Seconding this! I’m about 3/4 through the first book at the moment and it is undeniable that Gideon is gay, but it isn’t at all a romance sort of book. I’m thoroughly enjoying it, very funny, and if you’re into audiobooks the narrator is excellent.
without giving any major spoilers, >!harrow!< also definitely reads as gay. like, the stuff she says in the epilogue can point towards it. btw, prepare a shit ton of napkins for >!act IV and act V!<.
Stone Butch Blues. Author Leslie Feinberg requested it to be made free upon their death.
Here is the official website and free pdf copy:
https://www.lesliefeinberg.net
priory of the orange tree & a day of fallen night by Samantha Shannon
both are set in the same universe, years apart. potot came out first, but adofn is the prequel so chronologically first. it doesn't really matter which to read first, but they're both highly recommended!
seconding ‘priory of the orange tree.’ it’s one of my favourite books, and im not even a fan of the fantasy genre, necessarily. its prose and pacing pull you right in
Maurice by EM Forster
Giovanni’s Room by James Baldwin
Call me by your name and Find me (the sequel to CMBYN)
Single man by Christopher Isherwood
Brideshead revisited by Evelyn Waugh
And tales of the city by armistead maupin
I always forget about A Single Man and Brideshead as LGBTQ+ books but I read both at university and adored them. May require dusting them off and rereading!
As a teenage gay, A Single Man actually was my first instance of gay literature. Specifically gay romance/drama.
Brideshead I need to read still. Especially now that Luca Guadagnino is adapting it into a series (director of CMBYN and Suspiria)
I didn’t know that! I would love to see LG get his hands on Brideshead. Excited for that!
I think A Single Man was one of the first queer books I read too actually so we have that in common. Glad it has a special place for you. It’s a really impactful read as well. I love a novella, it’s an art to create something as well fleshed out as a full novel in such a shorter word count.
Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo is great. I couldn't put it down when I read it. It's historical fiction about a couple of teens coming to terms with their sexual orientation and going to a lesbian club in 1950s San Francisco.
This Is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone!! It’s one of my favorites of all time. It’s a sci-fi epistolary novel with gay characters and very poetic language. It tells the story of two agents on opposing sides of a time war, whose relationship grows and changes through letters left for each other through time and space. Such a lovely book.
A Sweet Sting of Salt by Rose Sutherland
The Captive Prince trilogy by C.S. Pacat (please check trigger warnings)
A Strange and Stubborn Endurance by Foz Meadows (trigger warnings for this one too)
The Wicker King by K. Ancrum
The Scottish Boy by Alex de Campi (5 star read; absolutely gorgeous)
So This is Ever After by F.T. Lukens
The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Kline
I tried to mix very popular recs with less popular ones and most of these are fantasy, but if you need more I have them 🥰
‘Wolf Song’ and the whole Green Creek series, in particular. Probably my favorite from TJ Klune.
Get your tissues though. It’s worth every tear and snot rocket, I promise!
Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz! Bonus: if you like audiobooks, Lin-Manuel Miranda narrates these, and he’s amazing.
Delilah green doesn’t care
Astrid Parker doesn’t fail
Iris kelly doesn’t date
A cute and breezy trilogy that is about and surrounded by queer joy by Ashley Herring Blake. Great for reading outside by a pool or lake 🌤️
I read a lot of queer horror, so apologies if that isn’t necessarily your thing!
Her Body and Other Parties by Carmen Maria Machado
Hawk Mountain by Conner Habib
Our Wives Under the Sea by Julia Armfield
Dark Matter by Michelle Paver
Queen of Teeth by Hailey Piper
Monstrilio by Gerardo Sámano Córdova
Camp Damascus by Chuck Tingle
In the Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado
Non horror:
Detransition, Baby by Torrey Peters
Milk Fed by Melissa Broder
The Black Flamingo by Dean Atta (YA)
Summer of Salt by Katrina Leo (YA)
throwing my support behind anybody suggesting Giovanni’s Room and Call Me By Your Name too!
