#transmasc book rec

[up-in-flames-writing]

In lieu of Stuff Your Kindle day, can we talk about the issue of how the m/m genre of books, romance or not, is almost entirely dominated by women? Can we talk about how the most recognisable gay couples in media are written by women? Can we talk about how queer men can't even write about ourselves, how we are only allowed to exist when it's from the point of view of a straight woman sexualising us?

Can we talk about that? Or am I going to get called misogynistic for pointing out the disparity between who gets the writing deals, & who gets their books turned into movies, & whose shit gets popular versus whose doesn't? Can we talk about how m/m fiction is only allowed when it appeals to a cishet gaze, or is that too much for tumblr to take?

Can we also talk about how trans queer men are even more hated by publishing? Can we talk about how we get shit from both sides? Can we talk about how books about the experiences of being a queer man, written by queer men, never get the same recognition as books written by women on this subject (barring academia which has its own problems)?

Can we talk about that? Can we?

[bogkeep]

hi, i was wondering if you had read "the spirit bares its teeth" by andrew joseph white? i just read it and it seemed like it might be something youd be interested in. YA horror set in victorian england with a transmasc autistic protagonist

i haven't, but i've read a third of his other book, Hell Followed With Us! i think if i had picked it up ten years ago i would've devoured it in one day and had the book zoomies about it, but currently i'm just feeling a bit like the wrong demographic. i'm hoping to finish it Someday, when the stars align........ the other book sounds interesting from its summary as well, so who knows what the future has in store for me!

EDIT: wait does that book have a lot of eye trauma stuff? the cover + description mentions some stuff and it's a thing i prefer to avoid when i can :')

[agender-wolfie]

When you’re looking for physical Transmasc/Non binarymasc monster romance books and you find some where the monster is hot but the main character is a cis female and she looks the same as all the others 😒

Like c’mon, y’all. Where’s the diversity? I shouldn’t have to fight to find myself in media when everyone else gets it for doing nothing but existing. The closest I can get is cis male stories but it’s not the same 😔

[adam-not-adam]

looking like Everett while thinking like Kylen <<<<<<

(book: hibiscus & home, why is no one reading it it's literally so good wtf)

[scholar-of-yemdresh]

This Post.

I'm finally doing it! A list of Adult (20s+) Nonbinary/Genderqueer/Transneutral and Trans men rep in SFF books(no romantasy). This will only be limited to main or major characters.

I've not read everything on this list, so some information could be inaccurate or missing e.g I might not know that a character is actually a POC or 40s+. I will also advise to check content warnings because some of the books listed here can get pretty gnarly.

Will occasional be updated

Keys: 🏳️‍⚧️=Trans Author,✊🏾= Author of Colour,🌈=POC,🧓🏾=40s+, ♂️= Trans man , ⚧️= Nonbinary,🎨=Comic

