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Louise Radnofsky

@louiseradnofsky

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T-BOY HOWDY, it’s a huge Queer books haul on this, the last Tuesday of August! Here’s the first batch. They’ve been prepared for you with great care, and we can’t wait to see your lovely faces when you come to claim your copies!

We’ll make another post right after this one to show you the rest, but please enjoy these in the meantime. BRB! See you soon!

And please remember to never forget that
#GiovannisRoomLovesYou ! #queerbooksnow #queerbooksforever #LGBTQIAplus #TRANSRIGHTSNOW

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We’re thrilled to announce our new Pride Author Series presented in collaboration with @prideweha 🏳️‍🌈📚

The Pride Author Series celebrates queer authors and queer stories through curated events hosted collaboratively by River Bend Bookshop and West Hartford Pride, Inc. Through this partnership, we strive to foster community through literacy and create a safe, welcoming, and intentional third space where LGBTQIA+ voices are uplifted and empowered.

Our first event kicks off with Christopher Stephens and Louise Radnofsky, authors of The Light of Day, the long-forgotten true story of Roger Butler, the first man to publicly come out as gay in Britain, seven years before decriminalization. It’s a story of courage, friendship, and a hidden history finally brought into the light.

🎟️ General admission is $10, with all proceeds donated to West Hartford Pride, Inc.
📖 Add on a copy of The Light of Day at checkout, or grab one at the event
🎤 Audience Q&A and signing to follow

Get your tickets now at the link in our bio!

#prideauthorseries #westhartfordct #readwithpride #riverbendbookshop #pride

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A mini Devon book tour, with some sunshine, churches & family thrown in for good measure.

A special stop at the old Manor House, where Roger (the subject of The Light of Day) learned Braille and to walk with a white cane as a newly blind person in the 1960s.

#rnib #devon #queerbooks #gayauthor #gayhistory

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We are delighted that THE LIGHT OF DAY has been selected for Audible’s August 2026 promotion. Until the 31st, Audible Members in the UK can purchase the audiobook edition for just £5.99!

‘Sir, we are homosexuals . . .’

So began the letter penned by Roger Butler and sent to several British newspaper editors - some of whom were so shocked they thought it was a hoax - in June 1960. Writing such a letter seven years before the decriminalisation of homosexuality was a radical and dangerous move. It was a risk that set a major milestone in the fight for gay rights - one that has been almost entirely forgotten.

This is the story of the first man to come out voluntarily, using his own name, to the entire British public, a decade before activists started petitioning gay people everywhere to ‘come out proud’. Taking us through a criminalised underworld of gay pubs, parties and activist meetings, THE LIGHT OF DAY charts how Roger helped bring about the legalisation of homosexuality, but soon found himself marginalised from the movement he kickstarted after losing his sight in his early 30s.

Enter Christopher - a student asked to visit and read to an old, blind man at the beginning of a new century. As their intergenerational friendship bloomed, Roger came to trust Christopher with his most precious possession: memoirs of his revolutionary past, locked away in his home. After Roger’s death, Christopher opened a series of unsent letters, left in a pink folder, addressed to him. They contained Roger’s final wish, for Christopher finally to bring his remarkable, hidden story into the light of day.

#nonfiction #books #queerbooks #lgbt #bookstagram

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#Pride boekentips! 🌈 Bart las An Army of Lovers Cannot Fail van Hélène Giannecchini - en voegt er 11 tips aan toe.

Haar boek, een ode aan queer vriendschap, wakkerde Barts verlangen naar meer aan. Meer boeken over queer geschiedenis. Meer over liefde, meer over vriendschap. En welk beter moment om deze flinke stapel te tippen dan nu de World Pride voor de deur staat?

Bart Nijensteen tipt twaalf (12) boeken, die je meer leren over queer geschiedenis, en de belangrijke rol van vriendschap in deze verhalen.

Lees deze pride-zomer over Baldwin, Jarman, Hujar, Thek, Hirschfeld, Kellendonk en Butler!

#tips via de link in bio!