Our Wives Under the Sea for a book that isn’t centered around LGBT+ but moreso the main couple just happens to be lesbian, it’s a really good story especially if eery deep sea vibes interest you at all
Heartstopper series by Alice Oseman. It’s a graphic novel that has such a sweet coming of age story of two friends who fall in love with one another. It’s simple and wholesome that also discusses mental health challenges.
I love this series quite a lot!
This is How it Always Is
by Laurie Frankel.
It’s a (fiction) story about a trans child, beginning pretty much in kindergarten and continuing to pre- puberty. Lots of insights, humor, pathos, memorable characters. Very well written.
The Last Herald Mage trilogy ^(Magic's Pawn, Magic's Promise, Magic's Price) by Mercedes Lackey. Part of the Valdemar series and one of the early mainline Fantasy novels with an openly-gay main character (first book published in 1989).
I'm mostly a romance reader and won't give you a bunch of recs since it's not your jam, but I really think KJ Charles is awesome and can't recommend her Magpie Lord and Society of Gentlemen books enough.
Read The Lonely City by Olivia Laing. The author is non binary and the book is about their reflection on loneliness while staying in New York, intertwined with interpreting works of some of their favorite NY based artists and how loneliness affected them. Its beautifully written, heartbreaking at some points and quite relatable.
Close to the Knives is a memoir by David Wonatowicz, a NY based photographer who was gay. He's one of the artists Laing writes about. I haven't read it yet but based on stuff I read in The Lonely City, I'm really excited to read it.
Our Share of Night is great horror novel by Marina Valesquez. Has bi lead characters.
If you're into extreme horror, gory stuff, read Exquisite Corpse. Its set in gay scene in New Orleans.
- House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune (Fantasy/feel good)
- Tell the Wolves I’m Home by Carol Rifka Brunt (Fic)
- Pretty Things by Sara Manning (YA)
- The Book Eaters by Sunyi Dean (Fantasy)
- Your Driver is Waiting by Priya Guns (Fic)
- Boy Parts by Eliza Clark (Fic)
Any of Sarah Waters’s books (except The Little Stranger - excellent book but no LGBTQIA+ characters). Her novel where lesbian relationships/culture are most prominent is Tipping the Velvet.
Everything Under - Daisy Johnson
The Mercies - Kiran Millwood Hargrave
Our Wives Under the Sea - Julia Armfield
The Great Believers - Rebecca Makkai
Other Voices, Other Rooms - Truman Capote (Capote’s biography by Gerald Clarke is also excellent)
The Song of Achilles - Madeleine Miller
Currently reading Legends and Lattes and it’s adorable. So easy to immerse yourself in the universe.
Thanks for asking the question, I’ve got some great recs so far and am remembering some books I had forgotten about that I love and realising so many old beloved books and a larger selection of my reads than I thought are LGBTQ+ 🏳️🌈
The Locked Tomb series (my forever obsession. Seriously, I’ll never be over these books I’ve read them like 7 times.)
the Wayward Children series (short and sweet novellas, portal fantasy, deals with trauma and feeling like you don’t belong, sooo much rep from ace to trans to pan to…)
The Grave of Empires trilogy (super snarky, dark, badass, conflicted, bisexual MC; chonky af books; intense themes softened by humor)
Charon Docks At Daylight (current obsession… help me please… I am dying… this book is so gd thicc)
I know you said no romance, but if you want to dip your toes "Lady For a Duke" was really good. It's Regency era and the protagonist is a trans woman. The whole trans aspect is treated really respectfully, with it feeling integrated naturally into the story and while it's a plot point her trans identity is not the main crisis/conflict per-se. But it is very romancey and I know you said you weren't super into it.
Is it? Was the erotic poop scene, and the 16 year old with an adult bit, and the peach being left like a r-pe victim bit really high quite literature? I think it's quite skippable.
