Leora
@leorahugs.bsky.social
SFF writer, queer, Jewish, snake parent, book hoarder
34) The Goblin Emperor by @pennyvixen.bsky.social . Introducing the only acceptable monarch: He knows the whole system is fundamentally unjust & tries his absolute best to be kind despite everything. Excellent worldbuilding, character arcs, political intrigue, realistic bureaucracy, compelling cast.
August 14, 2025 at 1:08 AM
34) The Goblin Emperor by @pennyvixen.bsky.social . Introducing the only acceptable monarch: He knows the whole system is fundamentally unjust & tries his absolute best to be kind despite everything. Excellent worldbuilding, character arcs, political intrigue, realistic bureaucracy, compelling cast.
33) Biting the Sun by Tanith Lee. A post-Singularity deconstruction written before singularity was a term. A woman(ish) in a post-scarcity artificial paradise (ish) searches desperately for meaning or a SF tale of Eve leaving the garden. Warning: the pet dies for narratively necessary reasons.
August 11, 2025 at 9:15 PM
33) Biting the Sun by Tanith Lee. A post-Singularity deconstruction written before singularity was a term. A woman(ish) in a post-scarcity artificial paradise (ish) searches desperately for meaning or a SF tale of Eve leaving the garden. Warning: the pet dies for narratively necessary reasons.
32) The Lions of Al-Rassan by @guygavrielkay.bsky.social. Reconquista-era novel w/a Jewish-Christian-Muslim love triangle. Love at first sight except it's also nemeses "one day I will die at your hand" at first sight. Also: trying to hold onto life and beauty in a violent world, blood libel, poetry.
August 11, 2025 at 9:06 PM
32) The Lions of Al-Rassan by @guygavrielkay.bsky.social. Reconquista-era novel w/a Jewish-Christian-Muslim love triangle. Love at first sight except it's also nemeses "one day I will die at your hand" at first sight. Also: trying to hold onto life and beauty in a violent world, blood libel, poetry.
31) The Ruthless Lady's Guide to Wizardry by C.M. Waggoner. An absolutely delightful romp featuring a disaster bi fire witch from the slums caught up in upper-class murderous intrigue. Includes a well-depicted bad mom, an undead mouse named Buttons, & a competent half-troll all-rich love interest.
August 10, 2025 at 9:50 PM
31) The Ruthless Lady's Guide to Wizardry by C.M. Waggoner. An absolutely delightful romp featuring a disaster bi fire witch from the slums caught up in upper-class murderous intrigue. Includes a well-depicted bad mom, an undead mouse named Buttons, & a competent half-troll all-rich love interest.
30) Graceling by Kristin Cashore. A supernaturally badass woman raised to believe she's a monster learns to trust her own instinct for kindness with the help of a pretty prince and a traumatized child. The whole series depicts different types of terrible parents and their kind children.
August 8, 2025 at 9:23 PM
30) Graceling by Kristin Cashore. A supernaturally badass woman raised to believe she's a monster learns to trust her own instinct for kindness with the help of a pretty prince and a traumatized child. The whole series depicts different types of terrible parents and their kind children.
29) Asunder by @kerstinhall.bsky.social . Gorgeous writing & compelling worldbuilding in which neither new nor old world order is All Good or All Bad and survival has a high cost for our MC. Plus: mutant dog taxis, body-stealing cult, golden elephants, terrible dad(s), and luxury spider-yachts.
August 8, 2025 at 9:16 PM
29) Asunder by @kerstinhall.bsky.social . Gorgeous writing & compelling worldbuilding in which neither new nor old world order is All Good or All Bad and survival has a high cost for our MC. Plus: mutant dog taxis, body-stealing cult, golden elephants, terrible dad(s), and luxury spider-yachts.
28) The Breath of the Sun by @isaac-fellman.bsky.social. It's about mountain climbing. It's about charismatic cult leader manipulation. It's a tender love story told entirely through one woman's footnoted comments on her lover's memoir. It's about minority religion. I quoted it in my wedding vows.
August 8, 2025 at 9:05 PM
28) The Breath of the Sun by @isaac-fellman.bsky.social. It's about mountain climbing. It's about charismatic cult leader manipulation. It's a tender love story told entirely through one woman's footnoted comments on her lover's memoir. It's about minority religion. I quoted it in my wedding vows.
27) A Snake Falls to Earth by @littlebadger.bsky.social. In a near-future with increased climate disasters and extinctions, hope is found in people caring about each other and the world. Also, it is a Lipan Apache Snake-Person who falls to Earth from the Reflecting World and I love him so much.
