Cohosts Amber and Annika discuss Endpapers, Jennifer Savran Kelly's debut novel about a genderqueer bookbinder who discovers a piece of LGBTQ+ history hidden in the endpapers of a book they're working on. Topics discussed include: our limited view of history, the importance of representation, and the pulp novels of the fifties and sixties. If you'r…

Cohosts Ashley and Jamie discuss A Merry Little Meet Cute, the first in Julie Murphy and Sierra Simone's A Christmas Notch series. Both Bee and Nolan are hoping to expand their careers with filming a wholesome family movie for the... Hope Channel. But besides battling their current images as a popular adult film star and a disgraced former boy band…

History enthusiasts Ashley and Amber interview author Robin Gow on faer YA work A Million Quiet Revolutions, a romance told in verse between two modern trans boys as they explore the presence of queer people in history. Robin discusses what it was like growing up in a Civil War reenacting family, the importance of representation, and wanting to sho…

As soon as we heard Chuck Tingle's debut horror novel, Camp Damascus, was set at a gay conversion camp, we knew we had to feature it on the podcast! Cohosts Anne and Amber were eager to discuss this (surprisingly deep) reflection on religion's impact on the lives of the LGTBQ+ community. Topics discussed include: religion as a means of control, str…

Longtime fans of horror, cohosts Em and Dani discuss Rory Power's debut YA novel, Wilder Girls, a vividly written tale about an isolated girls school grappling with a toxin infecting everything and everyone on its grounds. Topics discussed include: the undefined relationship between the three main characters, how the horrors of the Raxter School co…

This book made us so hungry! Annika and Anne interview Curtis Chin about his memoir, Everything I Learned, I Learned in a Chinese Restaurant, which describes what it was like growing up in 1980s Detroit. In this interview, we discuss trauma, resilience, the importance of family, and the importance of working together despite our differences. Curtis…

Cohosts Dani and Anne discuss Sonora Reyes' latest YA novel, The Luis Ortega Survival Club, a story of a group of teens reclaiming their agency and holding the school rapist accountable. Topics discussed include: navigating social cues as a person with autism, the mindset of a sexual predator, and the work that still needs to be done to believe vic…

Cohosts Annika and Jamie discuss E.M. Anderson's debut novel, The Remarkable Retirement of Edna Fisher, which explores the idea of having a senior citizen as the Chosen One to save the world. Topics discussed include: having an entirely queer cast of characters, playing with tropes, and the growing diversity in Science Fiction. If you're interested…

Cohosts Dani and Ashley discuss Kacen Callender's Felix Ever After, a YA novel about Felix, a black trans demiboy, as he discovers who he truly is and navigates the joys and difficulties of being trans in society. Topics discussed include: the gender exploration natural to the queer coming of age, adjusting to someone's new pronouns, and transphobi…

Cohosts Em and Annika discuss T. Kingfisher's What Moves the Dead, a horror novella retelling of Edgar Allan Poe's The Fall of the House of Usher. The first of Kingfisher's Sworn Soldier series features nonbinary soldier Alex Easton trying to help their childhood friends navigate an unsettling presence lurking on their estate. Topics discussed incl…

Cohosts Amber and Jamie discuss Alexandra Rowland's A Taste of Gold and Iron, a queer fantasy novel with royal romance, political intrigue, and gender equality. Topics discussed include: how power imbalances affect relationships, the concept of touch tasting, and the sweet agony that is slow burn romance. If you're interested in reading A Taste of …

Cohosts Amber and Cas discuss Xiran Jay Zhao's Iron Widow, the first of their YA SF duology. A curious mashup of historical fiction and mecha SF that's perhaps best known for its true love triangle, Iron Widow tells the tale of Wu Zetian, a mecha pilot who starts out seeking revenge for the death of her sister and ends up changing her country in th…

Cohosts Anne and Lizzy discuss Lev A.C. Rosen's Lavender House, the first of the Andy Mills historical mystery series. Andy, a recently fired (and outed) detective in 1950s San Francisco, is struggling when he is given a murder case to investigate by the matriarch of a mysterious family. Discovering their secrets begin to help Andy come to terms wi…

Cohosts Ashley and Em discuss Becky Chambers' gentle utopian scifi novella A Psalm for the Wild-Built, in which a tea monk, Dex, searches alongside a robot, Mosscap, to find the answer to the question aching in every human heart. Topics discussed include career change, burnout, and existing for the purpose of existing. If you're interested in readi…

Cohosts Annika and Bailey discuss Malinda Lo's historical fiction novel Last Night at the Telegraph Club. Topics discussed include being gay in the 1950s, realizing your sexuality, and the age old question: are they being friendly or are they flirting? If you're interested in reading Last Night at the Telegraph Club after listening to this episode,…

Cohosts Em and Lisa discuss Torrey Peters' compelling and thought-provoking novel Detransition, Baby. Topics discussed include the varied life experiences of trans people, the burden and gift that is family, and the importance of questioning our own assumptions. If you're interested in reading Detransition, Baby after listening to this episode, con…

In a Reading the Rainbow first, cohosts Lizzy and Em interview Michael Ausiello, author of the heart-breaking memoir Spoiler Alert: The Hero Dies. Michael graciously shares about his writing process, the shock of having his memoir made into a feature film, Smurfs, and, of course, memories of Kit, his late husband, a Millersburg, PA native. Listen w…