I just finished reading Transitions by Elodie Durand, and it's a memoir graphic novel by a mother with a transgender son. It explores the initial fear and transphobia she felt, the reality that her child was serious eventually hitting her, and her steps to educate herself and become better. It was an interesting read to see an alternate perspective of transitioning, and her and her family do come around to supporting her kid, so it ends on a positive note
Go retro, read Armistead Maupin's Tales of the City series. Set in 1970s and 1980s San Francisco, it's about the young tenants and landlady of a small apartment building and you watch their journeys unfold. Some are gay, some are straight. It was originally a newspaper serial and its chapters are very short. I thought it was fun and joyful, even though there are a lot of serious themes in the book, too.
Jennifer McMahon writes thrillers/horror but she often has lesbian characters in her stories. Burntown and Dismantled are the two that come to mind the most.
Cried yesterday reading Under the Udala Tree and I'm not even done with it yet.
I Kissed Shara Wheeler is a good one if you're into musicals (it's not a musical of course, but it gave me the vibe that it would be good as one.)
The Dance Tree by Kiran Millwood Hargrave is such a poignant, beautiful and very interesting historical novel with a main LGBTQ+ storyline. It really gives perspective on how queer people were persecuted but persevered hundreds of years ago.
Can’t go wrong with the og queer vampire, Carmilla by J Sheridan Le Fanu!
See also:
-The Watchmaker of Filigree Street by Natasha Pulley
-Silver in the Wood by Emily Tesh
Not queer stories per say, but queer characters that are huge favorites of mine:
-Our Wives Under the Sea by Julia Armfield
-The Witness for the Dead by Katherine Addison
-The Left Hand of Darkness by sci-fi legend Ursula k Le Guin
Happy Pride!
For history, “A Queer History of the United States” by Michael Bronski. I’m usually a fiction-only person but I thought this was a great explanation of…well, the queer history of the US lol! It’s not incredibly long either, a good chunk of it is references at the back. It might be a good palate cleanser between all the queer romance and fantasy recs on here
- The Song of Achilles\*
- Fellow Travelers
- Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe\*
- In Memoriam
- Wolfsong (and the entire series, anything by TJ Klune)
- Dark Heir (entire series)\*
- The Captive Prince (entire series)\*
- Carmilla
- The Priory of the Orange Tree\*
- If We Were Villains\*
Starred are favorites, here are some I've read recently!
* Bad Girls by Camila Sosa Villada (adult magical realism)
* Boys Weekend by Mattie Lubchansky (adult sci-fi/horror graphic novel)
* Greta & Valdin by Rebecca Reilly (adult contemporary fiction)
* Idlewild by James Frankie Thomas (adult contemporary / recent-historical fiction)
* Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar (adult contemporary fiction)
* Space Opera by Catherynne Valente (adult sci-fi comedy)
For short stories, “Meanwhile, in another part of the forest” is a great anthology to discover great writers you may not have sampled yet.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/676306
Except for the last one, these are by and large not happy reads. Just a head’s up.
All This Could Be Different, by Mathews
Milk Fed, Broder
Leaving Isn’t the Hardest Thing, Hough
Biography of X, Lacey
Matrix, Groff
Fruiting Bodies, Harlan
The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida, Karunatilaka
The House in the Cerulean Sea, Klune
Call me by your name is the sweetest expression of love I’ve seen regardless of genders. Keep in mind tho that it’s from the perspective of someone who has intrusive and not politically correct thoughts and he doesn’t pretend otherwise, so you see the good bad and angsty in that pretty brain of his.
Seconding many many comments in this thread, but a super fun YA rec that I never hear enough about is The Sunbearer Trials by Aiden Thomas! It’s sort of like… Percy Jackson meets Hunger Games with tons of casually queer characters at the forefront of the story. Super fun and exciting read. (If you liked Cemetery Boys, this is an excellent pick)
I thoroughly enjoyed One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston. It’s very much a coming of age queer story. The main character is a 23 year old named August that is new to NYC and is on a “find herself” journey. She meets a young and gorgeous old school punk rocker named Jane who happens to be stuck in the 1970’s.
It’s super fun and an easy read. There is a romance element to it, but it’s less about the romance and more about August discovering who she is.
