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Yeehaw! Queer Western Book Recs!

What’s the occasion? There is no occasion! We just thought it’d be fun to make a list of queer cowboy/girl/enby books and westerns! Say “Howdy, pardner” to our 8 picks. The contributors to this list are: Shadaras, Meera S., hullosweetpea, Nina Waters, boneturtle, and two anonymous contributors.

American Hippo (River of Teeth series) by Sarah Gailey

Years ago, in an America that never was, the United States government introduced herds of hippos to the marshlands of Louisiana to be bred and slaughtered as an alternative meat source. This plan failed to take into account some key facts about hippos: they are savage, they are fast, and their jaws can snap a man in two. 

By the 1890s, the vast bayou that was once America’s greatest waterway belongs to feral hippos, and Winslow Houndstooth has been contracted to take it back. To do so, he will gather a crew of the damnedest cons, outlaws, and assassins to ever ride a hippo. American Hippo is the story of their fortunes, their failures, and his revenge.

Done and Dusted (Rebel Blue Ranch series) by Lyla Sage

She’s off-limits, but he’s never been good at following the rules.

For the first time in her life, Clementine “Emmy” Ryder has no idea what she’s doing. She’s accomplished everything on her to-do list. She left her small hometown of Meadowlark, Wyoming; went to college; and made a career for herself by doing her favorite thing: riding horses. But after an accident makes it impossible for her to get back into the saddle, she has no choice but to return to the hometown she always wanted to escape.

Luke Brooks is Meadowlark’s most notorious bad boy, bar owner, and bachelor. He’s also the unofficial fifth member of the Ryder family. As Emmy’s older brother’s best friend, Luke spent most of his childhood antagonizing her. It’s been years since he’s seen her, but when she walks into his bar and back into his life, he can’t take his eyes off her. Despite his better judgment, he wants to do a whole lot more than just look at her.

Emmy’s got too much on her mind to think about romance. And Luke knows he should stay away from his best friend’s younger sister. But what if Luke is just what Emmy needs to get her spark back? Or will they both go up in flames?

Outlawed by Anna North

The day of her wedding, 17 year old Ada’s life looks good; she loves her husband, and she loves working as an apprentice to her mother, a respected midwife. But after a year of marriage and no pregnancy, in a town where barren women are routinely hanged as witches, her survival depends on leaving behind everything she knows.

She joins up with the notorious Hole in the Wall Gang, a band of outlaws led by a preacher-turned-robber known to all as the Kid. Charismatic, grandiose, and mercurial, the Kid is determined to create a safe haven for outcast women. But to make this dream a reality, the Gang hatches a treacherous plan that may get them all killed. And Ada must decide whether she’s willing to risk her life for the possibility of a new kind of future for them all.

Prize Money by Celeste Castro

Eva is saved from impending disaster by a tall, dark, and handsome bullfighter–a woman. Toma Rozene is an equestrian stuntwoman fresh off the set of a blockbuster film when a family emergency calls her home to help run the family business: rescuing fallen rodeo riders before blustering bulls and bucking broncos trample their dreams. Eva and Toma’s shared passions and competitive spirits make friendship easy, but, as their feelings deepen, they must decide if the divergent futures they seek will stand in the way of love.

Wake of Vultures (The Shadow series) by Lila Bowen

Nettie Lonesome lives in a land of hard people and hard ground dusted with sand. She’s a half-breed who dresses like a boy, raised by folks who don’t call her a slave but use her like one. She knows of nothing else. That is, until the day a stranger attacks her. When nothing, not even a sickle to the eye can stop him, Nettie stabs him through the heart with a chunk of wood and he turns to black sand.

And just like that, Nettie can see.

But her newfound sight is a blessing and a curse. Even if she doesn’t understand what’s under her own skin, she can sense what everyone else is hiding—at least physically. The world is full of evil, and now she knows the source of all the sand in the desert. Haunted by the spirits, Nettie has no choice but to set out on a quest that might lead her to find her true kin . . . if the monsters along the way don’t kill her first.

Trigun: Deep Space Planet Future Gun Action!! by Yasuhiro Nightow

Somehow the past has placed a sixty billion double dollar bounty on Vash’s head, and the gunslinging pacifist can’t seem to get away from money grubbing, itchy-trigger-finger citizenry. Find out why Vash is worth so much money dead! Feel the clumsy worry of the unfortunate citizens of the pulverous planet! Follow the follies of an unlikely hero in a forbidding world! Join Vash the Stampede – with his troubled past and an uncanny ability to dodge a gazillion bullets – and a cavalcade of unlucky characters on a dusty, desert planet in the distant future.