Claude from The Chatelaine by Kat Heartfield ♂️

Tarquin Mercator from The Devoured Worlds by Megan E. o'keefe ♂️

Yari from Master of Poisons by Andrea Hairston ⚧️🧓🏾🌈✊🏾

Sol Katz from Dead Collections by Issac Fellman 🏳️‍⚧️♂️🧓🏾

Rosie from Persephone Station by Stina Leicht ⚧️🧓🏾

Rafe from Viscera by Gabrielle Squailia🏳️‍⚧️♂️

John Wyndham from The Affair of the Mysterious Letter by Alexis Hall 🏳️‍⚧️♂️

Casey Ravel from the Ballad of Perilous Graves by Alex Jennings ♂️🌈✊🏾

Ardent Violet from The Starmetal Symphony by Alex White🏳️‍⚧️⚧️

Gyen Jebi from Phoenix Extravagant by Yoon Ha Lee ⚧️🏳️‍⚧️✊🏾🌈

Shock Pao from Shock Pao by Ren Warom ♂️

Firuz-e Jafari(+ others) from the Bruising of Qilwa by Naseem Jamnia 🌈✊🏾🏳️‍⚧️⚧️

Iktan from Between Earth and Sky by Rebecca Roanhorse ⚧️🌈✊🏾

Chih from the Singing Hills Cycle by Nghi Vo ⚧️✊🏾🌈

Brennus from Wolf Among the Wild Hunt by Merc Fenn Wolfmoor ⚧️🏳️‍⚧️

Dex from Monk & Robot by Becky Chambers 🌈(?)⚧️

Anima from In The Watchful City by S. Qiouyi Lu ⚧️🌈✊🏾🏳️‍⚧️

Eolo from The Raven Tower by Ann Leckie ♂️

Ridley from No Gods,No Monsters by Cadwell Turnbull 🌈✊🏾♂️

Enae & Qven from Translation State by Ann Leckie⚧️🌈🧓🏾

Penfield R. Henderson, Aiden Chase, Blithe + others from Future Feeling by Joss Lake 🏳️‍⚧️♂️

Ilan from The Faithful Dark by Cate Baumer♂️

Various from The Tensorate by Neon Yang 🏳️‍⚧️✊🏾🌈⚧️♂️

Alex Easton from What Moves the Dead by T.Kingfisher⚧️

Edie from Hammajang Luck by Makana Yamamoto⚧️🏳️‍⚧️🌈✊🏾

Nameless Man from The Four Profound Weaves by R.B. Lemberg🌈🏳️‍⚧️♂️

Arén from A Promise Broken by S.L. Dove Cooper♂️

Erígra Lilún from The Unbalancing by R.B. Lemberg 🏳️‍⚧️⚧️

Claire|Claude from Baker Thief by Claudie Arseneault ⚧️

Dianthus from The Fate of by J.E. Lynn ⚧️

Asa from The Forgotten Lyric by Carolina Cruz⚧️🌈

Sal Hernandez from It Took Luke by Mark Bouchard & Bayleigh Underwood 🎨⚧️🌈🏳️‍⚧️

MCs from Time Will Devour His Children by Otava Heikkila🎨🏳️‍⚧️♂️🧓🏾🌈

Jonah from Dominion of Blades by Matt Dinniman♂️

Tet Sang from The Order of the Pure Moon Reflected in Water by Zen Cho♂️or⚧️🌈✊🏾

Marcus from Lesser Known Monsters by Rory Michaelson♂️🌈

Scorn from Emergent Properties⚧️

Misery Nomaki from The Genesis of Misery by Neon Yang✊🏾🏳️‍⚧️🌈⚧️

Taigan from The Worldbreaker Saga by Kameron Hurley⚧️🌈

Leiander from The Stones Stay Silent by Danny Ride♂️🏳️‍⚧️

The Plauge Doctor from The Salt Grows Heavy by Cassandra Khaw⚧️🏳️‍⚧️✊🏾

Aleph Null from Test by Christopher Sebela & Jen Hickman🎨⚧️

Joel Lodowick from My Heart Is Human by Reese Hogan🏳️‍⚧️♂️

Jules from Finna by Nino Cipri 🌈⚧️🏳️‍⚧️

Dax from Shatter Minds by L.R Lam🌈♂️

Scout from The Last Gifts of the Universe by Riley August⚧️

Avery Ryu from Dead Space by Kali Wallace🌈⚧️

[themfatale037]

Hey everyone 👋🏽 my name is Erica. I’m a visual and musical artist, and a poet. I am non-binary & genderfluid. I go by they/she/e pronouns. I am also a feminist.

I have a podcast called Erica from America where I talk about my life/spiritual awakening & give my opinions on stuff that goes on in the world.

Here is my YouTube channel where you can listen to my music

Nice to meet you all, hope you enjoy my content!

[aenesthesian]

March 2024 favourites

Throughout the past few months I've seen several people catalogue their monthly interests in this way, and it's intrigued me as I don't know anyone else who likes to categorise things as much as I do. Maybe I'm just an immensely nostalgic person who is terrified of forgetting things from my youth, which, I'm not going to lie, is starting to hinder me a little! Anyways, this is my first try at this, bear with me.

