Bowties & Books glad to bring some giggles! Btw I think I’ll read Patsy. Morally ambiguous characters are like 🤩🤩🤩 I have Song of Achilles and it’s on my TBR!
the stars and the blackness between them sounded amazing. my friend wanted to read it, so i might have to surprise her with a copy lol and i definitely want to read the book now :)
This is million dollar content! Not just a book list, your videos are always so rich with personality, knowledge and expertly expressed thoughts. Thank you so much for all your work and being a creator here
It’s kind of mind blowing, hearing you summarize The Deep and seeing what a small book it is. How is this not a TOME?! Sounds absolutely mesmerizing and is going straight onto my TBR 💙
This is your first video I've watched but I'm instantly feeling the urge to subscribe. I loved how deep you got into your explanations and opinions about the books and you can bet I'll be adding some stuff to my tbr because of this. Also yeah, The Song of Achilles broke me.
The Long way to a small angry planet was my favourite book of 2019! I absolutely adored it. I have added so many things to my TBR after watching this video, so thank you so much
I’m here watching some of your old (I mean not THAT old but from a few weeks ago) videos because I’m having a rough past few days mental health wise and I just want to say thank you because you are bringing me so much joy with this video right now
hey Rachel, I know we don't know each other well but please don't ever hesitate to DM on twitter or ig or wherever if you want to talk. feel free to tweet me to make sure i see your dm.
I absolutely adored The Stars and the Blackness but seeing you talk about the audiobook makes me want to reread it that way and experience it differently!! Also Naamah sounds BRILLIANT woah! I am adding that to my TBR right away
my advice is to EXPECT it be to triggering. like go into it expecting that because it will probably happen. be patient with it and give yourself breaks and have a self care plan in place in case it takes you to a bad realm
I wish I had read Naamah because the author came into a bookstore I was in and was signing her books. Right now I am just making a list of books, thank you!!
I don’t know if this is your jam or not (brand new to your channel- Hi!!! I am loving your videos and you!) but I adored The Cloud Road by Martha Wells. It has casual sexuality because it is a fantasy world where humans as we know it don’t exist. Think Avatar (blue people not air bender haha) and the main character really goes on a journey to find himself and his place in his society. There were interesting gender dynamics, social dynamics, racism and amazingly cute characters. However it is a “hard” fantasy - I mean main character is a shapeshifter dragon thingy... so I totally get it if that’s not for everyone!
I grew up in Brooklyn, I go back to my old neighborhood and it’s not the same. All you see is restaurants and boutique. Little by little all the bodegas and the Spanish folks are gone. I totally relate to loosing your space.
IT TOOK SO LONG TO GET IT RIGHT, I AM SO GLAD YOU LIKED IT!!! I promised y'all i would do a dope intro since Ravenclaw was leaving and i'm really glad it impressed you! omfg feel free to HMU about Freshwater bc i could talk about it all dayyyy yesss you're so right! There were other civilizations throughout history who were accepting but it wasn't exactly practical for me to mention them all since the Deep is spec about Afro communities!
Bowties & Books ooooh yeah yeah no no I was just bigging up the Achilles book lol my bad on not being clear 😂 but I definitely will when I read Freshwater 💪
Anyone else want to marathon read every.single.title?!?!? (Also can "Queerly beloved" readathon be a thing?!?!) I have not stopped recommending Angry Planet (feather family.... *sob*) and Achilles since I read them, so the fact there are books on this list that outrank them, damn!!!! I am IN!! Thank you for yet another amazingly thoughtful, eloquently articulated set of recommendations - we stan!
Oh, this intro, glorious. I'm glad we got the version that's actually your skin tone. But wow, I haven't heard such an in depth discussion about Hot Dog Girl, I would of never guessed all the different topics it handles. I love how you speak on The Stars and the Blackness Between Us, you speak so highly of it while also acknowledging it's harm with such confidence in you words. And hearing all that Pasty covers, I know so much of it will hit hard for me. I'm always stunned by your eloquence, I could listen to you analyzing stories all day. but oml, you with Naamah, I gotta read that now lolol
ahhh i could talk books with you F O R E V E R so you know you can def come to me with any thoughts!!! i hope you love Naamah. and dissecting books is my favorite past time lmao bc i can't help but overthink everything
Thank you so much for this! I've been watching lots of "Top LGBTQ Books" that seem to have all the same books. You're had so many that I haven't seen that are now added to my list.
hot dog girl is on my tbr! omg i need to read her royal highness! i saw this recommended on rachael marie's channel too, and ever since then i've been in love with the idea. thanks for reminding me i need to pick it up, lol! also the gay puns will never get old, lol :D great video!
Ohhhhhh i love the cozy intro. IT'S SO PRETTY like an asmr video. I loved The Deep so much. So many rich details are in that book to make us known to the themes they've threaded through the book. I have a lot of thoughts about the fact that it was a comb left over from their ancestors. Agree so much about horror. I have PTSD and my dad was abusive. There are many genres I go into because of that. When I want to read or watch horror, I often go to gore stuff because there's something about it that reminds me of the result of abuse. The act of seeing that visually is an odd thing to explain to people who've never known trauma.
I'm so torn on Hot Dog Girl but maybe I should give it a try to see for myself. I'm not necessarily triggered by the topics you mentioned but I don't like reading about them. I haven't read Rivers Solomon yet but I've heard such great things about their books and I'm so excited to check them out, I'm especially interested in The Deep, the trauma part sounds very interesting.
