If I tell you to guess the theme this month, I think you’ll get it without having to try too hard. Enjoy!
“Starlings” by Amanda Linsmeier
Kit just lost her dad unexpectedly, and now she and her grieving mother have been invited to spend Christmas with her paternal grandmother. The problem is that Kit’s dad always claimed his mom was dead. When they arrive in the small town of Rosemont, everything is perfect. Roses bloom all year round, the townspeople are super friendly, there’s a cute boy (and girl!) to crush on, and everyone treats her grandmother Agatha Starling—and Kit by extension—with a deference bordering on reverence. Kit and her mother aren’t planning on staying past the holidays, but everyone else seems to think otherwise. When things start to go wrong, Kit has to discover the truth about the town, and why her father never wanted her to know it existed. With a bisexual main character, nuanced character development and suspenseful plotting, this horror novel has a lot to offer.
“Northranger” by Rey Terciero and Bre Indigo
Stepping away from horror a bit, this graphic novel is inspired by Jane Austen’s “Northanger Abbey.” Cade Muñoz is a closeted teen living in rural Texas. He loves watching horror movies as an escape, and is looking forward to a summer of binge-watching. Unfortunately, his parents have different ideas. Money is tight, so Cade is sent with his stepfather to work on a horse ranch for his stepdad’s former Army general. While he is not a fan of the early mornings or mountains of horse poop, the general’s cute son Henry provides hope that the summer can be redeemed. The seemingly straight, White and rich Henry might actually be interested in him too, but Henry has a lot of secrets. And when weird things happen on the ranch and Cade learns about the mysterious locked wing of the family’s home, he worries that he’s in one of his horror movies instead of the rom-com he’d imagined. Inspired in part by the author’s experience growing up in Texas, this graphic novel is prefaced with content warnings about homophobia and prejudice.
“Love Letters for Joy” by Melissa See
Let’s finish with a fluffier romance. Joy is an overachiever with cerebral palsy who is looking forward to becoming her school’s first disabled valedictorian. As long as she can beat out her academic rival, Nathaniel. Joy is ace and panromantic, but she’s never made time to explore dating. When an anonymous matchmaker at her school starts giving advice and pairing up her classmates, Joy starts to wonder if she’s missing out on something. She writes to the matchmaker, asking if there’s a formula for romance, and the two begin a friendly correspondence that starts to lead to something more. The reader will guess the anonymous matchmaker’s identity before Joy does, but their sweet relationship will keep things engaging while waiting for the dramatic irony to be resolved. There’s also excellent discussion of living with a disability and support for various queer identities.