Frontera by Julio Anta

As long as he remembers to stay smart and keep his eyes open, Mateo knows that he can survive the trek across the Sonoran Desert that will take him from Mexico to the United States. That is until he’s caught by the Border Patrol only moments after sneaking across the fence in the dead of night.

Escaping their clutches comes at a price, and lost in the desert without a guide or water, Mateo is ill-prepared for the unforgiving heat that is sure to arrive come sunrise. With the odds stacked against him, his one chance at survival may be putting his trust in something, or rather someone, that he isn’t even sure exists.

If you’d asked him if ghosts were real before he found himself face-to-face with one, Mateo wouldn’t have even considered it. But now, confronted with the nearly undeniable presence of Guillermo, he’s having second thoughts. Having spent his afterlife guiding migrants to safety, Guillermo knows things about the Sonoran Desert far beyond what could be explained by a mere hallucination. But even as Mateo forms an uneasy partnership with Guillermo, survival is still uncertain.

The Sonoran Desert, with its hostile temperatures and inhabitants, is teeming with danger as the Border Patrol, rogue militias, and animals prowl its deadly terrain. As his journey stretches on, Mateo will have to decide exactly what and who he’s willing to sacrifice to find home.

Bitter Springs by Laura Stone

In 1870s Texas, Renaldo Valle Santos, the youngest son of a large and traditional family, has been sent to train with Henry “Hank” Burnett, a freed slave and talented mesteñero—or horse-catcher—so he may continue the family horse trade. Bitter Springs is a sweeping epic that takes themes from traditional Mexican literature and Old Westerns to tell the story of a man coming into his own and realizing his destiny lies in the wild open spaces with the man who loves him, far from expectations of society.

Bonus Recs:

Caravan by Whisperforge – audiodrama

First rule of Wound Canyon: No one who gets in, ever gets out. So when a brilliant, ghostly specter flies through the sky amid the rain and lightning, Samir stumbles off a steep cliff and into a hidden world, one in which demons, vampires, and all other manner of paranormal creatures take sanctuary. 

Second rule of Wound Canyon: No one makes it alone. Samir’s decided to tag along with Argeaux’s Caravan, a band of supernatural bounty hunters and vigilante peace-keepers. Together with an ever-expanding train of fantastical tagalongs, Samir and his new friends venture deep into the bowels of the canyon to find a way out of the magical boundary that imprisons all who cross it.

Cowboy Bebop – tv series

A ragtag crew of bounty hunters chases down the galaxy’s most dangerous criminals. They’ll save the world – for the right price.

What are your favorite gay cowboy books?

Want to chat your favorite reads with us? Join our Book Lover’s Discord server!

Love reading queer books? Our Queer Book Challenge is running on Storygraph through the end of 2024. Come join us!

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Happy Agender Pride Day 2025!

Middle Grade Almond, Quartz, and Finch by Lisa Bunker As the ritual of Naming approaches, brash Quartz already knows the path ahead, while watchful Almond feels torn, fearing that any choice will disappoint someone in the family. Prowling through secret fortress tunnels, Almond and Quartz overhear a villainous plot: an ambitious underling schemes to seize power from Finch, the rightful Irzemi…

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flower power tag 🌷

I was tagged by @battyaboutbooksreviews! I'm a little behind on doing memes I was tagged in, but I've got a few minutes to burn right now, so...

a recent five star read 🌷 - my most recent 5-star read is The Magic Fish by Trung Le Nguyen. It was really good.

a book couple that is truly meant to be 🌷 - gotta be Hualian. I just love Tian Guan Ci Fu by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu so so much.

a book that reminds you of sunshine 🌷 - hmmm... Fake by Sanami Matoh. It just makes me happy.

a book that’s sweet like honey 🌷 - I feel like everything I read is so angst-tastic that I can't think of anything just sweet... oh! how about I Ship My Rival x Me by Pepa?

a book that hooked you instantly 🌷 - Modu by priest

a book that you’re eager to read 🌷 - hmm... the thing on my upcoming TBR I'm most excited for is probably Legend of Exorcism by Fei Tian Ye Xiang.