Patsy sounds like a good one.. You had me at Jamaica. LGBTQ+ is so touchy in Jamaica.. We (as a country) are no where near there yet.. So I can imagine the issues that could come through in the book. Will put this on the list. Thanks!
I really appreaciated how all the books were discussed so in depth and I hope to read them soon! My guess is that Freshwater and Song of Achilles will make it in your top 10 list. They Both Die At The End by Adam Silvera was really good and sad. The Gentlemen's Guide to Vice and Virtue was fun.
Omg Jesse, the new intro and outro are so cute, I love!! Absolutely amazing video as always and oh wow did it make me happy to see Song of Achilles so high up on this list.😂💙
I love your comment about how, if a book doesn't connect with you (but has good craft, representation, etc), it wasn't written for you. I think that's something that needs to be recognized when we talk about books we didn't like, too. The books I love most are the ones that speak to me in my own voice and teach me something about myself, which is why it's so important to be careful when talking about books negatively because you could be talking about someone's real life experiences and personality or a book that helped or even saved somebody. Also, I definitely agree with you on Long Way to a Small Angry Planet and the Song of Achilles!
Have you considered "A Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue"? I love it! The plot could be better but the romance is just hella cute! And it also touches themes of racism and disability! I just really love this book!
I just adore listening to and watching you gush and glow about books you love, books that spoke to your heart. You're such a joy to watch :) I've had a few of these on my list already, but you've definitely made me want to read Her Royal Highness, which before I was like "ehhhh nah" about. My fave queer read - fave read overall of 2019 really - was Cantoras by Carolina de Robertis. OMG that book just..........yeah. Phenomenal.
I love it whenever I'm seeing the long way to a small angry planet on a Top 10 or favourite list!! I'm happy you enjoyed it and the way you talk about it really makes me want to reread it soon :D The same goes for the song of Achilles, I think this 'somehow it will end differently' hope is such an universal experience with the book. I haven't read the other books, but after this video, I hope I can give 'The deep' and 'Naamah' a chance one day! I really enjoyed watching this video and hearing your thoughts, I love how you not just give trigger warnings but also mention 'negative' aspects / aspect which might turn other people off from reading it. This whole 'hey, if you don't like this book, it's fine, it might not have been written for you' is something I really appreciate!
I’m so much more excited to read The Deep now. I’ll definitely read it on audio thank you for mentioning that💙 I love The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet so much and The Song of Achilles is a masterpiece🌻 My favorite book of 2019 is The Mighty Heart of Sunny St James by Ashley Herring Blake💛
Also just LOVED all the NB rep on this list. Obviously you are NB and so that is why but I didn’t realize how much of the lgbt rep is binary. So many of these books I want to read so that I can thoughtfully make recommendations to friends.
Oh and my top queer reads of 2019 honestly I don’t have as many as I’d like. Of Fire and Stars is the queer book that meant the most to me as I read it and I love me some complex bisexuality representation so the Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo was good to me.
The new intro is so cool!! I am so happy you got the present! Thank you again for all the work you put into your channel. Oh I was really interested in Naamah before it was published and then forget about it, I should finally check it out. "If you enjoy the feeling of being punched in the face definitely read this book." Sold.
I have Patsy on my shelf waiting to be read so appreciated hearing your thoughts with regards to the book. Freshwater is a book I feel that I didn't appreciate enough when I read it the first time, but is also one I think I'd gain more from on a re-read. Enjoyed this video, enjoyed discovering more about certain books as well as discovering others I hadn't heard of previously.
i checked out the deep and didn't end up finishing it as the writing style wasn't connecting too well with me, but hearing you talk about the audiobook makes me want to give it another shot! hopefully the audiobook becomes available at my library soon :)
That intro, JESSE 😍😍😍😍 I'm in love with the flamingo bowtie--this bi demigrl accepts them as our mascot! I REALLY hate cheating storylines, BUT I love growth rep (if that makes sense?) and so I'm big torn on Hotdog Girl... hm. THE DEEP HOLYSHIT❤️❤️ I'll have to try the audio version as well because I hadn't even considered how that format could impact the experience of consuming the story. Rivers Solomon is incredible and has become an auto buy author for me. And any book that feels like 5th element is a yes from me--gotta get on the Becky Chambers' train! Naamah and In the Dream House sound incredible for such different reasons omg Jesse *please*; my TBR can't handle it!! LOVE this list, your glow (inside, yes, but I specifically mean how healthy your skin and hair look--TRULY iconique❤️), you!!!
if it helps, the cheating is from a side character, its a very short scene in the book and it isn't a large part of the story at ALL. but it is still there! ahhh i love you Vendi. I hope we get to see each other again this year
Your reaction to The Song of Achilles is a big ass mood. I will never forget the betrayal my friend felt when I told her to read it and told her it had a happy ending (she was familiar with the Achilles myth). It was truly glorious to witness her rage at the end 😂😂😂 Also. The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet is so strongly my brand. I looooved the development of the relationships of the characters. It’s just...the perfect kind of book for me.
Don't mind me, I'll just be over here searching for the audiobook of The Deep... IT'S NARRATED BY DAVEED DIGGS?? [swoons and dies; ghost Casey presses play]
Thank you. I've never read a book like this before. I know. I was homeschooled in a religious family and basically stopped reading novels after graduating from a religious university. I needed to read a lot of nonfiction to deconstruct my worldview. Most of the novels I'd read were 19th century classics or religious fiction. They no longer had much to say to me it seemed. These seem like they will be meaningful. I think I want the one about the under water society first.