Cohosts Em, Anne, and Lisa discuss Beyond the Black Door, a YA dark fantasy by A.M. Strickland. Topics discussed include theocracies in SF, government surveillance, and Ace representation. If you're interested in reading Beyond the Black Door after listening to this episode, consider borrowing it from your local library or purchasing it from an ind…

Cohosts Amber and Annika discuss Summer Sons, a Southern gothic horror novel by Lee Mandelo. Topics discussed include dark academia, life in southern cities, and repression so deep everyone can see your sexuality but you. If you're interested in reading Summer Sons after listening to this episode, consider borrowing it from your local library or pu…

Cohosts Amber, Ashley, and Jamie discuss Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree, a Dungeons and Dragons/Hallmark movie/slice of life fantasy that explores the road less traveled. Topics discussed include the prevalence of stereotypes, what constitutes a "dollop of romantic froth", and the purpose of a lady's stocking when making coffee. If you're inter…

Cohosts Amber and Lizzy discuss One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston, a romantic comedy that shows love finds you at just the right time. Topics discussed include the pressure of figuring out what to do with your life, experience working in diners, and the stone cold hottie that is Jane. If you're interested in reading One Last Stop after listening to …

Cohosts Amber, Ashley, and Lisa discuss ¡Hola Papi!: How to Come Out in a Walmart Parking Lot and Other Life Lessons by John Paul Brammer, a collection of essays based on his popular column. Topics discussed include the value of relationships, the confusing nature of early queer friendships, and using reflections on the past to heal. If you're inte…

Cohosts Jamie, Em, and Lisa discuss Gideon the Ninth, the first in Tamsyn Muir's Locked Tomb series. Topics discussed include complex worldbuilding in stories, contemporary references (memes!) in books, and the gay cliche that is hard to define relationships. If you're interested in reading Gideon the Ninth after listening to this episode, consider…

This week’s pick is I Think Our Son is Gay, a manga series by Okura read by Ashley, Dani, and Sora. This manga is a very positive depiction of a teen who is not quite ready to come out and his supportive mother who can’t seem to miss his awkward slips of the tongue. Discussed are way too smart little brothers, emotionally available parents, and the…

Em and Annika eagerly discuss Elatsoe by Darcie Little Badger, a beautiful YA murder mystery that juxtaposes indigenous magic with European folklore. Even though no one else agrees, Ellie is convinced her older cousin has been murdered and she is determined to prove who did it and why. We love this book so much, we’re begging for sequels! CW: Minor…

The Taking of Jake Livingston by Ryan Douglass is a story of Jake, whocan see ghosts and Sawyer, the ghost of a school shooter. Dani, Sora, Annika take on this heavy YA horror novel. Representation helps us to not feel alone and for queer kids of color, this novel gives a voice to apopulation underrepresented in stories. CW: School shooting, sexual…

Cohosts Amber, Em, and Lisa discuss Light From Uncommon Stars, a scifi novel by Ryka Aoki. Topics discussed include Faustian bargains, the intersectionality of abuse for marginalized groups, and the wonder that is perfectly fitting clothing. CW: Transphobia, Racism, Sexual Assault If you're interested in reading Light From Uncommon Stars after list…

Season two of Reading the Rainbow opens with Under the Whispering Door by prolific author T.J. Klune, a story of Wallace’s life after his death. Ashley, Lizzy, and Anne discuss Klune’s gentle style of writing, especially with such a heavy topic. Also mentioned are the importance of social connections, the many faces of grief, and a very good dog. C…

Cohosts Orin and Em discuss Light One Candle, a contemporary romantic short story by Keelan Ellis. Topics discussed include the enemies to lovers trope, the awkwardness of unexpected guests at holiday dinners, and how gays are no longer safe from maternal demands for grandchildren. CW: References to childhood bullying Rep: Gay Jewish MC, Gay potent…

Ashley, Amber, and Sora discuss Nature Poem by Tommy Pico. Nature Poem is a book-length poem in which Teebs, a queer Native American poet, struggles with his own complicated relationship with the concept of American Indian and nature and what being a Native American in modern society really means. Topics include subverting American Indian stereotyp…

Cohosts Jamie, Em, and Lizzy discuss She walks for days inside a thousand eyes, a poetic historical fiction by Sharron Proulx-Turner about the history of two-spirit women through the stories of three animals and a two-spirit woman. CW: Historical violence against Indigenous people Rep: Two-spirit indigenous woman MC If you're interested in reading …

Cohosts Ashley, Orin, and Sora discuss The Low, Low Woods, a horror graphic novel, by Carmen Maria Machado, illustrated by DaNi. Set in Shudder-to-Think, a rural Pennsylvania town, friends El and Octavia wake up with no memory of the last few hours of their lives. Hosts discuss the rural Pennsylvania setting, the importance of representing queer fr…

Episode two of Reading the Rainbow sees hosts Annika, K.J., and Dani discussing Aiden Thomas’s Cemetery Boys. In a family of brujx with very gendered magic types, the transmasc main character worries that the goddess who gives everyone powers will not see him for who hereally is. Oh and there’s this ghost who won’t leave him alone. Topicsdiscussed …

Welcome to Reading the Rainbow! In this first episode, hosts Lisa, Dani, and Annika discuss Zen Cho’s first contemporary fantasy novel, Black Water Sister. Set in Malaysia, the main character returns home after graduate school and struggles with both the secret of her sexuality and the fact her grandmother’s ghost seems to have taken up residence i…

For 26 years, this award-winning show encouraged children to develop a love of reading. Now "Reading Rainbow" is back as a reading adventure app designed for iPad.על ידי Apple