Tagging... hmmm... @thisisapaige @lostlegendaerie @zeeimpalaangel @aerialworms @pingnova and anyone else who feels like it. <3

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🧵 THREAD: This #PrideMonth, don’t forget that the fight for queer liberation didn’t start or end with marriage equality.

💪✨ We need to keep fighting for our rights.

Here’s are a few examples:

💋 Before the 2003 Supreme Court ruling in Lawrence v. Texas, same-smex smexual activity was illegal in fourteen U.S. states, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. military

👶 Before 2015, LGBTQ+ couples couldn’t adopt in all 50 states. Before the Supreme Court ruling in Obergefell v. Hodges, laws varied wildly by state.

🏳️‍🌈 Before 1973, the American Psychiatric Association listed homosmexuality as a ‘mental illness.’ In December 1973, a vote was successfully held to remove it.

🗳️ Before 1974, there were no openly gay elected officials. That changed with Kathy Kozachenko, who became the first openly gay American elected to public office in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

🎖️ Before 2011, “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” banned LGBTQ+ people from serving openly in the military.

💍 Before 2015, LGBTQ+ couples couldn’t get married in all 50 states. At the time, laws varied by state, and while many states allowed for civil unions for same-sex couples, it created a separate but equal standard.

💼 Before 2020, employers could legally discriminate against queer and trans employees. It wasn’t until the U.S. Supreme Court held that an employer who fires or otherwise discriminates against an individual simply for being gay or transgender is in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

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Coming This Sunday: The Pride Book Fair on Itch.io

Authors Claudie Arseneault, Erinn Harper, and Cara Nox have put together an awesome Pride Book Fair! 8 bundles of queer books on itch.io, featuring 110 books total – launching on Sunday, June 22nd, at 7 p.m. Eastern time, and ending July 1st at 3 a.m. Eastern.

You can get all 110 books by buying The Big Bundle of Queer Awesomeness, only $100 – 76% off the price of buying all the books individually – or you can buy one or more genre bundles of your choice!

Duck Prints Press has five books included – all five are in The Big Bundle of Queer Awesomeness, or we’ve got one in the Science Fiction bundle, three in the Urban and Contemporary Fantasy bundle, and one in the Fantasy Romance bundle!

Read more about the Pride Book Fairs on their carrd!

Check out all the bundles: Big Bundle | Contemporary & Historical Fiction | Fantasy | Science Fiction | Fantasy Romance | Urban & Contemporary Fantasy | Dark Fantasy & Horror 1 | Dark Fantasy & Horror 2

The Pride Book Fair is separate from the Pride Bundles for Charity that Duck Prints Press is hosting to raise money for Rainbow Railroad, and is also separate from the Citrus Con itch.io 18+ erotica games, comics, books, and more bundle in which we have a book! June sure is prime time for discounted queer stories – when better to fill up your e-book reader? Come read with us!

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There's a pride story bundle on til the end of the month!

[graphic stolen from neon hemlock]

$5 for four books, $25 for the total 14.

The first 4 are The Map and the Territory (I've heard is aroace?), These Fragile Graces, This Fugitive Heart (trans cyberpunk that was vaguely on my tbr), We're Here - The Best Queer Speculative Fiction 2023 (know nothing about but Darcie Little Badger is an editor, seems cool), and Point of Dreams (also know nothing about). of the others I really liked Power to Yield and A Necessary Chaos!

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Here's the cover I designed/illustrated for Common Bonds 2! another anthology of aromantic/platonic stories!

kickstarter launches feb 16

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HUGE NEWS! MERCH DROP! There’s still time to get QLL Swag for your pride plans this month, and hey, enjoy them for the rest of the summer too!

We’ve got a black ball cap hat with the QLL logo on it and a navy blue tank top with the words “READ TRANS BOOKS” in our pinkpunk lettering. Both are $24.99 and all proceeds go back to QLL and back into keeping the library running. And, as usual, these are union made in the USA by Worx!

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Spin this wheel first and then this wheel second to generate the title of a YA fantasy novel!

(If the second wheel lands on an option ending with a plus sign, spin it again)

Share what you got!

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Yes there's a typo in the first option but I am not redoing the whole thing

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(New Young Adult Releases Coming Out Today! (June 3rd, 2025)

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Have I missed any new Young Adult releases? Have you added any of these books to your TBR? Let me know!

