LGBT YA Recommendations for reluctant reader?

LadyA · 02-02-2013, 04:01 PM

Hi everyone *waves*

I was hoping you guys could help me with some recommendations for my seventeen year old sister. She's only recently come out to me and her friends at school, but not my parents. I want her to know that I'm still there for her even though I'm at university and away from home. She's a reluctant reader/gets bored easily, and likes the kind of fluffy chick lit books, books set at the beach, and issues books (in particular anorexia-themed ones), but says that the hetero romance puts her off them a lot of the time. She really wants to read something relating to her, with a girl/girl romance.

I really wanted to send her a couple of books with f/f romance and not full of angst. Like, ones where the character accepts their sexuality and is not ashamed, like a lot of LGBT YA out there.
(I'm not meaning to offend, there's nothing wrong with those sort of books at all, I just don't think they're what she needs right now.)

I just don't want her to have any more stress about who she is and whether it's wrong, I just love her and want her to see that girls can fall in love and be happy with girls just like with boys.

Does anyone have any recommendations?

eyeblink · 02-02-2013, 05:08 PM

There's this thread in the YA forum. It's a couple of years old now, but hopefully you should find some recommendations there.

KTC · 02-02-2013, 09:13 PM

I just read Twin Sense by Lydia Sharp. I thought it was adorable...and perfect for the reluctant reader, too, I would think. (-:

http://www.amazon.com/Twin-Sense-ebook/dp/B00AC2NLFW

suki · 02-02-2013, 11:04 PM

I adored Ask the Passengers by A.S. King - a wonderful book - the main character is in the process of coming out to herself, and dealing with how that complicates her life, but the whole book is really wonderful.

I did a blog post on some of favorite queer girls YA books: http://emkokie.com/attractive_nuisan...r-girls-in-ya/

And here is a link to the annual Rainbow Lists - ALA's best of list for lgbtq books for kids and teens: http://glbtrt.ala.org/rainbowbooks/rainbow-books-lists

~suki

Corinne Duyvis · 02-03-2013, 01:34 AM

I haven't had a chance to read it yet, but I've had great things about ADAPTATION by Malinda Lo. It's sci-fi YA, though, so might not be the sort of thing she's into.

Nonny · 02-03-2013, 07:53 PM

I'll second the recc for Adaptation. I'd also recommend Wildthorn by Jane Eagland, which is historical. The Dark Wife by Sarah Diemer is self-published but probably one of my favorite lesbian stories ever (it is a retelling of the Hades/Persephone legend where Hades is actually a woman; the author also has lots of lesbian books out and I haven't read anything I dislke from her). Sister Mischief by Laura Goode is also really good, with a lesbian protagonist, and deals a lot with social justice issues in general. Amelia Atwater Rhodes has a lesbian romance in her Kiesh'ra series (Wolfcry). Radiant Days by Elizabeth Hand has a pair of queer protagonists and is SF/time travel. The Stepsister Scheme and following books by Jim C. Hines are technically not YA but I would consider them appropriate for YA readers; they are a fairy tale retelling, and Sleeping Beauty is a queer PoC.

I also hear the Parasol Protectorate books by Gail Carriger recommended a lot, although the main romance is heterosexual. There are multiple queer side characters; I will note some people object to Lord Akeldama being flamboyant, but it did not personally bother me since she had other characters who were not. I really love these books in particular for the very strong relationships between women. (Carriger's books are not technically YA, although she has a YA series in the same setting coming out soon. I don't really think there is anything age-inappropriate in them, though.)

eyeblink · 02-04-2013, 12:39 PM

Following up the thread I linked to above, I have since then read Keeping You a Secret by Julie Anne Peters and The Bermudez Triangle by Maureen Johnson amongst others - also Elissa's novel Kiss The Morning Star - and they may be the sort of thing you're looking for. They're all US-only publications, but I've seen import copies of Keeping You a Secret in bookshops now and again, for example Foyles in London. There's even a copy in Hampshire libraries, which is how I got to read it - presumably someone donated it, as it wasn't published in the UK to the best of my knowledge.

