Goodbye Sapphic Summer. Hello Sapphic September!
Are you feeling emotionally starved for a story that involves Sapphic yearning, self-discovery, and/or partners willing to die for each other? Do you also become gayer every time you consume Sapphic media, as I do? If so, you have come to the right place because I have been finding any excuse to talk about the books I read this summer, particularly those of the lesbian persuasion. In all seriousness, I have spent many years as an avid reader believing the representation I wanted did not exist in the books I was interested in reading. However, in the past year I have increasingly discovered that I was wrong. Books like Samantha Shannon’s The Priory of the Orange Tree and A Day of Fallen Night scratch the persistent itch to consume stories of dragons, kingdoms, battles, and magic, while also fulfilling the need to see women fall in love.
Due to some helpful moves by the TikTok algorithm, I now have an abundance of Sapphic book recommendations, many of which I read this summer. Without further ado, here are the nine Sapphic books I read this summer, and here’s hoping that through them, you can fulfill your own desires, too.
1. Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo
This book came into my possession when a friend bought it for me as a Christmas gift. She saw it next to a list of successful queer books in 2023, and thought “yeah, Jordan needs that.” She was right! Shoutout Lauren for providing the first book of many for my Sapphic summer. It was so refreshing reading a young adult romance that wasn’t heterosexual. I found myself caring more about the success of their relationship than I have in awhile. With a lot of straight couples in books, it seems pretty obvious they will eventually get together, but with a queer couple – especially in the 1950’s – there isn’t that same guarantee. Not to mention, a lot of lesbian media involves tragedy – they can never be together, someone dies, et cetera, et cetera. Be warned, this is definitely a “slow burn” and the sweet moments are interrupted by the main character’s moments of doubt, confusion, and fear. Overall, Last Night at the Telegraph Club is definitely a “feel-good” lesbian story, and I thought it was quite the positive start to my Sapphic summer.
2. Carmilla by J. Sheridan Le Fanu, Carmen Maria Machado (Editor)
What can I say, I support women’s wrongs. Despite spending 8th grade reading fanfiction about Carmilla, the web series, I never knew the original story. And boy was I surprised to discover that Le Fanu tried his hardest to hide the obvious tension between Carmilla and Laura. On the other hand, I was ecstatic to discover that an edition edited by Carmen Maria Machado exists. If you know me, you know I love Machado’s work – Her Body and Other Parties and In the Dreamhouse. And if you are like me and want to read Carmilla and make it the gayest experience possible, you need Machado’s context, trust me. Knowing from the beginning that Carmilla was a vampire, I was surprised and frustrated with Laura’s reactions to her. I was surprised to hear Laura describe Carmilla as the most beautiful woman she’s ever seen; it was obvious she felt more than platonic friendship towards her. A beautiful girl giving me her undivided attention? That’s the dream. Sure, Carmilla killed people, but personally? I think I could fix her.
3. The Color Purple by Alice Walker
Excuse me while I go kick myself for not reading this book sooner. To be fair, when people name drop this title around me, they neglect to mention it’s Sapphic. I’m here to remedy this because The Color Purple is gay! Great, now that we’ve got that out of the way, my experience reading this book can be summed up in two words: inspiring and unexpected. What I loved about The Color Purple was that it felt so real; these were genuine, complex relationships, and while Celie’s relationship with Shug Avery was not the central focus throughout the entire novel, it still mattered. Celie’s mindset and love for others – her sister Nettie, Shug Avery – were eye-opening, and I was honored to witness it through her letters. If you need a book to quench that Sapphic craving, but also something that leaves you awestruck – and feeling like a smarter, cooler, and all-around more cultured reader – pick up Walker’s The Color Purple.
The “Burning Kingdoms” Series by Tasha Suri
4. The Jasmine Throne
Sitting on the floor of a used bookstore in Manassas, VA this summer, I was immediately pulled into the world of Tasha Suri’s creation from the prologue alone. Before entering this bookshop, I had heard of The Jasmine Throne, and when I saw it on the shelf, I thought perhaps it was the perfect time to collect another Sapphic book. I am so glad I decided to pick it up. Not to be dramatic or anything, but the genre of Sapphic fantasy has forever changed me as a person.
5. The Oleander Sword
Don’t mind me, I’m just patting myself on the back because I decided to continue this series. Without giving too much away, let’s just say Suri had my attention in a chokehold as I made my way to the book’s conclusion, and it’s taking all of my willpower to patiently wait for the final book.
The “Locked Tomb” Series by Tamsyn Muir
6. Gideon the Ninth
OH MY GOD. Okay, okay so, hear me out. Lesbians. Necromancy. Gothic space castle. Not enough to convince you? Okay, um. A necromancer and her cavalier must solve mysteries in order to stay alive except they absolutely despise each other, but, like, they would also die for each other. If your interest isn’t piqued by now, I don’t know how to help you.
I have never felt such an intense range of emotions as I did reading the last 100 pages of Gideon the Ninth, I simply could not put it down. When I reached the end, I didn’t know what to do with myself. I just sat and stared at the walls of my childhood bedroom in complete and utter shock and awe. Muir’s mind! How does she come up with this? I simply had no words. I still struggle articulating my thoughts on this book other than to say that I am wholly obsessed with the story, the world, and the characters. Gideon and Harrow mean a concerning amount to me.
7. Harrow the Ninth
You thought the obsession couldn’t get worse? You’d be wrong. I love Gideon, but this book made me love Harrow, and I think that makes their dynamic even more meaningful. And in this book, Muir gets gorier and darker in her prose – hurray for more death, gore, and bones!
8. Nona the Ninth
Was this probably my least favorite of the series thus far? Yes. Is this also one of my favorite books I’ve ever read up until this point? Yes. Rather than the harrowed – pun intended – narrators of the previous books, our new narrator is Nona, and her naivety offers a completely different perspective on Muir’s galaxy. While Gideon and Harrow have a special place in my heart, Nona and her found family wormed their way in and hunkered down in there too.
9. Chain-Gang All-Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah
Imagine The Hunger Games but told from many perspectives, and the two most popular fighters are gay for each other. High stakes! Loretta Thurwar and Hamara Stacker are not even dating for the audience like Katniss and Peeta, they’re the real deal. And this isn’t even the best way I could describe this book, it’s just what I knew going in. While the prison industrial complex is a difficult topic to tackle, Adjei-Brenyah makes it easy to fly through this book. What more can you ask for when he gives you social commentary, morally gray characters, gory battles to the death, and, of course, lesbians.
BONUS:
As a #SapphicSeptember gift, here are Sapphic books on my TBR (to be read) list this fall!
1. The Lotus Empire by Tasha Suri
Barnes and Noble hates to see me coming November 1st.
2. This Ravenous Fate by Hayley Dennings
Sapphic vampires in 1920’s Harlem. That’s it, that’s the tweet.
3. Gentlest of Wild Things by Sarah Underwood
When I discovered one of my favorite Greek myths was being retold as a Sapphic relationship? It was over for me.
4. Metal from Heaven by August Clarke
“For fans of the Princess Bride and Gideon the Ninth…” spectacular, give me 14 of them right now.
5. Off With Their Heads by Zoe Hana Mikuta
If the cover doesn’t make you want to read this book, then perhaps knowing it’s a Korean-inspired Alice in Wonderland retelling will. Both worked to convince me!
