These are two amazing books, especially the first one.

I read them through Kindle Unlimited but they appeared free to buy as of this day in France.

I pre-ordered Heap Earth Upon It by Chloe Michelle Howarth because I adored Sunburn, but oh my god what the hell was that? I tried reading it three different times. I tried reading it immersively with the audiobook, I tried the audiobook alone, I tried the book alone, and I couldn’t get past around 60% without feeling like I was losing my mind (and love of reading). I wanted to finish it to at least find out what happened in the end (because nearly nothing happened leading up to it), but I just couldn’t. (spoilers welcome in the comments)

the characters’ voices are indistinguishable. I believe she intended to write enmeshed siblings, but this was beyond that. there was a lack of clarity that wasn’t just artistic and hazy, it was nonsense. the repetition was nauseating.

I felt suffocated by the prose whereas I was impressed reading Sunburn. every sentence fell curated to a point of erasing the actual storyline. hints of the ambiguous tragedy of whatever happened to the woman in their hometown was inundated with the characters’ insecurities (and misogyny) to an extent that was exhausting.

I love a literary character study, but at no point did the characters feel like individuals besides their names and gendered, trite caricatures of their roles in the family.

did anyone else have a similar experience? I keep seeing people rave about this, and I know Howarth has a new book coming out next year, but Heap Earth Upon It buried my will to read and interest in her as an author in the worst way.

I grabbed her newest one( With All Mg Haunted Heart) at the local book shop and I hadn’t come across her work before. Just curious what you all thought about her work?

Give me a girl worth dying for, who wants to suck my life out and whom I can't live without - therefore I'll die to be one with her.

Let's play Sapphic Monday!?? Post your top 5 favorite MC and see which ones you know and which ones you don't!? Maybe we can discover some new reads this way.

Mine are.

Diana Parker.

Catherine Cleveland.

Annelie Peterson.

Mir!!!

Charlotte Thomson.

Good evening everyone! So basically what the title says. I’m looking for books similar to “Dream on, Ramona Riley” or the movie “10 Things I Hate About You” where one woman has an ulterior motive for dating the other, ends up actually falling for her, gets exposed and there’s a big blow up, before the HEA.

Please no YA! Nothing wrong with YA fiction; just not what I’m looking for.

I would also prefer books on Kindle Unlimited, but that’s not a requirement.

Hey everyone. Sorry for the vague title, but it sounded fun in my head.

Near Halloween, I'm looking for a new audiobook. I want something spooky. It can be cozy spooky, or actually scary. I do want romance, but I don't wan that to be the total focus of the story, leaning more fantasy than romantasy.

Not a deal breaker but a masc/tomboy MC, and some spice.

This Gilded Abyss is a good example (that I loved). But like I said it can be cozier if it's spooky.

I know that the list might be small to none. Looking for something that includes Asian culture, specifically Japanese. I’m yearning baddd. I need a book to relate to.

Posted with moderator approval.

Hi everyone! I’m a graduate student at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville conducting a project for my qualitative research class about explicit romance fiction (smut).

What makes you love a story, root for a relationship, or keep turning the pages? I’d love to hear your perspective!

Readers of all types ages 18+, who have read or listened to at least one romance-fantasy story with on-page sexual content in the past year are welcome. The survey takes 10–15 minutes, and written responses can be as brief or detailed as you like.

Some participants will also have the option to volunteer for a separate, confidential follow-up interview. This is entirely optional.

Take the survey here or follow this link: https://siue.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_73uio7gK9qHPHbU

Questions? Contact [jmornin@siue.edu](mailto:jmornin@siue.edu). Thank you for sharing your reading experiences!

I found out about this Kickstarter, [🔗Queer The Shelves](https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/qts/queer-the-shelves?ref=ksr_email_mktg_auto_user_followed_project_finishing).

Two people in UK are crowd funding to build a platform which will allow reading books as a subscription service, focusing exclusively on queer works, protecting them from the politics and vagaries of mainstream digital platforms.

Campaign closing in 2 days if anyone's interested.

I'm quite excited and hope they succeed!

What do you all think?

I am missing the vibes of Tipping the Velvet, and I recently came across this queer couple act called MornyngKnight who perform at Ren faires on Instagram, and now I really want to read something with similar vibes.

Must be sapphic or lesbian fiction. It doesn't have to be circus per se (Tipping the Velvet was not circus after all), but you get the vibe (historical, atmospheric, involves performers and the entertainment industry), hopefully.

Additional points for historical or gothic settings. More points if including horror. And no YA, please; I want something well written and for adult readers.

I've read most of Sarah Waters, btw. I love her books, but I'm looking for other recommendations.