LadyA · 02-04-2013, 08:03 PM

Thanks for your wonderful recs, guys!

She only really likes contemporary, so I've sent her THE BERMUDEZ TRIANGLE and KEEPING YOU A SECRET. I'll make a reader of her yet!

Kim Fierce · 02-05-2013, 06:04 AM

check your messages LadyA . . . I have a question for you!

Nonny · 02-05-2013, 12:57 PM

Sister Mischief is contemporary with no SFF

Wisteria Vine · 02-05-2013, 06:02 PM

Capers by Penny Piva is a chicklit-y type of book your sister might like.

EMaree · 02-05-2013, 06:31 PM

I never get tired of Will Grayson, Will Grayson and Boy Meets Boy. I'm also reading Pantomime just now, which handles a lot of unusual gender and sexuality issues.

Kim Fierce · 02-06-2013, 03:20 AM

I'm getting a lot of good suggestions here for myself to read lol

Yeasayer · 02-08-2013, 02:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by suki

I adored Ask the Passengers by A.S. King - a wonderful book - the main character is in the process of coming out to herself, and dealing with how that complicates her life, but the whole book is really wonderful.

Seconding this. This book is PERFECT: funny, bittersweet, real. I'm so envious of A.S. King's writing. There is a bit of philosophy in the book, but overall, I think it would still appeal to a reluctant reader.

Also, Starting from Here by Lisa Jenn Bigelow. This book needs more love!

eyeblink · 02-09-2013, 12:02 PM

One of the older LGBT YA novels (published 1982) is Annie on My Mind by Nancy Garden. I read it a few years ago and it stands up pretty well. It's not really "contemporary" any more of course (that dates me - I turned eighteen in 1982) but I didn't think there was much that dated it, and only superficially.

Lydia Sharp · 02-10-2013, 01:27 AM

I'd like to second ANNIE ON MY MIND by Nancy Garden. It's one of my absolute favorites, even though it's a little old now. It doesn't feel dated.

I'll second SISTER MISCHIEF too, even though I haven't read it yet. I've been meaning to, since so many people have rec'd it. So there's that.

Thanks to Kevin for rec'ing my book.

Just so your daughter is aware, though, the MC is bi and there is some boy/girl kissing, as well as girl/girl. If she doesn't like to read any boy/girl stuff at all, it might not be the best choice for her. But if it only bothers her that the main romance thread is just boy/girl in other books, then Twin Sense should be right up her alley.

Apologue · 02-21-2013, 08:10 PM

Other contemp recommendations:

Dare, Truth, or Promise by Paula Boock
Kissing Kate by Lauren Myracle
Girl Walking Backwards by Bett Williams
Empress of the World by Sara Ryan
The Rules for Hearts by Sara Ryan
Pages for You by Sylvia Brownrigg
The Miseducation of Cameron Post by Emily Danforth (this is kind of heavy and literary and also set in the 90s, so may not be for her)
Good Moon Rising by Nancy Garden
Rage: A Love Story by Julie Ann Peters
The Difference Between You and Me by Madeline George
Of All The Stupid Things by Alexandra Diaz
Am I Blue? edited by Marion Bauer

If she likes movies, I would recommend:
But I'm a Cheerleader
Show Me Love (Swedish)
D.E.B.S.
Imagine Me & You (not YA, but very cute)
Lost & Delirious (watch out, this one is kind of depressing)
The Incredibly True Adventures of Two Girls In Love
Circumstance (set in Iran and also kind of depressing)

Apologue · 02-21-2013, 08:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Yeasayer

Seconding this. This book is PERFECT: funny, bittersweet, real. I'm so envious of A.S. King's writing. There is a bit of philosophy in the book, but overall, I think it would still appeal to a reluctant reader.

Also, Starting from Here by Lisa Jenn Bigelow. This book needs more love!

Another vote for Starting from Here. That was a GREAT book!

