Carnation Bookhouse

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Carnation Bookhouse

Carnation Bookhouse is a q***r pop-up bookstore bringing q***r stories and the books we need to take action to locations around Urbana-Champaign, IL.

08/08/2026

We’re on Walnut today, come say hello! We are here at the Urbana Farmer’s Market until noon!

08/07/2026

TOMORROW: Come find us at the Urbana Farmer’s Market from 7-noon!

Second picture was my read last market, SHE LOVES TO COOK, SHE LOVES TO EAT VOLUME 2. I’m still working my way through this series, I don’t want it to be over so I take breaks in between each book!

The first picture is a picture of me, Sam, a white nonbinary person with glasses and a hat on all in black clothes, standing in the Carnation Bookhouse stand. A table is piled with books, more books are in a cart, and a clothes rack holds a bunch of t-shirts.

08/06/2026

One way I get out of a reading slump: manga and graphic novels. Something about having pictures quiets my noisy brain, it helps immerse me in the story. Here are a few from the shop that I love…

📚 THE GUY SHE WAS INTERESTED IN WASN’T A GUY AT ALL - This awesome Yuri is known for its distinctive art style in black and white, with pops of lime green.

📚 SHE LOVES TO COOK, SHE LOVES TO EAT - It’s just so wholesome!! I love all of the food talk and the art makes me so hungry.

📚 PINK MONSTERS - A beautiful graphic novel about a 14 year old coming into his own and learning to accept himself. The art style here emphasizes pops of pink!

📚 THE DEMON OF BEAUSOLEIL - The Odd Couple meets exorcisms? I love this delightful little book with exorcist Hell, who flirts shamelessly with his bodyguard.

08/05/2026

🗓️ Mark your calendars! Quiet Qu**rs is back on August 19 from 6-9 p.m. Amy's Place

Bring a book you’re reading or you can purchase one from my booth! Come make new friends and swap book recs. See you there!!

Picture ID: A decorative poster with books in the background. The poster reads: books drinks lofi reading. Carnation Bookhouse presents Quiet Qu**rs Read-Up on Wednesday Aug 19 from 6-9 p.m. at Amy’s Place, 120 N. 1st St. Champaign, IL 61821. Come read a book and make a friend!

08/04/2026

Do you know I LOVE reading romance?

Like a lot. A lot a lot.

I even have a several-year running S**t Club with some of my friends.

Anyway, it’s “Read a Romance Month” at Bookshop.org US and you can get 15 percent off select titles with the code RAR26. They have a list of LGBTQ+ titles that include some I really love, like OUTDRAWN by Deanna Grey. Will never stop talking about how much I love this book!

So head over to Bookshop.org and be sure to select “Carnation Bookhouse” as your bookstore!

And if you want to pick up a romance in person, I’ll be at the Champaign Farmer’s Market today from 3-6 p.m. See you there!

Picture 1: the cover of OUTDRAWN by Deanna Grey.

Picture 2: a poster with a stack of books that says “Join bookshop.org in celebrating love during Read a Romance Month, get 15 percent off select titles with the code RAR26”

08/02/2026

“Why the green carnation?”

It’s a super fair question, so I realized I should have a post about it!

Reportedly Oscar Wilde is the reason the green carnation became a kind of hidden q***r symbol in Victorian culture. Carnations aren’t naturally green – the flower would be artificially dyed, and then worn in one’s buttonhole to signal to other gay people that you were in the know.

I liked the idea of having a hidden q***r symbol represent my LGBTQIA+ bookshop. 😏

I made some shirts with the green carnation on them. They are block printed, and the block was carved by Emery Smith. You can pick them up at our booth for $14. Each one is unique – they are handmade by my chronically ill shaky hands lol. 🙃

Picture 1: A picture of a black shirt with three block printed green carnations in a row on it.

Picture 2: A rack of shirts. The shirt facing out is black with four carnations printed on it in a square shape. Two of the carnations are green, and two are silver.

