whatbettyread

Hello, I’m looking for recommendations for lesbian books from parts of the world that tend to be more disregarded (Africa, Latin America, Asia, the Middle East, Eastern Europe, the Caribbean, Oceania outside of Australia and NZ, etc).

Fictional settings are okay if they’re connected to a real-world region or culture.

What I have so far:

* Under the Udala Trees by Chinelo Okparanta, set in Nigeria. * The Burning Kingdoms trilogy by Tasha Suri, set in a fictional world inspired by South Asia/India.

Here are some replies:

Ebjfid2468: - Moon at Nine by Deborah Ellis is set in Iran in 2010s if I remember correctly (it is kinda depressing though). - Cantoras by De Robertis Carolina is set in Uruguay (historical fiction) - Swallows of Mostar by Neira Fazlovic (this one does have one mc from USA but it is fully set in Mostar - Bosnia and Herzegovina, it is ya, summer vibes) - Notes of a Crocodile by Qiu Miaojin is Taiwanese (it is a bit poetically written and can be a little confusing at times but if that’s your vibe its very easy to read)

ChickenChic: I mean…it’s sad as hell, but These Letters End in Tears by Musih Tedji Xaviere is from Cameroon.

Krantinarihierophant: Saints of Storm and Sorrow by Gabrielle Buba. The protagonist is an openly bisexual nun living a double life as the secret stormcaller for the goddess Anitun Tabu. Inspired by Filipino folklore.

A-roo-gallah: Crimson by Niviaq Korneliussen (Greenlandic author, takes place in Nuuk; also titled Last Night in Nuuk in some places) Hamajung Luck by Makana Yamamoto (Self-described as kānaka maoli + hapa haole, māhū + lesbian; queer nonbinary Native Hawaiian main character; set in a space station with Hawaiian culture present) House of Monstrous Women by Daphne Fama (Filipino-American author; queer gothic horror; takes place in the 80s in the Philippines) If You Could Be Mine by Sara Farizan (Iranian-American author; takes place in Tehran) The Last One by Fatima Daas (French-Algerian author; autofiction; takes place in Paris with some parts in Algeria) Love is an Ex-Country (Palestinian-American author, memoir) She is a Haunting by Trang Thanh Tran (Vietnamese-American author; takes place in Vietnam; her other book is fantastic, too, and takes place in a Louisiana bayou.) Those Pink Mountain Nights by Jen Ferguson (Métis author; takes place in a small town near Alberta and deals with the topic of MMIWG)

Paletteandpetri: Don’t Whisper Too Much by Frieda Ekotto - set in Cameroon. Cinnamon by Samar Yazbek - set in Syria.

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You Belong to Me by Hayley Krischer - Frances Bean is somewhat of an outcast, so imagine her surprise when she gets invited to an exclusive event hosted by the famous beauty and wellness company Deep. With a crush on a girl from the company causing her to accept the invitation she gets pulled in to a world of luxury, beauty and ”self discovery”. But underneath the pretty facade brews deceit, exploitation and even murder.

One thing about me is when I see a book about a skincare/wellness cult I have to read it. In this one I liked the concept, the comparison of the beauty industry to a cult run by a predatory man who wants to exploit women and especially little girls is well done because yeah… it is that. Unfortunately the story was just poorly executed. I didn't believe in the romance and the characters weren’t developed enough. I especially wish we had gotten more insight into the love interest because that could have become something super unique and interesting. Cool concept but underdeveloped. 2⭐️

A Wild and Ruined Song by Ashley Shuttleworth - the fourth and final book in the Hollow Star Saga which I would describe as a blend between DnD and The Mortal Instruments, oh and also every single main character is queer.

Unfortunately the author did not stick the landing when it comes to plot, its very messy and convoluted. But the couples… I don’t know what they put in the water but it’s addictive as hell and I would gladly read a whole other book with no plot and just domestic scenes. 3⭐️

The Keeper of Magical Things by Julie Leong - Certainty Bulrush is a novice unable to earn the rank of mage, because her ability to speak with magical objects might be unique but not particularly powerful. An opportunity to earn her magehood emerges when she’s sent to the small village of Shpelling in order to catalogue magical objects. She’s to be accompanied by mage Aurelia, an uptight scholar known as the Ice Witch, and while their relationship is frosty at first it soon begins to thaw into friendship and perhaps something more. But Shpelling is ripe with prejudice against mages since a magical incident cursed their land, so completing the task will not be easy. Perhaps the magical objects they’re handling could help the village break free from the curse?

Cozy fantasy indeed! It’s super well crafted, you get immersed in this rich world even though we are only focused on small and mundane parts of it, and the stakes feel real and serious even though a lot of the book is just, well, cozy. Worldbuilding, character work, plot, humor and romance are all balanced perfectly. I loved the magical objects, the numerous cats and the small village vibes. And the girls also get to fall in love. Splendid. 4⭐️

One Knight Stand by Amie Kaufman and Megan Spooner - the sequel to Lady’s Knight which explores what happens (spoiler alert) after our knight successfully slays the dragon. Featuring a necromancer in a tower, a sea monster and questionable tourist destination.