August 8, 2025 at 9:00 PM
27) A Snake Falls to Earth by @littlebadger.bsky.social. In a near-future with increased climate disasters and extinctions, hope is found in people caring about each other and the world. Also, it is a Lipan Apache Snake-Person who falls to Earth from the Reflecting World and I love him so much.
kosher stone bowl bibimbap my spouse made for my birthday this year. extremely delicious.
August 8, 2025 at 1:16 PM
kosher stone bowl bibimbap my spouse made for my birthday this year. extremely delicious.
26) A Memory Called Empire by @byzantienne.bsky.social . A diplomat travels to the capital of the empire threatening to annex her space station and immediately becomes involved with assassinations, a succession crisis, competing coups, poetry contests, brain surgery, and her competent lesbian aide.
August 6, 2025 at 1:15 AM
26) A Memory Called Empire by @byzantienne.bsky.social . A diplomat travels to the capital of the empire threatening to annex her space station and immediately becomes involved with assassinations, a succession crisis, competing coups, poetry contests, brain surgery, and her competent lesbian aide.
25) The Unspoken Name by AK Larkwood. What if Tombs of Atuan but the wizard has ulterior motives? What if orc-Tenar then became a badass swordwoman with a big gay haircut? Add a powerful sorceress love interest, a MILF librarian with an alarming death count, and the best frenemy a girl could want.
August 4, 2025 at 10:51 PM
25) The Unspoken Name by AK Larkwood. What if Tombs of Atuan but the wizard has ulterior motives? What if orc-Tenar then became a badass swordwoman with a big gay haircut? Add a powerful sorceress love interest, a MILF librarian with an alarming death count, and the best frenemy a girl could want.
24) Dark Lord of Derkholm by Diana Wynne Jones. A hilarious satire/deconstruction of classic fantasy tropes in a world that is being used as a magic theme park by a businessman from Earth. It blends humor and whimsy with thoughtful explorations of trauma, grief, solidarity, family, and exploitation.
August 3, 2025 at 11:54 PM
24) Dark Lord of Derkholm by Diana Wynne Jones. A hilarious satire/deconstruction of classic fantasy tropes in a world that is being used as a magic theme park by a businessman from Earth. It blends humor and whimsy with thoughtful explorations of trauma, grief, solidarity, family, and exploitation.
23) Carpe Juguluum by Terry Pratchett. Hard as it is to pick just one Discworld book, this won wins out because of the clarity of its moral message (evil is when you treat people as things), plus Mightily Oats' character arc and the vampire family drama. It is deeply satisfying and also hilarious.
August 3, 2025 at 11:45 PM
23) Carpe Juguluum by Terry Pratchett. Hard as it is to pick just one Discworld book, this won wins out because of the clarity of its moral message (evil is when you treat people as things), plus Mightily Oats' character arc and the vampire family drama. It is deeply satisfying and also hilarious.
22) The Great Stewardess Rebellion by Nell McShane Wulfhart. A deep dive into the history of airline stewardesses, the gross misogyny and institutionalized sexism in their employment, and their trailblazing campaign for fair treatment that genuinely moved the arc of the universe towards justice.
August 3, 2025 at 10:51 PM
22) The Great Stewardess Rebellion by Nell McShane Wulfhart. A deep dive into the history of airline stewardesses, the gross misogyny and institutionalized sexism in their employment, and their trailblazing campaign for fair treatment that genuinely moved the arc of the universe towards justice.
21) Spear by @nicolaz.bsky.social. Gorgeously written retelling of Perceval and the Grail fused with Welsh mythology with a lesbian Perceval and a deep moral core of kindness and caring. Did I mention the writing is gorgeous?
August 3, 2025 at 8:00 PM
21) Spear by @nicolaz.bsky.social. Gorgeously written retelling of Perceval and the Grail fused with Welsh mythology with a lesbian Perceval and a deep moral core of kindness and caring. Did I mention the writing is gorgeous?
20) The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows. This tender epistolary novel set just after WWII is about collective trauma and communal recovery, the healing power of a good book, choosing kindness, grief, community, and love.
August 3, 2025 at 7:51 PM
20) The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows. This tender epistolary novel set just after WWII is about collective trauma and communal recovery, the healing power of a good book, choosing kindness, grief, community, and love.
19) Rosaline Palmer Takes the Cake by @quicunquevult.bsky.social. Romance novel with a bi single mom on the Great British Bakeoff. Delectable food descriptions and hilarious hijinks provide icing on a cake of self-actualization and prioritizing relationships of mutual respect.
