Hello! I'm so happy to have found this site. Thanks to the devs and moderators for creating this space!
Reading is my favorite hobbie and sapphic romance books have played a big part in helping me accept and feel safe in my own skin as a lesbian. This topic is right up my alley!
Of course I begun with "The Price of Salt". I think it is a must read for all lesbians, if not THE lesbian book to read. But I've had encounters of a closer kind with other books and I'm afraid I can't pick just one that has helped me in my journey of self discovery and acceptance.
"The 7 Husbands of Evelyn Hugo" by Taylor Jenkins Reid is definitely in the top 3. The character Evelyn Hugo, who had to build her career from scratch and humble origins then becomes this classic hollywood diva is inspiring. Not only because of her strength, but her confidence. That book and its characters made me want to give myself permision to be who I was. Despite they are still in dangerous times for gay people to be openly gay just like Highsmith's Price of Salt (Hollywood in the 60's-80's/ the 50's) their stories only force you to value the worth of your true identity and expressing who you trully are. After reading this book I dared to ask for things I wanted and force myself to be okay with taking space in the world. I'm a very shy person, so Evelyn's courage and confidence is both inspiring and a warning to say the least.
My favorite sapphic author though (so far, it's been 10 years since I've been reading sapphic romance) is Emily Banting. The first book I read of hers "Broken Beyond Repair", caught my heart from the first page. These are sapphic age-gap romance novels that deal with very adult problems, so it's easy to relate in a lot of ways. It is always the case with Banting's books that as I'm reading I relate to something (way too much) and ask "Am I reading the book or is the book reading me?".
I followed Banting's publications ever since. I love the entire South Downs series (3 books) but my favorite is her last one, published a couple months ago. I read it in a week during my October vacation. "Barging in"
"Barging in" hit close to home in so many ways I can't get over it. A woman turning 40, after 10 years at a corp job she hated decides to up and go on her own journey as an entrepreneur and since she has the talent of baking she decides to buy a boat and set a floating café at a certain canal in Britain just in front of a building ruled by a certain 50yo woman...
I won't spoil, but it is all about decisions we make that change our lives and how we might regret them. And how sometimes that change we think we want won't necessarily be a better decision and the fears of making new ones. It hit close to home because that's exactly where I am at life. (coincidences like "40 year old woman 10 years at a corp job she hated are really spooky)
As I evolve as a person and read new books my favorite or closest to heart book has changed. "The Price of Salt" was my first Sapphic book ever. "The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo" was the one that made me try confindence, and "Broken Beyond Repair" introduced me to my favorite Sapphic author.
Guess I can say at this point in my life and my journey with Sapphic novels, "Barging in" by Emily Banting is the closest to my heart.
Sorry for infodumping but when it is about books I can't stop. I love reading so much! Not only fiction but also non fiction, so maybe let's also have a topic about books in general?
