loved every moment of it. A fantastic noir with…

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Other Ever Afters by Melanie Gillman

New Queer Fairy Tales 5 stars Absolutely fantastic! I’ve read this book three times now and I still want to dive back in. I made my husband and sister-in-law read this, because I enjoyed it so much. Enter a world of fairy tales like you’ve never seen. Fantastic twists and wordplay. Loved the queer storylines…

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Gender Queer: A Memoir by Maia Kobabe

5 stars A fantastic memoir dealing with issues of gender, identity, acceptance, and perception. The story follows Kobabe as ey learn about and explore eir self-identity. This includes coming out to family and dealing with their reactions; navigating crushes, sexual relationships, and doctor visits; discovering eir pronouns; and finding eirself in music and books. Through…

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Take Me With You by Andrea Gibson

3 stars I love Gibson’s poetry. There’s a certain dark magic to the words and images they weave together that I can’t get enough of. My complaint with this book is not about Gibson’s words or style. It’s with the book in general. I was a little disappointed once I realized this is mostly a…

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