The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet is so amazing! To me the book is the most amazing exploration of culture and intercultural learning. I’m an EAL teacher and it made me so happy to read this book because it embodied everything I love about teaching a super culturally diverse group who are excited to learn about each other. So if you want to witness people being open and curious about differences in culture and forming beautiful “expected” relationships in real life go to an adult EAL class 😂
Hot Dog Girl - Jennifer Dugan- 1:54 The Deep - Rivers Solomon - 8:21 Her Royal Highness - Rachel Hawkins - 11:59 The Stars And The Blackness Between Them - Junauda Petrus - 14:23 Long Way to A Small, Angry Planet - Becky Chambers - 18:41 Naamah - Sarah Blake - 21:38 In The Dreamhouse - Carmen Maria Machado - 24:24 TOP THREE ------------------------------------------- Patsy - Nicole Dennis Benn - 28:09 The Song of Achilles - Madeline Miller - 33:27 Freshwater - Akwaeke Emezi - 35:06 Enjoy!🏳️🌈🏳️🌈🏳️🌈🏳️🌈🏳️🌈🏳️🌈❤️❤️❤️
When I saw that this video was 40 minutes for 10 books... I was like, how are they going to talk for four minutes about every book? And yet, I ended up watching the whole thing all the way through and all the books I haven't read yet are on my TBR now. I'm so happy I found this channel.
lmaooo i could talk the world to death, i swear. I just HAD to gush about each of these books bc who knows when i'll get the chance to do so again?! i am so so so glad you enjoyed this. i really loved making this video. thank you for subscribing
I just read The Stars and the blackness between them and I agree with you with the representation of Trinidad other than that it, I loved everything bout the book! It made me soo proud of my bisexuality and loving who I love without judgment
You've talked so brilliantly about Patsy that I couldn't find the way to let it pass... even knowing that it's not avaliable here in Brazil and in Amazon the price is "higher than the stars"... You're leading me to the bankrup, but I love it!
hi, yes, I'm here for the gay jokes I am scared of The Song of Achilles but I'll probably read it anyway. And Freshwater sounds really good I haven't heard about it before, but it's going on my list. And omg I looooove The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet and I'll never shut up about it
You never mentioned that Daveed Diggs did the audiobook for The Deep! (I also saw that he & 2 others co-wrote it with Rivers Solomon!?) That's super cool!
This video made me add more stuff to my TBR list, ha. Not "Song of Achilles", though. I had that book on my shelves for years and I was never brave enough to read it. People keep saying it broke their heart and it's made me scared!
I am not a fan of cheating in books and I have yet to fully enjoy one with it included, but I see what you mean. I think it's just personal preference rather than all books shouldn't have cheating in them :P I also really agree! I did read some problematic characters this year and I loved when books show them changing and addressing their problematic selves and getting better. I find it tricky in the beginning and find the payoff worth it. Very different to when the problematic things aren't address. Also I'm so sorry that is happening to your parents :( Oh my goodness, The Deep is SUCH an intriguing concept and it is giving me The Giver vibes. Okay I totally just added The Stars and the Blackness Between Them to my tbr :D Oh yes, Patroclus is an amazing character
AHHH HI HENRY!!! WE HAVENT TALKED IN FOREVER I HOPE YOURE WELL?!?! thank you so much for the encouragement; i love the intro too and i'm stoked you do!
@@JesseOnRUclips I know it's been aaages!! i'm SO good tho, thanks for asking!!! I hope you're doing well too! Can't wait for everything you're up to this year! 😍
So many of these I have on my wishlist ... Esp Freshwater and Patsy actually so so many more . I read Song Of Achilles nearly two years ago now and I still love it now just as much as I did then ... Just one of my favourite books of all time ... Like you said it breaks you but it makes you 😍❤️ Love love loved this ... Just THANK YOU soooo much for sharing 😘❤️❤️❤️❤️ xxxx My favourite queer reads of this year Proud -short story collection aimed at teens has mix of all rep . She Called Me Woman Nigeria's queer woman speak also has mix of non binary rep... JUST AMAZING!! .Black Flamingo by Dean Atta 😍 The Binding by Bridget Collins ... I feel like you probably know the last two because they have had a lot of hype on here but still worth a mention... It's hard to pick so many other brilliant reads this year ...also read some amazing poetry my favourite being Night Sky With Exit Wounds by Ocean Vuoung xx Sorry for the long list but these were my utter faves from the year😉 XXX
She Called Me Woman how have i not heard of this?! i've been so excited for Black Flamingo to come out omggggggg and i really appreciate you mentioning! the binding sounds so familiar and i cant figure out why? i'll have to see if its on my list. i might've put it on and just forgot about it
The Deep sounds really good. I am getting it from my library, and though it might be a bit hard to read because of the family dynamic, I am going to try to read it for the rep. I can't find The Stars and the Darkness Between Them anywhere. Where did you get it?
Not to take away from the list, but anytime I hear the word "effulgent," all I can think about is Spike, before being turned, doing poetry readings in an 18th-century pub.
My dude...I'm sorry to hear about your grandparents. My parents live in a manufactured home community and have lived there for about 20+ years and are being evicted for racially driven reasons at the hands of a white property manager. They are in their early sixties and it is incredibly disheartening. I'm watching them just get get sicker and sicker because of the stress. I really hope your grandparents are able to land in a home as smoothly as possible. Wonderful video. I subbed!
