FAB 400 at Northwestern University

There’s a saddening lack of books with pansexual rep included in queer book recs, so I’ve compiled a list of books for us pans.

Some notes: I haven’t read the majority of these books, so I’m trusting the people who sent me recs and the research I’ve done. Some of the books are part of series, and I’m not sure if the pan character is in one or some/all books, so keep that in mind.

For each book I’ve put the genre, the names of the characters if I could find them, if it’s canon or implied/hinted, and a goodreads link.

The Barrow series by Mark Smylie (Fantasy) - Stjepan Black-Heart, implied/hinted

The Bartimaeus series by Jonathan Stroud (Fantasy, YA) - Bartimaeus, canon

Bookish Friends To Lovers series by G.L. Tomas (NA) - Ruby Jiang-Cruz

Bound series by Megan Mulry (Erotica, Historical Romance) - Characters, canon

Calloway Sisters series by Kristie Richie and Becca Richie (NA) - Connor Cobalt, implied/hinted

Daybreak Rising by Kiran Oliver (Fantasy, NA) - Character, implied/hinted

Double Exposure by Chelsea M. Cameron (Romance) - Anna Corcoran, canon

Engelsfors series by Mats Strandberg and Sarah Bergmark Elfgren (Fantasy, YA) - Two characters, implied/hinted

Every Day by David Levithan (Fantasy, YA) - A, implied/hinted

First and First by Santino Hassel (Contemporary, Erotica) - Aiden, canon

Fledgling by Octavia E. Butler (Fantasy, Paranormal) - Shori Matthews/Ina species, canon

The Girl at Midnight series by Melissa Grey (Fantasy, YA) - Character, implied/hinted

Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard series by Rick Riordan (Fantasy) - Magnus Chase, canon

The Mark of Noba by G.L. Tomas (Fantasy) - Tetra and Sterling, canon

The Melody of Me and You by M. Hollis (NA) - Chris Morrison, canon

On the Other Side by Carrie Hope Fletcher (Romance) - Isla, canon

Out On Good Behavior by Dahlia Adler (NA) - Frankie Bellisario, canon

Poison Kiss by Ana Mardoll (Fantasy) - Character, canon

Prosperity by Alexis Hall (Fantasy, Steampunk) - Piccadilly, implied/hinted

The Queen of Lies by Michael J. Bode (Fantasy) - Character, canon

Rogues of the Republic series by Patrick Weekes (Fantasy) - Ululenia, implied/hinted

Seven Ways We Lie by Riley Redgate (YA) - Lucas McCallum, canon

Six of Crows series by Leigh Bardugo (Fantasy, YA) - Jesper Fahey, implied/hinted

A Song of Ice and Fire series by George R.R. Martin (Fantasy) - Oberyn Martell, implied/hinted

There Will Be Phlogiston by Alexis Hall (Fantasy, Steampunk) - Anstruther Jones, canon

Timekeeper by Tara Sim (Fantasy, Steampunk, YA) - Colton, canon

Translucid by Zen Dipietro (Sci-Fi) - Emé, canon

The Upside of Unrequited by Becky Albertalli (YA) - Mina, canon

Vampire Sorority Sisters by Rebekah Weatherspoon (Paranormal, Romance) - Characters, canon

Wander This World by G.L. Tomas (NA, Paranormal) - Melanie Blue, canon

We Are the Ants by Shuan David Hutchinson (YA, Sci-Fi) - Character, implied/hinted

Your Heart Will Grow by C.M. Lloyd (Fantasy, NA) - Kelpana, canon

1. Be yourself. Live authentically. To quote Dr. Suess, “There is no one alive that is you’er than you.” Don’t try to be someone you’re not to impress people. You will always be happiest when you are being your true self.

2. Contribute to the world in any way that you can. Maybe for you that’s picking up garbage on your way home from work, or giving money to a homeless person on the street, but you will become a more positive person if you are giving back.

3. Be grateful. Acknowledge how fortunate you are and be thankful that you have simple things like heating, food, and shelter. If you are grateful you will always be able to think more positively.

4. Be optimistic. So maybe you missed your 10:30 showing of Beauty And The Beast, are there later showings? Can you plan a rain check? Wouldn’t coffee be nice instead?

5. Surround yourself with positive people. Odds are, if you spend your time with negative people you’ll become more negative. When we are around positive people we become more positive ourselves.

6. Don’t be discouraged. You will never fail until you stop trying!

7. Be a realist. Everyone has their bad days, everyone. Lest,  I remind you that Walt Disney, J.K. Rowling, and Steven Spielberg, were all rejected before they ever succeeded.

8. Be like Elsa and let it go. Okay so Elsa may not have been the most positive person at first, but by the end of the movie she learned to make a positive out of what was once a negative situation! Don’t hold on to anger, fear, or hurt. Keep moving forward and forgive others and yourself.

9. Help someone else. It’s so easy to make someone’s entire day. Compliment someone’s new clothes or hair cut, hold doors open for people, smile at strangers and share inspirational quotes with friends. You will feel so much happier and positive if you make someone else feel that way.

10. Kick fear to the curb. Stop letting “what if’s” control your life. Be brave and trying something new, or do something that might scare you. Doing something is always better than doing nothing; you might just surprise yourself!

11. Stop and smell the roses. Appreciate everything around you: sights, smells, music. When we don’t take time to breathe we become stressed.

12. Put down those chips. Junk food might make you feel good for a moment but it will only make you feel unhappy down the road. Swap a milkshake for a smoothie, Soda for a glass of water or a cup of green tea, ice cream for a fruit bowl and so on. We can actually eat a lot more raw foods than processed foods without gaining weight or feeling bloated.

13. Get out there. Make plans! Stop scrolling through instagram and snap stories feeling bad about yourself because it’s a Friday night and you’re at home. It’s always nice to stay in every now and then but it’s also enjoyable to get out into the world and socialize.

14. Get your beauty sleep. 7 hours minimum to function and 8 ideally. It’s impossible to be positive when you’re cranky from not getting enough z’s.

15. Exercise. Find the exercise for you. Maybe it’s swimming, hiking, cycling, yoga, dance, or basketball. Working out will make you feel powerful, happy, and accomplished.

16. Don’t compare yourself to others. Other people’s beauty does not take away from your own. Yes, Sarah from math class has a really nice smile…but have you seen yours? Wow.

17. Accept yourself.  Change what you can change and love what you can’t.

18. Don’t sweat the small stuff. Take yourself out of the situation. Is this really a big deal? Will it affect you tomorrow? What about next week? Next month?

19. Be empathetic. Your friend just cancelled your plans for the evening because he is feeling too anxious. What can you say to show him that you’re accepting of his situation? Can you offer up an alternative plan? People want to spend time with people who are kind and accepting of them.

Do the things that make you feel like YOU.

Last week, Japan made history by becoming the first country to elect an openly trans man to public office. Tomoya Hosoda will now serve as a councillor for the city of Iruma, and he said he wants to focus on helping LGBTQ people and other minority communities, such as elderly and disabled populations.

“Until recently, people have acted as if sexual minorities do not exist. We have many hurdles to overcome, but I hope to live up to everyone’s expectations,” he told Stonewall, an organisation which supports LGBTQ people in Japan.

He added having received many messages of support and gratitude from the LGBTQ community ever since he announced his candidacy.

Mr Hosoda is the second transgender politician elected in Japan after Kamikawa Aya, a transgender woman who was elected as a Tokyo municipal official in 2003.