Film(s)

Saw Dune: Part Two in theatres and holy shit, what an experience that was - it truly is the blockbuster franchise of our time. However, no matter how good the movie itself was, it still left me confused as i hadn't made any effort beforehand to understand the plot. I remember feeling the exact same sense of confusion when I came out of the cinema in 2021 after seeing the first part of Dune. Turns out all I had to do was watch a single Youtube video explaining how the Dune universe works in order to be completely engrossed by the world! If only my stubbornness and refusal to give sci-fi movies the time of day, a genre i've never enjoyed much, hadn't stopped me from wanting to understand it all these years.

Another thing that kept me on my toes all month was the promo for Challengers starting, which releases in theatres next month!! I can't believe we're actually getting a love triangle on screen where ALL corners touch. What a monumental event in history indeed.

Also, special mention: Swann Arlaud, Twitter's It-Boy of the Month!!! Well, at least my TL is flooded with pictures and interviews of him, which I'm actually not mad about, not mad at all.

Bars

Usually March is a really tough month, one full of despair and stress. While that was still the case this year, I tried balancing it out by spending more time with friends. It's been lovely spending long Friday evenings in bars, even if I did feel a little distant at times. Strange how one can feel dissociated in a large group and yet still feel like they belong - it only starts being unbearable the moment you begin to feel like an anomaly that is entirely out of place. Our brains work in fascinating ways; regardless, I'm just glad to have spent more time outside of my home. Is this what enjoying my youth feels like?

Skincare

I only properly began about a week ago, but i've been having so much fun establishing, or rather enhancing my skincare routine. I used to brag about not taking care of my skin at all, which looking back was absolutely tragic. Now I'm very pleased with how far I've come in terms of taking care of my own body, at least with this little routine I have.

Music

I've been finding so much new music lately!! Over the last two weeks, there genuinely hasn't been a day where I didn't find at least two songs to my liking. Been listening to a ton of German music as well as any other genre I can think of - from rock, alternative/indie to hip-hop, rap, techno, pop, just anything that comes my way. Here are some of my favourites from this month:

babybreath - Lovesliescrushing Tommi - AnnenMayKantereit Junge - Die Ärzte Another life - PinkPantheress, Rema Subterraneans - David Bowie alone - Cavetown Tumblr Girls - G-Eazy, Christoph Andersson Will I See You Again? - Thee Sacred Souls Beautiful Boy - The Last Dinner Party Cellular (Live) - King Krule Leben leben - OG Ti Philadelphia - Matt Maltese, Searows Pretty Girls - Reneé Rap Am Weg in die Villa - BIBIZA Too Sweet - Hozier Never Wanted To Dance - Mindless Self Indulgence Lottoscheine - AnnenMayKantereit i like the way you kiss me - Artemas nichts - makko Souvenir - boygenius Ssaliva's entire discography

Books

I read How To Get A Girl Pregnant by Karleen Pendleton Jimenez, a memoir of sorts about a queer butch woman trying to get pregnant, and oh my god. The grip that book had on me was unbelievable, it simply felt so distinctly human and helped ease my anxiety about my future as a queer person a little. It's advice that straight parents cannot give their queer child, and I couldn't help but soak it all up. It's available online in pdf format, btw.

Also, I finally finished my third reread of my first All the Young Dudes copy that I started reading in November I believe? I'm afraid those characters, that story, and that fandom will always be a part of me, as it's been three years now, and my fixation isn't waning one bit. Forgot to mention that I began reading The Secret History after putting it off for literally a year or two, which I'm very excited about. So far it's incredible, however pages 44 and 45 left such a deep pit in my stomach that I had to put it down for a few days. Hopefully I'll be done with it by the end of April, as next month may be the most stressful of my entire life so far.

Special mention

The forcemasc tumblr tag has taken over my body and mind. Not sure whether I'm willing to go into more detail, but i just. i just. i. holy fucking shit. Never has anything validated my gender identity along with my sexuality more than that goddamn tag.

A quote that defined my month

[aroaessidhe]

Queerplatonic book recs, that actually have QPRs, inspired by me seeing someone listing qpr books that were literally just queer people being friends 🤦‍♀️

These all have the main characters in queerplatonic relationships,  explicitly and/or unambiguously in most cases.

