Finished reading The Sunbearer Trials and I really liked it! I haven't read YA in ages, but this was a good one. I liked teens behaving like actual teens, I liked that the MC was not a brooding loner but a likable guy with friends, and I absolutely adored all the detail and fun references that went into the world building. It is a colorful, exciting, likable book.
... that ends on a cliffhanger so now I gotta read the next one

#TransRightsReadathon #7 My favorite so far, The Prospects by K.T. Hoffman.

One of the best sports romances I've ever read; the passion for baseball is as vital as the romantic passion. Gene, a young trans man, has trained himself to be happy that he made it into the minors and not to dream of more. But when he starts to fall for a new colleague, he begins to wonder if it's okay to let himself want. Enjoyable quirky prose and good disability rep too.

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#TransRightsReadathon #6 A Quick & Easy Guide to Sex & Disability. (genderqueer author.)

A cartoon guide wonderfully illustrated with diverse bodies and many types of disabilities. Primarily focuses on physical issues, but the advice applies generally.

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#TransRightsReadathon #5 transitions by Elodie Durand. (English translation, by a non-binary translator.) A graphic novel based on a true story of a mother coming to accept her transgender child, interposed with vignettes on gender diversity in history and biology. Includes an ending written by her son.

Honestly, this was a rough read. As a mom, I get having feelings about a child's transition, but she's so resistant for so long, risking total estrangement...

cont.

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hello, just reminding you my books exist for #TransRightsReadathon - and if you're feeling helpless in the current political situation, that they have clear, easy suggestions for actions to support trans people at https://transrightsreadathon.carrd.co/#actions

Also wanted an excuse to shoutout some of the MANY trans books I just really enjoyed and tore through recently #QueerBooks #BookRecs

#TransRightsReadathon #4 Us by Sara Soler. (English translation.) Romantic me, I love true stories about couples who stay together after one of them transitions. A super cute graphica memoir, which has fun with the comic format. The author/artist is cis, but her girlfriend also contributes her point of view. Would make a great starter book for someone trying to understand a loved one's trans identity.

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#TransRightsReadathon #3

Grease Bats by Archie Bongiovanni. Comic strip collection about a twenty-something friend group trying to live their best queer lives despite politics, brokeness, terrible decision making, and imposter syndrome.

I like the style of several short , punchy strips that are part of a longer story. The art is, probably deliberately, kind of messy.

It hurts that the political content is still/again relevant, but this is mostly a joy to read.

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Finished "The Membranes" by Chi Ta-Wei.

This might count to #TransRightsReadathon, but I'm not sure as this is a peculiar short story.

It's a dystopian novel set in the near future where everything else has become unhabitable for humans, except the oceans where people now live.

But that's only the world-building. The story itself does have strong queer, trans, gender & identity themes.

In 1995 this was the first book in Chinese to contain LGBT+ themes.

Recommended!

My first two reads for #TransRightsReadathon! One fiction and one nonfic (I always read different books at different times of the day).

Sunbearer Trials by Aiden Thomas is the first YA book I have decided to read in AGES. The world and the concept sounded very cool.

Our Lives, Our Words is a collection of life stories from aravani (hijra) women from Tamil Nadu, compiled by one of them. It is touching read.

#TransRightsReadathon Book 2, The Bachelor's Valet by Arden Powell. (No trans characters, but I think the author is NB.)

Basically a Wooster/Jeeves romance, which despite my love for fictional "himbos" I would never have expected to like! But it's cute and fluffy, with a very charming touch of magic. Part of a series set in an alternate reality 1920s England, but stands alone.

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Not going to make it for this #TransRightsReadathon but on my to-be-read list I have;

"Candy Darling: Dreamer, Icon, Superstar" by Cynthia Carr.

This is the same Candy that Lou Reed sings about in the "Walk on the Wild Side";

"Candy came from out on the island,
In the backroom she was everybody’s darling,
But she never lost her head
Even when she was giving head."

