Hello, happy 2026 and welcome back to Diversishelf!
New year, new home! As you may have learned from our Instagram post, at the end of last year we discovered that Medium had changed some rules without telling us, making it harder for you to read our newsletter, and for us to change premises altogether. Guess what, we did it anyway! Welcome to beehiiv. We hope this space will serve us for many issues to come. Please make sure to resubscribe if you have not done so yet!
We have almost 50 books to present to you this week, so I will not keep you long. January is a hard month for many people, especially as society insists on making this a time of “fresh starts” and “new resolutions” when, really, for many of it us it is still the middle of winter - a time of rest, introspection, and restoration. Even more so, with the news coming from Minneapolis, Venezuela, Iran, Gaza and more, it is hard to consider this month a fresh start. Us at Diversishelf stand in solidarity with the people of Venezuela, Iran, Gaza, and with the people protesting the ICE murder in Minnesota. Wherever you are, physically and mentally, we hope this newsletter can meet you there.
Some of these books contain sensitive themes. Please check content warnings before purchasing and reading these titles.
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Is This a Cry for Help? by Emily Austin - Out 12 Feb 26 UK/13 Jan 26 US
Tags: Literary Fiction, Sapphic representation, Canadian author
The Starseekers by Nicole Glover - Out 26 Feb 26 UK/06 Jan 26 US
Tags: Fantasy, Black American author, Black American representation
Jean by Madeleine Dunnigan - Out 13 Jan 26
Tags: Literary Fiction, Achillean representation, Jewish representation, neurodivergent representation (dyslexia)
The Rhythm of Raine at Dawn by Aricka Alexander - Out 12 Jan 26 US
Info & Order - US link
Tags: Romance, Black American representation, bisexual representation, sapphic representation, queer author, Black American author
Red and the Wolves by Cherry Zong - Out 12 Feb 26 UK/13 Jan 26 US
Tags: Graphic Novel, Sapphic representation, Chinese-Canadian author, debut author
You'll Never Forget Me by Isha Raya - Out 13 Jan 26 US
Info & Order - US link
Tags: Thriller, Sapphic representation, debut author, BIPOC author
Into the Midnight Wood by Alexandra McCollum - Out 13 Jan 26 US
Tags: Romance, Queer representation, nonbinary author
Gold and Grace by Eline Evans - Out 10 Jan 26 US
Info & Order - US link
Tags: Historical Fiction, Sapphic representation, Danish author
A Reckless Indulgence by Aveda Vice - Out 09 Jan 26 US
Info & Order - US link
Tags: Romantasy, Nonbinary representation, genderqueer author, pansexual author, queer representation
Every Galaxy a Circle by Chloe N. Clark - Out 15 Jan 26 US
Info & Order - US link
Tags: Short Stories, Queer author, nonbinary author, disabled author
Grace by Chika Unigwe - Out 15 Jan 26 UK
Info & Order - UK link
Tags: Literary Fiction, Nigerian author
Sheer by Vanessa Lawrence - Out 13 Jan 26 US
Info & Order - US link
Tags: Literary Fiction, Sapphic representation, anti-misogyny themes
The Age of Calamities by Senaa Ahmad - Out 12 Feb 26 UK/13 Jan 26 US
Tags: Short Stories, Arab American author, debut author
Greta Gets the Girl by Melissa Marr - Out 13 Jan 26 US
Info & Order - US link
Tags: Romance, Queer author, sapphic representation
A Midnight Pastry Shop Called Hwawoldang by Lee Onhwa - Out 13 Nov 25 UK/13 Jan 26 US
Tags: Fantasy, Translated, Korean author, Korean representation
Queering Him by Katherine Wela Bogen - Out 13 Jan 26
Tags: Romance, Bisexual author, Jewish author, debut author, bisexual representation, pro-Palestine author
Fly, Wild Swans by Jung Chang - Out 16 Sep 25 UK/13 Jan 26 US
Tags: Memoir, Chinese-British author, Chinese representation, immigrant representation
There's No Point in Dying by Francisco Maciel - Out 13 Jan 26
Tags: Literary Fiction, Brazilian author, translated, Brazilian representation, queer representation
Like in Love With You by Emma R. Alban - Out 15 Jan 26 UK/13 Jan 26 US
Tags: Romance, Sapphic representation
Restore Me by J.L. Seegars - Out 06 Jan 26
Tags: Romance, Black American author, Black American representation
Life After Ambition: A “Good Enough” Memoir by Amil Niazi - Out 12 Feb 26 UK/06 Jan 26 US
Tags: Memoir, Pakistani author, class-consciousness themes
Playing For Keeps by Alexandria Bellefleur - Out 06 Jan 26
