Sapphic September Launch

Hello and welcome to Sapphic September! I decided to kick things off with my first ever Booktube video, in which I go over my very ambitious TBR for the readathon! 

My TBR for the month (from top to bottom):
• Peta Lyre’s Rating Normal by Anna Whateley⠀
• The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet by Becky Chambers⠀
• Escaping Exodus by Nicky Drayden⠀
• Her Royal Highness by Rachel Hawkins⠀
• The Henna Wars by Adiba Jaigirdar⠀
• Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up With Me by Rosemary Valero-O’Connell & Mariko Tamaki⠀
• The Falling in Love Montage by Ciara Smyth⠀
• The Winter Duke by Claire Eliza Bartlett⠀
• The Dark Tide by Alicia Jasinska⠀
• Cinderella is Dead by Kalynn Bayron⠀
• The Music & The Mirror by Lola Keeley⠀
• Once & Future by Amy Rose Capette & Cory McCarthy⠀
• Girl, Serpent, Thorn by Melissa Bashardoust⠀
• The Space Between Worlds by Micaiah Johnson⠀
Not pictured: Plain Bad Heroines by Emily M. Danforth, Iron Heart by Nina Varela ⠀

Also, check out these TBRs that include Sapphic September from some awesome bloggers and Booktubers Will update to include new links as needed 🥰)

• Mel to the Any (Blog)
• Feathered Turtle Press (Blog)
• Tomes of Our Lives (Blog)
• Library of Wonders (Blog)
• The TBR Diaries (Booktube)
• A Page Out of My Book (Booktube)
• Honey Rae Reads (Booktube)

I’ve also created a Discord server for the readathon, so feel free to join us there if that’s your jam!

 

Sapphic September Readathon & Photo Challenge

Introducing #SapphicSeptember, a month long readathon & photo challenge celebrating sapphic representation in books! 

The Sapphic September bingo card includes 16 reading prompts, but to keep things as fun and stress free as possible, I’m adding a bit of a twist – in addition to reading, you can also fulfill a bingo prompt by posting a photo of a sapphic book that fits it! Obviously, the aim of any readathon is to encourage participants to read more books, but 2020 has been an incredibly hectic and stressful year for many people. I’ve included this additional option in hopes it will allow more people to participate however much they want or are able to.

Additionally, I know ten days (can you believe August is almost over already?! I can’t) isn’t much notice to plan for a month-long readathon. With that in mind, I tried to keep the prompts broad and open ended, so that (hopefully) everyone will be able to fulfill at least some of the prompts with books they already have on hand!

Without further ado, the prompts: 

To help those using screen reader technology: The bingo card is 4 x 4. I’ve listed the prompts below by row, from left to right.

Row 1:
✨ Myth or Fairytale Retelling
✨ Indie or Small Press Author
✨ Adult Book if you usually Read YA, and vice versa (YA if you usually read Adult)
✨ Backlist Title (Published in 2018 or earlier)

Row 2:
✨ Enemies or Rivals to Lovers 
✨ Group Read: Iron Heart by Nina Varela (Out September 8th)
✨ Let a friend choose your read (or post a poll and let your followers choose!)
✨ Contemporary Romance

Row 3:
✨ Format you read the least (ie. audiobooks, ebooks, physical books, etc)
✨ New or New to You Author
✨ Has Been on Your TBR Too Long
✨ By a Sapphic Literary Icon (This is open to interpretation, and I would absolutely accept queer coded classics like Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier for this prompt!)

Row 4: 
✨ Quick Reads: Novella or Graphic Novel
✨ Historical Fiction/Romance
✨ Opposites Attract
✨ Sci-fi/Fantasy (or other Speculative Fiction) with an F/F Romantic Subplot

A Note on Inclusivity:
For the purposes of this readathon, sapphic is defined as:
“An adjective for a female-aligned person who feels romantic or sexual attraction to female-aligned people. This applies to female-aligned people who are not only lesbians, but also bisexual, pansexual, etc.”

I feel like I shouldn’t have to say this, but I’ve been on the internet long enough to know that I do: Do not use this readathon as a vehicle to be a bigot or intolerant asshole. No TERFs allowed. Also, non-binary people and characters can be sapphic if they say they are and I will not tolerate any nonsense claiming otherwise.

