Bookstagram Pride reading recommendations

Celebrate Pride month by adding *even more* LGBTQI+ books to your reading list

Whatever your preferred genre, you're guaranteed to find some great LGBTQI+ books to add to your reading list (Photo by Steve Johnson on Unsplash)

The season of rainbows and joy is upon us once again, and what better time to push our “homosexual agenda” on the straights than the one month of the year when everyone rushes into being an ally. You probably know by now that I am a big advocate of reading queer literature every month of the year, but far be it from me to pass up an opportunity and shout about LGBTQI+ representation even louder.

That being said, I am but one woman, and I cannot claim I have read all the good queer stories out there. So this year, I opened up the question to my fellow bookstagrammers, and rounded up some of their top recommendations.

Adult reads

The contemporary romance genre is definitely one of the most diverse currently, and it features some real gems. Delilah Green Doesn’t Care, for instance, is a fairly recent bookstagram favourite which follows titular character Delilah as she returns to her home town for a photography gig, only to get entangled with charming bookstore owner and single mum Claire.

A lesser-know but equally entertaining read is It’s Been a Pleasure Noni Blake, the synopsis for which promises the story of a thirtysomething bisexual who shamelessly pursues happiness (and pleasure, as the title suggests). Very much here for it!

If you’re more of a literary fiction fan yourself, fear not - bookstagram has got you covered with some excellent recommendations there too. Both Girl, Woman, Other and Mr Loverman by Bernardine Evaristo feature some excellent queer representation, alongside the other wide-reaching themes the author unpacks in these stories.

And, if for some reason you’ve been living under a rock, I feel like it’s my duty to include The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo in this section - even as someone who doesn’t generally read contemporary fiction, I was absolutely gripped by this story of old Hollywood, and the struggle between sexuality and stardom.

High fantasy fans who are feeling brave enough to tackle bookstagram’s white whale - Priory of the Orange Tree - will be pleased to find some excellent LGBTQI+ representation between the (many, many) pages of this book. Most noteworthy, purely for its rarity, is the great representation of the acearo spectrum and greysexuality.

Autobuy authors

It’s a truth universally acknowledged that many of us queers will buy anything Alice Oseman and Casey McQuiston publish. Even more so than with Evelyn Hugo, you must be completely impervious to internet hypes if you haven't already heard of Alice’s sensational graphic novel series Heartstopper. But did you know that Charlie and Nick were first introduced in the story Solitaire? The rest of Oseman’s books are just as diverse - including a whole book (Loveless) focused on asexuality.

Similarly, Casey McQuiston has carved a niche for themselves as a must-read queer author. Their stories span many genres - from feel-good romance (Red, White & Royal Blue) to magical realism (One Last Stop), and most recently YA romance (I Kissed Shara Wheeler) - but the one thing that unites them is the casts of lovable, if somewhat infuriating, LGBTQI+ characters.

YA reads

Speaking of young adult books, it brings me so much joy to see recommendations flooding in for that genre. I definitely wish this had been the case when I was growing up, which is also part of what keeps me hooked to books aimed at this age group nearly ten years later. But the bottom line is, I’m happy the teens (and adults) of today have so much to choose from.

Fantasy lovers can find some excellently fierce queer women in stories like Girls on Paper and Fire (a queer fantasy which doesn’t make a fuss about being queer), Cinderella is Dead (a sapphic retelling of the classic fairy-tale), This Poison Heart (a contemporary story with magical elements, whose sequel comes out this month), and Gideon the Ninth (because what LGBTQI+ story isn’t improved by necromancy and swords?).

There are also plenty of amazing YA fiction reads with LGBTQI+ representation. Felix Ever After, for instance, is a beautiful story about gender and sexuality with an uplifting ending, while They Both Die at The End is guaranteed to pull on your heartstrings. Another read by Adam Silvera to have on your radar is More Happy Than Not, a story about the intersections between race, class, and sexuality.

If you’re looking for something a bit different, try The Black Flamingo - it’s all written in verse, and tells the tale of “a black gay teen reclaiming his identity as a drag artist”.

There, that should be a good list to start you off, whatever your literary taste. But remember - queer books are forever, not just for Pride month!