We’ve made it to another Friday and it’s time to celebrate!
Find out the top 3 sapphic books with the most clicks this week, 5 Random Things about sapphic author Angela McKenna, and a beautiful horse who inspired the lead horse in Tiana Warner’s novel. And don’t forget to scroll all the way to the end of this post for good news about a Hallmark Christmas movie.
Top 5 Sapphic Books of 2023
We’ve been asking readers to share their top 5 reads of 2023 and now it’s time to reveal them, which we’ll be doing daily.
Here are the most recent top 5 lists.
Jenny unveils their top reads that include authors J.E. Leak, E.J. Noyes, Harper Bliss, Emily Banting, and Milena McKay.
Find out Jenny’s top 5 books right here.
Cee divulges their top reads that include authors K.L Cerra, Elle E Ire, AJ Forton, Anna Ferrara, and Tanai Walker.
Find Cee’s top 5 books right here.
Maggie’s selections include authors Rachel Spangler, Jacqueline Ramsden, CA Hall, KC Luck, and Jordan Meadows.
Find Maggie’s list here.
Mick’s selections include authors Eliza Lentzski, Jazzy Mitchell, Emily Waters, Rachel Murphy, and Linda M. Ford.
Find Mick’s list here.
Now For Friday Fun!
Please remember that sale prices listed in today’s post are valid for a limited time only and may change without notice. International prices may vary. Always check the price in your local marketplace before purchasing.
5 Random Things is our way of helping readers to get to know top sapphic book authors all the while having a bit of fun.
Here are five random facts about Angela McKenna.
1. I was born in the middle of Beatle mania, and had such a crop of thick, floppy, dark hair, that I was known by the nurses as the wee Beatle.
2. Just before the pandemic arrived, I had a mid-life crisis, learned to enjoy rum, and became the owner of five tattoos. I then developed a rare blood condition that means no more tattoos. I still have the rum though!
3. I’ve served twice on a jury in criminal trials, and enjoyed the experience so much, I would happily volunteer to do it every week.
4. When I was twelve years old, I took down my ABBA posters and replaced them with Adam & the Ants. I felt guilty then and still do, but Adam and the crew were torn down within six months. Turns out it was a brief affair, but never love.
5. My newfound love of rum coincided with writing my first novel, The Visitor. Under the influence, I felt obliged to hide the titles of twenty-six ABBA songs throughout the book. I think it was possibly to assuage my guilt and to apologise for my brief dalliance with Ant music.
Have you read The Visitor yet?
Meet Flynn! Flynn’s favorite activities include sniffing everything he sees like a dog, trying to lick your hand, and going on adventures. His attitude actually inspired the lead horse in my YA Sapphic Fantasy, The Valkyrie’s Daughter. Submitted by author Tiana Warner.
QUEER NEWS THAT’LL MAKE YOU SMILE
It can seem sometimes like all the news these days is bad. We won’t deny there’s a lot of troubling things going on, including a rise in hate crimes. But it’s not all terrible out there! We want to do our best to highlight good news, because while it may seem like the world is filled with hate, there are many individuals who are living their best lives with a rainbow in their heart.
This week’s good news involves a Hallmark Christmas movie.
For years, Hallmark Christmas movies didn’t include a lot of diversity. After being called out by many, they’ve been addressing their lack of inclusion.
Last year, they had a movie with two gay men as the romantic leads. This year Friends & Family Christmas premiered, and it features out actors Humberly González and Ali Liebert as the channel’s first sapphic couple.
The storyline also doesn’t center around the difficulties of being queer. González said, “When I saw that issues are just issues that come from the story itself, not because of who they are, I was very happy about that.”
We have our fingers crossed that in coming years, Hallmark will include more queer movies and not just one a year.
If you haven’t had your fill of holiday movies yet, you might want to give Friends & Family Christmas a watch. Pro tip, see how many rainbows you can find in the background. Full disclosure, Miranda really enjoyed it, but TB hasn’t watched it yet. She’s planning to. Not only to support sapphic creatives, but it involves a blind date and a fake relationship. It’s right up TB’s alley.
Miranda thought the acting and production value were both a big step up from a lot of older sapphic movies and on par with other Hallmark productions. She appreciates that the story took place in a city and didn’t have quite the over the top Christmas decorations in every single frame that they sometimes do. It felt believable and the characters were likable.
To read more about the movie click here.
That’s all for today.
Wishing all of you a wonderful Friday!
Miranda & TB
IHS has big plans to grow our offerings in 2024. More books! New features! So many ways to find your next favorite sapphic read! Our wish list is long, and the expenses add up fast. If what we do is valuable to you and you’d like us to be able to do even more, please consider helping out with a donation of any size. Every little bit helps!
