Task 19: Read a queernorm book.

[Krista]

Share and discuss book ideas for
Task 19: Read a queernorm book.

[Denise]

This seems a good time to finally finish
To Paradise

[Rebecca]

I'm thinking about The Empress of Salt and Fortune, Dreadful, Somewhere Beyond the Sea, or This Is How You Lose the Time War.

[Enne]

I have no idea what this task is about. 🤔

[K]

Basically, it's a story set in a society/world where there just isn't any queer prejudice or oppression: the queer characters may experience hardship/pain, but never because of being queer.

[K]

(I thought it was when the story contains so many queer characters that it's the norm - which is another cool niche genre ...Once and Future is like that :) Once & Future

[K]

A Psalm for the Wild-Built is one of the MOST emotionally-easy books you'll ever read, and it's a queer norm book. Not particularly exciting, but peaceful and short. A better world than ours and the protagonist is a Trans monk.

[Kristina]

Hard agree with A Psalm for the Wild-Built. Anything by Becky Chambers would probably fulfill this - The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet is another good one by her.

I'd also describe queernorm as a genre where the premise is that queer relationships are the "norm" in the same way as het relationships - they aren't viewed as strange/a minority or discriminated against because they're queer.

Some options (mostly sf/f as this obviously crops up mostly in those genres):
- The Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells
- Captive Prince series by C.S. Pacat
- Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree
- The Locked Tomb series by Tamsyn Muir
- I think The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune has this? But it's been a while since I read it.
- Space Opera by Catherynne M. Valente
- This Is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar
- I think The Singing Hills Cycle by Nghi Vo does this as well, but I've only read the first two.
- Winter’s Orbit by Everina Maxwell
- The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon
- Wicked Gentlemen by Ginn Hale
- Kushiel's Dart by Jacqueline Carey
- The Hands of the Emperor by Victoria Goddard
- Little Thieves by Margaret Owen
- The Traitor Baru Cormorant by Seth Dickinson

[Enne]

kind of a fantasy ya?

[AJ]

I just finished Breeze Spells and Bridegrooms for those who want a Bridgertonesque gay romance with magic and elves and humans

[Audra]

I'm finally going to read The House in the Cerulean Sea.

[Carly Really Very Normal]

I'm excited to read "Winter's Orbit" by Everina Maxwell!

[Enne]

I think I'm going to read Nevada By Imogen Binnie. even though I'm not sure if it can fit in this category, since I'm fumbling in the dark here.

[Karen]

Enne wrote: "I have no idea what this task is about. 🤔"

I don't really know either, but found a suggestion over on the StoryGraph Challenge Prompt list that sounds good to me: The Privilege of the Sword by Ellen Kushner.

[Yrinsyde]

My library has a few Becky Chambers novels so I'll probably read the first in the Wayfarers series.

Goodreads has a list of queernorm reads: https://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/...

[Elizabeth]

Someone You Can Build a Nest In by John Wiswell and The Bruising of Qilwa by Naseem Jamnia are both very good and queernormative (although CW for the latter as it does have characters struggling to access gender affirming care, but this is because of poverty and capitalism, not because of transphobia).

I'm not really sure what I want to go for yet. I'm considering finally reading A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers, Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree, or This Is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone for this one. There's a lot of great options for this category, so I'll be paying attention to recommendations here too.

[Laura Cort]

I will go for Someone You Can Build a Nest In

[Lucilla]

I'm currently reading A Letter to the Luminous Deep by Sylvie Cathrall for prompt #9, but it would also count as queernorm.

[Robin]

Legends & Lattes has been on my TBR, so that's my choice!

[MaryAnn]

Enne wrote: "I think I'm going to read Nevada By Imogen Binnie. even though I'm not sure if it can fit in this category, since I'm fumbling in the dark here."

Nevada is definitely not queernorm. That book is set in our world, a decade are so ago, where being trans is seen as a difference and trans people are ridiculed and in danger. Queernorm means whatever and however you express your gender is fully accepted and being non-binary is a norm. As in being queer is the norm. Try one of the other books suggested here for this prompt. Nevada is important for being an early work about being trans by a trans author but it felt dated to me when I read it last year. The other books suggested here that I have read are all a much better reading experience. Highly recommend Psalm for the Wild-Built. It's an incredibly beautiful little book.

[Enne]

Thank you MaryAnn . I'm going to consider a different book. I've read the suggestions here. They seem all Fantasy, YA. I like to read something more real. I'll have this task suspended for now

[Teresa]

The Xandri Corelel series by Kaia Sønderby qualifies. I might read A Home for Goddesses and Dogs, Legends & Lattes, or The Library of the Unwritten.

[Tammy]

I read Forever Home: A Dog and Boy Love Story (with a group of pre-k kids) for this. It's a wordless picture book with two dads as characters, but the focus is on their son wanting to get a pet dog.

[Jill]

I read Under the Whispering Door

[Sherri]

I read Somewhere Beyond the Sea.

[Devika]

I read The Nightmare Before Kissmas by Sara Raasch

[DeAnn]

Would The Guncle work here?

[Yrinsyde]

I'm currently reading Tea you at the Alter for another challenge but this totally fits the bill!

[Christin]

I’m reading Cosmic Love at the Multiverse Hair Salon, I think it’s a great pick for task 19!

[Kathy]

I read The Enchanted Greenhouse by Sarah Beth Durst - 7/24/25.

[Acidic Quagga]

I was surprised to be able to put A Prayer for the Crown-Shy by Becky Chambers in this spot. I've heard the title pretty often, but nothing about it. Being able to read it for this prompt is also an extra bonus, since I'll be reading the first book, A Psalm for the Wild-Built, for my Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge list!