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New Releases:

Your Final Moments by Jay Coles

That Devil, Ambition by Linsey Miller

Kill Creatures by Rory Power

The Beautiful Maddening by Shea Ernshaw

Heir of Storms by Lauryn Hamilton Murray

I'll Pretend You're Mine by Tashie Bhuiyan

Never Thought I'd End Up Here by Ann Liang

A First Time for Everything by K.L. Walther

Under the Neon Lights by Arriel Vinson

Lovesick Falls by Julia Drake

Nobody in Particular by Sophie Gonzales

Devils Like Us by L.T. Thompson

A Forgery of Fate by Elizabeth Lim

Now She's Dead by Roselyn Clarke

Bad Creek by Peyton June

Best of All Worlds by Kenneth Oppel

The Uncertainty Principle by Joshua Davis & Kal Kini-Davis

Celestial Banquet by Roselle Lim

Dan in Green Gables by Rey Terciero & Claudia Aguirre (illustrator)

The Ground that Devours Us by Kalla Harris

Daughter of Doom by Jean-Claude van Rijckeghem

We Could Be Magic by Marissa Meyer & Joelle Murray (Illustrator)

Lady's Knight by Amie Kaufman & Meagan Spooner

Skipshock by Caroline O'Donoghue

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Happy reading!

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This is TONIGHT!

This Friday: Troy Pride Night Out!

Come one, come all, to Troy Pride Night Out in Troy, New York, this Friday evening, June 20th, from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.! There’ll be shows and crafts, food and vendors, and some kickin’ after parties, too. You can learn the deets about Troy Pride Night Out! on their webpage, here. The vendor logistics are being done with A Big Gay Market, more than 60 awesome Capital Region (and beyond!) creators coming to share what we do – Duck Prints Press included, obviously! You can read the full vendor list on abiggaymarket.com.

TL:DR: Troy Pride Night Out! More great Pride shenanigans with shows, vendors, food, and more! This Friday June 20th 5 p.m. – 9 p.m. at Monument Square in Troy, New York! Be there or be… not there!

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Acrylic duck I painted yesterday :) I tried to make him look like Jay Gatsby from the 1974 film

Reference image:

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Celebrating Pride Month: Fiction Picks

Check out these fiction picks as we celebrate Pride Month this June!

Single Player by Tara Tai

Cat Li lands her dream job writing love storylines for the next big thing in games, only after boss Andi Zhang, who hates happily-ever-afters, grudgingly gives Cat a chance. But when Cat discovers a plot to destroy Andi’s career, the two will have to put their differences aside and find a way to work together before it’s game over.

Genre(s): LGBTQIA+ romances; Contemporary romances; Debut title

Lady Eve's Last Con by Rebecca Fraimow

Ruth Johnson, a small-time hustler, seeks revenge on Esteban Mendez-Yuki, who broke her sister Jules’ heart. Disguised as Evelyn Ojukwu, Ruth plans to make Esteban fall for her and then break his heart. However, Esteban’s clever sister Sol complicates things, forcing Ruth to choose between money and love.

Genre(s): LGBTQIA+ romances; Science fiction romances

The Fellowship of Puzzlemakers by Samuel Burr

Clayton Stumper is an enigma. He might be 25 years old, but he dresses like your grandad and drinks sherry like your aunt. Abandoned at birth on the steps of the Fellowship of Puzzlemakers, he was raised by the sharpest minds in the British Isles. When the esteemed crossword compiler passes away, she bestows her final puzzle to him: a promise to reveal the mystery of his parentage and prepare him for his future.

Genre(s): LGBTQIA+ fiction; Relationship fiction; Gentle reads

The Hymn to Dionysus by Natasha Pulley

Raised in a Greek legion, Phaidros has been taught to follow his commander's orders at all costs. But when Phaidros rescues a baby from a fire, his commander forces him to abandon the blue-eyed boy at a temple. Years later, Phaidros is enlisted by the Queen to find her son, who has vanished to escape an arranged marriage. The search leads him to a blue-eyed witch named Dionysus, whose guidance is as wise as the events that surround him are strange.

Genre(s): Adaptations, retellings, & spin-offs; Mythological fiction; LGBTQIA+ fiction

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64 Blue Queer Books for Pride!

Click on the image to view it bigger or follow the link in the grey box directly below the image to see a wordpress post with a list of titles and author names for each book!

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"Ducks in a row"

just a couple of ducks making there way to there local pride nothing to see here...