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Happy summer!
Check out some of our favorite titles centering queer stories and by LGBTQ+ authors. Whether you’re looking for a heart-stopping thriller with a queer romance at the center, a poignant memoir that will make you grab for a box of tissues, or a rom-com that will make you blush, we’ve got you covered. 📚💖

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I’m super excited to say that The Light of Day: The First Man to Come Out at the Dawn of Gay Liberation is available in paperback from 21st May!

This is the story of my friend, Roger Butler - a pioneer and one of the most important gay rights activists of his time.

Roger was the first man to come out as gay publicly, voluntarily and without compulsion, in order to overturn anti-gay laws in Britain. He changed the public narrative about gay people at a time when we were condemned by the press and politicians as corrupting perverts.

This is the story of a shy revolutionary and the criminalised gay underworld of 1950s London he called home: secret parties, illegal clubs and bars populated by celebrities and sailors, a fight for acceptance and visibility… but it’s also the story of how Roger became marginalised when he lost his sight, battling again to invent a new life for himself among the dreaming spires of Oxford.

And it’s the story of our own friendship, of a queer bond across generations, and of one man’s love and trust in another to hold his legacy.

Roger’s story is so important we’ve been in almost every newspaper going - from the Mail on Sunday to the Mirror, the Times, The Guardian and the Tablet, with a sweep of brilliant reviews.

“Remarkable” - Times Literary Supplement

“Incredible” - Pink News

“Absorbing” - Spectator

“Moving” - Guardian

“Arresting” - Sunday Post

I’d be the happiest little homosexual in London if you’d consider ordering your paperback today!

#gayauthor #bookstagram #lgbthistory #gaynonfiction #queerbooks

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As the UK’s LGBT+ History Month comes to a close, I thought I’d share some of the books with LGBTQ+ history insights that I’ve engaged with over the past couple of months for your delight, insight, and consideration for your TBR piles.

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The Light of Day was one of those rare reads that truly moved me. It blends biography, queer history, and a deeply human friendship, telling the almost forgotten story of Roger Butler, one of the first men to publicly come out in Britain long before decriminalisation, and the bond he formed with Christopher Stephens. It’s tender, brave, and achingly beautiful, the kind of history that made me feel grateful for those who fought before us.

I couldn’t stop thinking about it after finishing — the kind of book that lingers, quietly settles in your chest, and slowly changes how you see the world. If you love non-fiction that’s deeply human and ethically urgent, this one is truly unmissable 🧡🖤

@cwbstephens @louiseradnofsky

#bookstagram #nonfictionreads #queerbooks #lgbtqreads #bookrecommendations

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@louiseradnofsky and @cwbstephens came by to sign copies of their book, The Light of Day: The first man to come out at the dawn of gay liberation! Come by to grab your signed copy before it’s gone. 📚🏳️‍🌈

#authorsigning #lgbtqbooks #booksigning #barnesandnoble #georgetown

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Wrapping up the first leg of our US book adventure for The Light of Day at @lostcitybooks - a fab independent bookstore - hosted by the brilliant Maud Casey.

Is that a large glass of wine I’m polishing off while talking? Yes.
Should I have been drinking on an empty stomach? Perhaps not.
Did it make what I said EVEN more fascinating?
The jury is out.

…but we had a large & enthusiastic crowd and some excellent chat about the process of collaborating to create the book, decision making around shaping the work & embedding care and love into our writing.

I’m super grateful for all the support, here and at each of our events these past two weeks. 🫶

If you haven’t got your copy of The Light of Day, I’d love you to get one :)

🇺🇸🇺🇸🇬🇧🇬🇧🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈🇬🇧🇬🇧🇺🇸🇺🇸

#gayauthor #gaybookstagram #lgbthistory #queerbooks

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Ok, so it’s 13 degrees below freezing… 🤷🏻
We have a 🏳️‍🌈 book to talk about!

Thank you to tonight’s brilliant crowd & our hosts @littledistrictbooks for a fab evening.

#gaybookstagram #gayauthor #bookstagram #lgbthistory #queerbooks

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