I know everyone is saying it but IM OBSESSED WITH THIS NEW INTRO! “All in favor say gay” I’m fucking weak 😂😂 So for Hot Dog Girl when you say these problematic themes are addressed like addressed also in the character development like she grows by the end of the book? Cause I love stuff like that. If she grew from these things. Or like it was just explained in the book? It’s sounds so good I wonder. PLEASE bear with my I want to pick your brain on all of these books. So for the deep reading it the first time what about it weren’t you connecting with? Was it the writing or like connecting to the characters or anything like that? But you’re so right our history is so much better orally. YES TO MF ENEMIES TO LOVERS. You are literally piling on my tbr pile. Why are you doing this to me Jesseee! 😂 Ok Jesse like fucking serious like can you just have a whole Ted Talk I would literally be the first person in the row. Your fucking intelligence it literally BOGGLES my mind. Lol I just added 10 books to my goodreads. Why you did this me 😩
she gets called out on being shitty and learns to be less shitty lmao that's the best way i can summarize it! ahhh well i think i wasn't connecting to it bc i needed to hear it in the oral tradition. i wasn't feeling emotionally invested until i heard the audiobook.
Kinda unrelated- but your parents don't live in the apartment with the golden lions do they? But also I love your reviews and recommendations & tbh I want to pick up so many of these. I've been putting off freshwater since February
I was one of those Can’t-stand-Hot-Dog-Girl buuuuttt her Dad held it up for me 😂 I have a weakness for good parents in YA, and I loved him, and he was pretty much everything I ended up enjoying. I’m adding the rest of these that I haven’t read to my want to read 😍
I know this is from last year but you asked for a trans representation book and I wanna recommend Luna by Julie Anne Peters, apparently out was one of the first young adult novels to have a trans main character. She also has another book I loved called Keeping You A Secret which is gay af ❤️❤️❤️
![Binge Reading Black LGBTQ books! 🔱 [cc]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/a89jeHveGjA/mqdefault.jpg)
![Binge Reading Black LGBTQ books! 🔱 [cc]](/img/tr.png)
“y’all are gonna get so sick of the gay jokes” AS IF I WOULD WATCH 10 MINUTES OF JUST GAY JOKES
lmfaooooo i'll have to do better next time ;)
You: "Dearly beloved, we are gathered here toGAY."
Me: *like and subscribe*
"forgetting is not the same as healing" hm points were made and maybe I should read the deep this year
for the quotes alone it was just *chef kiss*
“Queerly beloved, we are gathered here togay”
Me: *insta-sub*
omfg i cackled so hard at this lmao
Bowties & Books glad to bring some giggles! Btw I think I’ll read Patsy. Morally ambiguous characters are like 🤩🤩🤩
I have Song of Achilles and it’s on my TBR!
The song of Achilles is one of my favourite books of all time, I read it a few years ago and I've never cried as much at a book since.
it broke me. i am literally a shell of my former self
Guess who just added 10 books to their tbr
Phivos lmfaooooo!!!!!!
🙋🏽♀️
The new intro is so pretty 😭
ah ty ty!
the stars and the blackness between them sounded amazing. my friend wanted to read it, so i might have to surprise her with a copy lol
and i definitely want to read the book now :)
ahhh Trinh yasss lets talk about it! you know my Dms are always open to you! happy new year btw :)
Its sooooo good. A true masterclass on POV chapter writing. The two girls’ voices were SO unique
The intro! 😍 there are so many books here that are on my tbr and hearing you talk about them makes me so excited to finally get around to them!
ahh i'm so glad you like the intro Alex! Your rare comments always brighten my day
I love your descriptions of the books Jesse!! You don't give spoilers away but you describe so well the stories!!! Thank you!!!!!
This is million dollar content! Not just a book list, your videos are always so rich with personality, knowledge and expertly expressed thoughts. Thank you so much for all your work and being a creator here
Wow Alexandra. This was so beautiful. Thank you so so much for these words
"If you enjoy the feeling of being punched in the face, definitely read this book."
SOLD 😂😂❤
It’s kind of mind blowing, hearing you summarize The Deep and seeing what a small book it is. How is this not a TOME?! Sounds absolutely mesmerizing and is going straight onto my TBR 💙
This is your first video I've watched but I'm instantly feeling the urge to subscribe. I loved how deep you got into your explanations and opinions about the books and you can bet I'll be adding some stuff to my tbr because of this.
Also yeah, The Song of Achilles broke me.
ITS SO DEVASTATING AGH. i'm so glad you liked this video
The Long way to a small angry planet was my favourite book of 2019! I absolutely adored it. I have added so many things to my TBR after watching this video, so thank you so much
youre so so welcome!
I love what you said about our relationship to nature/the earth being impacted by colonization. So poignant!
I’m here watching some of your old (I mean not THAT old but from a few weeks ago) videos because I’m having a rough past few days mental health wise and I just want to say thank you because you are bringing me so much joy with this video right now
hey Rachel, I know we don't know each other well but please don't ever hesitate to DM on twitter or ig or wherever if you want to talk. feel free to tweet me to make sure i see your dm.
I absolutely adored The Stars and the Blackness but seeing you talk about the audiobook makes me want to reread it that way and experience it differently!!
Also Naamah sounds BRILLIANT woah! I am adding that to my TBR right away
I also REALLY want to read In The Dream House but i'm also way too scared it would be triggering. But it also sounds cathartic...what to do what to do
i feel like you would loveeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee naamah and that audiobook
my advice is to EXPECT it be to triggering. like go into it expecting that because it will probably happen. be patient with it and give yourself breaks and have a self care plan in place in case it takes you to a bad realm
@@JesseOnRUclips will do, thank you!!
OKAY BUT THE INTO OMG!!!!!!!