August 3, 2025 at 3:10 PM
19) Rosaline Palmer Takes the Cake by @quicunquevult.bsky.social. Romance novel with a bi single mom on the Great British Bakeoff. Delectable food descriptions and hilarious hijinks provide icing on a cake of self-actualization and prioritizing relationships of mutual respect.
18) When the Angels Left the Old Country by @sachalamb.bsky.social. An angel & a demon have been chevrusahs (intimate study partners) in a shtetl for 100s of years, and are now going to America. I loved this tender exploration of identity, immigration, grief, Judaism, friendship, evil, and anger.
August 3, 2025 at 2:04 AM
18) When the Angels Left the Old Country by @sachalamb.bsky.social. An angel & a demon have been chevrusahs (intimate study partners) in a shtetl for 100s of years, and are now going to America. I loved this tender exploration of identity, immigration, grief, Judaism, friendship, evil, and anger.
17) The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle. A classic tale of a unicorn on quest and the nature of heroism, true love, wizardry, Robin Hood, and evil. The writing is gorgeous and it is full of brilliant and hilarious gems, like the tree that falls in love with the wizard, and Madam Fortuna's carnival.
August 3, 2025 at 1:53 AM
17) The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle. A classic tale of a unicorn on quest and the nature of heroism, true love, wizardry, Robin Hood, and evil. The writing is gorgeous and it is full of brilliant and hilarious gems, like the tree that falls in love with the wizard, and Madam Fortuna's carnival.
16) The Pushcart War by Jean Merrill. A David-and-Goliath narrative of pushcart peddlers defending themself against the oppression of the trucking industry. Also, absolutely hilarious political satire about New York, war, leadership, power, the menace of plastic bags, and a flowered hat.
August 3, 2025 at 1:46 AM
16) The Pushcart War by Jean Merrill. A David-and-Goliath narrative of pushcart peddlers defending themself against the oppression of the trucking industry. Also, absolutely hilarious political satire about New York, war, leadership, power, the menace of plastic bags, and a flowered hat.
15) Fire Logic by @lauriejmarks.bsky.social. At first this may seem like a fairly classic sword-and-sorcery fantasy, albeit in a queer-norm world, but it's actually about morally complex tale of a found family of neurodivergent traumatized adults learning to take care of each other and their world.
August 1, 2025 at 11:38 PM
15) Fire Logic by @lauriejmarks.bsky.social. At first this may seem like a fairly classic sword-and-sorcery fantasy, albeit in a queer-norm world, but it's actually about morally complex tale of a found family of neurodivergent traumatized adults learning to take care of each other and their world.
14) Digger by @tkingfisher.com. An immense graphic novel about a practical wombat on a magical adventure featuring moral philosophy, prophetic slugs, complex hyena politics, religious zealotry, and choosing to be kind. It is funny and tender and heart-wrenching and once I read it twice in two days.
August 1, 2025 at 11:06 PM
14) Digger by @tkingfisher.com. An immense graphic novel about a practical wombat on a magical adventure featuring moral philosophy, prophetic slugs, complex hyena politics, religious zealotry, and choosing to be kind. It is funny and tender and heart-wrenching and once I read it twice in two days.
13) Cleat Cute by @merylwilsner.bsky.social. Extremely delightful professional soccer lesbian romance with a classic ADHD x autism pairing. Excellent dynamic and I really appreciate the way they are able to help each other be their best selves.
August 1, 2025 at 11:01 PM
13) Cleat Cute by @merylwilsner.bsky.social. Extremely delightful professional soccer lesbian romance with a classic ADHD x autism pairing. Excellent dynamic and I really appreciate the way they are able to help each other be their best selves.
12) All Systems Red by @marthawells.com . An anxious autistic human-robot construct who has been treated as a disposable (if expensive) piece of scary equipment its whole life kicks ass, takes names, and self-actualizes through binge-watching soap operas. I love this series so much.
August 1, 2025 at 10:48 PM
12) All Systems Red by @marthawells.com . An anxious autistic human-robot construct who has been treated as a disposable (if expensive) piece of scary equipment its whole life kicks ass, takes names, and self-actualizes through binge-watching soap operas. I love this series so much.
11) Running Close to the Wind by @alexandrarowland.bsky.social This queer pirate adventure about the brattiest brat had me cackling out loud. It also featured intricate worldbuilding, meditations on power and belonging, many memorable characters, politically astute cakes, and compelling writing.
August 1, 2025 at 5:30 PM
11) Running Close to the Wind by @alexandrarowland.bsky.social This queer pirate adventure about the brattiest brat had me cackling out loud. It also featured intricate worldbuilding, meditations on power and belonging, many memorable characters, politically astute cakes, and compelling writing.