Tags: Romance, Bisexual author, sapphic representation
Extant by Jenny L. Davis - Out 01 Jan 26
Tags: Poetry, Two-Spirit author, queer author, Indigenous American author, anti-colonialism themes
Your Tomorrow Was Today by Oyindamola Dosunmu - Out 15 Jan 26 US
Info & Order - US link
Tags: Literary Fiction, Black American author, debut author, Nigerian representation
The Iridescents by Emrys Donaldson - Out 31 Jan 26 UK/15 Jan 26 US
Tags: Short Stories, Queer representation, trans representation, genderqueer representation, anti-queerphobia themes, queer author, debut author
Facing the Bridge by Yoko Tawada - Out 15 Jan 26 UK/17 May 07 US
Tags: Short Stories, Translated, Japanese author, African representation, Japanese representation
Two Left Feet by Kallie Emblidge - Out 12 Feb 26 UK/13 Jan 26 US
Tags: Romance, Queer representation, debut author
The Queer Thing About Sin: Why the West Came to Hate Queer Love by Harry Tanner - Out 25 Sep 25 UK/13 Jan 26 US
Tags: Political Nonfiction, Queer representation, queer author, debut author, anti-queerphobia themes
Pretty for a Crippled Girl: A Memoir of Disability & Mobility by Teri Siri - Out 13 Jan 26 US
Info & Order - US link
Tags: Memoir, Disabled author, disabled representation, anti-ableism themes, debut author
The Last of Earth by Deepa Anappara - Out 12 Feb 26 UK/13 Jan 26 US
Tags: Historical Fiction, Indian representation, Indian author, anti-colonialism themes, anti-imperialism themes
This is Where the Serpent Lives by Daniyal Mueenuddin - Out 13 Jan 26
Tags: Literary Fiction, Pakistani author, Pakistani representation, abolition themes, anti-capitalism themes
Fire Sword and Sea by Vanessa Riley - Out 26 Feb 26 UK/13 Jan 26 US
Tags: Historical Fiction, Queer representation, Caribbean American author, Caribbean representation, feminism themes
Mega Milk: Essays on Family, Fluidity, Whiteness, and Cows by Megan Milks - Out 26 Feb 26 UK/13 Jan 26 US
Tags: Essays, Nonbinary author, queer author, anti-capitalism themes, transmasculine representation, pro-Palestine author
Tags: Political Nonfiction, Translated, feminist themes, class-consciousness themes
The Luminous Fairies and Mothra by Takehiko Fukunaga, Yoshie Hotta, and Shin'ichiro Nakamura - Out 13 Jan 26
Tags: Science Fiction, Translated, Japanese authors, abolition themes
Pedro the Vast by Simón Lopez Trujillo - Out 12 Feb 26 UK/13 Jan 26 US
Tags: Science Fiction, Translated, debut author, Chilean author
For Our Next Song by Jessica James - Out 13 Jan 26
Tags: Romance, Sapphic representation, bisexual representation, bisexual author
City of Others by Jared Poon - Out 13 Jan 26
Tags: Fantasy, Queer author, queer representation, Southeast Asian author, debut author
A Vow in Vengeance by Jaclyn Rodriguez - Out 13 Jan 26 US
Info & Order - US link
Tags: Romantasy, Puerto Rican author, debut author
The Old Fire by Elisa Shua Dusapin - Out 29 Jan 26 UK/13 Jan 26 US
Tags: Literary Fiction, Translated, immigrant representation, Franco-Swiss-Korean author
The Book of Blood and Roses by Annie Summerlee - Out 15 Jan 26 UK/13 Jan 26 US
Tags: Romantasy, Sapphic representation, Spanish author, debut author
Jackson Alone by Jose Ando - Out 15 Jan 26 UK/06 Jan 26 US
Tags: Thriller, Black representation, Japanese representation, queer representation, African-Asian author, translated
Talking with Boys by Tayyba Kanwal - Out 06 Jan 26 US
Info & Order - US link
Tags: Short Stories, Pakistani author, Pakistani representation, feminism themes, abolition themes
The Dialectic of Sex: The Case for Feminist Revolution by Shulamith Firestone - Out 06 Jan 26 UK/05 Mar 03 US
Tags: Political Nonfiction, Jewish author, neurodivergent author, feminist themes
Rings of Fate by Melissa de la Cruz - Out 08 Jan 26 UK/06 Jan 26 US
Tags: Romantasy, Filipina American author
A Blue Tale and Other Stories by Marguerite Yourcenar - Out 13 Jan 26
Tags: Short stories, Translated, Belgian author, feminism themes, sapphic author
Eternal Covenant, Vol. 2 by Haejin - Out 04 Nov 25 UK/13 Jan 26 US
Tags: Manhwa, Achillean representation, Korean author, Translated fiction
Thank you for reading all the way to the end of the issue! Thoughts? Comments? Or simply want to keep in touch? Email us at [email protected], or find us at @diversishelf on Instagram. The next issue will be out on Monday, January 19. In the meantime, why not reach out with a comment, or share this with your friends?