In my quest to read books that feature LGBTQIA characters, the Wayward Children series came to my attention. [A/N: It's a Hugo and Nebula Award-winning series so it's not as if I accidentally stumbled across it.] Not all of the novellas in this series feature LGBTQIA characters but they do explore gender identity and nonconformity in general. Fantasy and sci-fi have historically been used as a vehicle to explore these ideas and McGuire does it with particular skill especially considering these books are all novella length. (I truly marvel at how much she packs into such small books without it seeming rushed or awkward.) After reading the first in the series, Every Heart a Doorway, I bought the rest of the set and have taken my time to really savor her writing. The 4th book in the series, In An Absent Dream, follows Lundy who travels to the world of the Goblin Market where everything is ruled by logic and reason. Back in the "real" world, Lundy is known as Katherine and up until the point she walks through her magical doorway she is a solitary figure who flies below the notice of most people. But her time in the Goblin Market changes her and the way that others (especially her family) perceives her. One of the themes that McGuire explores through her books is the feeling of 'otherness' that most kids experience at one time or another but she uses the framework of fantasy to illustrate this point beautifully. (I'd love to tell you how she does it in this book but it's a major part of the storyline and ya'll know I don't abide by spoilers.) Suffice to say, this book and the series in general is a delightful way to spend an afternoon (or several). 10/10
What I'm currently reading: Persuasion by Jane Austen (reread)
**If you're interested in buying any of these books or any books really, you can click here. This will re-direct you to AbeBooks which is a site I use all of the time to find used books at an excellent price. A lot of the time I don't even pay for shipping! Full disclosure: I will receive a commission on all sales made through this link. You will not be charged anything additional for my commission. I wouldn't recommend a site that I didn't use and you are under no obligation to purchase anything. :-) **
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