07/31/2026

Three books in our store, and snippets from their descriptions:

📚️ HUNGERSTONE by Kat Dunn: “Set against the violent wilderness of the moors and the uncontrolled appetite of the industrial revolution, Hungerstone is a compulsive feminist reworking of Carmilla, the book that inspired Dracula: a captivating story of appetite and desire.”

Come and get them!

Tonight we’ll be The Space for Aliya🕷️’s Soberversary at 9 p.m. Tomorrow we’re at the Champaign Farmer’s Market from 7-noon.

📚️ SIRENS & MUSES by Antonia Angress: “Louisa Arceneaux is a thoughtful, observant nineteen-year-old when she transfers to Wrynn as a scholarship student, but she soon finds herself adrift in an environment that prizes novelty over beauty. Complicating matters is Louisa’s unexpected attraction to her charismatic roommate, Karina Piontek, the preternaturally gifted but mercurial daughter of wealthy art collectors. Gradually, Louisa and Karina are drawn into an intense sensual and artistic relationship, one that forces them to confront their deepest desires and fears.”

📚️ WHIDBEY by T Kira Madden: “A complex whodunnit told from alternating points of view, Whidbey is searingly perceptive and astonishingly original. Exploring the long reach of violence and our flawed systems of incarceration and rehabilitation, this is a tense and provocative debut that’s sure to incite crucial questions about the pursuit of justice and who has real power over a story: the one who lives it, or the one who tells it?”

07/29/2026

Quiet Qu**rs thank you!! Last week’s edition of Quiet Qu**rs was so cool that I mostly forgot to take pictures y’all! I really enjoyed talking to you about books and finishing up a book I had been reading at markets the past couple of weeks, PINK MONSTERS, a graphic novel by Claus Daniel Herrmann, a German creator.

Pink Monsters is a graphic novel that tells the story of a 14 year-old who is starting to come to terms with his sexuality, while his dad is navigating depression. It’s a really powerful story about having empathy for others, while making sure they don’t keep you from living as your authentic self.

I also started on the novella by J.S. Jasper, BITE ME TWICE, which is a fun little vampire story.

I took a bunch more pictures of books you suggested I carry at the store, and wrote down some titles I’m looking for now. I love talking books with you, hearing your ideas and recommendations and just getting to share space while we all read together.

Thank you very much to Amy's Place for letting us take over the bar!

Our next date for Quiet Qu**rs will be August 19 from 6-9 p.m. Mark your calendars!

Picture 1: A picture of the book PINK MONSTERS by Claus Daniel Herrmann. The Carnation Bookhouse table with books on top of the table in a bookshelf is in the background of the image.

Picture 2: A picture of the book BITE ME TWICE by J.S. Jasper. The Carnation Bookhouse table with books on top of the table in a bookshelf is in the background of the image.

Picture 3: The Carnation Bookhouse table with books on top of the table in a bookshelf. The table also has two t-shirts hanging from it, one with the Carnation Bookhouse logo, and another with the words Girl Dinner. A heart shaped rainbow balloon is in the background of the image.

07/28/2026

End of an era: I’ve had such a great summer partnering with Emery Smith at the farmer’s markets. Emery’s been bringing super cool bug art to the market, and is going to be moving on to an exciting new job. Because of that, today at the Champaign Farmer’s Market is the last market Carnation Bookhouse will also have A Buug Kid! Come help Emery sell out and wish him good luck in his future work!

Thanks for encouraging me to do this Emery. I’m excited for what’s next for you!

So don’t forget: Champaign Farmer’s Market, Tuesday (TODAY!) from 3-7 p.m. See you there!

Picture 1: A picture of A Buug Kid’s booth. A rack of t-shirts and a hanging organizer of stickers are in the foreground of the picture. In the background stands Emery doing a peace sign.

Picture 2: Another picture of Emery’s booth at a market. Bug art is hanging up on a rack.

Picture 3: A close up picture of a pocket block printed with a bug. The pocket has wildflowers in it.

Picture 4: A picture of the first event Emery and Sam did together at The Space. They are standing behind their table smiling.

Address

401 S. Vine Street
Urbana, IL
61801

Website

http://www.carnationbookhouse.com/, https://bookshop.org/shop/CarnationBookhouse

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