Here with my Goodreads app opened and readyyyyyy.
ALEXANDRA LMAO!!!! and thank you! i love the intro too!!!!
Omg I have not read several of these and they all sound so awesome! Thank you for this!!!
The way they explained our relationship with nature was so insightful and beautifully explained!!
Thank you!!!!
Love the thought that care that you put into each book and why they work for you!
haha its because i couldn't shut my mouth if i tried lmaooo. Thank you so much for the support!
I wish I had read Naamah because the author came into a bookstore I was in and was signing her books. Right now I am just making a list of books, thank you!!
omggg yo she is SO COOL too!!! i love sarah blake. feel free to talk to me about your thoughts on it.
I don’t know if this is your jam or not (brand new to your channel- Hi!!! I am loving your videos and you!) but I adored The Cloud Road by Martha Wells. It has casual sexuality because it is a fantasy world where humans as we know it don’t exist. Think Avatar (blue people not air bender haha) and the main character really goes on a journey to find himself and his place in his society. There were interesting gender dynamics, social dynamics, racism and amazingly cute characters. However it is a “hard” fantasy - I mean main character is a shapeshifter dragon thingy... so I totally get it if that’s not for everyone!
I grew up in Brooklyn, I go back to my old neighborhood and it’s not the same. All you see is restaurants and boutique. Little by little all the bodegas and the Spanish folks are gone. I totally relate to loosing your space.
its so messed up.
Sick new intro and awesome list. Def gonna pick up Freshwater specifically. Also, the Greeks were bout it bout it when it came to loving who you love.
IT TOOK SO LONG TO GET IT RIGHT, I AM SO GLAD YOU LIKED IT!!! I promised y'all i would do a dope intro since Ravenclaw was leaving and i'm really glad it impressed you!
omfg feel free to HMU about Freshwater bc i could talk about it all dayyyy
yesss you're so right! There were other civilizations throughout history who were accepting but it wasn't exactly practical for me to mention them all since the Deep is spec about Afro communities!
Bowties & Books ooooh yeah yeah no no I was just bigging up the Achilles book lol my bad on not being clear 😂 but I definitely will when I read Freshwater 💪
love the new intro!! i'm literally adding all of these books to my tbr right now.
Anyone else want to marathon read every.single.title?!?!? (Also can "Queerly beloved" readathon be a thing?!?!)
I have not stopped recommending Angry Planet (feather family.... *sob*) and Achilles since I read them, so the fact there are books on this list that outrank them, damn!!!! I am IN!!
Thank you for yet another amazingly thoughtful, eloquently articulated set of recommendations - we stan!
**adds entire video onto tbr shelf**
lmao!
Oh, this intro, glorious. I'm glad we got the version that's actually your skin tone. But wow, I haven't heard such an in depth discussion about Hot Dog Girl, I would of never guessed all the different topics it handles. I love how you speak on The Stars and the Blackness Between Us, you speak so highly of it while also acknowledging it's harm with such confidence in you words. And hearing all that Pasty covers, I know so much of it will hit hard for me. I'm always stunned by your eloquence, I could listen to you analyzing stories all day.
but oml, you with Naamah, I gotta read that now lolol
ahhh i could talk books with you F O R E V E R so you know you can def come to me with any thoughts!!! i hope you love Naamah. and dissecting books is my favorite past time lmao bc i can't help but overthink everything
Thank you so much for this! I've been watching lots of "Top LGBTQ Books" that seem to have all the same books. You're had so many that I haven't seen that are now added to my list.
ahhh im so glad!!
hot dog girl is on my tbr! omg i need to read her royal highness! i saw this recommended on rachael marie's channel too, and ever since then i've been in love with the idea. thanks for reminding me i need to pick it up, lol! also the gay puns will never get old, lol :D great video!
Ohhhhhh i love the cozy intro. IT'S SO PRETTY like an asmr video. I loved The Deep so much. So many rich details are in that book to make us known to the themes they've threaded through the book. I have a lot of thoughts about the fact that it was a comb left over from their ancestors.
Agree so much about horror. I have PTSD and my dad was abusive. There are many genres I go into because of that. When I want to read or watch horror, I often go to gore stuff because there's something about it that reminds me of the result of abuse. The act of seeing that visually is an odd thing to explain to people who've never known trauma.
I'm so torn on Hot Dog Girl but maybe I should give it a try to see for myself. I'm not necessarily triggered by the topics you mentioned but I don't like reading about them. I haven't read Rivers Solomon yet but I've heard such great things about their books and I'm so excited to check them out, I'm especially interested in The Deep, the trauma part sounds very interesting.
Patsy sounds like a good one.. You had me at Jamaica. LGBTQ+ is so touchy in Jamaica.. We (as a country) are no where near there yet.. So I can imagine the issues that could come through in the book. Will put this on the list. Thanks!
as a Jamaican I would lOVE to know what you think. hurry up and read it! lmao
I really appreaciated how all the books were discussed so in depth and I hope to read them soon!
My guess is that Freshwater and Song of Achilles will make it in your top 10 list.
They Both Die At The End by Adam Silvera was really good and sad. The Gentlemen's Guide to Vice and Virtue was fun.
i love a sad book, i am such a sucker for them.
ahhh those are GREAT guesses :) thank you for this lovely comment
Omg Jesse, the new intro and outro are so cute, I love!! Absolutely amazing video as always and oh wow did it make me happy to see Song of Achilles so high up on this list.😂💙
hahahaha joe i KNEW you would be pleased! ;) you were right, i fucking LOVED it
I love your comment about how, if a book doesn't connect with you (but has good craft, representation, etc), it wasn't written for you. I think that's something that needs to be recognized when we talk about books we didn't like, too. The books I love most are the ones that speak to me in my own voice and teach me something about myself, which is why it's so important to be careful when talking about books negatively because you could be talking about someone's real life experiences and personality or a book that helped or even saved somebody.
