Rhys

The Final Strife

90!

Back on the No AI Starter Pack trend, this time with the devils!
@elizabethmay.bsky.social and I released the Seven Devils duology in the midst of lockdown, which kept us from promoting the series as well as we would have liked. (1/2)

Idk how many more fucking times I can say “promoting and buying HP related stuff is directly affecting trans peoples lives” to get it through people’s FUCKING SKULLS YOU CANT SEPARATE THE ART FROM THE ARTIST WHEN THEY ARE ACTIVELY DOING HARM.

Screenshot of my libby loan page with Babel by RF Kuang audiobook and These Burning Stars by Bethany Jacobs audiobook

Screenshot of my libby loan page with Blood Like Magic and Blood Like Fate by Liselle Sambury ebooks

Screenshot of my libby loan page with The First Sister by Linden A. Lewis ebook and The Spear Cuts Through Water by Simon Jimenez audiobook

Screenshot of my libby loan page with Valid by Chris Bergeron ebook

I love using libby, especially since I recently figured out I could get an Edmonton Public Library card as a U of Alberta student, it’s been a GAME CHANGER for reading on my kobo! I’m reading Blood Like Magic rn (LOVING it), and hoping to start Babel this weekend!

Wrote a bit of a thing on instagram, where I assume I'm not preaching to the choir AS much as here, but I want to reiterate the point that the founder of TDoV Rachel Crocker made a few years ago, that Trans Visibility can & should focus on visible allyship.

Not 1 or 2 posts a year. Real allyship

Storygraph March 2025 ratings collage; Catching Fire and Mockingjay (5), Oathbound (5), Emberclaw (5), Truth Telling (5), Tempest Take Me Home (5), The Revenge of Captain Vassia (5), The Wicked Bargain (5), By Way of Sorrow (3.5), Survivor’s Guilt (4), Sunrise on the Reaping (5), The Woods All Black (4), Paper Dolls (5), The Gentleman’s Gentleman (4), Strange Bedfellows (4), Muted Vol 1 (4), This Delicious Death (4), Miss Major Speaks (5), The Flowered Blade (5), The Companion (4), The Perks of Loving a Wallflower (4).

My March reading has been very good. I love it. So many new favourites, plus reread some old favourites that hold up (Catching Fire, Mockingjay, Truth Telling, The Wicked Bargain, The Companion)! Read quite a few for my Trans Reading Challenge! Hope to finish 2/3 of my CRs too!
#transbooks #books

Slide 1- a pink and light red gradient background with a white border. Title is in black block letters and says “April 2025 Trans Book Releases” and a rainbow in the trans colours is to the top right of the title, with my username readwithrhys underneath it.

Slide 2- a pink and light red gradient background with a white border. Books: Unsex Me Here by Aurora Mattia (April 1, litfic/short stories, trans femme MCs), A/S/L by Jeanne Thornton (April 1, adult, trans femme MCs), Realistic Fiction by Anton Solomonik (April 1, litfic/short stories, trans masc MCs), Ollie in Between by Jess Callans (April 8, middle grade, nonbinary MC), Make Sure You Die Screaming by Zee Carlstrom (April 8, adult thriller, nonbinary MC), Family Week by Sarah Moon (April 15, middle grade, trans masc MC).

Slide 3- a pink and light red gradient background with a white border. Books: Notes From a Regicide by Isaac Fellman (April 15, adult sci-fi, trans masc MC), Chaos King by Kacen Callender (April 15, YA fantasy, trans boy MC, genderfluid MC, sequel), Saint Death’s Herald by C.S.E. Cooney (April 22, adult fantasy, nonbinary MC, sequel), The Lilac People by Milo Todd (April 29, historical, trans man MC), My Best Friend’s Honeymoon by Meryl Wilsner (April 29, adult romance, nonbinary MC), Awakened by A.E. Osworth (April 29, adult fantasy, trans femme MC, trans masc MC, nonbinary MC).

April 2025 #transbooks releases 🏳️‍⚧️

#trans #books #diversebooks

If you’re posting trans books recommendations and I don’t see a single trans women or trans femme character written by a trans women or trans femme author, side eye 👀 absolute side eye

I don’t have any current reads right now and it feels so weird! I finished The Woods All Black by Lee Mandelo earlier and haven’t picked my next read yet 🤣 I have no idea what to read next

While I'm really glad reading challenges help cis readers find new books by trans & nonbinary authors, I hope those same readers take these challenges as an opportunity to interrogate their own biases.

Trans Lead Books/Trans Authors

I added some books to my trans spreadsheet today, and we’re up to 1,280 books! 🏳️‍⚧️🏳️‍⚧️🏳️‍⚧️

docs.google.com/spreadsheets...

