Tag: Book Award

  • Lambda Literary Award Finalists 2022

    Lambda Literary Award Finalists 2022

    The Lambda Literary Awards are an excellent place to find LGBTQ+ book recommendations with 24 categories of 5 books. Last year I tried to read as many of the finalists as I could, and I’m going to do the same again in the lead up to the 34th Annual Lambda Literary Awards on June 11th.

    I’ve chosen to focus on XX categories that are most interesting to me. If there is a book in another category that you think I would enjoy, please let me know!


    Lesbian Fiction

    • How to Wrestle a Girl by Venita Blackburn
    • Matrix by Lauren Groff
    • Skye Falling by Mia McKenzie
    • The Five Wounds by Kirstin Valdez Quade
    • With Teeth by Kristen Arnett

    Transgender Fiction

    • A Natural History of Transition by Callum Angus
    • Detransition, Baby by Torrey Peters
    • Margaret and the Mystery of the Missing Body by Megan Milks
    • She Who Became the Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan
    • Summer Fun by Jeanne Thornton

    LGBTQ Nonfiction

    • Dear Senthuran by Akwaeke Emezi
    • Deep Sniff: A History of Poppers and Queer Futures by Adam Zmith
    • Girlhood by Melissa Febos
    • Let the Record Show by Sarah Schulman
    • Northern Light: Power, Land, and the Memory of Water by Kazim Ali

    LGBTQ Young Adult

    • Hani and Ishu’s Guide to Fake Dating by Adiba Jaigirdar
    • The City Beautiful by Aden Polydoros
    • The Heartbreak Bakery by A.R. Capetta
    • The Passing Playbook by Isaac Fitzsimons
    • What We Devour by Linsey Miller

    LGBTQ Comics

    • Cheer Up! Love and Pompoms by Crystal Frasier and Val Wise
    • Our Work is Everywhere: An Illustrated Oral History of Queer & Trans Resistance by Syan Rose
    • Shadow Life by Hiromi Goto
    • Stone Fruit by Lee Lai
    • Thirsty Mermaids by Kat Leyh

    Check out our Queer Lil Library for more book recommendations and reviews!

  • 2021 Lambda Literary Awards AND WINNERS

    2021 Lambda Literary Awards AND WINNERS

    The Lambda Literary Awards highlight LGBTQ writers each year. I did my best to read as many of their nominated books from six categories I was most interested in before the 33rd Annual Lammy Awards on June 1. There are 24 categories in total, and I highly recommend you check out the full list.

    I will continue to update this post with links to book reviews as I continue to make my way through these nominees and winners!

    Lesbian Fiction

    • Bestiary by K-Ming Chang
    • Butter Honey Pig Bread by Francesca Ekwuyasi
    • Exile Music by Jennifer Steil
    • Fiebre Tropical by Juli Delgado Lopera
    • Pizza Girl by Jean Kyoung Frazier

    My vote: Butter Honey Pig Bread
    The winner:
    Fiebre Tropical by Juli Delgado Lopera

    Gay Fiction

    • Cleanness by Garth Greenwell
    • Neotenica by Joon Oluchi Lee
    • Real Life by Brandon Taylor
    • Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart
    • This Town Sleeps by Dennis E. Staples

    My vote:
    The winner:
    Neotenica by Joon Oluchi Lee

    Bisexual Fiction

    • Catherine House by Elisabeth Thomas
    • How Much of These Hills is Gold by C Pam Zhang
    • Silence Is My Mother Tongue by Sulaiman Addonia
    • Take a Hint, Dani Brown by Talia Hibbert
    • You Exist Too Much by Zaina Arafat

    My vote: Take a Hint, Dani Brown by Talia Hibbert
    The winner:
    You Exist Too Much by Zaina Arafat

    Transgender Fiction

    • FINNA by Nino Cipri
    • The Seep by Chana Porter
    • The Subtweet by Vivek Shraya
    • The Thirty Names of Night by Zeyn Joukhadar
    • Trans-Galactic Bike Ride: Feminist Bicycle Science Fiction Stories of Transgender and Nonbinary Adventurers by Lydia Rogue

    My vote: Trans-Galactic Bike Ride edited by Lydia Rogue
    The winner:
    The Thirty Names of Night by Zeyn Joukhadar

    LGBTQ Children’s / Middle Grade

    • The Deep & Dark Blue by Niki Smith
    • From Archie to Zack by Vincent X. Kirsch
    • A High Five for Glenn Burke by Phil Bildner
    • King and the Dragonflies by Kacen Callender
    • Our Subway Baby by Peter Mercurio

    My vote: The Deep & Dark Blue
    The winner:
    King and the Dragonflies by Kacen Callender

    LGBTQ Young Adult 

    My vote: Flamer
    The winner:
    Flamer by Mike Curato

    Have you read any of the Lambda Literary Award books?
    Which is your favorite?

    Leave a comment and let me know!