02-02-2013, 04:01 PM	#1
LadyA dreaming, drowning Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Devon girl living in Oxford, England Posts: 1,475	LGBT YA Recommendations for reluctant reader? Hi everyone waves I was hoping you guys could help me with some recommendations for my seventeen year old sister. She's only recently come out to me and her friends at school, but not my parents. I want her to know that I'm still there for her even though I'm at university and away from home. She's a reluctant reader/gets bored easily, and likes the kind of fluffy chick lit books, books set at the beach, and issues books (in particular anorexia-themed ones), but says that the hetero romance puts her off them a lot of the time. She really wants to read something relating to her, with a girl/girl romance. I really wanted to send her a couple of books with f/f romance and not full of angst. Like, ones where the character accepts their sexuality and is not ashamed, like a lot of LGBT YA out there. (I'm not meaning to offend, there's nothing wrong with those sort of books at all, I just don't think they're what she needs right now.) I just don't want her to have any more stress about who she is and whether it's wrong, I just love her and want her to see that girls can fall in love and be happy with girls just like with boys. Does anyone have any recommendations? __________________ Amy x Y, M & ECG - YA Contemp (62k) WHAT I DIDN'T TELL Y0U - YA Thriller (querying!) twitter tumblr "I wished with all my heart that she could understand how it felt to be us that night - how it felt to be eighteen and unbeaten, eighteen and alive.” Eva Rice, The Lost Art of Keeping Secrets ~ How can the birds sing, when the willow tree is weeping? ~

02-02-2013, 05:08 PM	#2
eyeblink I blink Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Aldershot, UK Posts: 4,271	There's this thread in the YA forum. It's a couple of years old now, but hopefully you should find some recommendations there. __________________ "The afterlife is like Aldershot." (from Beyond Black by Hilary Mantel) Works in progress: Partings and Greetings (contemporary 14+ YA novel) - Version 3.0 35,949 words and counting. Short fiction: "Mourning Becomes Me" - 9359 word draft, a likely novella in the making "Treffpunkt" - 2754 word draft Untitled story (collaboration with Fenika) - 1729 words and counting

02-02-2013, 09:13 PM	#3
KTC THE REASONS - Now Available! Join Date: Mar 2005 Posts: 25,239	I just read Twin Sense by Lydia Sharp. I thought it was adorable...and perfect for the reluctant reader, too, I would think. (-: http://www.amazon.com/Twin-Sense-ebook/dp/B00AC2NLFW __________________ One-Stop Shopping - My books on Amazon Buy any of my 3 novels between MAY 15-31, 2013 and 100% of my royalties is donated to Male Survivor Weekends of Recovery Scholarship Fund! "I'll have no truck with plots." ~ Sheldon Cooper

02-02-2013, 11:04 PM	#4
suki Opinionated Join Date: Oct 2008 Posts: 3,557	I adored Ask the Passengers by A.S. King - a wonderful book - the main character is in the process of coming out to herself, and dealing with how that complicates her life, but the whole book is really wonderful. I did a blog post on some of favorite queer girls YA books: http://emkokie.com/attractive_nuisan...r-girls-in-ya/ And here is a link to the annual Rainbow Lists - ALA's best of list for lgbtq books for kids and teens: http://glbtrt.ala.org/rainbowbooks/rainbow-books-lists ~suki __________________ Don't feed the Trolls! Website ~ Twitter ~ Facebook ~ Goodreads PERSONAL EFFECTS (Candlewick Press, September 2012). Now available! B&N ~ Amazon ~ IndieBound~ Interested in supporting a great indie bookstore (and ordering an autographed copy of Personal Effects at the same time)? Read more here. Last edited by suki; 02-02-2013 at 11:10 PM.

02-03-2013, 01:34 AM	#5
Corinne Duyvis She of the Comfortable Shoulders Join Date: May 2010 Location: Amsterdam, Netherlands Posts: 718	I haven't had a chance to read it yet, but I've had great things about ADAPTATION by Malinda Lo. It's sci-fi YA, though, so might not be the sort of thing she's into. __________________ * Blog * Website * Twitter * The Fourteenery Represented by Ammi-Joan Paquette of Erin Murphy Literary Agency. OTHERBOUND: a YA fantasy about a boy from our world who's spent ten years involuntarily witnessing the life of a servant girl from another world every time he blinks--and what happens when he finally learns to communicate with her. Available 2014 from Amulet Books.