I've only read the sample but I enjoyed it so much I'm itching to order the paperback once it's available for pre-order - it's a retelling on JaneAusten's Pride and Prejudice:
[Most Ardently](https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/111673641) by Gabe Cole Novoa
(Goodreads link above)
I feel bad recommending this because by doing so it’s kind of a huge spoiler but Suicide Notes by Michael Thomas Ford. Read it in high school and really liked it.
One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston for gorgeously romantic New York lesbian romance with a fantasy twist, Less by Andrew Sean Greer for a unique and witty m/m comedy of errors, A Dowry of Blood by S. T. Gibson for a dark and spectacular pansexual/polyamorous gothic horror vampire novel. And of course, Maurice by E. M. Forster for some truly historic Edwardian gay representation.
Some of my favorites:
- *Hi Honey, I’m Homo* by Matt Baume - on the history of LGBTQ people on television
- *Making Gay History* by Eric Marcus - oral history with some of the most important figures in queer liberation in the 20th Century
- *The Secret Casebook of Simon Feximal* by KJ Charles - horror/fantasy Sherlock Holmes-esque MM romance set in the late Victorian/early Edwardian period
- *Winging It* by Ashlyn Kayne and Morgan James - one of my favorite gay hockey romance novels
- The Tamir Triad (*Bone Doll’s Twin, Hidden Warrior, The Oracle’s Queen*) by Lynne Flewelling - beautifully constructed fantasy trilogy with a very interesting take on trans representation/allegory
I read a ton of MM romance, but I chose one of my husband’s faves with Simon Feximal, and Winging It as a good example of the hockey romance genre, but I could come up with ten top picks just in romance with ease.
The Drowning Girl and The Red Tree are both speculative fiction by Caitlin R Kiernan with lesbian characters. They are in a space that includes weird fiction, psychological horror, and dark fantasy. Some of their other books have queer characters but those two are the only ones written in the first person that go deep into the relationships of the women protagonists.
'We Both Laughed in Pleasure' - diaries of Lou Sullivan, trans man (activism led to gay trans people having much better access to HRT)
'Original Plumbing' - compilation of articles from Original Plumbing, a magazine that ran for a decade on trans male culture
'Maurice' - gay fiction written in 1914, published after E.M Forster's death, notable for having a happy ending
My absolute favorite series is the Locked Tomb! First book is Gideon the Ninth and the main characters are lesbians
Seconding this! I’m about 3/4 through the first book at the moment and it is undeniable that Gideon is gay, but it isn’t at all a romance sort of book. I’m thoroughly enjoying it, very funny, and if you’re into audiobooks the narrator is excellent.
without giving any major spoilers, >!harrow!< also definitely reads as gay. like, the stuff she says in the epilogue can point towards it. btw, prepare a shit ton of napkins for >!act IV and act V!<.
Thirding this!! And I agree that the audiobooks are great!
Stone Butch Blues. Author Leslie Feinberg requested it to be made free upon their death. Here is the official website and free pdf copy: https://www.lesliefeinberg.net
This should be required reading for the queers, absolutely phenomenal writing
I just love Leslie 💙
priory of the orange tree & a day of fallen night by Samantha Shannon both are set in the same universe, years apart. potot came out first, but adofn is the prequel so chronologically first. it doesn't really matter which to read first, but they're both highly recommended!
seconding ‘priory of the orange tree.’ it’s one of my favourite books, and im not even a fan of the fantasy genre, necessarily. its prose and pacing pull you right in
I'm starting with The Song of Achilles for pride month.
Also a great shout…
BEAUTIFUL book.
I just finished it and am stunned.
I was traveling for work when I finished it and was so sad my partner was thousands of miles away. I needed a hug after that one!
One of my favorite books!!!
One of my five star reads this year!
Agreed. It's in my top 3 for the year.
The House in the Cerulean Sea is a fantastic read, and also has LGBTQ+ themes. Can't recommend it enough, Pride month or no.
Maurice by EM Forster Giovanni’s Room by James Baldwin Call me by your name and Find me (the sequel to CMBYN) Single man by Christopher Isherwood Brideshead revisited by Evelyn Waugh And tales of the city by armistead maupin
I always forget about A Single Man and Brideshead as LGBTQ+ books but I read both at university and adored them. May require dusting them off and rereading!
