1/28: Rainbows and Unicorns - An LGBTQ+ Book Club at Booksweet

1/28: Rainbows and Unicorns - An LGBTQ+ Book Club at Booksweet

Join us for a fun evening of discussion and community at Booksweet for our first LGBTQ+ Book Club of 2026 on January 28th! For our January book, we've selected by Patricia Ononiwu Kaishian. Whether you've read the book more than once or are just coming to chat with like-minded readers, this event is for you!

Your Eventbrite RSVP is so helpful to our planning!

About the book

A thrilling book about the abounding queerness of the natural world that challenges our expectations of what is normal, beautiful, and possible.

Growing up, Patricia Ononiwu Kaishian felt most at home in the swamps and culverts near her house in the Hudson Valley. A child who frequently felt out of place, too much of one thing or not enough of another, she found acceptance in these settings, among other amphibious beings. In snakes, snails, and, above all, fungi, she saw her own developing identities as a queer, neurodivergent person reflected back at her—and in them, too, she found a personal path to a life of science.

In Forest Euphoria, Kaishian shows us this making of a scientist and introduces readers to the queerness of all the life around us. Fungal species, we learn, commonly encompass more than two biological sexes—and some as many as twenty-three thousand. Some intersex slugs mutually fire calcium carbonate “love darts” at each other during courtship. Glass eels are sexually undetermined until their last year of life, a mystery that scientists once dubbed “the eel question.” Nature, Kaishian shows us, is filled with the unusual, the overlooked, and the marginalized—and they have lessons for us all.

Wide-ranging, richly observant, and full of surprises, Forest Euphoria will open your eyes and change how you look at the world.

So... what's this book club like?

We hope to invite a group of people who have read the book (or don't mind a spoiler) to discuss their thoughts. We will bring prompts but invite anyone to pose a question or share their thoughts!

After our discussion, the group votes on the next session's read. Feel free to pitch a book you've enjoyed recently or want to read with the group!

While we will have water and light refreshments (including nut-free and gluten-free options), Booksweet is located in The Courtyard Shops, filled with AMAZING dining options. Food and drinks are totally welcome at the meet-up; don't feel shy about sipping boba while we chat!

We hope to see you there!

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