02-03-2013, 07:53 PM	#6
Nonny Serve no master but your ambition Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Olympia, WA Posts: 88	I'll second the recc for Adaptation. I'd also recommend Wildthorn by Jane Eagland, which is historical. The Dark Wife by Sarah Diemer is self-published but probably one of my favorite lesbian stories ever (it is a retelling of the Hades/Persephone legend where Hades is actually a woman; the author also has lots of lesbian books out and I haven't read anything I dislke from her). Sister Mischief by Laura Goode is also really good, with a lesbian protagonist, and deals a lot with social justice issues in general. Amelia Atwater Rhodes has a lesbian romance in her Kiesh'ra series (Wolfcry). Radiant Days by Elizabeth Hand has a pair of queer protagonists and is SF/time travel. The Stepsister Scheme and following books by Jim C. Hines are technically not YA but I would consider them appropriate for YA readers; they are a fairy tale retelling, and Sleeping Beauty is a queer PoC. I also hear the Parasol Protectorate books by Gail Carriger recommended a lot, although the main romance is heterosexual. There are multiple queer side characters; I will note some people object to Lord Akeldama being flamboyant, but it did not personally bother me since she had other characters who were not. I really love these books in particular for the very strong relationships between women. (Carriger's books are not technically YA, although she has a YA series in the same setting coming out soon. I don't really think there is anything age-inappropriate in them, though.) __________________ Alina Morgan: Expect the Unexpected.

02-04-2013, 12:39 PM	#7
eyeblink I blink Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Aldershot, UK Posts: 4,271	Following up the thread I linked to above, I have since then read Keeping You a Secret by Julie Anne Peters and The Bermudez Triangle by Maureen Johnson amongst others - also Elissa's novel Kiss The Morning Star - and they may be the sort of thing you're looking for. They're all US-only publications, but I've seen import copies of Keeping You a Secret in bookshops now and again, for example Foyles in London. There's even a copy in Hampshire libraries, which is how I got to read it - presumably someone donated it, as it wasn't published in the UK to the best of my knowledge. __________________ "The afterlife is like Aldershot." (from Beyond Black by Hilary Mantel) Works in progress: Partings and Greetings (contemporary 14+ YA novel) - Version 3.0 35,949 words and counting. Short fiction: "Mourning Becomes Me" - 9359 word draft, a likely novella in the making "Treffpunkt" - 2754 word draft Untitled story (collaboration with Fenika) - 1729 words and counting

02-04-2013, 08:03 PM	#8
LadyA dreaming, drowning Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Devon girl living in Oxford, England Posts: 1,475	Thanks for your wonderful recs, guys! She only really likes contemporary, so I've sent her THE BERMUDEZ TRIANGLE and KEEPING YOU A SECRET. I'll make a reader of her yet! __________________ Amy x Y, M & ECG - YA Contemp (62k) WHAT I DIDN'T TELL Y0U - YA Thriller (querying!) twitter tumblr "I wished with all my heart that she could understand how it felt to be us that night - how it felt to be eighteen and unbeaten, eighteen and alive.” Eva Rice, The Lost Art of Keeping Secrets ~ How can the birds sing, when the willow tree is weeping? ~

02-05-2013, 06:04 AM	#9
Kim Fierce Attack me with everything you have. Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: Indiana Posts: 1,098	check your messages LadyA . . . I have a question for you! __________________ No Turning Back, YA Contemporary Watch the book trailer Amelia's Revolution --steampunk short "Two-Spirit's Red Road" 6-09-13! The Divide: Uprising YA Dystopia The Divide: Unity -- in progress My Secret Pain --YA short, 8-?-13

02-05-2013, 12:57 PM	#10
Nonny Serve no master but your ambition Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Olympia, WA Posts: 88	Sister Mischief is contemporary with no SFF __________________ Alina Morgan: Expect the Unexpected.

