For this week’s category of the Sapphic Reading Challenge, I’d like you to read a novel that is one of the favorite sapphic books of one of your favorite authors.
It doesn’t need to be your TOP favorite author or their TOP favorite book, just ONE of your favorites authors and ONE of their favorite books.
So, how do you find out your favorite author’s favorite books? Maybe you have heard them talk about their favorite books featuring queer women in an interview. Or you could just send them an email or reach out on social media and ask. Most author I know are avid readers too, and they’ll happily share some of their favorite books.
To make it a bit easier for you, I have also reached out to several popular authors of WLW and lesbian fiction who often get named as people’s favorite authors in my Facebook group for readers.
13 popular authors of sapphic fiction named their favorite books featuring women-loving women:
Jae’s favorite sapphic books:
- Ask, Tell by E.J. Noyes
- And Playing The Role Of Herself by KE Lane
- Jericho by Ann McMan
- For a longer list of my favorite slow-burn romance novels, also check out this post.
Georgia Beers’s favorite sapphic books:
- The Magician’s Assistant by Ann Patchett
- And Playing the Role of Herself by KE Lane
- Anything by Melissa Brayden, especially Heart Block, First Position, and Kiss the Girl
Harper Bliss’s favorite sapphic books:
- Alone by EJ Noyes
Melissa Brayden’s favorite sapphic books:
- And Playing the Role of Herself by KE Lane
- Letters Never Sent by Sandra Moran
- Starting From Scratch by Georgia Beers
Kris Bryant’s favorite sapphic books:
- Life in Death by M. Ullrich
- Strawberry Summer by Melissa Brayden
- Above All, Honor by Radclyffe
- All That Lies Within by Lynn Ames
- Fear of Falling by Georgia Beers
- Modern English by Rachel Spangler
Lise Gold’s favorite sapphic books:
- Poppy Jenkins by Clare Aston
- You’re My Kind by Clare Lydon
- Disobedience by Naomi Alderman
- Coming Home by KJ
Karin Kallmaker’s favorite sapphic books:
- A Grave Talent by Laurie R. King
- Being Emily by Rachel Gold
- Dreaming in Color by Fiona Zedde (writing as Fiona Lewis)
- Under the Southern Cross by Claire McNab
- Captive in Time by Sarah Dreher
- Say Jesus and Come to Me by Ann Allen Shockley
Erica Lee’s favorite sapphic books:
- Hammers, Strings, and Beautiful Things by Morgan Lee Miller
- Then & Now by Monica McCallan
Clare Lydon’s favorite sapphic books:
- Cow Girl by Kirsty Eyre
- And Playing The Role Of Herself by KE Lane
- In At The Deep End by Kate Davies
- All The Little Moments by G Benson
- XX by Angela Chadwick
Ann McMan’s favorite sapphic books:
- Slow River by Nicola Griffith
- Ash by Malinda Lo
- The Metaphysical Touch by Sylvia Brownrigg
- Written On the Body and Gut Symmetries by Jeanette Winterson
- And just about anything by Sarah Waters
Jamey Moody’s favorite sapphic books:
- Neither Present Time by Caren J. Werlinger
- All That Matters by Susan X Meagher
- Can You Hear Me by Geonn Cannon
EJ Noyes’s favorite sapphic books:
- The Traitor Baru Cormorant by Seth Dickinson
- Breaking Character by Lee Winter
- Wild by Meghan O’Brien
Ali Vali’s favorite sapphic books:
- Fated Love by Radclyffe
- Courtship by Carsen Taite
- Crescent City Confidential by Aurora Rey
Lee Winter’s favorite sapphic books:
- The Lily and the Crown by Roslyn Sinclair
- A Curious Woman by Jess Lea
More favorite sapphic books
Your favorite author of women-loving women fiction isn’t on the list above? Here are a few more additional resources to check:
- Join my Facebook group for readers. Authors will share their favorite books this week, and readers who have already reached out to their favorite authors will report back and let us know what the answer was.
- Check the Ylva website for a list of favorite WLW novels of Ylva Publishing authors such as Andrea Bramhall, Cheyenne Blue, AL Brooks, Sacchi Green, Wendy Hudson, Quinn Ivins, Cori Kane, Lola Keeley, Catherine Lane, Jess Lea, Jenn Matthews, Faith Prize, Quinn Ivins, Roslyn Sinclair, Wendy Temple, Jane Waterton, Fiona Zedde & Chris Zett.
