Another Big Gay Book List

 

It’s PRIDE month, ya’ll. You know what that means?

That’s right. Another list of books you need to get off your butts and read (preferably, with a glass of something sweet and bubbly).

These are ten of my favorite queer books—either written by queer authors or about queer characters—in no particular order:

1 – The Starless Sea

Erin Morgenstern’s long-awaited follow-up to The Night Circus made all of us run to our local bookstores with grabby hands, and not just to be immersed in another lush, beautifully written world that only someone like Erin can create. The Starless Sea follows Zachary Rawlins, a gay gamer with a heart just big enough to handle the kind of magic and romance most of us can only dream about.

2 – When You Are Engulfed in Flames

This book by David Sedaris is one of few non-fiction books that make my “best-of” lists. Written with his particular brand of dry wit, many of these essays center on his relationship with partner, Hugh, who, at the best of times, is lovingly exasperated by the author. I can too-easily relate.

3 – Space Opera

Eurovision. In. Space. With Aliens. And a pansexual, non-binary front man with incredible fashion sense. What more do you need?

4 – A Darker Shade of Magic (Series)

I won’t lie, I rebelled a little bit against reading these books. I won’t share my very, very petty reasons for avoiding them, but I will tell you not to make my same mistake. The magic system and world V.E. Schwab created are complex, captivating, and easy to fall into.

5 – The Drowning Kind

Jennifer McMahon has been a favorite author of mine since I first picked up a copy of The Winter People. The Drowning Kind is her most recent release, about a young woman pulled back to her childhood home after her sister dies in what appears to be a tragic swimming accident. Both suspenseful and tragic (and a little bit romantic), this is the kind of horror I love.

6 – Mostly Dead Things

Though I haven’t had the chance to pick up Kristin Arnett’s newest book (With Teeth), it’s high up on my to-read list. Mostly Dead Things is a slice of life novel that does the heavy-lifting of helping to pull queer lives into the mainstream. All queer stories aren’t coming-out stories; we live, too.

7 – The Cabin at the End of the World

Paul Tremblay is one of those authors you buy without reading the back blurb. His style sits somewhere between capital-H-horror and “literary,” between blood and guts and deep character dives. The Cabin at the End of the World follows two gay men and their daughter, on what is supposed to be a peaceful weekend in the woods. You and I both know there is no such thing.

8 – Into the Drowning Deep

I love a woman who goes by many names. Mira Grant (aka Seanan McGuire) takes a fairy-tale creature we all know and love—the mermaid—and gives her teeth. Grant’s horror reads just as good as her sci-fi, fantasy and YA offerings. I’m pretty sure there’s nothing she can’t write.

9 – Alice Isn’t Dead

Brought to you by the guys who brought us Night Vail, Alice Isn’t Dead is part suspense and part radio-play, following a long-haul trucker as she looks for her missing wife, all while avoiding creepy zombie men who want to eat her alive.

10 – Furiously Happy

Jenny Lawson (aka The Bloggess) is a national treasure. Though she just released a third book (Broken in the best possible way), Furiously Happy is my favorite of the trio. While still being achingly funny, the message to be Furiously Happy despite everything pushing you in the opposite direction is heartfelt and apt.