02-05-2013, 06:02 PM	#11
Wisteria Vine practical experience, FTW Join Date: Jan 2010 Posts: 267	Capers by Penny Piva is a chicklit-y type of book your sister might like.

02-05-2013, 06:31 PM	#12
EMaree is drinking tea Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Scotland Posts: 1,444	I never get tired of Will Grayson, Will Grayson and Boy Meets Boy. I'm also reading Pantomime just now, which handles a lot of unusual gender and sexuality issues. __________________ Website/Blog- Twitter Writing: Seamonster YA Revising: YA Urban Fantasy with giant robots With Agent: YA Urban Fantasy with angels and demons Published: MG Fantasy "Dragon Tamers" & "Dragon Tamers 2: Digital Tempest"

02-06-2013, 03:20 AM	#13
Kim Fierce Attack me with everything you have. Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: Indiana Posts: 1,098	I'm getting a lot of good suggestions here for myself to read lol __________________ No Turning Back, YA Contemporary Watch the book trailer Amelia's Revolution --steampunk short "Two-Spirit's Red Road" 6-09-13! The Divide: Uprising YA Dystopia The Divide: Unity -- in progress My Secret Pain --YA short, 8-?-13

02-09-2013, 12:02 PM	#15
eyeblink I blink Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Aldershot, UK Posts: 4,271	One of the older LGBT YA novels (published 1982) is Annie on My Mind by Nancy Garden. I read it a few years ago and it stands up pretty well. It's not really "contemporary" any more of course (that dates me - I turned eighteen in 1982) but I didn't think there was much that dated it, and only superficially. __________________ "The afterlife is like Aldershot." (from Beyond Black by Hilary Mantel) Works in progress: Partings and Greetings (contemporary 14+ YA novel) - Version 3.0 35,949 words and counting. Short fiction: "Mourning Becomes Me" - 9359 word draft, a likely novella in the making "Treffpunkt" - 2754 word draft Untitled story (collaboration with Fenika) - 1729 words and counting

02-10-2013, 01:27 AM	#16
Lydia Sharp we're all mad here Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: NE Ohio Posts: 1,658	I'd like to second ANNIE ON MY MIND by Nancy Garden. It's one of my absolute favorites, even though it's a little old now. It doesn't feel dated. I'll second SISTER MISCHIEF too, even though I haven't read it yet. I've been meaning to, since so many people have rec'd it. So there's that. Thanks to Kevin for rec'ing my book. Just so your daughter is aware, though, the MC is bi and there is some boy/girl kissing, as well as girl/girl. If she doesn't like to read any boy/girl stuff at all, it might not be the best choice for her. But if it only bothers her that the main romance thread is just boy/girl in other books, then Twin Sense should be right up her alley. __________________ Blog \| Twitter \| Goodreads \| Facebook I am an editorial intern with Entangled Publishing I am a contributor to Writer Unboxed and Write It Sideways these are my books: TWIN SENSE ~ YA contemp novelette MISMATCHED ~ fantasy novelette Last edited by Lydia Sharp; 02-10-2013 at 01:33 AM.

02-21-2013, 08:10 PM	#17
Apologue Pure heart, filthy mind Join Date: May 2011 Posts: 79	Other contemp recommendations: Dare, Truth, or Promise by Paula Boock Kissing Kate by Lauren Myracle Girl Walking Backwards by Bett Williams Empress of the World by Sara Ryan The Rules for Hearts by Sara Ryan Pages for You by Sylvia Brownrigg The Miseducation of Cameron Post by Emily Danforth (this is kind of heavy and literary and also set in the 90s, so may not be for her) Good Moon Rising by Nancy Garden Rage: A Love Story by Julie Ann Peters The Difference Between You and Me by Madeline George Of All The Stupid Things by Alexandra Diaz Am I Blue? edited by Marion Bauer If she likes movies, I would recommend: But I'm a Cheerleader Show Me Love (Swedish) D.E.B.S. Imagine Me & You (not YA, but very cute) Lost & Delirious (watch out, this one is kind of depressing) The Incredibly True Adventures of Two Girls In Love Circumstance (set in Iran and also kind of depressing)

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