Update: I finished both of them today and OH MY GOD 5 STARS EACH!!! 😭🙌🏼🙌🏼🙌🏼

@cknightwrites.bsky.social @cozywitch.bsky.social yall are both amazing and writing gay and trans pirates 🏴‍☠️❤️

Trans Reading Challenge Year 2 (2025) Year 2 is here! Last year, I created this challenge because I didn’t find a reading challenge ...

Looking for a year long trans reading challenge? This is my second year hosting the Trans Reading Challenge! If you use Storygraph, I made a challenge on there. If you just want the prompts, head over to my IG or take a look with this link!

app.thestorygraph.com/reading_chal...

Me, a white nonbinary person with glasses, holding up the book.

Two orange tabby cats with the book.

Happy pub day to my first historical romance, A GENTLEMAN'S GENTLEMAN

Buy links: tjalexander.com#books4

And a little🧵 about it...

"A screenshot of an NBC News article headline. The headline reads: 'Texas bill would make identifying as transgender a felony punishable by jail.' Below the headline, a subtext states: 'The bill, while unlikely to pass, highlights the increasing extremism of legislation targeting trans people, especially in Texas, in recent years.' The NBC News logo is visible at the top, along with a navigation bar that includes a 'WATCH' button and a user profile icon."

I need y'all to sit with this headline and understand what is being done to our community. They're trying to criminalize our very existence.

This is a campaign of eradication.

www.nbcnews.com/nbc-out/rcna...

Screenshot of my storygraph profile showing my bio (“Trans reader focusing on trans stories 🏳️‍⚧️ host of the Trans Reading Challenge 🏳️‍⚧️) and my 2 current reads: The Revenge of Captain Vessia by Leslie Allen and Tempest, Take Me Home by Charlie Knight

The vibes of my current reads are:
- Trans 🏳️‍⚧️
- Queer af 🏳️‍🌈
- Queer pirates 🏴‍☠️

And I love it 😤🙌🏼 might even reread The Wicked Bargain by Gabe Cole Novoa

ps, thanks @cknightwrites.bsky.social for an ARC! I’m loving it 🙌🏼

I’ve read Legendborn 3 times now, and it’s the type of book that gets better with EVERY read. I’ll be honest, I hated Sel the 1st time. The 2nd time, he started to grow on me, and the 3rd? I love him. But golden retriever Nick has been my fav since my 1st read through 🙂‍↕️

image of Haley (a white person with glasses and a blue mask) holding up a colorful "read queer all year" sticker. text says: "if you want to contribute, my venmo is haleystrass" "or donate via my ko-fi in bio!" "if you donate $10 or more, i'll mail you a sticker! (US only)" "lol just got the official cost of my sterilization surgery,,, $2365. surgery is in 2 weeks!"

well, it's official! my gender-affirming sterilization surgery is happening in 2 weeks (march 14— fingers crossed nothing comes up). i'm lucky to have insurance but it's not all covered:(
venmo: haleystrass
paypal: haleylana18@gmail.com
please boost if you can! US donors get free stickers:)

Can I go on TikTok for one night at the end of each month and not see the typical “how do people read 20+ books a month? That’s impossible” videos/comments like fuckkkkkkkk off

blue gradient background (light blue to a darker but still light blue) with a white border around the edges. Books included: The Sunbearer Trials by Aiden Thomas, Mirrored Heavens by Rebecca Roanhorse, The Shadow Cabinet by Juno Dawson, Màgòdiz by Gabe Calderón.

blue gradient background (light blue to a darker but still light blue) with a white border around the edges. Books included: Godly Heathens by H.E. Edgmon, The In-Between Bookstore by Edward Underhill, The Prospects by KT Hoffman, Angels in the Dark by Shannon Elliot.

blue gradient background (light blue to a darker but still light blue) with a white border around the edges. Books included: A Vicious Game by Melissa Blair, Most Ardently by Gabe Cole Novoa, To Shape a Dragon’s Breath by Moniquill Blackgoose, This Poison Heart by Kalynn Bayron.

blue gradient background (light blue to a darker but still light blue) with a white border around the edges. The title for this page says “...and 5 more books because it’s MY birthday” in black block letters. Books included: Blood Justice by Terry J. Benton-Walker, The Wicked Bargain by Gabe Cole Novoa, Deck the Hulls by Kat Cassidy, So Let Them Burn by Kamilah Cole, Snowglobe by Soyoung Park.

Here are the rest ✨

(2/2)

#books #booksky #diversebooks #transbooks

blue gradient background (light blue to a darker but still light blue) with a white border around the edges. The title is in black block letters and says “24 Books for my 24th Birthday”, with my username readwithrhys underneath in smaller black block letters.

blue gradient background (light blue to a darker but still light blue) with a white border around the edges. Books included: Seven Devils by L.R. Lam and Elizabeth May, Dragonfall by L.R. Lam, The Falconer by Elizabeth May (2025 edition), Legendborn by Tracy Deonn.

blue gradient background (light blue to a darker but still light blue) with a white border around the edges. Books included: Jade War by Fonda Lee, The Witch King by H.E. Edgmon, Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas, Self-Made Boys by Anna-Marie McLemore.

blue gradient background (light blue to a darker but still light blue) with a white border around the edges. Books included: The Final Strife by Saara El-Arifi, A River of Golden Bones by A.K. Mulford, The Spirit Bares Its Teeth by Andrew Joseph White, Mistress of Lies by K.M. Enright.