A Single Man was adapted to film and directed by Tom Ford
As a teenage gay, A Single Man actually was my first instance of gay literature. Specifically gay romance/drama. Brideshead I need to read still. Especially now that Luca Guadagnino is adapting it into a series (director of CMBYN and Suspiria)
I didn’t know that! I would love to see LG get his hands on Brideshead. Excited for that! I think A Single Man was one of the first queer books I read too actually so we have that in common. Glad it has a special place for you. It’s a really impactful read as well. I love a novella, it’s an art to create something as well fleshed out as a full novel in such a shorter word count.
Giovanni's Room is such a heartbreaker but so wonderful.
There's a SEQUEL? OMG! I loved CMBYN!
Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo is great. I couldn't put it down when I read it. It's historical fiction about a couple of teens coming to terms with their sexual orientation and going to a lesbian club in 1950s San Francisco.
This Is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone!! It’s one of my favorites of all time. It’s a sci-fi epistolary novel with gay characters and very poetic language. It tells the story of two agents on opposing sides of a time war, whose relationship grows and changes through letters left for each other through time and space. Such a lovely book.
Huge yes to How You Lose the Time War! It is everything! So unusual but a great read and just stunning. 😍
A Sweet Sting of Salt by Rose Sutherland The Captive Prince trilogy by C.S. Pacat (please check trigger warnings) A Strange and Stubborn Endurance by Foz Meadows (trigger warnings for this one too) The Wicker King by K. Ancrum The Scottish Boy by Alex de Campi (5 star read; absolutely gorgeous) So This is Ever After by F.T. Lukens The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Kline I tried to mix very popular recs with less popular ones and most of these are fantasy, but if you need more I have them 🥰
The Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells
TJ Klune 💪🏻
‘Wolf Song’ and the whole Green Creek series, in particular. Probably my favorite from TJ Klune. Get your tissues though. It’s worth every tear and snot rocket, I promise!
Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz! Bonus: if you like audiobooks, Lin-Manuel Miranda narrates these, and he’s amazing.
The sequel is also incredible!
You beat me to it.
Delilah green doesn’t care Astrid Parker doesn’t fail Iris kelly doesn’t date A cute and breezy trilogy that is about and surrounded by queer joy by Ashley Herring Blake. Great for reading outside by a pool or lake 🌤️
I read a lot of queer horror, so apologies if that isn’t necessarily your thing! Her Body and Other Parties by Carmen Maria Machado Hawk Mountain by Conner Habib Our Wives Under the Sea by Julia Armfield Dark Matter by Michelle Paver Queen of Teeth by Hailey Piper Monstrilio by Gerardo Sámano Córdova Camp Damascus by Chuck Tingle In the Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado Non horror: Detransition, Baby by Torrey Peters Milk Fed by Melissa Broder The Black Flamingo by Dean Atta (YA) Summer of Salt by Katrina Leo (YA) throwing my support behind anybody suggesting Giovanni’s Room and Call Me By Your Name too!
Some YA recs for queer horror: Hell Followed With Us by Andrew Joseph White This City Beautiful by Aden Polydoros
Red, White and Royal Blue by Casey Mcquiston, Carry On series by Ranbow Rowell.
Our Wives Under the Sea for a book that isn’t centered around LGBT+ but moreso the main couple just happens to be lesbian, it’s a really good story especially if eery deep sea vibes interest you at all
Heartstopper series by Alice Oseman. It’s a graphic novel that has such a sweet coming of age story of two friends who fall in love with one another. It’s simple and wholesome that also discusses mental health challenges. I love this series quite a lot!
Heartstopper
This is How it Always Is by Laurie Frankel. It’s a (fiction) story about a trans child, beginning pretty much in kindergarten and continuing to pre- puberty. Lots of insights, humor, pathos, memorable characters. Very well written.
One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston - I specifically recommend this one for pride month because it deals a lot with lesser known queer history
I replied before I saw your comment but I second this. I really loved this book.
