Queereaders discussion

Figured I'd go ahead and introduce myself. I'm Jaime, but most of my friends call me Jam, and I guess you could say I'm a bit shy, though that's really an understatement. I'm an artist as well, mostly in the business of drawing cute girls and monsters, and I hope to get into writing and crafting someday soon. I'm also bi. Since I've graduated, I've rediscovered my love of books and I'm finding more and more that I'm wanting to read ones with more diverse themes and LGBT characters, alongside the classics. It's just so nice seeing myself in and relating to characters and experiences.
My favorite genres are fantasy; horrors and thrillers; historical fiction, especially those set in the Victorian era; fairy tales and retellings; and basically anything involving rabbits (they're too cute!!). I'll give almost any book a shot, though.
Anyways, it's really nice meeting you all! I hope this wasn't too rambling or awkward.

Welcome, Jam!
I'm a fan (and writer) of LGBT horror and fantasy myself. Do you have any recent favourites/recommendations?

Welcome Jam!

A Victorian LGBT period piece I enjoyed is Counterpoint: Dylan's Story by Ruth Sims as well as her other novels.

Benjamin wrote: "Welcome, Jam!
I'm a fan (and writer) of LGBT horror and fantasy myself. Do you have any recent favourites/recommendations?"

I suppose my all time favorite LGBT horror would have to be Carmilla. It's a classic. I've been eyeing Let the Right One In and some Clive Barker books, as well. I'd be up for any recommendations you have, though! I'm still new to LGBT literature, so you probably know of a lot more than me.

Bill wrote: "Welcome Jam!

A Victorian LGBT period piece I enjoyed is Counterpoint: Dylan's Story by Ruth Sims as well as her other novels."

Thank you so much for the recommendation! c: Just from the summary I can tell I'll enjoy it, and a few of her other books look interesting too!

Jam wrote: "I suppose my all time favorite LGBT horror would have to be Carmilla. It's a classic. I've been eyeing Let the Right One In and some Clive Barker books, as well. I'd be up for any recommendations you have, though! I'm still new to LGBT literature, so you probably know of a lot more than me.
"

I love Carmilla (one of my favourites too!) - you might like The Moth Diaries, which is a 1970s riff on it set at a girls' boarding school.
As far as horror goes I'd also highly recommend a couple of Caitlin Kiernan's books, The Red Tree and The Drowning Girl.

(There's also my own book, Lamplight, but I can't objectively recommend it!)

As for Victorian fiction, Sarah Waters is an obvious place to start (everyone seems to like Fingersmith the most) and I also enjoyed Rosie Garland's The Night Brother.

Benjamin wrote: "Jam wrote: "I suppose my all time favorite LGBT horror would have to be Carmilla. It's a classic. I've been eyeing Let the Right One In and some Clive Barker books, as well. I'd be up for any recom..."

Thank you for the recs! All of those sound right up my alley, especially The Moth Diaries and Fingersmith. And I did put Lamplight on my tbr earlier today. The synopsis and cover reminded me of some of the mystery novels I read when I was younger- in a good way! I'll be sure to give a rate and review when I'm finished.

Jam wrote: "Thank you for the recs! All of those sound right up my alley, especially The Moth Diaries and Fingersmith. And I did put Lamplight on my tbr earlier today. The synopsis and cover reminded me of some of the mystery novels I read when I was younger- in a good way! I'll be sure to give a rate and review when I'm finished. "

No problem, and thank you as well! Hope you enjoy them.

For gay Victorian fiction, try Emma Donoghue’s “Frog Music”!

Bill wrote: "Welcome Jam! "A Victorian LGBT period piece I enjoyed is Counterpoint: Dylan's Story by Ruth Sims as well as her other novels."

Thank you so much for the recommendation! c: Just from the summary I can tell I'll enjoy it, and a few of her other books look interesting too!

She ws very active on Goodreads and we became online friends. She was a straight woman from a small town in Illinois. She had a real knack for writing about M/M affection. I quite liked her books. I found them more than simple romance. I miss her.