iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

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Matthew Hodson @matthewhodson.bsky.social · 15/07/2026

Pride of place in the National Theatre’s queer section of the bookstore goes to my friend @ajwestauthor.bsky.social’s latest on queer bookshops.

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Jack Shoulder @jackshoulder.bsky.social · 13/07/2026

Do you like books? Do you like queer history? Do you like bookshops? If the answer to any of those questions was YES, and you're anywhere near Bristol on 3/8, come along to this event with me and the incomparable @ajwestauthor.bsky.social at @bookhaus.bsky.social Booking link in bio!

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AJ West Author @ajwestauthor.bsky.social · 29/06/2026

Another afternoon in the London Library gives me an opportunity to check out this teaser I picked up at @capitalcrime.bsky.social - WOLF POINT, coming soon from @pussmilligan.bsky.social - chilling...

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David Ferguson-Honsbein 🏳️‍🌈 @davidpbferguson.bsky.social · 11/06/2026

Excellent book on a part of queer history I did not know much about. Some touching personal stories. Highly recommended. Kudos to @ajwestauthor.bsky.social

How Queer Bookshops Changed The World by A.J. West

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AJ West Author @ajwestauthor.bsky.social · 29/06/2026

I can't see it! I need to look here more often lol. I'm such an insta boy

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AJ West Author @ajwestauthor.bsky.social · 06/06/2026

Cosy crime is dead. Long live gothic crime with phantoms. 🏔🗡🎭🩸 Everest Macdonald is on the case... linktr.ee/ajwest

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AJ West Author @ajwestauthor.bsky.social · 29/05/2026

Manchester: join me on my UK tour! Linktr.ee/ajwest Did you know... A queer bookshop invented Pride. A lesbian bookseller outwitted the Nazis. The first Amazon bookseller was owned by Lesbians. Gay bookstore owners freed the literary world from obscenity laws.

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Jellybooks Ltd @jellybooks.bsky.social · 03/06/2026

'How Queer Bookshops Changed the World' by @ajwestauthor.bsky.social available from @lighthousebks.bsky.social #pridemonth 📖 online book sample to peek inside and share www.jellybooks.com/cloud_reader...

jellybooks.com

Sample of "How Queer Bookshops Changed the World" by A.J. West

Peek inside this book and discover another great read.

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Orenda Books @orendabooks.bsky.social · 05/06/2026

🎭🔪🩸COVER REVEAL🩸🔪 🎭 INTRODUCING: EVEREST MACDONALD! Victorian theatre - murder - ghosts - tea @ajwestauthor.bsky.social returns this October with his BRAND NEW NOVEL The Deadly Inheritance Of Everest Macdonald!🏔🕵‍♀️ Coming 8/10/26🙌 PREORDER NOW! 🔗https://geni.us/zL2NdW #TeamOrenda #BookSky

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AJ West Author @ajwestauthor.bsky.social · 29/05/2026

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Proud Geek LGBTQ+ Bookshop @proud-geek.co.uk · 07/05/2026

HOW QUEER BOOKSHOPS CHANGED THE WORLD by @ajwestauthor.bsky.social is LGBTQ+ history focusing on queer bookshops, booksellers & publishing. It's charming & funny, while also being incredibly well researched & informative, and is an absolute joy to read. Out now: proud-geek.co.uk/queer-book/h...

Text reads: currently reading How Queer Bookshops Changed The World by AJ West

Text reads: How Queer Bookshops Changed The World by A.J. West

Charming and informative queer history book focusing on queer bookshops, queer booksellers, queer publishing and the connection between queer bookshops and the fight for LGBTQ+ rights over the decades.

- BOOKSHOPS
- BOOKSELLERS
- PUBLISHING
- RESISTANCE
- COMMUNITY
- LGBTQ+ RIGHTS
- BOOK RAIIDS & LAWS
- INTERNATIONAL QUEER HISTORY

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Script Haven LTD @scripthavenltd.bsky.social · 08/05/2026

The books are arriving for our Alchemy of Words festival! Today’s delivery is @ajwestauthor.bsky.social “How Queer Bookshops changed the World”. Come meet AJ at our festival on Tuesday 2nd June. Get your tickets here: wegottickets.com/ScriptHaven

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Andrew Copson @andrewcopson.bsky.social · 08/05/2026

And the brilliant new book by @ajwestauthor.bsky.social whose moving tribute to the value of queer bookshops at the launch brought a tear to my eye.

