Happy Groundhog Day! Here in the USA, we’ve gotten the word from Punxsutawney Phil that we’re in for a long winter. We’re celebrating the day with our favorite queer books about—no, not groundhogs—time loops (inspired by the 1993 classic movie “Groundhog Day”)! List by Nina Waters, Sanne and an anonymous contributor. This list has an unusually high proportion of “queer subtext” stories, but we stand by them as recs nonetheless! Your interpretations may vary from ours, though.

Link Click by Li Haoling

Past or Future, let them be.

Time Photo Studio is a small photography shop tucked in a quiet corner of a modern metropolis. This seemingly abandoned place is run by two friends Cheng Xiaoshi and Lu Guang, who use superpowers to enter photos to fulfil their clients’ requests. But their time agent missions don’t always go as planned…

This Is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar & Max Gladstone

Thus begins an unlikely correspondence between two rival agents hellbent on securing the best possible future for their warring factions. Now, what began as a taunt, a battlefield boast, becomes something more. Something epic. Something romantic. Something that could change the past and the future.

Except the discovery of their bond would mean the death of each of them. There’s still a war going on, after all. And someone has to win. That’s how war works, right?

Cowritten by two beloved and award-winning sci-fi writers, This Is How You Lose the Time War is an epic love story spanning time and space.

Tsubasa: RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE by CLAMP

But they’re not the people you know. Sakura is the princess of Clow – and possessor of a mysterious, misunderstood power that promises to change the world. Syaoran is her childhood friend and leader of the archaeological dig that took his father’s life. They reside in an alternate reality…where whatever you least expect can happen – and does. When Sakura ventures to the dig site to declare her love for Syaoran, a puzzling symbol is uncovered – which triggers a remarkable quest. Now Syaoran embarks upon a desperate journey through other worlds – all in the name of saving Sakura.

xxxHolic by CLAMP

Watanuki Kimihiro is haunted by visions of ghosts and spirits. Seemingly by chance, he encounters a mysterious witch named Yuuko, who claims she can help. In desperation, he accepts, but realizes that he’s just been tricked into working for Yuuko in order to pay off the cost of her services. Soon he’s employed in her little shop—a job which turns out to be nothing like his previous work experience!

Most of Yuuko’s customers live in Japan, but Yuuko and Watanuki are about to have some unusual visitors named Sakura and Syaoran from a land called Clow. . . .

Umineko: When They Cry by 07th Expansion

Umineko no Naku Koro ni takes place in 1986 on October 4 and 5 on a secluded island called Rokkenjima (六軒島). The head of a wealthy family named Ushiromiya Kinzou, who lives on and owns Rokkenjima, is near death, and eleven of his family members arrive on the island to discuss how Kinzou’s assets will be divided once he is dead. Also on the island are five of Kinzou’s servants and his physician. After the eleven family members arrive, a typhoon traps them on the island and shortly after, people get mysteriously murdered.

What are your favorite queer time loop stories?

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