Also, I definitely agree with you on Long Way to a Small Angry Planet and the Song of Achilles!
This entire comment is gold. I have nothing to add because it is perfect.
@@JesseOnRUclips Thank you! That means a lot coming from you.
Have you considered "A Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue"?
I love it! The plot could be better but the romance is just hella cute! And it also touches themes of racism and disability!
I just really love this book!
Mafalda Viana I just started this book! None of my local libraries have physical copies so I went with the audiobook but I’m really excited
I love Becky Chambers. The books that follow after A Long Way are just as amazing, plus she announced a forth book in the series.
Jesse you need to stop adding books to my TBR it’s enormous...just kidding please keep doing it😂💓
I just adore listening to and watching you gush and glow about books you love, books that spoke to your heart. You're such a joy to watch :) I've had a few of these on my list already, but you've definitely made me want to read Her Royal Highness, which before I was like "ehhhh nah" about. My fave queer read - fave read overall of 2019 really - was Cantoras by Carolina de Robertis. OMG that book just..........yeah. Phenomenal.
OMG I REALLY WANNA READ CANTORAS
I loved this video. OMG as I was watching I was placing holds on these books at the library. I'm crying at your review of these reads. THANK YOU!!
I love it whenever I'm seeing the long way to a small angry planet on a Top 10 or favourite list!! I'm happy you enjoyed it and the way you talk about it really makes me want to reread it soon :D The same goes for the song of Achilles, I think this 'somehow it will end differently' hope is such an universal experience with the book. I haven't read the other books, but after this video, I hope I can give 'The deep' and 'Naamah' a chance one day!
I really enjoyed watching this video and hearing your thoughts, I love how you not just give trigger warnings but also mention 'negative' aspects / aspect which might turn other people off from reading it. This whole 'hey, if you don't like this book, it's fine, it might not have been written for you' is something I really appreciate!
I’m so much more excited to read The Deep now. I’ll definitely read it on audio thank you for mentioning that💙
I love The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet so much and The Song of Achilles is a masterpiece🌻
My favorite book of 2019 is The Mighty Heart of Sunny St James by Ashley Herring Blake💛
omfg i STILL haven't Read Blake and i want to try to this year!!!
This list made me soooo excited to read. I have to decide between reading or watching more of your videos. Wow the struggle
Also just LOVED all the NB rep on this list. Obviously you are NB and so that is why but I didn’t realize how much of the lgbt rep is binary. So many of these books I want to read so that I can thoughtfully make recommendations to friends.
Oh and my top queer reads of 2019 honestly I don’t have as many as I’d like. Of Fire and Stars is the queer book that meant the most to me as I read it and I love me some complex bisexuality representation so the Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo was good to me.
all of these comments are wonderful
Yes!! Love this video and your style. Also naamah 👀👀👀 i need that book.
its soooo good
The new intro is so cool!!
I am so happy you got the present! Thank you again for all the work you put into your channel.
Oh I was really interested in Naamah before it was published and then forget about it, I should finally check it out.
"If you enjoy the feeling of being punched in the face definitely read this book." Sold.
Song of Achilles is my favorite book of all time 💕
I have Patsy on my shelf waiting to be read so appreciated hearing your thoughts with regards to the book.
Freshwater is a book I feel that I didn't appreciate enough when I read it the first time, but is also one I think I'd gain more from on a re-read.
Enjoyed this video, enjoyed discovering more about certain books as well as discovering others I hadn't heard of previously.
ahhh the audiobook for freshwater! if youre able to do audiobooks, that might make all the difference for you. so glad you liked this video!
i checked out the deep and didn't end up finishing it as the writing style wasn't connecting too well with me, but hearing you talk about the audiobook makes me want to give it another shot! hopefully the audiobook becomes available at my library soon :)
Yesssss!!
Omg! I love the new intro so much + it's a bomb video as always❤
THANK YOU!!! ALSO YOUR HANDLE MAKES ME HUNGRY OH MY GOSH
That intro, JESSE 😍😍😍😍 I'm in love with the flamingo bowtie--this bi demigrl accepts them as our mascot!
I REALLY hate cheating storylines, BUT I love growth rep (if that makes sense?) and so I'm big torn on Hotdog Girl... hm.
THE DEEP HOLYSHIT❤️❤️ I'll have to try the audio version as well because I hadn't even considered how that format could impact the experience of consuming the story. Rivers Solomon is incredible and has become an auto buy author for me.
And any book that feels like 5th element is a yes from me--gotta get on the Becky Chambers' train!
Naamah and In the Dream House sound incredible for such different reasons omg Jesse *please*; my TBR can't handle it!!
LOVE this list, your glow (inside, yes, but I specifically mean how healthy your skin and hair look--TRULY iconique❤️), you!!!
if it helps, the cheating is from a side character, its a very short scene in the book and it isn't a large part of the story at ALL. but it is still there!
ahhh i love you Vendi. I hope we get to see each other again this year
Your reaction to The Song of Achilles is a big ass mood. I will never forget the betrayal my friend felt when I told her to read it and told her it had a happy ending (she was familiar with the Achilles myth). It was truly glorious to witness her rage at the end 😂😂😂 Also. The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet is so strongly my brand. I looooved the development of the relationships of the characters. It’s just...the perfect kind of book for me.