It’s my birthday so have 24 (or more…) recommendations from me! If you take any recommendations from me, make it these ✨

(1/2)

#books #booksky #diversebooks #transbooks

Screenshot from Storygraph of The Broposal by Sonora Reyes. I rated it 4 stars

I just stayed up wayyyyy past my bedtime to finish this book…SO worth it. The Broposal by Sonora Reyes is phenomenal and you should read it

Blue and pink gradient background. Title in black block letters “March 2025 Trans Book Releases” with my username readwithrhys underneath. To the right of the title is a cowboy hat in the trans flag colours

Blue and pink gradient background. Books included: a song for you and I (March 4th; middle grade fantasy, nonbinary MC), Strange Bedfellows (March 4th; YA fantasy graphic novel, trans boy MC), They Bloom at Night (March 4th; YA horror, nonbinary MC), Wood Working (March 4th; litfic, trans woman MCs), Glitch Girl! (March 4th; disabled trans girl MC (ADHD)), Emberclaw (March 4th; Adult fantasy, genderfluid MC)

Blue and pink gradient background. Books: A Single Brutal Fate (March 11th; YA fantasy, nonbinary MC (supposed pub date)), Paper Dolls (March 11th; memoir), A Gentleman’s Gentleman (March 11th; historical romance, trans man MC), Stag Dance (March 11th; litfic/short stories, trans femme MCs), Homegrown Magic (March 11th; Fantasy romance, nonbinary MC), We Are Villains (March 25th; YA mystery, (disabled?) aroace trans boy MC)

March 2025 Trans Book Releases 🏳️‍⚧️

#booksky #books #transbooks

yellow and pink gradient background with a thin white border around the edges. In black block letters, the title in the middle says “January/February 2025 Trans Book Releases”, and to the left is the word “love” in the trans flag colours (light blue, light pink and white). Underneath the title is my username readwithrhys in black.

yellow and pink gradient background with a thin white border around the edges. “January” books: Hammajang Luck by Makana Yamamoto (adult sci-fi; BIPOC a gender MC), Trans & Disabled (essays), Disappoint Me by Nicola Dinan (adult litfic; BIPOC trans woman MC), Single Player by Tara Tai (adult romance; BIPOC nonbinary MC), The Dark One by Taylor Hubbard (adult erotica; trans man MC, trans man LI, T4T), The In-Between Bookstore by Edward Underhill (adult magical realism; trans man MC)

yellow and pink gradient background with a thin white border around the edges. “January” books: This Feast of a Life by Cynthia So (YA contemporary; BIPOC nonbinary MC), Ring by Michelle Lerner (adult litfic; nonbinary MC), Don’t Let Cha Cha Die by Carrie Hetherwell (adult sci-fi; nonbinary MC), The Quick and the Dead by Emma Hinds (historical fiction; nonbinary MC), Sweet Girls and Bluebirds by Caroline Sophia Hamel (YA contemporary: trans woman MC)

yellow and pink gradient background with a thin white border around the edges. “February” books: Murder in the Dressing Room by Holly Stars (adult mystery; nonbinary MC), A World Worth Saving by Kyla Lukoff (middle grade fantasy; trans boy MC), A History of Transgender Medicine in the United States (nonfiction), Name Her Holy by Aubrey Ennis (adult fantasy; trans lesbian MC), Love in Exile by Shon Faye (memoir), Orion and the Cloudkillers by Harri D. Gordon (YA contemporary; trans boy MC), Ikarys and the Damned by Taylor Hubbard (adult fantasy; trans masc MC), Cleavage by Jennifer Finney Boylan (memoir)

I’m going to make a thread of my trans book releases IG posts here, starting with January/February!

In the Care of Magic by Robin Jo Margaret. A white curvy woman standing in front of a kneeling agender demon with grey skin, in the woods

Aromantic spicy fantasy book rec of the day.

A tired witch takes a solo holiday to a cottage and summons an agender, aromantic sex demon to help her… relax. The two have a lot of fun… relaxing.

This is so great! #booksky #queerbooksky #aromanticawarenessweek

Natalie Naudus
Moira Quirk
Vico Ortiz
André Santana
Avi Roque

I love them all

Rereading The Hunger Games series in today’s society is truly a different experience than when I first read them in 2012, and even when I reread them in 2020 and 2023

I live in Alberta, and if someone wants one of these books that are currently taken out, interlibrary loans exist. Having 10 books out won’t cause someone to not read one of these books. Also, why does it matter? You don’t know how fast I read; I could finish these in a week if I really wanted to.