The Thread That Binds

solarpunk-fantasy about queer bookbinding witches, 2/3 MCs are an aroace & an ace in a QPR

Baker Thief

superhero fantasy with a bigender aromantic superhero / demisexual woman QPR 

Not Even Bones

YA supernatural trilogy where the main characters initially seem to be developing a romantic relationship, but eventually realise neither actually feel that way, and settle into more or less a QPR (without labels, but it’s pretty clear)

Two Dark Moons

YA fantasy where an arospec girl & ace lizard kid accidentally get fantasy-married & develop a friendship/qpr

The Wolf Among The Wild Hunt

dark fantasy novella with an aroace wolfman & nonbinary knight qpr

Our Bloody Pearl

NA fantasy with a siren & ace pirate, originally marketed as a romance, but it is pretty much a qpr and that’s what the author intended!

The Reckless Kind

historical YA with an aspec girl becoming a family with her best friend and his boyfriend

Fire Becomes Her

YA, 1920s inspired fantasy world, demiro girl breaks free of her relationship and instead ends up in a QPR with a nonbinary transmasc ace.

If It Makes You Happy

YA contemporary about a girl navigating her queerplatonic relationship with her best friend, and a possible new romantic relationship.

Royal Rescue

high fantasy with an amatonormative royal marriage system, where the aroace MC has had enough, rescues himself, and starts to dismantle the system, finding a QPR on the way

The Heretic’s Guide To Homecoming (duology)

slow introspective high fantasy following two characters on a journey, doesn’t explicitly have them define their relationship in a QPR-like way, but undeniably focuses on complex platonic relationships and narratives

Mindtouch

this is one that’s been on my tbr forever - a sort of cozy/slice of life sci-fi that centres a platonic relationship between two aliens, which is quite reminiscent of a QPR. apparently there’s like 5 books now, I’ve only read the first so far!

Archivist Wasp / Firebreak

honorable mention because it’s not explicitly a qpr - but all of the author’s works focus on platonic m/f relationships in a very aspec way, and have absolutely no romance anywhere. one of the central relationships is very much platonic soulmates/ qpr vibes (postapoc ghosty sci-fi/fantasy YA & dystopian anticapitalism)

[wiltkingart]

What queer books do you recommend?

oh honey i have a whole rec page here if you're up for anything, but i mostly read adult m/m fiction. lots of weird and old stuff with dark tones more often than not. if you want some specific titles as a flavor list, here's a few favorites! i'll link their storygraph pages so you can read their synopses too:

Fantasy: The Rifter by Ginn Hale (dark fantasy featuring a romance that spans years and time and space in decaying world with a destroyer god, and bones. so many bones. has one of the most interesting and well written story structures i've encountered. very moody and dark, hits just right).

Scifi: Body after Body by Briar Ripley Page (erotic adult scifi novella with transmasc and transfem MCs. dreamlike and grotesque, delicate and stomach churning, it's about a group of mind-wiped laborers tending genetically engineered mutant bodies.)

Historical: The Still by David Feintuch (my book series of all tiiiiiiime. it's fantasy too but mostly medieval military fiction. don't even talk to me about Rodrigo if you're not ready to be hit with a twelve page verbal essay i'm not joking, that is a threat. not a typical romance, expect heartbreak and plenty of it and to never recover.)

Horror: Hexslinger series by Gemma Files (planning a reread of this one soon to see if it still holds up but this series has stuck with me like a fly to molasses. it's a fucked up time full of desperation, Mayan gods and godessess, faggotry, blasphemy, and witchery) go with the Bound in Flesh anthology instead if you want good trans body horror, or Down by Ally Blue for deepsea suspense horror.

Contemporary: All for the Game by Nora Sakavic (you probably know about this classic but for me it still tops most everything else i've read. it's got sports, mafia drama, and trauma). for something a little different (but still traumatic) try Mo Du / Silent Reading by Priest (dark mystery set in China that follows several disturbing cases and the psychology behind them + romance between a detective and a rich pretty boy)

but yeah i talk about books a lot on my personal/main blog @wiltking (in lieu of updating my actual rec pages these days, it seems) if you ever want more real time recs! i'm a book guy. i like books a normal amount :)

[queer-reader-07]

do you have any recs for good omens fics? ❤️❤️❤️

hi anon!! yes i do :)

i don't really have any kind of theme here, i'm just going to list some of my favs with a range of maturity ratings. hopefully at least one floats your boat!

