Why am I passionate about this?

I’ve been a part of the LGBTQ+ community my whole life and have always been passionate about advocating for the people who identify as such. Furthermore, I have always had a fascination with emotional stories and the combination of a lack of many LGBTQ+ books with an abundance of romance and emotional thrillers out there makes it a ripe topic for stories. As a lesbian myself, it is very hard to write stories that don’t have those kinds of couples, so I tend to stick to that genre and I’m absolutely addicted to lesbian books.


I wrote

Take My Hand

By Sydney Dell,

Book cover of Take My Hand

What is my book about?

Celebrity Cho Hyejin has been living the K-pop life that so many fans can only dream of. She is dancing…

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The books I picked & why

Book cover of The Sins of Jack Branson

Sydney Dell Why did I love this book?

While reading this book, I was impressed by the skillful ability of the author to make me sympathize with the characters and begin rooting for them.

Their masterful execution of character development and the way I wanted to jump into the story to help make it one of the most amazing I have ever read and I would highly recommend it to those who are struggling to find a way to overcome sadness.

By David Schulze,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Sins of Jack Branson as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

"Schulze's depiction of the Victorian era is atmospheric and intense in conveying the persecution gay people faced." - Kirkus Review

England, 1881. Being gay is both a sin and a crime. Parents disowning their children is considered honourable. Consensual sex risks life in prison. Sodomy scandals ruin careers and reputations. Homosexuals have to choose between safety and happiness.

After an unspeakable incident gets him exiled from his idyllic Irish hometown, twenty-four-year-old Jack Branson rebuilds his life in fog-and-mould London as a house call prostitute for closeted members of the British aristocracy. His dangerous, lucrative profession makes him dependent on the…


Book cover of They Both Die at the End

Sydney Dell Why did I love this book?

This story induced a powerful bond between me and the characters, as if they are best friends, but unaware of each other’s existence.

The message of living every moment like it’s your last is potent and powerful and demonstrates that love of all kinds can be represented in the last moments of life. As I tend to have trouble living in the moment, I was hanging on to every word, hoping that I could somehow pick up the tendencies of those people and apply them to my life.

Even when I feel like I can’t enjoy anything, this book often helps remind me that living is what makes the world fun.

By Adam Silvera,

Why should I read it?

10 authors picked They Both Die at the End as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 14, 15, 16, and 17.

What is this book about?

From the author of the INTERNATIONAL NO. 1 BESTSELLER THEY BOTH DIE AT THE END comes an explosive examination of grief, mental illness, and the devastating consequences of refusing to let go of the past.

Please note that covers may vary.

You're still alive in alternate universes, Theo, but I live in the real world where this morning you're having an open casket funeral. I know you're out there, listening. And you should know I'm really pissed because you swore you would never die and yet here we are. It hurts even more because this isn't the first promise you've…


Book cover of Last Night at the Telegraph Club

Sydney Dell Why did I love this book?

By inserting the book into a time when the very essence of the story is dangerous, the people are made to be in a situation where I was turning one page after the next to find out what would happen to them.

Each question that arose in my mind made me urgently attempt to find answers and the smile that came to my face at each happy moment felt amazing. The emotions that echoed through the book found their way into me and made me feel as if I was along for the ride as well right beside the characters.

By Malinda Lo,

Why should I read it?

10 authors picked Last Night at the Telegraph Club as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 14, 15, 16, and 17.

What is this book about?

"That book. It was about two women, and they fell in love with each other." And then Lily asked the question that had taken root in her, that was even now unfurling its leaves and demanding to be shown the sun: "Have you ever heard of such a thing?"

Seventeen-year-old Lily Hu can't remember exactly when the question took root, but the answer was in full bloom the moment she and Kathleen Miller walked under the flashing neon sign of a lesbian bar called the Telegraph Club.

America in 1954 is not a safe place for two girls to fall…


Book cover of The Color Purple

Sydney Dell Why did I love this book?

