It’s June and—cue the jazz hands—time for another Indie Bookstore Spotlight. Hooray!
We’re headed to Rhinebeck, NY and Oblong Books & Music—where bookseller and digital content superstar Nicole Brinkley joins us to share some book recommendations and fun facts about her store. This month, we are celebrating PRIDE month. As we commemorate love and acceptance, we hope you’ll consider one of these titles during your next bookstore or library visit.
There’s nothing more joyful than Pride—and there’s nothing more fun than whipping up a Pride display at the bookstore. My display in the kids section is the first thing you see when you walk into our store. Colorful books cover two bright red shelves, many with shelftalkers explaining why kids should pick up these titles. I love making displays, and I love connecting kids to fantastic books to read, especially if they challenge heterosexual, cisgender societal norms.
Picture Books
Worm Loves Worm by J.J. Austrian, illustrated by Mike Curato
Two worms get married in a completely adorable, nonbinary wedding.
10,000 Dresses by Marcus Ewert, illustrated by Rex Ray
A child assigned male-at-birth discovers the joy of dresses and challenging the gender binary.
I Am Jazz by Jessica Herthel and Jazz Jennings, illustrated by Shelagh McNicholas
Jazz Jennings shares the experience of her childhood as a young trans girl.
A is for Activist by Innosanto Nagara
Available as both a board book and picture book, this alphabet book outlines words every lil’ progressive activist should know.
Middle Grade Books
Better Nate Than Ever by Tim Federle
Stuck in Jankburg, Pennslyvania, Nate Foster dreams of starring in a Broadway show. The open casting call for E.T.: The Musical can change everything.
George by Alex Gino
When the class decides to put on a production of Charlotte’s Web, Melissa decides to try out for Charlotte, but the school won’t let her audition, because they believe she’s a boy named George.
Star-Crossed by Barbara Dee
Eighth-grader Mattie will play Romeo in Romeo and Juliet, but things get real when she begins crushing on the girl who plays Juliet.
The House You Pass on the Way by Jacqueline Woodson
Before she won the National Book Award, Woodson penned a novel about Stagerlee, a biracial girl in an all-black town beginning to question her sexuality.
The Lumberjanes comic series by Noelle Stevenson, Grace Ellis, Shannon Watters, illustrated by Brooke A. Allen
This inclusive all-ages comic series features a group of girls at a summer camp in the middle of a magical forest.
Raven the Pirate Princess comic series by Jeremy Whitley, illustrated by Rosy Higgins and Ted Brandt
An all-lady crew of pirates sets back to reclaim their kingdom.
Young Adult
Here We Are: Feminism for the Real World, edited by Kelly Jensen
This essay collection for teens features essays on topics like the spectrum of sexuality and gender presentation.
If You Could Be Mine by Sara Farizan
Sahar loves her best friend, but being gay is punishable by death in Iran. Reassignment surgery is legal, however, depending on how far you want to go for love.
The Scorpion Rules by Erin Bow
A robot rules the world, and to keep the humans behaving, it kidnaps the children of each of the world leaders—and if the leaders go to war, their kids die.
Wonders of the Invisible World by Christopher Barzak
A curse haunts Aidan Lockwood’s family, but when his former best friend Jarrod movies back to town, there might be a way to break it once and for all.
Juliet Takes A Breath by Gabby Rivera
Juliet takes off for Portland, determined to figure out her life.
Tash Hearts Tolstoy by Kathryn Ormsbee
Tash’s modern vlog adaptation of Anna Karenina goes viral, and she must suddenly balance the spotlight and her online flirtation with a fellow nominee.
If you swing by the Hudson Valley, I encourage you to stop in and visit me—all I ever want to do is talk about books. But if you need a little more incentive to join us, here are two fun facts about the store:
Oblong Books & Music has two locations with ridiculously cool neighbors. The three-floor Millerton store is next to Harney & Sons, which created a special Oblong Oolong tea for our recent 40th anniversary. The Rhinebeck store is in the same town as three candy shops, including Samuel’s, an old-school candy shop now co-owned by actors Paul Rudd and Jeffrey Dean Morgan.
The Rhinebeck location hosts the Hudson Valley YA Society, a monthly group where YA authors come and chat with readers (and we have tons of snacks and giveaways). Our next event is in July and features Jenny Han, Adele Griffin, Morgan Matson and Jennifer E. Smith.
Nicole Brinkley has short hair and loves dragons. The rest changes without notice. She is the resident kids and SFF specialist at Oblong Books & Music in Rhinebeck, NY; her official title is the totally awesome “Director of Special Projects.” When she’s not at the store, she runs YA Interrobang, a website devoted to young adult literature, and Queership, a website devoted to queer SFF. You can find her at @nebrinkley on Twitter and Instagram.
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