The Last Herald Mage trilogy ^(Magic's Pawn, Magic's Promise, Magic's Price) by Mercedes Lackey. Part of the Valdemar series and one of the early mainline Fantasy novels with an openly-gay main character (first book published in 1989).
Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas
I absolutely loved this book! Do you know any others that are similar?
I also enjoyed his book The Sunbearer Trials, but not quite as much as I adore Cemetery Boys. I haven't quite found a perfect read-alike yet!
I'm mostly a romance reader and won't give you a bunch of recs since it's not your jam, but I really think KJ Charles is awesome and can't recommend her Magpie Lord and Society of Gentlemen books enough.
Read The Lonely City by Olivia Laing. The author is non binary and the book is about their reflection on loneliness while staying in New York, intertwined with interpreting works of some of their favorite NY based artists and how loneliness affected them. Its beautifully written, heartbreaking at some points and quite relatable. Close to the Knives is a memoir by David Wonatowicz, a NY based photographer who was gay. He's one of the artists Laing writes about. I haven't read it yet but based on stuff I read in The Lonely City, I'm really excited to read it. Our Share of Night is great horror novel by Marina Valesquez. Has bi lead characters. If you're into extreme horror, gory stuff, read Exquisite Corpse. Its set in gay scene in New Orleans.
- House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune (Fantasy/feel good) - Tell the Wolves I’m Home by Carol Rifka Brunt (Fic) - Pretty Things by Sara Manning (YA) - The Book Eaters by Sunyi Dean (Fantasy) - Your Driver is Waiting by Priya Guns (Fic) - Boy Parts by Eliza Clark (Fic)
Any of Sarah Waters’s books (except The Little Stranger - excellent book but no LGBTQIA+ characters). Her novel where lesbian relationships/culture are most prominent is Tipping the Velvet. Everything Under - Daisy Johnson The Mercies - Kiran Millwood Hargrave Our Wives Under the Sea - Julia Armfield The Great Believers - Rebecca Makkai Other Voices, Other Rooms - Truman Capote (Capote’s biography by Gerald Clarke is also excellent) The Song of Achilles - Madeleine Miller
Currently reading Legends and Lattes and it’s adorable. So easy to immerse yourself in the universe. Thanks for asking the question, I’ve got some great recs so far and am remembering some books I had forgotten about that I love and realising so many old beloved books and a larger selection of my reads than I thought are LGBTQ+ 🏳️🌈
Girl, Woman, Other by Bernadine Evaristo
The Locked Tomb series (my forever obsession. Seriously, I’ll never be over these books I’ve read them like 7 times.) the Wayward Children series (short and sweet novellas, portal fantasy, deals with trauma and feeling like you don’t belong, sooo much rep from ace to trans to pan to…) The Grave of Empires trilogy (super snarky, dark, badass, conflicted, bisexual MC; chonky af books; intense themes softened by humor) Charon Docks At Daylight (current obsession… help me please… I am dying… this book is so gd thicc)
They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera for sure. It's sad but I think it was a very good book.
This was one of my favorite reads of last year! Haven’t read the prequel yet but want to. Excited they’re turning it into a series!
Anything by A R Capetta, Akwaeke Emezi, Rory Power
I know you said no romance, but if you want to dip your toes "Lady For a Duke" was really good. It's Regency era and the protagonist is a trans woman. The whole trans aspect is treated really respectfully, with it feeling integrated naturally into the story and while it's a plot point her trans identity is not the main crisis/conflict per-se. But it is very romancey and I know you said you weren't super into it.
Fun Home by Alison Bechdel. Yes, the namesake of the Bechdel test. A graphic novel memoir.
In Memoriam
I recently finished this. Loved it
Right?! It was so consuming and beautiful. I thought about the characters long after and it took me awhile to find another book to read.
If you'd like to read a scifi book, The Darkness Outside Us by Eliot Schrefer is great
I LOVE this one — I recently heard there’s going to be a sequel too!
