Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge discussion

"Sapphic" means a romantic relationship between women. It's a bit broader than "lesbian" since it includes the full spectrum of women, including bisexual, pansexual, and of course lesbian women. But a lesbian romance would certainly fit the bill here!!

Maybe I could read a classic, like The Price of Salt, or a YA contemporary, like Keeping You a Secret, or sink my teeth into a long book like Plain Bad Heroines.

Listopia is here

I have to admit my romance reading tends towards m/m rather than sappphic. Taking a look though I have a few suggestions. Fingersmith, The Color Purple, Stone Butch Blues, Sugar Rush & This Is How You Lose the Time War. Quite a bit by Virginia Woolf seems to fit but I'm not sure Orlando counts due to the gender bending of the main character?

I'm debating whether Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe fits. Definite female fellowship not sure if it runs to more? A good book regardless :D

Nadine wrote: ""Sapphic" means a romantic relationship between women. It's a bit broader than "lesbian" since it includes the full spectrum of women, including bisexual, pansexual, and of course lesbian women. Bu..."

Plain Bad Heroines did not feel like a long book to me. It went by quickly, probably listening to the audiobook helped.

Did I just add like twenty books to the listopia to recommend because this is a good chunk of what I read? Yes. Yes I did.

As for what I WILL read, maybe some Becky Chambers? Or The Chosen and the Beautiful?

Alex wrote: "Did I just add like twenty books to the listopia to recommend because this is a good chunk of what I read? Yes. Yes I did.

As for what I WILL read, maybe some Becky Chambers? Or [book:The Chosen a..."

Would you happen to be able to recommend a steamy romance for this prompt? *blush*

Would you happen to be able to recommend a steamy romance for this prompt? *blush*

Pretty much any book by Sarah Waters! Fingersmith and Tipping the Velvet were both good. One Last Stop has some nice steamy parts!

Milena wrote: "Plain Bad Heroines did not feel like a long book to me. It went by quickly, probably listening to the audiobook helped..."


That's good to know! Because I loved Danforth's first book and I'm excited to read this one. But I got it from the library this summer and it was soooo biiiiig. So I didn't read it. I don't like long books, and I'm already feeling traumatized by my struggle with this year's "longest book" category :-)

Here's another where my handy dandy links might be useful. Only a few of them are sorted by pairing for easy linking, but these should be:

Beyond a Bookshelf Blog: The Ultimate Sapphic Masterlist | F/F February 2021
https://beyondabookshelf.co.uk/2021/t...

Queer Books for Teens lets you short by many many criteria
http://queerbooksforteens.com/find-bo...

Ninestar Press
https://ninestarpress.com/product-cat...

QueerRomance Ink (I have no idea if these are any good)
https://www.queeromanceink.com/pairin...

I was unaware of this term before. I would highly recommend Fingersmith and I definitely think Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe works! (which I would also highly recommend).

Glad to hear Tipping the Velvet works, too, as I wanted to get to that one this year, but didn't.

Would Empire of the Vampire work?

The Hollow Heart by Marie Rutkoski or The Girls I've Been by Tess Sharpe

I'm going to do Read Between the Lines because it's already waiting on my Kindle. But I read Summer of Salt last year that would definitely fit. It got dark but was also really lovely, and for someone who doesn't want a straight-up romance it could be a good fit (there is romance but it's not the main point of the story, just one aspect).

I had never heard this term before but after a quick google I found this website with a Sapphic Masterlist :)
https://beyondabookshelf.co.uk/2021/t...

Marisa wrote: "Would Empire of the Vampire work?"

There are a couple of sapphic characters but the story follows a male main character, so I wouldn't call it a sapphic book overall.

How about Light from Uncommon Stars? I'm really looking forward to reading this!

Tipping the Velvet fits here. Loved this one.

I'll Be the One is probably what I'll read. I've been eager to get into it.

Looking at the Listopia for "Want to Read" revealed a WHOLE lotta "Read" books for this nominally straight woman! 🤣

(I was born in 1973 and never really grokked bi was an option - now happily married to a dude and not interested in dating, but, yeah.)

I'm going with Jade Fire Gold by June C. Tan since it came in my Fairyloot box in November

I read Morgan Rogers's debut Honey Girl and absolutely loved it! It's a young/ college age female romance.

I was today years' old when I realized that The Price of Salt and Carol are the same book.

I'm reading Last Night at the Telegraph Club right now, and that would definitely fit the bill. I've also been wanting to read If I Loved You Less, although tbh I'm actually wanting to read every sapphic book ever. :)

21 Questions was really good - and I'm not much for romance novels. There are some steamy bits, and I loved the two characters vying for the MC. I couldn't figure out what was so great about Kenia the MC, but I was cheering for one of the other women.

I think I'm going to pick The Priory of the Orange Tree

I saw that The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo was on listopia. I haven't read it yet so I really don't know the content but could it really fit into this category? Or is it more loosely fitting? Just curious.