Front cover of A.J. WEST
HOW
QUEER
BOOKSHOPS CHANGED THE WORLD

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Jack Shoulder @jackshoulder.bsky.social · 30/04/2026

I can't wait to get stuck into this: How Queer Bookshops Changed the World by @ajwestauthor.bsky.social. Bookshops are magical spaces. Queer bookshops even moreso. They help us form community and share ideas, this is such a vital history to tell! And it's just in time to be an early bday 🎁

A man holding a book in front of a bookshelf

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AJ West Author @ajwestauthor.bsky.social · 06/01/2026

How do I explain in court that the reason I picked up the man sitting next to me in the library and threw him through the window is that he was bouncing his knee for 2 hours straight while I was trying to write a novel? He's like a ******* cricket. 🦗

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AJ West Author @ajwestauthor.bsky.social · 05/01/2026

My mum doesn't take her tree down in January. Oh no. She does this and I love her for it. And yes, that is a rabbit. 🌸🏵🌼

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Kit de Waal @kitdewaal.com · 03/01/2026

Sometime ago I was on here looking for a probation officer who was working in 2010 in the UK and who also might have worked with prisoners pre release. I can’t remember who got in touch but if there is anyone who fits the bill, pls get in touch. It’s for a book, Many thanks. Please repost ;)

media.tenor.com

a monkey is sitting on the ground with a banana in its mouth and looking at the camera .

ALT: a monkey is sitting on the ground with a banana in its mouth and looking at the camera .

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AJ West Author @ajwestauthor.bsky.social · 04/01/2026

The mollies and I are made up! 🦚🥰

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AJ West Author @ajwestauthor.bsky.social · 15/12/2025

Yes I love that modern illustration. A fabulous flight of fancy!

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AJ West Author @ajwestauthor.bsky.social · 28/11/2025

One man, a decorated Christmas tree, and perhaps a little sadness every year that I don't have kids to share my excitement with.

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AJ West Author @ajwestauthor.bsky.social · 28/11/2025

Pleased to have been voted to the board of the SoA. Thank you to all my fellow writers who put an X beside my name. Much to do... watch this space.

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AJ West Author @ajwestauthor.bsky.social · 03/11/2025

Delighted to have been elected to the @societyofauthors.bsky.social Management Committee. Thank you to all those who voted for me. 🙏

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The Book Party ®️ C.I.C @thebookparty.bsky.social · 23/10/2025

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT ON INSTA! Summer 26 will now be in Weston-super-Mare. Any ticketholders seeking information: information@thebookparty.co.uk www.instagram.com/reel/DQJnai7...

instagram.com

Welcome back to Instagram. Sign in to check out what your friends, family & interests have been capturing & sharing around the world.

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AJ West Author @ajwestauthor.bsky.social · 19/10/2025

I will never get over the fact the mollies are TAKING OVER the USA. Shouldn't it be banned by now?

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AJ West Author @ajwestauthor.bsky.social · 17/10/2025

Always wanted to be the naughty kid at the back of the bus. Made it to Dublin for the @murderonefest.bsky.social 🍀

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AJ West Author @ajwestauthor.bsky.social · 14/10/2025

I've always dreamed of having my Thomas in the window of @waterstones.bsky.social Piccadilly window. ☺️ *blushes* And you KNOW I'm going to have to go down there and visit.

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AJ West Author @ajwestauthor.bsky.social · 14/10/2025

PREORDER NOW: The world's first ever history of queer bookshops is out May 26! I'm so proud of this book. It's been a huge amount of research and it's such a fascinating story. Now thanks to @Waterstones you can get 25% off your preorder. 🏳️‍🌈 @oneworldbooks.bsky.social 🛍 share.google/Dqi8CFWwmVJT...