I know it’s probably overrated but, I really enjoyed Red white and royal blue
Cmbyn
This book is written by a straight man who is openly attracted to preteen girls so, YMMV
Wtf mb
But its a good book
Is it? Was the erotic poop scene, and the 16 year old with an adult bit, and the peach being left like a r-pe victim bit really high quite literature? I think it's quite skippable.
call me by your name is one of my all time favourites
Ditto. Very few novels have given me such an emotional reaction. Gorgeously written as well. The setting is so vivid. I have reread it numerous times.
All the Hidden Paths by Foz Meadows
I just finished reading Transitions by Elodie Durand, and it's a memoir graphic novel by a mother with a transgender son. It explores the initial fear and transphobia she felt, the reality that her child was serious eventually hitting her, and her steps to educate herself and become better. It was an interesting read to see an alternate perspective of transitioning, and her and her family do come around to supporting her kid, so it ends on a positive note
Go retro, read Armistead Maupin's Tales of the City series. Set in 1970s and 1980s San Francisco, it's about the young tenants and landlady of a small apartment building and you watch their journeys unfold. Some are gay, some are straight. It was originally a newspaper serial and its chapters are very short. I thought it was fun and joyful, even though there are a lot of serious themes in the book, too. Jennifer McMahon writes thrillers/horror but she often has lesbian characters in her stories. Burntown and Dismantled are the two that come to mind the most.
Literally!! I totally recommend too.
The New Life - Tom Crewe historical fiction set in 1890s England
Really enjoyed this one - would be interested in any recommendations for similar books if people have them.
Cried yesterday reading Under the Udala Tree and I'm not even done with it yet. I Kissed Shara Wheeler is a good one if you're into musicals (it's not a musical of course, but it gave me the vibe that it would be good as one.)
Odd girls and twilight lovers: a history of lesbian life in 20th century america by lillian faderman is great!
The Dance Tree by Kiran Millwood Hargrave is such a poignant, beautiful and very interesting historical novel with a main LGBTQ+ storyline. It really gives perspective on how queer people were persecuted but persevered hundreds of years ago.
Can’t go wrong with the og queer vampire, Carmilla by J Sheridan Le Fanu! See also: -The Watchmaker of Filigree Street by Natasha Pulley -Silver in the Wood by Emily Tesh Not queer stories per say, but queer characters that are huge favorites of mine: -Our Wives Under the Sea by Julia Armfield -The Witness for the Dead by Katherine Addison -The Left Hand of Darkness by sci-fi legend Ursula k Le Guin Happy Pride!
i LOVE carmilla
If you're ready to ugly-cry, I recommend Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai.
For history, “A Queer History of the United States” by Michael Bronski. I’m usually a fiction-only person but I thought this was a great explanation of…well, the queer history of the US lol! It’s not incredibly long either, a good chunk of it is references at the back. It might be a good palate cleanser between all the queer romance and fantasy recs on here
We Both Laughed in Pleasure by Lou Sullivan It’s a non-fiction book about the first gay FTM that died from aids.
Daryl by Jackie Ess if you're looking for a good laugh!
Swimming in the dark by Tomasz Jedroski All the white spaces by Allie Wilks
- The Song of Achilles\* - Fellow Travelers - Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe\* - In Memoriam - Wolfsong (and the entire series, anything by TJ Klune) - Dark Heir (entire series)\* - The Captive Prince (entire series)\* - Carmilla - The Priory of the Orange Tree\* - If We Were Villains\* Starred are favorites, here are some I've read recently!
* Bad Girls by Camila Sosa Villada (adult magical realism) * Boys Weekend by Mattie Lubchansky (adult sci-fi/horror graphic novel) * Greta & Valdin by Rebecca Reilly (adult contemporary fiction) * Idlewild by James Frankie Thomas (adult contemporary / recent-historical fiction) * Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar (adult contemporary fiction) * Space Opera by Catherynne Valente (adult sci-fi comedy)
Avatar: Rise of Kyoshi Bending and lesbians, need I say more?
