100 books like Blue Flag, Vol. 1

Boys are one way; girls are another; that’s the way it has always been. But when Aster finds himself ineluctably drawn to the magic that should only be the province of the women in his family, he begins to realize some rules are not only antiquated, they can do material harm to the soul. Ostertag deftly uses the supernatural as a simple and elegant metaphor for the thousand indignities we can heap upon the queer and gender nonconforming, with an art style that simultaneously insists upon and celebrates the multiplicity of bodies and expressions that are our lived experience and belie these closed and closeting norms. An ingenious allegory, smartly and briskly told with charm and generosity.

For the teen reader who likes a bit of a scare, Anya’s Ghost tells the story of Anya, a teenager of Russian descent who wants nothing more than to fit in at her American high school.

Ah, to be blonde and popular! While walking home through the park, Anya falls into a deep hole and discovers a set of bones. Freaky! And a ghost. Double Freaky!

The ghost seems nice enough but Anya doesn’t want to set off on some quest to find a murderer or anything. She just wants to go home, get a hot shower, and be normal. The ghost tags along when Anya is rescued and tries to help Anya fit in.

It’s good – until it’s not, and Anya does have to solve some mysteries to get rid of the ghost and save the people around her. Anya’s Ghost is just scary and spooky enough to… show more.

This series turns the “tortured outcast” trope on its head: these nerd characters are proud to be outcasts, and the one thing they don't want to be associated with is beautiful, popular people! I love this story because I, too, once fell into the “us vs. them” mentality against people I thought were too cool for me as a youth— people who could have potentially become my best friends! This manga series beautifully celebrates how we are all different, but still might have more in common than we think.

The social landscape of the internet is a safe haven for a lot of us who have trouble building relationships in person. As someone who's fostered many friendships over the internet, I’m of the firm belief that internet life is real life. This book acknowledges how very real human lives are intertwined with our online personas, and relationships made through the internet can be just as rewarding (or damaging!) as ones made through “real life.”

I literally could not stop reading this book. To this day, it’s my favorite book by Kennedy Ryan.

It is an achy, angst-ridden novel that I couldn’t put down. Both Iris and August were compelling characters, and when they first met at the bar, their chemistry was undeniable. But Iris was in a relationship, and each time she and August met in the story, I could feel the longing. 

The book covers tough subject matter involving domestic violence, and it’s quite graphic. I skipped over the parts that were “too much” and focused on the burgeoning relationship between Iris and August. He showed her in so many ways how much he loved her, and I spent the entire novel rooting for the happily ever after they both deserved. 

This was an unexpected read on a few levels. First, that ending! Oh, that ending was rude! It definitely left me on a cliffhanger, which I both love and hate. Let’s be real, I do it in my own writing. It keeps the reader guessing and leaves the reader wanting more. But I also found it to be fast-paced, which isn’t the usual for a romantic fantasy. It had all the elements I love: morally gray heroine, lovers to enemies, love triangle, all the tropes that just go deliciously in a fantasy.

Chris Cleave’s fourth novel was inspired by memories of his grandparents and their letters during the war. The novel follows the lives and relationships of four young people in Britain during the early years of World War II. It also follows action on the island of Malta, a part of World War II history not as well known. It’s also a story of love, friendship, and surprising choices. A warning: Do not read ahead. The novel has an incredible last scene and you don’t want to ruin it!

Best for last. Sierra Simone is a kick-ass writer. Steamy like nobody else is steamy. Fanciful. Well-read—she used to be a librarian. Smart, smart, smart, and not a show-off about it. The threesome who make the chosen family in these novels of the New Camelot eventuate in startling public roles. The first three tell the stories of the ménage; the last two are novellas, adjunct to the main story. The parallels between the original Arthurian legend and these are break-taking. Her storytelling is exemplary. Timing. Pacing. Convincing dialogue, and the sex is off the page. Not for the faint of heart, Sierra Simone is for the hard-core sexy and worth every second of reading time. When enough time has gone by, I’ll reread these. I know it.

Sometimes, love is not all it takes to help the ones you love. Sometimes, love pulls you in different directions. If you enjoy reading psychological thrillers with twists, turns, and ultimately engrossing, uncomfortable, and an unpredictable storyline full of paranormal romance. Then I recommend reading Layla. Not my normal genre, but I will say this the writer had me turning pages and I had to read to the end.

Until I watched the PBS/Masterpiece series Victoria, I hadn’t heard of the Chartists, a working-class group in Britain who were determined to improve their political influence. So when I stumbled across Longing—a book set against the backdrop of the Chartist Movement in Wales, the country of my ancestors—I picked it up with greedy hands. An English lord travels to Wales to oversee his recent inheritance of land and mines. But Alexander is bewildered by the seething hostility from the local villagers and the ominous silence about their reasons. When he uncovers the poor working conditions in his mines, he patiently seeks to prove that he, too, feels a Longing for the beauty and charm of his adopted country—and will do whatever it takes to make things right.