Samantha wrote: "I saw that The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo was on listopia. I haven't read it yet so I really don't know the content but could it really fit into this category? Or is it more loos..."


It fits.

I already read Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up with Me by Mariko Tamaki:D

Well, since each year I try to fill as many PopSugar Reading Challenge categories with sapphic books as I'm able to find, this is basically a Free Space category for me.

I highly recommend anything by Kelly Quindlen and E.J. Noyes

Kelly Quindlen:
Her Name in the Sky (New Adult) is probably my favourite book ever but there is a lot of angst.
She Drives Me Crazy (YA) is the romantic comedy queer girls deserve

EJ Noyes writes sapphic romance, and I think she's the best at the genre. Here are some recommendations:
Alone
Gold
Pas de deux

I strongly recommend Wilder Girls. It was a great plot and the way they handled the LGBTQ elements felt real - not forced. :)

Jessica wrote: "Alex wrote: "Did I just add like twenty books to the listopia to recommend because this is a good chunk of what I read? Yes. Yes I did.

As for what I WILL read, maybe some Becky Chambers? Or [book..."

[author:Alexandria Bellefleur|15559546]'s books are sweet and pretty steamy. I'm planning on reading Written in the Stars myself, but third book in the series is also sapphic and looks super cute.

While I'll probably read Written in the Stars, I'm also considering Honey Girl or Eight Kinky Nights (which is set during a holiday as well) or wait to finish The Care and Feeding of Waspish Widows until it will count for the challenge.

mel wrote: "I'm reading Last Night at the Telegraph Club right now, and that would definitely fit the bill. I've also been wanting to read If I Loved You Less, although tbh I'm ..."

Last Night at the Telegraph Club is on my TBR so delighted to hear it fits!

I saw a thing from Tor today pushing Sapphic books and they reckon This Is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Harrow the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir. Gideon the Ninth (the first one in the series before Harrow) or Nona the Ninth which is supposed to be released in 2022 would work too. Think lesbian necromancers in space.

A classic in the Sapphic books is The Price of Salt by Patricia Highsmith. It was later released under the name Carol. When Highsmith released it she did under the name of Claire Morgan because she thought it would ruin her writing career. If you like sensual but not overt sexual this one has it in spades. I highly recommend it if you are looking for one.

Pizza Girl should fit this prompt

Exciting Times by Naoise Dolan was one of my favorite reads of this year. It was on the Women's Prize Longlist and fits this prompt.

You wouldn't know it from the title or description, but The Night She Disappeared is about a sapphic relationship.

There's so many great options, but some I've enjoyed are:

Skye Falling
Cool for the Summer
Rubyfruit Jungle
Her Royal Highness
Everything Leads to You

And I'm so excited to read One Last Stop!

Bluebird - Lesbian gunslinger fights spies in space, with help from her network of resistance contacts, her taser-wielding librarian girlfriend, and a mysterious bounty hunter.

poshpenny wrote: "Bluebird - Lesbian gunslinger fights spies in space, with help from her network of resistance contacts, her taser-wielding librarian girlfriend, and a mysterious bounty hunter."

Well that sounds excellent.

The trouble with this prompt is I am seeing so many books to add to my TBR!

Alana wrote: "I strongly recommend Wilder Girls. It was a great plot and the way they handled the LGBTQ elements felt real - not forced. :)"

I second Wilder Girls!
Really liked it.

I read It's Not Like It's a Secret which would fit this prompt (and the secret prompt) as well as The Falling in Love Montage

While this one isn't directly sapphic it does cover a lot of sapphic themes within it. Though queerbaiting is nothing new it is slowly beginning to be researched academically.

Queerbaiting and Fandom: Teasing Fans through Homoerotic Possibilities

If you're into fantasy, I recommend The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon (definitely can be hard to get into, and intimidating, but easily the best book I read last year), Girls of Paper and Fire by Natasha Ngan (more YA, read for trigger warnings!), and The Jasmine Throne by Tasha Suri (another amazing 2021 read and the sequel releases in 2022). Also possibly, Black Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse -- the two main female characters have queer relationships (not with each other), but the book itself isn't necessarily about those romances themselves (hopefully the sequel Fevered Star in 2022 has more!!).

Rachael wrote: "mel wrote: "I'm reading Last Night at the Telegraph Club right now, and that would definitely fit the bill. I've also been wanting to read If I Loved You Less, altho...

Last Night at the Telegraph Club is on my TBR so delighted to hear it fits!"
I loved this book!

I also chose Gay Pride and Prejudice . From what I can tell is that it's a reimagined classic where Elizabeth Bennett is gay and falls for someone else and not Mr. Darcy.

Fiona and Jane fits the bill. It’s released January 4th!

I will go with This Is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar.

For a cute and quick YA novel, there's You Should See Me in a Crown

I think I'm going with How to Find a Princess

It'll also meet the 'romance by a BIPOC' prompt and one of the BookRiot challenge prompts.

I'm going with Carmilla by Sheridan Le Fanu.