- LezReviewBooks has a series of interviews in which authors name their “Desert Island Books.” If you scroll down, you’ll find the Desert Island Books of authors such as Rachel Spangler, Haley Cass, Clare Ashton, and others.
- If you read in German, check out the German version of the Sapphic Reading Challenge with and scroll down to the reading suggestions (PDF) that lists several authors’ favorite German-language books.
Leave a comment
Readers: If you asked one of your favorite author for their favorite sapphic book, please report back and let us know which books they named as their favorites!
Authors: Please leave a comment and tell us about your favorite sapphic books!
Thanks a lot!
You’re very welcome!
Anna stone replied to me with
Tipping the velvet and Fingersmith by Sarah Waters
Thanks for asking her and letting us know!
I’m loving the challenge. I’ve read genres and books I’d never have thought to, enjoyed some. Thanks.
That’s great to hear! I hope you enjoy the second half of the challenge as well!
Here are some of Kate Christie’s favorites:
* The Sea of Light, Jenifer Levin
* The Necessary Hunger, Nina Revoyr
* Working Parts, Lucy Jane Bledsoe
* Fingersmith, Sarah Waters
Thank you for letting us know – I love Kate Christie’s books!
If your favorite author is with Ylva, here are some authors and their favorites:
Your favorite author’s favorite book:
Andrea Bramhall: Always Alex (Robin Alexander)
Cheyenne Blue: The Language of Hoofbeats (Catherine Ryan Hyde)
AL Brooks: Just Jorie (Robin Alexander)
Sacchi Green: Heiresses of Russ 2012: The Year’s Best Lesbian Speculative Fiction (Edited by Connie Wilkins and Steve Berman)
Wendy Hudson: Tell it to the Bees (Fiona Shaw)
Jae: And Playing the Role of Herself (KE Lane)
Cori Kane: Gay Pride & Prejudice (Jane Austen and Kate Christie)
Lola Keeley: Requiem for Immortals (Lee Winter)
Catherine Lane: Tipping the Velvet (Sarah Waters)
Jess Lea: Requiem for Immortals (Lee Winter)
Jenn Matthews: Backwards to Oregon (Jae)
Faith Prize: The Brutal Truth (Lee Winter)
Quinn Ivins: The Red Files (Lee Winter)
Roslyn Sinclair: The Price of Salt/Carol (Patricia Highsmith)
Wendy Temple: Desert of the Heart (Jane Rule)
Jane Waterton: Survived by Her Longtime Companion (Chris Paynter)
Lee Winter: The Lily and The Crown (Roslyn Sinclair)
Fiona Zedde: At Her Feet (Rebekah Weatherspoon)
Chris Zett: No Strings (Gerri Hill)
I think I’d have to choose one of the Alpennia series by Heather Rose Jones. Probably Daughter of Mystery.
Cari Hunter replied:”I have two favourite books, Code Name Verity which I’d recommend to anyone, and Kushiel’s Dart which I never recommend because it’s a very acquired taste with strong BDSM content.”
Thanks so much for asking Cari and reporting back!
I love, love, love Jacqueline Carey’s books, but I would caution that the heroine in Kushiel’s Dart and its sequels is bisexual and has encounters with men and women, and her primary romantic interest is a man.
Carey’s Santa Olivia and its sequel Saints Astray, and her standalone novel Starless would be more appropriate for readers who would like to try Carey’s work but are looking for more sapphic fiction. The primary romances are lesbian in nature.
You’re welcome.
Nicole Pyland responded with the following: I would say I have a few books I’ve reread, which usually means they’re up there on my list.
I liked Casting Lacy by Elle Spencer a lot, and the Soho Loft Series by Melissa Brayden (especially, Mallory’s book) is up there, too.
As well as Radclyffe advised: The Devil Inside by Ali Vali. Another would be Shadows of Aggar by Chris Anne Wolfe ( a really excellent romantic fantasy) or for more recent If You Dare, an erotic romance by Sandy Lowe.
Aurora Rey has kindly responded to my enquiry as well:
I’d say my go-to authors are Maggie Cummings, Nell Stark, and Jaime Clevenger so I’ll give you a few options–Brooklyn Summer, The Princess Deception, and Just One Reason (which is third in a series, but can be read alone)