Apparently it's #TransRightsReadathon time! I've posted some of this before, but I'll take any excuse to talk about some of my favorite trans sapphic romance novels. Without further ado:

• Make Room for Love by Darcy Liao is amazing and I want everyone to read it. It's got labor unions and roommates-to-lovers and grief and comfort and humor and so much love. One of my favorite things about this book is that when one of the main characters sees the other struggling financially, her response isn't the stereotypical romance novel savior reflex, but instead, "I should help with her union organizing so she'll be able to support herself long-term." A+ for anticapitalism!
  
• Fake It by Lily Seabrooke is my go-to example of casual trans representation. Gender identity doesn't even come up until a third of the way through, and it's basically a non-issue in the plot. Mostly it's about fighting an underhanded resaurant franchise with the powers of positity, truth, and falling in love with your fake girlfriend.
• The Art of Growing by Jacqueline Ramsden features a butch landscaper who desperately needs a date for her sister's wedding, and her cute nonbinary friend from the garden center who volunteers to be her (pretend) date. Surely the fact that they have crushes on each other won't be a problem?
• To Own the Libs by Zoe Storm is, to be fair, as much a transition story as it is a romance. But it's a really cute romance and the book's premise - "I'm just pretending to transition to prove that it's not a real thing... but why am I enjoying it so much?" - is perfectly executed, with a hilariously clueless main character.

(This is mostly just stuff I've read in the last year or two. I should probably dig back further in my reading history...)

I'm looking forward to digging into some of the recommended reading lists and following up on some of the action items.

More about TRR: https://transrightsreadathon.carrd.co/#

Since I can't resist a reading challenge, and Hungary is being horrific about queer rights right now, I decided to participate in the #TransRightsReadathon. I have nonfiction books on my TBR already, but I welcome recommendations for other genres Following the hashtag too!

I made a little vlog about my #TransRightsReadathon picks. What are you reading for #TRR25? I'm hoping to post a video for each of the books I read, and hoping I can manage all five within the days of the readathon. We'll see if that happens! Joe had fun with the transitions in this one - it's very fancy! There are colours and shapes! https://videos.tiffanysostar.com/w/8p9K12ZYGVqpg7Vu8afLrj

#TransRightsReadathon book #1 The In-Between Bookstore by Edward Underhill.

The main character describes himself as "a time traveling existential crisis with gender feels" and it's maybe too on the nose. It's a stressful read because *he's* in so much stress, and I didn't feel that there was enough payoff for it.

Did makes me laugh, weep, and aww in places, but overall was more some excellent moments instead of an overall excellent book. 3 1/2 out of 5 stars.

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#TransRightsReadathon (Self Promotion time.)

I invite you to read my light novels - Trans writer, Trans characters.

For Love of a Konbini Idol: I Face Her Onryo Lover
For Love of a Konbini Idol: I Braved the Otherside
For Love of a Konbini Idol: I Searched for the Kudan

No good deed goes unpunished. As Umi discovers when she rescues Shiomi. Neither Shiomi nor the jealous, vengeful ghost that stalks her appreciates the act. Something they both make clear. As for Ume’s partner, Tomo, he is less than thrilled at the intrusion of an unpleasant third into their relationship. “I know I told you to find someone who would appreciate your advances, but I really question your taste.”

At: https://www.pixiv.net/novel/series/11417104
https://archiveofourown.org/works/52770025

Artist: https://bsky.app/profile/maisart.bsky.

For #TransRightsReadathon I invite people to consider reading my debut work, Revin's Heart. It's a steampunky fantasy adventure with pirates and airships and a trans protagonist. It was originally serialized as seven novelettes (you can get the first for free), but the collected edition has three fun side-stories you can't get anywhere else. https://waterdragonpublishing.com/product-category/book-series/revins-heart/
#trr2025 #Bookstodon #LGBTQBooks #Books

seeing people post about #TransRightsReadathon – you can find links to all my books, plus no-paywall links to all my online essays (stretching back to the 00s!), on my writings webpage: juliaserano.com/writings.html

Julia Serano's writings