Tag Archives: lgbtq

City of Others and other Singapore Inspired Fantasies

21 Jan

City of Others
by Jared Poon
Though it is only January, the new urban fantasy, City of Others may already be one of my favorite books of the year. The story follows Benjamin Toh, a middle manager for the Division of Engagement of Unusual Stakeholders in Singapore, which oversees the nonhuman members of the city. He himself is a Gardner, who has the supernatural power to look inside himself and reshape his soul to not only be braver but to be physically stronger as well. This story has a sweet mm romance, an adorable set of workplace found family members, and a parade of intriguing Southeast Asian mythic creatures and humanoids to discover. The storyline about a housing complex which is periodically glitching out of our reality and Benjamin’s attempts to stop it and the entirety of Singapore from permanently vanishing was enjoyable, but I hope this isn’t the end of Benjamin’s adventures since the world Poon has created is so intriguing that I was left wanting more of it. If you are a fan of Men in Black or The Dresden Files then I highly recommend checking out City of Others.

Looking for more Singaporean Fantasies? Check out these other works:
Black Tides of Heaven
by Neon Yang
Black Tides of Heaven is the first, LGBTQ Asian inspired fantasy novella in the Tensorate Series by Singaporean author Neon Yang. The series was one of the 100 best fantasy books of all time, according to Time Magazine and a Finalist for the Hugo, Nebula, and World Fantasy Awards for Best Novella.

Sister Snake
by Amanda Lee Koe
Sister Snake is a modern spin on the Chinese folktale “The Legend of the White Snake” which follows two sisters, one in Singapore and one in New York City.

The Wicked and the Willing
by Lianyu Tan
The Wicked and the Willing is the 2023 Lambda Literary Award Winner for LGBTQ+ Speculative Fiction. It is a sapphic gothic horror vampire novel set in 1927 Singapore.

Have a fantasy recommendation to share; let us know in the comments!

Written by:
Aimee Harris
Information and Digital Services Manager

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LGBTQ Romances: A Gentleman’s Gentleman and Go Luck Yourself

12 Mar

A Gentleman’s Gentleman
by TJ Alexander
I’m a big fan of TJ Alexander’s contemporary romances so was curious when I learned that they had written a regency romance, A Gentleman’s Gentleman. This shares a lot of what I come to expect from Alexander’s writing, strong characters and charming humor, but it also had a nice sense of historical setting. Transman, Lord Christopher’s fashions are described in glorious details. The novel also deals with the issue of the isolation of lgbtq people in a time before the internet, when the questioning if there are other’s like them out in the world was not so easily answered. A few clever plot twists happen along the way and though the happily ever after was never in doubt, it was not exactly in the way I had thought it would be and was a more satisfying conclusion than I had expected.

Go Luck Yourself
by Sara Raasch
Go Luck Yourself is the second in Sara Raasch’s Royals and Romance Series. The series revolves around the ruling families of various holidays who use the joy that people feel from them to create holiday magic. The premise may sound a little goofy and there is humor in the books, but also a lot of heart. The characters despite their supernatural associations are dealing with very real issues of abandonment and other family drama in relatable ways. This story focuses on one of the Christmas Princes, Kris, who is visiting the St Patrick’s Day Castle, officially to apologize for a prank, but also to discover if they are secretly stealing some of the Christmas magic. This is a enemy to lover story and he and the St. Patrick’s Day Prince are fighting attractions to each other while they are squabbling. I found this novel to be even better than the first in the series and hope that we might see more in the future.

Written by:
Aimee Harris
Information and Digital Services Manager

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