August Book Announcement
a cheeky how-to guide to girlhood
Welcome to Queerthology! We're an online book club dedicated to exploring anthologies, short story collections, poetry, nonfiction, and graphic novels by QTBIPOC creators. Each month, we spotlight a new book delivered straight to your inbox. There are no deadlines, no pressure. Read at your own pace, share your thoughts in the comments to connect with fellow readers and keep the conversation going.
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How to Fuck Like a Girl: Essays by Vera Blossom
A cheeky how-to guide, as raunchy as it is heartfelt, from a bright new literary voice.
A bold and vulnerable collection from a new, young voice, How to Fuck Like a Girl is a daring mash-up of pillow book, grimoire, and manifesto by writer Vera Blossom. From hooking up to trans witchcraft, petty crime, capitalism, friendships, divorce, and survival, Blossom brings wit and melancholy, grandeur and smarts, debuting a bright literary voice as raunchy as it is heartfelt. A cheeky how-to guide that earnestly asks if it is possible to fuck oneself into girlhood, How to Fuck Like a Girl is a cult classic in the making.
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Vera Blossom is a proud Filipina American and transfemme monster. Her work explores desire, pleasure, gender, and death. She writes the steamy, confessional newsletter How to Fuck Like a Girl, and cofounded Snack Report, a food blog focused on rituals, feelings, and friendship. In 2021, she helped produce Black Mountain Radio, an artist-driven audio project published in collaboration with Black Mountain Institute and the Believer magazine. In 2022, she was associate producer on season 2 of The Anti-Trans Hate Machine, which focused on the disinformation ecosystem constructed by the Christian Nationalist movement. In 2023, she was selected as an Ann Friedman Weekly Fellow and a PEN America Emerging Voice.
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Content Warnings (via StoryGraph): Sexual content, Drug use, Child abuse, Transphobia, Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Racism, Suicidal thoughts. Read with care!
Clever Girl
We are back from our summer break! As always, it was very needed. Our first pick to mark the second half of this year is one that I’ve been anticipating for some time. What a title! What a concept! What does it mean to fuck like a girl and how much does that matter in the grand scheme of things? (A lot, actually.)
I’ve seen lots of positive chatter around this book, including the linked review, and it has me so excited to check it out.
The book is inspired by queer zine culture, displayed in a type of writing that is similar to stream of consciousness and includes experimental formatting (like examples of Craigslist ads). Named after her newsletter and blog, How to Fuck Like a Girl is all original writing but is inspired by her rambling style portrayed online. - How to Fuck Like a Girl is for everyone by S. Nicole Lane
Hello? That sounds amazing.
But also I’ve been thinking a lot about moments that define girl/woman/personhood as so many things are coming together and evolving in my life. Summer does seem like the time to come of age in some ways. Many a book deals with a fateful summer where everything changed for a teen or young adult. I’m neither to be fair (and thank goodness for that) but change is always happening. Always. We’ll see who we are at the other end of this book/season.
One more thing! August’s theme for the Nonfiction Challenge is Essays! If you are a regular reader of Queerthology and also participate in the Nonfiction Reading Challenge, then this is your chance to feed two birds with one seed. If you’re a maniac (like me) and still do separate books, don’t forget to check out our recommendations. Whatever the case, happy reading and happy summer! - Kris
📖 Where Can I Get a Copy?
Check your local library to see if they have a copy.
Support Queerthology or another independent bookstore by ordering through Bookshop.org.
Feeling generous? Donate a copy to your fellow punks in need by using our registry.
🌺 Cool Links to Check Out
Girlhood: A review of Vera Blossom’s How to Fuck Like a Girl - Soapberry Review
CITY LIGHTS LIVE! The Dopamine Variety Show - City Lights Books YouTube
📚 Augusts Prior
2024 The Honey Month by Amal El-Mohtar
