VIKINGBAT

All about those black spines and chillingly fantastical tales 👌

I’ve discovered I have a bit of a weak spot for fantasies (or pseudo-fantasies) that have an edge of horror & suspense to them. Not enough that I lose interest but I still get that creepy vibe, a big what-if factor. @dawnkurtagich’s AND THE TREES CREPT IN was a lot like that (I just don’t have a copy to photograph lol)

Do you know of any books with that otherworldly but chilling feel?

                                    𝕓𝕠𝕠𝕜𝕤 𝕤𝕖𝕥 𝕚𝕟 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝟙𝟡𝟚𝟘𝕤

I decided I’m going to do an entire time periods recommendations tag starting with the 1920s because I’m about to pick up the Diviners by Libba Bray! I decided to share descriptions of only three books because this post would be way too long if I shared all of the ones mentioned. If any of these are wrong, feel free to let me know! I’m pretty quick to change them. :-)

The Diviners by Libba Bray (GREAT rep for tons of things btw)

“Evie O’Neill has been exiled from her boring old hometown and shipped off to the bustling streets of New York City—and she is pos-i-tute-ly ecstatic. It’s 1926, and New York is filled with speakeasies, Ziegfeld girls, and rakish pickpockets. The only catch is that she has to live with her uncle Will and his unhealthy obsession with the occult. Evie worries he’ll discover her darkest secret: a supernatural power that has only brought her trouble so far. But when the police find a murdered girl branded with a cryptic symbol and Will is called to the scene, Evie realizes her gift could help catch a serial killer. As Evie jumps headlong into a dance with a murderer, other stories unfold in the city that never sleeps. A young man named Memphis is caught between two worlds. A chorus girl named Theta is running from her past. A student named Jericho hides a shocking secret. And unknown to all, something dark and evil has awakened.”

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald 

“Jay Gatsby is the man who has everything. But one thing will always be out of his reach. Everybody who is anybody is seen at his glittering parties. Day and night his Long Island mansion buzzes with bright young things drinking, dancing, and debating his mysterious character. For Gatsby—young, handsome, and fabulously rich—always seems alone in the crowd, watching and waiting, though no one knows what for. Beneath the shimmering surface of his life he is hiding a secret: a silent longing that can never be fulfilled. And soon this destructive obsession will force his world to unravel.”

Bright Young Things by Anna Godbersen

Letty Larkspur and Cordelia Grey escaped their small Midwestern town for New York’s glittering metropolis. All Letty wants is to see her name in lights, but she quickly discovers Manhattan is filled with pretty girls who will do anything to be a star…. Cordelia is searching for the father she’s never known, a man as infamous for his wild parties as he is for his shadowy schemes. Overnight, she enters a world more thrilling and glamorous than she ever could have imagined — and more dangerous. It’s a life anyone would kill for…and someone will. “The only person Cordelia can trust is ­Astrid Donal, a flapper who seems to have it all: money, looks, and the love of Cordelia’s brother, Charlie. But Astrid’s perfect veneer hides a score of family secrets.”

The Paris Wife by Paula Mclain

Speak Easy, Speak Love by McKelle George

the Other Typist by Suzanne Rindell

a Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith

Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Dalloway

Z by Zelda Fitzgerald

if you want more, feel free to check out the Goodreads list I found!

Classic lit + Onion-style headlines = the mashup you never knew you always wanted. Click here to see all 14!

Soooo many faves. Just to name a few: SUTPHIN BOULEVARD by Santino Hassell, ROLLER GIRL by Vanessa North, HOW TO MAKE A WISH and GIRL MADE OF STARS by Ashley Herring Blake, LIKE WATER by Rebecca Podos, COFFE BOY by Austin Chant, CALLIE, UNWRAPPED and OFF CAMPUS by AJ Cousins, TREASURE by Rebekah Weatherspoon, JULIET TAKES A BREATH by Gabby Rivera, everything by Adam Silvera, LAST SEEN LEAVING by Caleb Roehrig, and MASK OF SHADOWS by Linsey Miller.

“Her fantasy novel Children of Blood and Bone, the first of a trilogy about a young girl’s battle with a prince over bringing magic back to West Africa,  is going to be released some time next year. But it’s already got a seven-figure publishing deal with Macmillan, and a massive deal with Fox Studios too, with the latter acquiring the movie rights pretty early on in the day for a book that hasn’t even been published yet.”

