The Sergeant, The Incredible Life of Nicholas Said: Son of an African General, Slave of the Ottomans, Free Man Under the Tsars, Hero of the Union Army  by Dean Calbreath  non-fiction history  Pegasus Books, February 2023  Author's note, twenty-eight chapters, epilogue, notes, and an index recount the details of one impressive man's journey across continents and through pivotal historic times and events.  from near the end of the epilogue:  He [Nicholas Said] witnessed firsthand the impact of jihads in the Muslim world, enslavement in Africa, the decline of the Ottoman Empire, unrest in Tsarist Russia, the golden age of European aristocracy, and the Civil War and Reconstruction in the United States.   It's a compelling march through history as humanized by Nicholas Said's experiences in his own words about them in addition to others' observations about him.   Double the Lies (Annalee Spain #2) by Patricia Raybon  early 20th-c. fiction, m...

Polywise: A Deeper Dive into Navigating Open Relationships by Jessica Fern with David Cooley  non-fiction  Thornapple Press, August 25, 2023  Polywise encourages readers to embark on a journey of personal excavation of entrenched beliefs and default assumptions about themselves, their families, their romantic and sexual relationships, friendships, and hidden emotional tripwires, too.  In addition to a personable back-and-forth (used sparingly) between the author and the contributor, this text offers exercises, questions, and prompts to engage readers to explore and pursue intentional conscious recognition of who they are as individuals, what they need and want, and why, as well as healthy ways to attain them--or let them go if necessary.  Consensual Nonmonogomay (CNM) is the initial hook while tools and strategies for understanding the facets, layers, and impacts of nonmonogamy as orientation and/or lifestyle choice establish a unifying through line.  from...

Some (not-so) oldies but goodies reads:  Speculative, SciFi, Supernatural Black Water Sister by Zen Cho  We're Here: The Best Queer Speculative Fiction 2021 edited by L.D. Lewis  Winter's Orbit & Ocean's Echo by Everina Maxwell  Lead Me Astray by Sondi Warner  Contemporary Romance How to Find a Princess by Alyssa Cole  Learned Reactions by Jayce Ellis  Work for It by Talia Hibbert  Finding Joy by Adriana Herrera  Chef's Kiss by T.J. Alexander   Conscious Bias by Alexi Venice  Hold Me by Courtney Milan  Historical Romance  Dead Dead Girls & Harlem Sunset by Nekesa Afia  Hither, Page & The Missing Page by Cat Sebastian  The Care and Feeding of Waspish Widows by Olivia Waite  Non-Fiction Outside the XY: Queer Black and Brown Masculinity by Bklyn Boihood and Morgan Mann Willis  A Quick and Easy Guide to They/Them Pronouns by Archie Bongiovanni  Need more reading options?  Visit yo...