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Dan Morrisey @danielltweets.bsky.social · 17/09/2025

Reading the final pages of The Betrayal of Thomas True in Sitges 🦚 — @ajwestauthor.bsky.social has written a dazzling work of queer history and storytelling. Its evocation of 18th century persecution mirrors today’s prejudices with chilling clarity, yet reminds us that love always outlives hate ❤️

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Stuart @stuwoolmull.bsky.social · 04/10/2025

Just finished reading #TheBetrayalOfThomasTrue by @ajwestauthor.bsky.social What a brilliant read, learning a little bit about mollie culture. A must read!

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Orenda Books @orendabooks.bsky.social · 14/10/2025

💜 Out NOW in #USA & #Canada! #TheBetrayalOfThomasTrue by @ajwestauthor.bsky.social is out NOW in #Paperback! ✨ Stunning new paperback look 🕯️ Secrets, love, and betrayal 📖 Unforgettable characters 💜 bit.ly/4n5GdwO #HistoricalFiction #BookSky#GothicFiction

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Angry Algonquin @angryalgonquin.com · 25/08/2025

@ajwestauthor.bsky.social Of historical interest:

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Matthew Hodson @matthewhodson.bsky.social · 23/08/2025

The Betrayal of Thomas True by @ajwestauthor.bsky.social is a delightful thriller / historical romance, populated by C18th mollies, the queers of their era. Then, as now, no law nor societal disapproval is sufficient to stop us. We have always been here. We will always be here.

Me holding up a copy of the beautiful hardback edition of the book.

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AJ West Author @ajwestauthor.bsky.social · 18/08/2025

Flippin eck! It was only on sale for a month and the Christmas Book Party has sold out! Don't worry if you didn't make it in time, there'll be another party announcement very soon! 🌊😉👌

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The Book Party ®️ C.I.C @thebookparty.bsky.social · 16/08/2025

LISA JEWELL ● ADELE PARKS ● MIKE GAYLE ● AMANDA PROWSE ● TM LOGAN ● MARK EDWARDS ● GD WRIGHT ● The Book Party Christmas Ball on Manchester is going to be an absolutely cracker! And currently only 16 tickets left! thebookparty.co.uk

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Tom Gauld @tomgauld.bsky.social · 10/08/2025

My cartoons for this week’s @theguardian.com books #holiday #vacation #reading

A happy book says:
I'm so proud you chose me as your holiday read! I can't wait to start entertaining you!

A smiling drink says:
And I'm right here! Ready to keep you cool and refreshed while you read!

A gleeful phone adds:
Yay! So great! How about we kick things off with a load of the same old rubbish you always look at, plus some gloomy news and mavbe a few emails from work!!

Hours later...

The drink and book lie untouched.

The phone is out of view but a bubble reads:
Scroll Scroll Scroll Scroll Scroll

The book says
“I hate that guy.”

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AJ West Author @ajwestauthor.bsky.social · 11/08/2025

We have fewer than 50 tickets left (47 to be exact) for the CHRISTMAS BALL! Authors and readers, join us in Manchester beneath the stars in a snow globe of bookish joy. Your chance to spread some Christmas cheer and celebrate some of the UK's top book bloggers. thebookparty.co.uk

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AJ West Author @ajwestauthor.bsky.social · 09/08/2025

Gorgeous day and I'm in the library. Oh well, no complaints!

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AJ West Author @ajwestauthor.bsky.social · 08/08/2025

THE UK BOOK BLOGGER AWARDS 2025 NOMINATIONS ARE LIVE! Vote now for the best and brightest bookish influencers in the UK. Nominate your friends and favourites now ⬇️ The awards will be held in the Manchester snow dome Nov 15! Linktr.ee/thebookparty

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Matthew Hodson @matthewhodson.bsky.social · 06/08/2025

A good thing about convalescence is I finally get the time to read again - and for pleasure! Currently, The Betrayal of Thomas True by @ajwestauthor.bsky.social, a wonderfully queer thriller / romance set around the Molly Houses of the C18th.

Me taking my glasses off while reading Thomas True.

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AJ West Author @ajwestauthor.bsky.social · 06/08/2025

Well, Thomas True is in the top ten of gay romance on Kindle. Can we make him rise through the soft (apparently quite hard) pornography? 99p until tomorrow! amzn.eu/d/bQ4OKBw

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