Pride Picks and Ambitious Women

We have a double header for you today! First, you'll hear some of our team's favorite LGBTQIA+ books from the last few years with diverse recommendations from all different genres. Then, get inspired through an interview with Amber Oliver, author of When the Music Hits, as she shares personal insights on ambition and how she wrote ambition into her novel.    Queerly Beloved (0:22) Join FBC contributors Jordy, Shoshana, and Nox as they celebrate Pride Month with a lively conversation about their favorite queer books. From joyful romances to powerful memoirs and boundary-pushing fiction, it's a heartfelt and fun chat filled with recommendations and love for queer storytelling.    The Notes and Roots of Ambition (9:55) Ashley sits down with Amber Oliver, author of When the Music Hits, to talk about the challenges of being an ambitious woman. Amber shares her personal experience being an ambitious Black woman in the publishing industry and how she wrote ambition into her debut novel.     Books/Resources Mentioned and Recommended:  The Glass Scientist by S. H. Cotugno   Winter's Orbit by Everina Maxwell  The Fiancee Farce by Alexandria Bellefleur  Triple Sec by TJ Alexander  Not Your Sidekick by C.B. Lee  River of Teeth by Sarah Gailey  Mooncakes by Suzanne Walker  Out on the Ice by Kelly Farmer  Prince & Knight by Daniel Haack Illustrated by Stevie Lewis (picture book)  A Costume for Charly by C.K. Malone Illustrated by Alejandra Barajas (picture book)  A Quick & Easy Guide to They/Them Pronouns by Tristan Jimerson and Archie Bongiovanni  Edge of Glory by Rachel Spangler  Game Changer by Rachel Reid  A Spindle Splintered by Alix E. Harrow  A Marvellous Light by Freya Marske  Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas  Venom and Vow by Anna-Marie McLemore and Elliot McLemore  XOXY: A Memoir by Kimberly M. Zieselman  The Deep & Dark Blue by Niki Smith  Most Ardently: A Pride and Prejudice Remix by Gabe Cole Novoa  This Poison Heart duology by Kalynn Bayron  Cinderella is Dead by Kalynn Bayron  Falling Back in Love with Being Human by Kai Cheng Thom  The Guncle by Steven Rowley  The Witches of Thistle Grove series by Lana Harper  When the Music Hits by Amber Oliver       Support and follow our hosts and guest! Follow Amber Oliver: Instagram Follow Ashley: Instagram Follow Jordy: Instagram // TikTok Follow Shoshana: Storygraph // Instagram // Bluesky  Follow Nox: Instagram // TikTok // Threads     Check out our online community here!    This episode was edited and produced by Renee Powers on the ancestral land of the Dakota people.   Original music by Amarissa   Learn more about Feminist Book Club on our website, sign up for our emails, shop our Bookshop.org recommendations, and follow us on Instagram, BlueSky, TikTok, Facebook, Pinterest.