Don't mind me, I'll just be over here searching for the audiobook of The Deep...
IT'S NARRATED BY DAVEED DIGGS?? [swoons and dies; ghost Casey presses play]
Love the air quotes around "slavery has ended"
where is the lie lmao
Thank you. I've never read a book like this before. I know. I was homeschooled in a religious family and basically stopped reading novels after graduating from a religious university. I needed to read a lot of nonfiction to deconstruct my worldview. Most of the novels I'd read were 19th century classics or religious fiction. They no longer had much to say to me it seemed. These seem like they will be meaningful. I think I want the one about the under water society first.
What are some Honarary books that didn’t make it into this list?
The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet is so amazing! To me the book is the most amazing exploration of culture and intercultural learning. I’m an EAL teacher and it made me so happy to read this book because it embodied everything I love about teaching a super culturally diverse group who are excited to learn about each other. So if you want to witness people being open and curious about differences in culture and forming beautiful “expected” relationships in real life go to an adult EAL class 😂
love your reviews!!!! now want to read all of those. 💗💐🌸
ahhh thank you thank you!
I thank RUclips Algortihm to bringing me to your channel OMG I LOVE BOOKS and your gay jokes 🌈🌈🌈🌈 subscribed!!
Thank you!
Hot Dog Girl - Jennifer Dugan- 1:54
The Deep - Rivers Solomon - 8:21
Her Royal Highness - Rachel Hawkins - 11:59
The Stars And The Blackness Between Them - Junauda Petrus - 14:23
Long Way to A Small, Angry Planet - Becky Chambers - 18:41
Naamah - Sarah Blake - 21:38
In The Dreamhouse - Carmen Maria Machado - 24:24
TOP THREE
-------------------------------------------
Patsy - Nicole Dennis Benn - 28:09
The Song of Achilles - Madeline Miller - 33:27
Freshwater - Akwaeke Emezi - 35:06
Enjoy!🏳️🌈🏳️🌈🏳️🌈🏳️🌈🏳️🌈🏳️🌈❤️❤️❤️
When I saw that this video was 40 minutes for 10 books... I was like, how are they going to talk for four minutes about every book? And yet, I ended up watching the whole thing all the way through and all the books I haven't read yet are on my TBR now. I'm so happy I found this channel.
lmaooo i could talk the world to death, i swear. I just HAD to gush about each of these books bc who knows when i'll get the chance to do so again?! i am so so so glad you enjoyed this. i really loved making this video. thank you for subscribing
Jesseeee love how real and genuine and amazingly scintillating your personality is 😱😉
thank you Constance
I just read The Stars and the blackness between them and I agree with you with the representation of Trinidad other than that it, I loved everything bout the book! It made me soo proud of my bisexuality and loving who I love without judgment
This was an incredible video. Patsy sounds like a phenomenal book! I'll have to pick it up this year.
ahhh ty Mookie bc i was so worried about the length but then i was like FUCK IT HAHA so i'm thrilled it was worth it for you
You've talked so brilliantly about Patsy that I couldn't find the way to let it pass... even knowing that it's not avaliable here in Brazil and in Amazon the price is "higher than the stars"... You're leading me to the bankrup, but I love it!
Katia lmaooooooooooo i do it bc i care about you haha. i hope you love it as much as i did!
@@JesseOnRUclips I Know you do care, lmaoo.. Have a great year! :)
Fifth Element is my favorite sci-fi movie, too!
hi, yes, I'm here for the gay jokes
I am scared of The Song of Achilles but I'll probably read it anyway. And Freshwater sounds really good I haven't heard about it before, but it's going on my list. And omg I looooove The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet and I'll never shut up about it
So happy to stumble upon your channel!
Im glad you did 🤎
I'm a new subscriber. Loving the channel. Have you heard of Jay Bell something like series?
We will never get sick of the gay jokes...
Omg i love the new intro to bits!!!❤❤❤
ahhh ty ty Ness! I am so glad!
You never mentioned that Daveed Diggs did the audiobook for The Deep! (I also saw that he & 2 others co-wrote it with Rivers Solomon!?) That's super cool!
ahhh dangit yesss!! they talk about their collaboration at the end of the book and its just amazing.
Loving the new intro!!
ty ty!
YES Becky Chambers! Her books and "The Deep" were both books that defined my 2019. I'm a Kizzy fan through and through :D
WE LOVE GOOD TASTE OMFGGGGGGG
This video made me add more stuff to my TBR list, ha. Not "Song of Achilles", though. I had that book on my shelves for years and I was never brave enough to read it. People keep saying it broke their heart and it's made me scared!
yeah its...definitely a heartbreaker. i basically died in it. my ghost is writing this.
I just have discovered your channel and love your content y personality!!
I am not a fan of cheating in books and I have yet to fully enjoy one with it included, but I see what you mean. I think it's just personal preference rather than all books shouldn't have cheating in them :P I also really agree! I did read some problematic characters this year and I loved when books show them changing and addressing their problematic selves and getting better. I find it tricky in the beginning and find the payoff worth it. Very different to when the problematic things aren't address. Also I'm so sorry that is happening to your parents :( Oh my goodness, The Deep is SUCH an intriguing concept and it is giving me The Giver vibes. Okay I totally just added The Stars and the Blackness Between Them to my tbr :D Oh yes, Patroclus is an amazing character
love this whole comment as always. thank you olivia!