Are you writing something and need advice or opinions from fellow writers and readers? In search of a beta or ARC readers? This is the place for you to discuss!

This will be a reoccurring thread monthly. Please keep our rules in mind when sharing your thoughts.

About to start Tasting Temptation - good choice or is there a better one? Looking for stand alone and just read through all of AHB’s books (minus the newest) and all of Haley Cass too - loved them all.

I read the original version of Carmilla by Le Fanu for a local book club this month. I've seen it recommended on various sapphic books subreddits quite a bit, so I was excited to read it. However upon reading, I didn't find it that sapphic.

I know this book was written in the 1800s and was risqué and sapphic for the time bc there was nothing else. It think it was just the the qualifying of the feelings.

**Spoilers Ahead**

The narrator, Laura, expresses multiple times that Carmilla's actions make her uncomfortable

For example:

"The remainder of that evening passed without any recurrence of what I called her infatuations. I mean her crazy talk and looks, which embarrassed, and even frightened me."

"Her agitations and her language were unintelligible to me. From these foolish embraces, which were not of very frequent occurrence, I must allow, I used to wish to extricate myself; but my energies seemed to fail me. Her murmured words sounded like a lullaby in my ear, and soothed my resistance into a trance, from which I only seemed to recover myself when she withdrew her arms."

Laura is under a sort of trance that robs her of her free will, but her innate response is one of discomfort and aversion.

And I read Carmilla's yearning and proclamations of love as manipulations and blood lust bc it never stopped her draining of Laura. She was just going to keep at it until she killed Laura like all the rest. Carmilla "loves" for a moment that which sustains her but isn't real love. Carmilla even says she has never loved.

The way I read it, what Carmilla is doing with Laura isn't love. It's savoring a good meal over a couple of weeks...

"The vampire is prone to be fascinated with an engrossing vehemence, resembling the passion of love, by particular persons. In pursuit of these it will exercise inexhaustible patience and stratagem, for access to a particular object may be obstructed in a hundred ways. It will never desist until it has satiated its passion, and drained the very life of its coveted victim. But it will, in these cases, husband and protract its murderous enjoyment with the refinement of an epicure, and heighten it by the gradual approaches of an artful courtship."

If this was the 1800s or if someone is looking to read something old with echoes of sapphic, I would say... yes... read this! Since we are fortunate to have so many wonderful and truly sapphic books now, I would say there are better choices.

Perhaps this unsatisfied feeling that I'm struggling with is why there are so many reimaginings of the original Carmilla.

Did anyone else read this version of Carmila the same way and find it to be less sapphic than expected? If you read this version and thought the feelings of Carmilla and Laura to be true, what specifically in the book made you feel this way?

hi everyone! i've been going through a pretty rough patch mentally lately and i'm looking for books that might help me get through it.

i guess i wanted to ask, what's that one book for you? your absolute 5-star favorite, the one that helped you get through a depressive episode, made you feel a little less alone or gave you something to look forward to when life felt particularly heavy?

it doesn't necessarily have to be a lighthearted or fluffy read. i'm just looking for something that made you feel deeply, brought you comfort or reminded you why you love reading in the first place.

i'd also love to know why that particular book means so much to you. whether it's the characters, the writing, the love story, or just how it made you feel at a certain point in your life.

thank you in advance. i think i could really use a book like that right now. 🤍

Lesbian Transgender x Female Books

am looking for Lesbian Transgender character and Female character books. Could be AO3 or a book i can read on Kindle. I dont mind what genre but im hoping it's Lesbian TS and Female MC's

Thank you

Hey gals and pals!

Would you like to join a small cozy server for reading sapphic books with other sapphics?

Each month, we pick a book and read it, then discuss it! Only sapphic books, mostly fiction & romance. However any genre can come up on the monthly vote. (For example, we read: "Hani & Ishu's guide to fake dating", "Last night at the telegraph club", "Like a power play", and many more).

We also have club movie nights every now and then!

This month we are reading "Sad Girl Hours".

If this sounds interesting to you and you would like to join, feel free to dm me!

Also, if you have any questions, feel free to ask in the comments or dm.

See you there!<3

Any books with later in life lesbian discovery or realizing you’re a lesbian while married to a man?

I love reading paranormal, fantasy, and monster romance. I'm always surprised to find that sapphic novels in this category tend on the cozy and therapeutic side. Sometimes I just crave a romance/erotica where you genuinely don't think the main characters should be together. Things that aren't likely to end up happy. Does anyone have good recs where the main romance makes you go "yuck"? Some examples of a books i enjoyed is "House of Hunger" by Alexis Henderson "The Gilded Crown" by Marianne Gordon "As Many Souls as Stars" by Natasha Siegel