Header
We may earn a commission through product links on this page. But we only recommend stuff we love.

Rainbow Reading: Book Recommendations From Hot People Just Hit Different

Yashwina
Sep 8, 2022

Feature image photo by Westend61 via Getty Images

A book in faded colors of the rainbow is open, and the words RAINBOW READING are on top of it.
illustration by A. Andrews

Hey howdy, pals!

I hope this tail end of summer has been treating you kindly — I’ve been reading outside as much as possible, listening to that Lofi Beats playlist for hours on end, eating lots of fresh bread, and making some ill-advised trips to the bookstore. I thought I knew what my TBR roster was, but no — Nona the Ninth arrived on my doorstep (so now naturally I have to reread Gideon and Harrow too just to, ahem, refresh my memory. No other reason. 😉) and I was recommended A Memory Called Empire, which rocketed to the top of the list. What can I say, book recommendations from hot people just hit different. I’m a simple gal. (Hotties, share your recs in the comments!)

This little run of sci-fi and genre fiction has been such a pleasant surprise; it’s been a long time since I had to get stuck in to something so imaginatively rigorous since I’m usually more of a realism/nonfiction gal, and I’ve found it refreshing and invigorating. What a fun time!

Alrighty, let’s make like a Vespa and scoot. On this week’s Rainbow Reading, we’ve got:


Shelf Care: Reviews, Essays, and other Things of Note


“These are more like stories of young people coming into themselves. There’s confusion as to what they really want, what they desire. But there’s also a freeness to the way they consider these parts to themselves, even set against the rigidly gendered backdrop of the fashion industry.”


Autocorrect: Books content from the last couple weeks at Autostraddle!


Small Press Spotlight

Hybrid poetry-essays? You know that’ll get my attention! Dream Rooms is “part essay, part poem, part fever dream journal entry” and spans trans identity, queer sexuality, ecology, body politics, and more. This blurb from Chase Joynt got my attention: “A quick-witted, momentum-filled, tender rebellion of a book.” Count me in. You can preorder from Bookhug Press here — can’t wait to celebrate its publication on October 18!



That’s all she wrote, folks! If you’re a queer writer, particularly an early-career queer writer: I’d love to hear about the cool things you’re up to so that I can share links to your published essays, book reviews, short stories, poems, and longform features on LGBTQ+ topics! Please email me links for consideration at yashwina@autostraddle.com with the subject line “Rainbow Reading Submission” — I’m an avid browser-tab-collector, and I especially want to hear from you if you’ve just landed your first publication or first major byline.