I was absolutely blown away by the sheer intensity of the emotions shown in this book and how the author intricately portrayed each of the characters’ development.

Celie, Nettie, and Shug are works of art that are able to clearly display their feelings through action and thought. Through much of this book, I got very teary-eyed at how much the book moved me and I’m grateful to this author for evoking this from me.

By Alice Walker,

Why should I read it?

16 authors picked The Color Purple as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 14, 15, 16, and 17.

What is this book about?

Winner of the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award. Alice Walker's iconic modern classic is now a Penguin Book.

A powerful cultural touchstone of modern American literature, The Color Purple depicts the lives of African American women in early twentieth-century rural Georgia. Separated as girls, sisters Celie and Nettie sustain their loyalty to and hope in each other across time, distance and silence. Through a series of letters spanning twenty years, first from Celie to God, then the sisters to each other despite the unknown, the novel draws readers into its rich and memorable portrayals of Celie, Nettie, Shug…


Book cover of Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda

Sydney Dell Why did I love this book?

The deep look inside Simon’s head proved to me that not every LGBTQ person is the same and I was touched by how he tried to overcome his fear of coming out of the closet. Romance in a beautiful setting such as this made it so innocent to read and I loved the experience.

By Becky Albertalli,

Why should I read it?

3 authors picked Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 14, 15, 16, and 17.

What is this book about?

Love, Victor is now a major TV series on Dinsey+, set in the world of the hit film Love, Simon

The beloved, award-winning novel is now a major motion picture starring 13 Reasons Why's Katherine Langford and Everything, Everything's Nick Robinson.

----------

Straight people should have to come out too. And the more awkward it is, the better.

Simon Spier is sixteen and trying to work out who he is - and what he's looking for.

But when one of his emails to the very distracting Blue falls into the wrong hands, things get all kinds of complicated.

Because, for…


Explore my book 😀

Take My Hand

By Sydney Dell,

Book cover of Take My Hand

What is my book about?

Celebrity Cho Hyejin has been living the K-pop life that so many fans can only dream of. She is dancing happily with her group, Sky Power, and is even dating the youngest, Eunkyung. Other than having to hide her relationship, she is the famous idol she’s always dreamed of being. Then the day comes where Eunkyung tries to end her own life. Her girlfriend of several years refuses to believe that this was only a spontaneous decision. As the beloved maknae spends her time fighting for her will to live, Hyejin is hunting for answers– answers for why suicide was thought to be the only way out. However, all information comes with a price.

Book cover of The Sins of Jack Branson
Book cover of They Both Die at the End
Book cover of Last Night at the Telegraph Club

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The Curiosity Cycle: Preparing Your Child for the Ongoing Technological Explosion

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Book cover of The Curiosity Cycle: Preparing Your Child for the Ongoing Technological Explosion

Jonathan Mugan Author Of The Curiosity Cycle: Preparing Your Child for the Ongoing Technological Explosion

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Why am I passionate about this?

Author

Jonathan's 3 favorite reads in 2024

What is my book about?

The Curiosity Cycle is a book for parents and educators who want to teach their children to be active explorers of the world. Learning through curiosity leads to adaptive thinking because your child is continually trying to improve his or her understanding of the world, and new facts and ideas become embedded in the knowledge that your child already has. Curiosity will also enrich your child's life because curiosity-based learning is internally directed and intrinsically motivated.

Our world is rapidly changing, and our children must be able to filter the cacophony of voices in cyberspace to stay true to their…

The Curiosity Cycle: Preparing Your Child for the Ongoing Technological Explosion

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What is this book about?

Through curiosity, children carve out concepts from the environment that they assemble into models to describe the world. Children then test those models to see how well they predict what they observe, and they use the results from those experiments to form new concepts and models---leading to the next round of the curiosity cycle. However, our children are more than passive observers. They are an embodied part of the world and have brains that are predisposed to see the environment in particular ways. To get the most from their curiosity, children must build models about the intentions of those around…


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Victorian 163 books
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