Anyway, I might be forgetting some things, so don’t hesitate to contact me via Instagram or Twitter if you have any questions or need recommendations on sapphic books to fit the prompts! I’m super excited to be hosting this readathon, and I’d love it if you’d join us!

Something to Talk About by Meryl Wilsner

“How novel,” she said. “This is perhaps the first time two women seen together weren’t labeled gal pals.”
★★★★☆

I knew I was either going to love Something to Talk About or hate it, with no in between. On the one hand, as a lesbian in a long term relationship with an older woman, I’m a sucker for age gap romances. I’ve loved them since I was a teenager printing Miranda/Andy (from The Devil Wears Prada) fanfiction out in my school library and racing to snag it before anyone else could see. On the other hand, I’m too impatient for most slow burns, and extended mutual angst/pining drives me up a wall. Something to Talk About has all of those things, but in the end, everything must have balanced out because I genuinely loved this book!

I binged Something to Talk About within a twenty-four hour period (oops!). To be honest, I think I would have enjoyed this book even if there hadn’t been a romance plotline (though I’m unendingly grateful there was), because I loved Jo and Emma’s dynamic from the start, even when it was still purely professional. Once the two leads began to recognize their feelings for each other, the extended, angst-ridden mutual pining was broken up by scenes with two hilarious supporting characters: Avery (Emma’s snarky but fiercely supportive older sister) and Evelyn (Jo’s pithy lifelong best friend). These scenes also provided a fun contrast between the way our leads behaved around each other vs. how they relaxed when interacting with loved ones. I’m tempted to start a petition for Wilsner to write a spin-off novel where Evelyn and Avery have to plan Jo & Emma’s wedding as the brides’ respective Maids of Honor, because it would be hilarious.

Something to Talk About was already on my radar, but my friend Dom’s Goodreads review is what finally pushed me to read it. Dom did an excellent job of addressing the concern many readers will have about a boss/employee romance novel in the #MeToo era, so rather than trying to reinvent the wheel I’m going to quote that section of their review:

“One thing that stands out to me is how this novel handles power dynamics and consent. […] This novel does deal with a definite mentor/mentee romance, but Wilsner takes great pains to navigate the situation with the imbalance in mind. At no point did I make the human facial equivalent of the unamused emoji at my pages; in fact, it was so comforting to see an interaction style I love handled in such a graceful way. Jo and Emma are both aware of the complications them deepening their relationship could cause.”

Synopsis:
A showrunner and her assistant give the world something to talk about when they accidentally fuel a ridiculous rumor in this debut romance.

Hollywood powerhouse Jo is photographed making her assistant Emma laugh on the red carpet, and just like that, the tabloids declare them a couple. The so-called scandal couldn’t come at a worse time—threatening Emma’s promotion and Jo’s new movie.

As the gossip spreads, it starts to affect all areas of their lives. Paparazzi are following them outside the office, coworkers are treating them differently, and a “source” is feeding information to the media. But their only comment is “no comment”.

With the launch of Jo’s film project fast approaching, the two women begin to spend even more time together, getting along famously. Emma seems to have a sixth sense for knowing what Jo needs. And Jo, known for being aloof and outwardly cold, opens up to Emma in a way neither of them expects. They begin to realize the rumor might not be so off base after all…but is acting on the spark between them worth fanning the gossip flames?

Final Thoughts: Something to Talk About by Meryl Wilsner was a fun, easy read that’s perfect for Pride or any other month of the year! I would definitely recommend giving it a chance, even if you (like me) aren’t usually a fan of slow burn romances!

Let’s be friends!
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Something to Talk About At a Glance:
Genre: Contemporary Romance 
Themes/Tropes: Slow Burn, Mistaken for Dating, Mutual Pining, Age Gap (> 10 years), Mentor/Mentee (with care taken re: power imbalances)
LGBT Rep? Yep! Our two leads are Emma, who is bisexual, and Jo, a closeted older lesbian.
OwnVoices? Yes, OwnVoices queer
Content Warnings (CW): Sexual harassment

Something to Talk About paperback displayed over yellow flowers.

Note: Thank you to Berkley Publishing and Netgalley for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.