In celebration of Pride month, I’ve put together a list of 15 LGBT books which should be on your reading list.
To start, I listed five LGBT books that I have read and enjoyed in the last couple years. In fact, CMBYN is one of my favourite books I’ve ever read. The film is high on my list too! So, if you haven’t read it yet, and are going to read anything from the list, it should be this one.
Then, I’ve included another 10 which I’ve heard good things about that I would like to read. Let me know if you’ve read any of these, and what you would recommend!
Call Me By Your Name by Andre Aciman
Andre Aciman’s Call Me by Your Name is the story of a sudden and powerful romance that blossoms between an adolescent boy and a summer guest at his parents’ cliffside mansion on the Italian Riviera. Each is unprepared for the consequences of their attraction, when, during the restless summer weeks, unrelenting currents of obsession, fascination, and desire intensify their passion and test the charged ground between them. Recklessly, the two verge toward the one thing both fear they may never truly find again: total intimacy. It is an instant classic and one of the great love stories of our time.
Rep: Gay, Bi, M/M
Trans Mission: My Quest to a Beard by Alex Bertie
Being a teenager is difficult enough, but having to go through puberty whilst realising you’re in the wrong body means dealing with a whole new set of problems: bullying, self-doubt and in some cases facing a physical and medical transition.
Alex is an ordinary teenager: he likes pugs, donuts, retro video games and he sleeps with his socks on. He’s also transgender, and was born female. He’s been living as a male for the past few years and he has recently started his physical transition.
Throughout this book, Alex will share what it means to be in his shoes, as well as his personal advice to other trans teens. Above all, he will show you that every step in his transition is another step towards happiness. This is an important and positive book, a heart-warming coming-of-age memoir with a broad appeal.
Rep: Trans Male
The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
Profoundly moving and breathtakingly original, this rendering of the epic Trojan War is a dazzling feat of the imagination, a devastating love story, and an almighty battle between gods and kings, peace and glory, immortal fame and the human heart.
Rep: Gay, M/M
Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo
Six dangerous outcasts. One impossible heist. Kaz’s crew is the only thing that might stand between the world and destruction–if they don’t kill each other first.
Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo returns to the breathtaking world of the Grishaverse in this unforgettable tale about the opportunity–and the adventure–of a lifetime.
Rep: Gay, Bi
Simon Vs The Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli
Straight people should have to come out too. And the more awkward it is, the better.
Simon Spier is sixteen and trying to work out who he is – and what he’s looking for.
But when one of his emails to the very distracting Blue falls into the wrong hands, things get all kinds of complicated.
Because, for Simon, falling for Blue is a big deal …
It’s a holy freaking huge awesome deal.
Rep: Gay, M/M
The Life and Death of Sophie Stark by Anna North
The Life and Death of Sophie Stark is the story of an enigmatic film director, told by the six people who loved her most. Brilliant, infuriating, all-seeing and unknowable, Sophie Stark makes films said to be ‘more like life than life itself’. But her genius comes at a terrible cost: to her husband, to the brother she left behind, and to an actress who knows too much.
Rep: Bi, F/F
Carry On by Rainbow Powell
Simon Snow is the worst Chosen One who’s ever been chosen. That’s what his roommate, Baz, says. And Baz might be evil and a vampire and a complete git, but he’s probably right.
Half the time, Simon can’t even make his wand work, and the other half, he sets something on fire. His mentor’s avoiding him, his girlfriend broke up with him, and there’s a magic-eating monster running around wearing Simon’s face. Baz would be having a field day with all this, if he were here—it’s their last year at the Watford School of Magicks, and Simon’s infuriating nemesis didn’t even bother to show up.
Carry On is a ghost story, a love story, and a mystery. It has just as much kissing and talking as you’d expect from a Rainbow Rowell novel — but far, far more monsters.
Rep: Gay, M/M
Fingersmith by Sarah Waters
London 1862. Sue Trinder, orphaned at birth, grows up among petty thieves – fingersmiths – under the rough but loving care of Mrs Sucksby and her ‘family’. But from the moment she draws breath, Sue’s fate is linked to that of another orphan growing up in a gloomy mansion not too many miles away
Rep: Gay, F/F
Upside Down by N.R. Walker
Jordan O’Neill isn’t a fan of labels, considering he has a few. Gay, geek, a librarian, socially awkward, a nervous rambler, an introvert, an outsider. The last thing he needs is one more. But when he realizes adding the label ‘asexual’ might explain a lot, it turns his world upside down.
Rep: Gay, Asexual
Radio Silence by Alice Oseman
A YA coming of age read that tackles issues of identity, the pressure to succeed, diversity and freedom to choose, Radio Silence is a tour de force by the most exciting writer of her generation.
Rep: Bisexual, Demisexual
The Darkest Part of the Forest by Holly Black
Near the little town of Fairfold, in the darkest part of the forest, lies a glass casket. Inside the casket lies a sleeping faerie prince that none can rouse. He’s the most fascinating thing Hazel and her brother Ben have ever seen. They dream of waking him – but what happens when dreams come true? In the darkest part of the forest, you must be careful what you wish for…
Rep: Gay
I’ll Give You The Sun by Jandy Nelson
From the critically acclaimed author of The Sky Is Everywhere, a radiant novel that will leave you laughing and crying – all at once.
Jude and her twin Noah were incredibly close – until a tragedy drove them apart, and now they are barely speaking. Then Jude meets a cocky, broken, beautiful boy as well as a captivating new mentor, both of whom may just need her as much as she needs them. What the twins don’t realize is that each of them has only half the story and if they can just find their way back to one another, they have a chance to remake their world.
Rep: Gay, M/M
What If It’s Us by Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera
From NYT bestselling authors Becky Albertalli (Simon vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda) and Adam Silvera (They Both Die At The End) comes a long-awaited collaboration about two very different boys who can’t decide if the universe is pushing them together or pulling them apart.
Rep: Gay, M/M
Days Without End by Sebastian Barry
Moving from the plains of Wyoming to Tennessee, Sebastian Barry’s latest work is a masterpiece of atmosphere and language. An intensely poignant story of two men and the makeshift family they create with a young Sioux girl, Winona, Days Without End is a fresh and haunting portrait of the most fateful years in American history and is a novel never to be forgotten.
Rep: Gay, M/M
Red, White, and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston
A big-hearted romantic comedy in which First Son Alex falls in love with Prince Henry of Wales after an incident of international proportions forces them to pretend to be best friends…
Rep: Gay, M/M
Werecockroach by Polenth Blake
Short story Bonus!
Rin moves into a new flat on the day the aliens arrive. Their new flatmates are laid-back Sanjay and conspiracy theorist Pete. It doesn’t take long to notice some oddities about the pair, like hoarding cardboard and hissing at people when they’re angry. Something strange is going on, but it’s not all due to the aliens.
Rep: Agender, Aromantic, Agender
Thanks for reading!
If you’re still in need of recommendations I really liked Drizzle and Hurricane’s list.
I also found the resources on LGBT Reads really useful.
I recently posted some other book recommendations too! Have a read of my Most Anticipated Summer Reads post.