a picnic plan for you and me by anonymous (G, 20.8k words)

Crowley makes Aziraphale food after the world doesn't end. It has absolutely nothing to do with how much he wants to make Aziraphale smile.

tooth rotting fluff, post s1, absolutely delightful!

got a pretty face, pretty boyfriend too by KissMyAsthma & leukozyna (T, 9.9k words)

Aziraphale and Crowley are next-door neighbours. They’ve been attracted to each other since they met. The only thing keeping them apart is a thin wall between their bedrooms and Atticus and Freddie, Aziraphale’s and Crowley’s respective life partners… or are they?

A human AU glued together by misunderstandings and wet food.

a comedy of errors that put a smile on my face

I'm Beginning to See the Light by @ineffabildaddy (E, 15.9k words

Aziraphale has quite the pash on his colleague Crowley, who seems resolutely disinterested in him. As their annual Christmas party progresses, it appears that Crowley may not be as disinterested as Aziraphale first thought.

a human AU in which aziraphale is transmasc and crowley is so in love. when i tell you that Sam healed my trans heart with this fic, i mean it.

Communicatio in Sacris by @voluptatiscausa (E, 10.4k words)

“Bless me Father, for I have sinned. It has been one year since my last confession. These are my sins.”

There’s a slight pause. “Gosh. Give me a moment. I knew I should have made up a list, this happens every year. Forget my own head next. Ah, yes. Hmm. Now you may want to get comfortable.”

Communicatio in sacris: communion in sacred things. Also translated as 'worship in common'.

THE good omens priest AU in my humble opinion. read this for hot smut, "seduction via book binding" (from the tags), and explicit consent.

i am not exaggerating when i tell you that this fic did something to heal my religious trauma. there is something so beautiful about saying that love can't be a sin. that love is holy in all its incarnations.

Just Up the Stairs by @foolishlovers and @ineffabildaddy w/ art by @omens-for-ophelia (E, 39.1k words)

(necessary disclaimer that i'm not actually done reading this one but it's phenomenal thus far and i have all the faith in jane & sam that it will continue being phenomenal)

On Valentine's Day, amidst the chaos of handling work and university deadlines as a mature student, Crowley seeks solace with his neighbour Aziraphale. As they share a meal, their long-standing friendship begins to unravel, revealing hidden feelings they've harboured for six months. It's a night that could change everything.

a wonderful human AU in which aziraphale and crowley pine for each other to a truly remarkable extent. mutual pining, fluff, and stunning artwork throughout!

if you couldn't tell i've got a bit of A Thing for human AUs, so hopefully you're into that lol

i'm sure i have more fics i love but i hope this list is sufficient for now!

[mackmp3]

mack-anthology-of-noise -> mack-anthology-mp3 -> mackmp3

hello i'm mack :D

welcome to my blog it is terrible!

here i post about. things. that appear in my mind. and exit it in tumblr form. mostly music and art related! (hopefully)

i am a lesbian (possibly aspec not sure), she/he (they is okay if you forget). i am also butch! boydyke and vaugley leaning transmasc but also not quite. boy in a girl way. or something <3

i am a teenager still! so please don't be weird yknow. i'm from aotearoa new zealand and am pākeha (white)

i am a musician! i play bass, guitar and sing in descending order of proficiency hehe. i can also do harmonica, thank you folk music phase, and i'll attempt piano. i write songs too! all audio recordings are under #musicking , hopefully they are cool :)

i also draw and paint! at the moment A Lot of it is of doctor who characters, so check out my other blog for that (linked further down), but all of other stuff is tagged under #my art ! i have actually improved quite a bit recently i think which is nice

i'm not really comfortable with dms but if you'd like to say hi or talk about / rec some music or just tell me something, please send an ask! I would love to hear from you! (if you've sent me a dm pls don't stress about it, i'd just rather not talk privately, thank you for your consideration)

it would be great if i wasn't followed by adults! for my purposes this is 21+ but this is at my discretion, i intend no offense if i block you <3 also like. please no bigots. thanks. if you're going to hate on people then please at least do it somewhere else

my music i am normal about

pj harvey // radiohead // patti smith // joan baez // bob dylan <- my top five ever. i think. maybe. subject to change.