I am so glad and happy to hear what you said about fathers, keep up the good work.
thank you Michael
This new introoooooo 😍😍😍
The Stars and the Blackness Between Them sounds reeeally good!
Hmmmm guesses for your Top 10: The Song of Achilles, Naamah, Freshwater andddd Patsy 🤔
AHHH HI HENRY!!! WE HAVENT TALKED IN FOREVER I HOPE YOURE WELL?!?! thank you so much for the encouragement; i love the intro too and i'm stoked you do!
@@JesseOnRUclips I know it's been aaages!! i'm SO good tho, thanks for asking!!!
I hope you're doing well too! Can't wait for everything you're up to this year! 😍
I was the one thousandth like on this video and I feel like maybe I finally did something today. 😂😂😂
So many of these I have on my wishlist ... Esp Freshwater and Patsy actually so so many more . I read Song Of Achilles nearly two years ago now and I still love it now just as much as I did then ... Just one of my favourite books of all time ... Like you said it breaks you but it makes you 😍❤️ Love love loved this ... Just THANK YOU soooo much for sharing 😘❤️❤️❤️❤️ xxxx My favourite queer reads of this year Proud -short story collection aimed at teens has mix of all rep . She Called Me Woman Nigeria's queer woman speak also has mix of non binary rep... JUST AMAZING!! .Black Flamingo by Dean Atta 😍 The Binding by Bridget Collins ... I feel like you probably know the last two because they have had a lot of hype on here but still worth a mention... It's hard to pick so many other brilliant reads this year ...also read some amazing poetry my favourite being Night Sky With Exit Wounds by Ocean Vuoung xx Sorry for the long list but these were my utter faves from the year😉 XXX
She Called Me Woman how have i not heard of this?! i've been so excited for Black Flamingo to come out omggggggg
and i really appreciate you mentioning! the binding sounds so familiar and i cant figure out why? i'll have to see if its on my list. i might've put it on and just forgot about it
I say I for the flamingo as our mascot
The Deep sounds really good. I am getting it from my library, and though it might be a bit hard to read because of the family dynamic, I am going to try to read it for the rep.
I can't find The Stars and the Darkness Between Them anywhere. Where did you get it?
So mad this is the first time I've heard about Patsy; it sounds amazing! Gotta put that on my TBR.
ahhh i hope it rocks your world
Not to take away from the list, but anytime I hear the word "effulgent," all I can think about is Spike, before being turned, doing poetry readings in an 18th-century pub.
My dude...I'm sorry to hear about your grandparents. My parents live in a manufactured home community and have lived there for about 20+ years and are being evicted for racially driven reasons at the hands of a white property manager. They are in their early sixties and it is incredibly disheartening. I'm watching them just get get sicker and sicker because of the stress. I really hope your grandparents are able to land in a home as smoothly as possible.
Wonderful video. I subbed!
sorry i’m just now responding, your comment slipped my radar. thank you so much💓💓🥺🥺
Thank you so much for this!!!
I know everyone is saying it but IM OBSESSED WITH THIS NEW INTRO!
“All in favor say gay” I’m fucking weak 😂😂
So for Hot Dog Girl when you say these problematic themes are addressed like addressed also in the character development like she grows by the end of the book? Cause I love stuff like that. If she grew from these things. Or like it was just explained in the book? It’s sounds so good I wonder.
PLEASE bear with my I want to pick your brain on all of these books. So for the deep reading it the first time what about it weren’t you connecting with? Was it the writing or like connecting to the characters or anything like that? But you’re so right our history is so much better orally.
YES TO MF ENEMIES TO LOVERS. You are literally piling on my tbr pile. Why are you doing this to me Jesseee! 😂
Ok Jesse like fucking serious like can you just have a whole Ted Talk I would literally be the first person in the row. Your fucking intelligence it literally BOGGLES my mind.
Lol I just added 10 books to my goodreads. Why you did this me 😩
she gets called out on being shitty and learns to be less shitty lmao that's the best way i can summarize it!
ahhh well i think i wasn't connecting to it bc i needed to hear it in the oral tradition. i wasn't feeling emotionally invested until i heard the audiobook.
Ohmygod! You are so adorably gay. Totally making that intro line my new voicemail greeting 😂😂😂😂
I knew you’d love The Long Way! I adored is so so so fucking much
i adore YOU so fucking much
I need to read long way to an angry planet!!!
you really do
Kinda unrelated- but your parents don't live in the apartment with the golden lions do they?
But also I love your reviews and recommendations & tbh I want to pick up so many of these. I've been putting off freshwater since February
i can't remember if it has lions or not. its a big orange building though, you cant miss it haha
ugh freshwater is bae. READ IT YOULL THANK ME
I was one of those Can’t-stand-Hot-Dog-Girl buuuuttt her Dad held it up for me 😂 I have a weakness for good parents in YA, and I loved him, and he was pretty much everything I ended up enjoying.
I’m adding the rest of these that I haven’t read to my want to read 😍
I know this is from last year but you asked for a trans representation book and I wanna recommend Luna by Julie Anne Peters, apparently out was one of the first young adult novels to have a trans main character. She also has another book I loved called Keeping You A Secret which is gay af ❤️❤️❤️
i’m reading the song of achilles on audiobook and i’m looooving it
YOOO LEAH i need to listen to it in audio form. like right now
Bowties & Books i finished it last night and knew the ending but it still FUCKED me up oh my gosh
You talking about Patsy . My heart is aching for you
You always know just how to get me
i LOVE your energy! kisses from poland!!!
kisses back!!! thank you!
I LOVE THE INTROOOOO