It’s a Zimmerbaby board book. I bought it and own a physical copy because it’s so Jack Zimmermann is makes me want to cry. 

Please imagine Jack reading the following book to his tiny baby every single night. (It goes in his suitcase so he can Skype the baby during roadies.) 

IT’S SO SWEET AND STRAIGHTFORWARD. PLEASE LOOK INSIDE.

Here are some recs for casual/feel-good f/f representation! All links are to my reviews.

Good Enough to Eat - super cute lesbian vampire rom-com

Promises, Promises - parody of LotR/D&D starring three lesbians on a quest for magical stuff

Everything Leads to You - Hollywood f/f YA about a young set designer who falls for a girl she meets under mysterious circumstances

The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet - ensemble-cast “crew of a spaceship” story. Mostly just random adventures, includes a f/f couple who survive the book.

Roller Girl - contemporary f/f romance about trans woman who joins a roller derby team

Not fluffy, but the angst is SFF-stress rather than “living under homophobia/biphobia” stress:

Ascension - queer disabled ladies fighting Big Pharma in space–you wanted space bi’s, come get your space bi’s (actually, if you want more space bi’s also check out the anthology Fierce Family.)

Chameleon Moon - review is of an earlier edition and I hear the new one has even more great representation. Trans woman superhero with two female partners living in a dystopian city that’s on lockdown from the government after everyone develops mutant powers in response to a wonderdrug.

Not Your Sidekick - in the future, what happens when your parents are superheroes but you never developed powers? You intern for the baddie, of course! MC is bi and ends up in a f/f relationship, and the sequel will star her trans bestie.

Gay Pride and Prejudice by Kate Christie - What it says on the tin. Elizabeth Bennett is a lesbian and the haughty Caroline Bingley is the last woman she could ever be prevailed upon to love.

Escape from B-Movie Hell by M.T. McGuire - Silly British sci-fi with a lesbian protagonist

Heart Trouble by Jae - A doctor gets shocked by a defibrillator while saving a woman’s life in the ER. Now they have a soul bond!

Finding Ms Write by Jae & Jove Belle - Collection of short stories about women who love women and also love books.

The Wind City by Summer Wigmore - Urban fantasy drawing on Maori mythology. Protagonist describes herself as “at least 60% gay” and falls in love with a monster girl.

Sword of the Guardian by Merry Shannon - Bi princess and lesbian bodyguard fall in love.

Beauty & Cruelty by Meredith Katz about the evil with falling in love with sleeping beauty (lesbian)

High & Mighty by S.S. Skye - a princess stuck in a tower who is decidely Not Amused about it (lesbian)

Humanity for Beginners by Faith Mudge - Two friends and a halfway house for lesbian werewolves (lesbian)

Hunting a Lady by Cari Z. and Caitlin Ricci - a woman who needs money goes to rescue a kidnapped lady for the reward (lesbian)

Lies & Reverie by Camilla Quinn - A shopkeeper’s daughter who loves to day dream, and the beautiful woman who runs the town (lesbian)

Love Rampage by Alex Powell - a girl in love with her best friend, and the unicorn who helps her (lesbian, trans)

Modern Serpents Talk Things Through by Jamie Brindle - a modern dragon who falls in love with the human who invades her cave (lesbian)

Prom and Other Hazards by Jamie Sullivan - super cute story about a girl, her best friend, and the prom (lesbian, bisexual)

Slaying Dragons by Sasha L. Miller - a frustrated mage, some dragons, and the lovely new partner she’s stuck with (lesbian)

The Broken Forest by Megan Derr - a Huntress, and the beautiful witch she meets dealing with a troublesome forest (lesbian, bisexual, trans)

The Mercenary by Annabelle Kitch - a peasant girl, the princess she loves, a quest to win her princess’s hand in marriage (lesbian)

The Persephone Star by Jamie Sullivan- a proper lady working in the post office, a notorious criminal set on revenge, and a bit of kidnapping (lesbian)

The Secret of Mermaid Cove by Megan Derr - an improper lady, an unwanted engagement, and an island full of secrets

Witch, Cat, and Cobb by J.K. Pendragon - a princess fleeing an arranged marriage, a witch, and a cat (lesbian, trans)

Zombies in the East End by Roxanne Dent - steampunk, zombies, and two tough ladies

California Skies by Kalya Bashe - bandits in the wild west, a hunt for jewels, stubborn people (bisexual, genderqueer)