Also, it is insulting both to artists, many of whom are perfectly willing to create cover art for considerably cheap or even free, and also to yourself.

Your writing is worth more than that. Your hard work is better than AI in every way shape or form. It may seem the easiest and quickest approach to completing and publishing your manuscript, but it is not worth it.

The easy route is not always the best one.

In the arena, where life is cheap and spectacle is everything, Rey must decide what kind of game he’s willing to play.

As the largest kingdom in the Known World, the Empire of Sagrada is built on the keystones of conquest: gold, glory, and the Dying God. But when Princess Rosa unexpectedly finds herself the next heir to the throne, she is determined to change Sagrada for the better—until her father announces a glorious tournament of gladiatorial fights and blood magic, with Rosa’s hand and her throne as the prize.

In a desperate bid to win her own hand, Princess Rosa chooses Rey, a trans swordsman from the colony of Himala, as her champion in her father’s tournament. Kidnapped by Sagradan conquistadors and raised as a fighter, Rey is equally desperate to win his freedom and return to Himala with his partner, Teo. But, haunted by the past and his own quest for revenge, Rey is soon caught up in the destructive spectacle of the games, where the cost of power is blood, and the true prize is yet to be revealed.

2026 reads / storygraph

The Night of Baba Yaga

historical thriller novella, translated

set in 1979 Tokyo, a woman is kidnapped by gangsters and after trying to escape, is allowed to live if she becomes the bodyguard/driver for the gang boss’ sheltered daughter

as she gets used to this new job, the two young women grow closer, and start to dream of a life outside of the one they’re in

Ok, it's taken me SIX YEARS to make this. But I did it! It's done! Please watch it!

It's my first animation project, which is why it took so long. I had to learn to animate to make it. It's only a bit over 2 minutes, but I made it the best I possibly could. Please please please watch it. I am so proud of it.

It's a trailer for my first novel- a late YA scifi/superhero book.

Is it absurd to make a fully animated book "trailer" for a book that's been out for 6 years, with voice acting and commissioned music (by the fantastic @plottwiststudios) ? I mean yes. Of course. I'm not even doing this for real marketing purposes because this is a ridiculous thing to do. I don't even really think it'll sell books but the process of making it made me really really happy.

But I love my fictional disaster queers, and I love my book, and when I was a kid I thought I'd grow up to be an animator. I've always loved animation, and I was really, really happy to make something animated myself. I'm really proud of how it turned out.

No AI used.

Please watch it. Please share it.

If it does make you actually want to read the story, you can see all the buying options for ebook, paperback, and audiobook.

I start my next animation project- a fake anime opening credits for book 3 in this series, starting next month.

It's been a big year for publications, so I'm updating this post once again with my available stories! Some are free online, some are pay to read, but shoot me a message if anything's outside your price range and I'll just send you a pdf no problem.

Blanket CW: My work is horror and horror adjacent, and features gore and potentially uncomfortable sexuality more often than not. Proceed with caution; particularly intense works will have additional content warnings.

The Hero: A nasty little story about smoking weed and working food service and performing acts of incredible and senseless violence on behalf of your coworkers. Published in Mangoprism.

Satellite Office: A nameless lesbian engineer forced from her workplace after a traumatic event develops an unusual medical issue, which exposes hairline cracks in her marriage. This probably has nothing to do with what she does for work. Published by Sans Press in their Stranger anthology; nominated for a Pushcart Prize.

Polly Says: On the eve of their annual guys and dolls trip, three iDollators and their silicone brides gather in the basement of their cohort's most ambitious for the unveiling of the newest enhancement to his doll, Polly. Things go downhill pretty quickly from there. CWs for sexuality and gore. Published in Cloaked Press's Nightmare Fuel: Body Horror anthology.

Born Sexy Tomorrow: A group of lovable twenty-somethings discover a nonverbal naked woman in the woods outside their lakehouse. CWs for heavy gore and cannibalism, I'm not kidding. Published in Reader Beware's fourth issue.

The Sound of a Gong: Every day, Cecilia, the lady of the house, is murdered with a hammer by the lord she never sees. Every morning, she wakes anew, trapped within the manor's walls. A Gothic time loop featuring light incest and lots and lots of circles. Published by Tales to Terrify, available to listen wherever you get your podcasts.

Rufus: Isolated and grieving in hot suburban sprawl, Aria Wilson returns to her childhood home for a summer alone. Rufus, the man next door living full-time as a dog, thinks she could use some company. Published by A Midnight Kind of Place in both text and podcast form, plus an interview with me about Rufus's origin as A Guy to Scare My Wife With, writing with alexithymia and my projects in progress!

NEW! Dead Wife: After a brutal car accident, two childhood friends meet in a basement to resurrect the narrator's dead wife. However, they fail to resurrect the dead marriage, and balk when Nora arises livelier than before. Published in Horrific Scribblings. CWs for domestic abuse, animal death and explicit sexuality.

Read these books and give them a little more love!