post punk // industrial // 90s indie // shoegaze // 60s & 70s folk & folk rock // garage rock // psychedelica // goth // dunedin sound // new wave // no wave // electronic

currently listening to dunedin sound music and A Lot of placebo

pleaseeeeee talk to me about music i can and will make you a playlist on any vibe if you would like <3

media, my bestest friend stories

doctor who has taken over my mind! if you want to see generally mildly unhinged thoughts about the show & random bits of the eu & 1271927 art reblogs i will direct you to @lost-tardis-room which is 90% doctor who atm hehe. i put my fanart there too.

you can look at my letterboxd if you so desire but i will admit i don't watch nearly as many films as i would like

the starless sea (favouritest book ever) // we have always lived in the castle // this is how you lose the time war // salt lick // neverwhere //m train (any of patti smith's books honestly) // bob dylan's chronicles // vampire science

the sideblog is @mack-the-sequel for stuff that's not as on theme - if we're mutuals feel free to follow that! i mean anyone can follow it if you like but don't expect quality content lol

[cock-holliday]

Hey LJ, thank you for putting so much love and passion into this blog. Wanted to ask what books do you recommend for the topic of gender queerness? Thanks <3

I put a book/author rec list together before

Not many of them refer specifically to genderqueerness itself. Some are transfemme some are transmasc, some are both or neither. All show facets of the complexities of gender no matter what way you swing it, and reading experiences that sound dissimilar to my own helped expand my understanding of gender as much as those that resonated.

A recent article I found that was also lovely to read is this:

The link in the first post also includes books that are topic of transphobic/exorsexist controversy, namely Gender Queer, a memoir by Maia Kobabe. I have not read it to have any say, but it is being talked about a lot, so I’m sure in addition to bigoted backlash, there are plenty of queer folks who have read and reviewed it.

[nothorses]

Hey! I’ve seen you post quite a lot of transmasc resources and book recs and that kind of stuff, so I was wondering if you could help me out - I’ve been looking all around for a transmasc erotica collection (especially trans m/m) but I literally can’t find anything. Which is crazy because there are so many gay and lesbian and even butch anthologies out there. Have you come across anything like that?

I have not! Maybe someone following me knows of something like this?

[kvothes]

okay. transmasc book rec. i’m finally getting to we both laughed in pleasure: the selected diaries of lou sullivan 1961–1991 and i wholeheartedly recommend ‘em, even only being a few pages in. sullivan was huge for the trans male community in the US and was one of the first publicly gay trans men (and largely responsible for our conception of sexuality and gender identity as distinct concepts). the entires are funny and charming and infinitely wilder and sexier than anything you’ll find in fiction. give them a try

[geryone]

you posted an excerpt of malcom tariq's 'heed the hollow' so i immediately went to go buy it because it hit me so deeply,

the entire book does now,, when it arrived i immediately cracked it open and read the first poem and it felt like a blow to my heart in the best way possible

as a southern black queer transmasc,, ive been searching for art that reflects me in it my whole life and this was the first time i could pick up a book really and say:

hey that's me !

so i just wanted to say thanks for the rec :)

I could not be more thrilled!! It’s such a gift to find art that touches us deeply & that collection is SO GOOD it absolutely knocked me out when I read it

[nekhcore]

So I saw that you were creating a spreadsheet of all trans masc literature and tv. I wondered if you could give me some pointers on doing a trans fem version?

Not really sure what you’re asking of me here, if I’m honest? Just do it? It’s not a very complicated thing, as a concept or as a spreadsheet. I’m not even that well-versed in excel. It’s just a series of big tables with a filter on them (which only takes one click to activate, the rest is automatic).

The spreadsheet exists because I specifically seek out YA books with transmasc leads and it came to a point where listing off 15 books I’d read from memory whenever people on Reddit asked for suggestions was getting annoying. It’s as much of a personal TBR/rec list for me as it is anything else.

I saw a need within my community for a resource like this, so I set it up based on what I noticed was the most important to them. Then I just dedicated a lot of my time to sharing it around to other people and scouring the web.