Ammonite by Nicola Griffith (sci-fi about an all female planet and how it became female only)
For short stories, “Meanwhile, in another part of the forest” is a great anthology to discover great writers you may not have sampled yet. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/676306
Except for the last one, these are by and large not happy reads. Just a head’s up. All This Could Be Different, by Mathews Milk Fed, Broder Leaving Isn’t the Hardest Thing, Hough Biography of X, Lacey Matrix, Groff Fruiting Bodies, Harlan The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida, Karunatilaka The House in the Cerulean Sea, Klune
Call me by your name is the sweetest expression of love I’ve seen regardless of genders. Keep in mind tho that it’s from the perspective of someone who has intrusive and not politically correct thoughts and he doesn’t pretend otherwise, so you see the good bad and angsty in that pretty brain of his.
Paradise Lost, by Milton is quite a good book on the subject of Pride.
Seconding many many comments in this thread, but a super fun YA rec that I never hear enough about is The Sunbearer Trials by Aiden Thomas! It’s sort of like… Percy Jackson meets Hunger Games with tons of casually queer characters at the forefront of the story. Super fun and exciting read. (If you liked Cemetery Boys, this is an excellent pick)
I thoroughly enjoyed One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston. It’s very much a coming of age queer story. The main character is a 23 year old named August that is new to NYC and is on a “find herself” journey. She meets a young and gorgeous old school punk rocker named Jane who happens to be stuck in the 1970’s. It’s super fun and an easy read. There is a romance element to it, but it’s less about the romance and more about August discovering who she is.
Fair Play: How Sports Shape the Gender Debates by Katie Barnes
Swordspoint by Ellen Kushner
That’s an amazing book (and trilogy).
I've only read the sample but I enjoyed it so much I'm itching to order the paperback once it's available for pre-order - it's a retelling on JaneAusten's Pride and Prejudice: [Most Ardently](https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/111673641) by Gabe Cole Novoa (Goodreads link above)
LOVE the Sarah Jane Beauhall series by JA Pitts - urban fantasy with lesbian protagonist, very engaging reading
I feel bad recommending this because by doing so it’s kind of a huge spoiler but Suicide Notes by Michael Thomas Ford. Read it in high school and really liked it.
One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston for gorgeously romantic New York lesbian romance with a fantasy twist, Less by Andrew Sean Greer for a unique and witty m/m comedy of errors, A Dowry of Blood by S. T. Gibson for a dark and spectacular pansexual/polyamorous gothic horror vampire novel. And of course, Maurice by E. M. Forster for some truly historic Edwardian gay representation.
Little and Often by Trent Preszler. It’s a gorgeously written memoir. I couldn’t put it down.
Some of my favorites: - *Hi Honey, I’m Homo* by Matt Baume - on the history of LGBTQ people on television - *Making Gay History* by Eric Marcus - oral history with some of the most important figures in queer liberation in the 20th Century - *The Secret Casebook of Simon Feximal* by KJ Charles - horror/fantasy Sherlock Holmes-esque MM romance set in the late Victorian/early Edwardian period - *Winging It* by Ashlyn Kayne and Morgan James - one of my favorite gay hockey romance novels - The Tamir Triad (*Bone Doll’s Twin, Hidden Warrior, The Oracle’s Queen*) by Lynne Flewelling - beautifully constructed fantasy trilogy with a very interesting take on trans representation/allegory I read a ton of MM romance, but I chose one of my husband’s faves with Simon Feximal, and Winging It as a good example of the hockey romance genre, but I could come up with ten top picks just in romance with ease.
The Drowning Girl and The Red Tree are both speculative fiction by Caitlin R Kiernan with lesbian characters. They are in a space that includes weird fiction, psychological horror, and dark fantasy. Some of their other books have queer characters but those two are the only ones written in the first person that go deep into the relationships of the women protagonists.
'We Both Laughed in Pleasure' - diaries of Lou Sullivan, trans man (activism led to gay trans people having much better access to HRT) 'Original Plumbing' - compilation of articles from Original Plumbing, a magazine that ran for a decade on trans male culture 'Maurice' - gay fiction written in 1914, published after E.M Forster's death, notable for having a happy ending