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Books with LGBTQ+ Characters
Let’s Not Do That Againby Grant GinderRepresentative Nancy is hard at work campaigning for a Senate seat, so she sends her son, Nick, to find her daughter, Greta, who was just caught on camera protesting in Paris. | The Boy with a Bird in His Chest by Emme LundPart literary fiction, part magical realism: Owen has a bird in his chest (Gail), leaves home, and finds family, love, and some danger in Washington. | ||
The Death of Vivek Ojiby Akwaeke EmeziAlthough it begins with Vivek’s death, this powerful story set in Nigeria focuses on Vivek’s life and relationships. | Memorialby Bryan WashingtonMike, a Japanese American chef, and Benson, a Black day care teacher, are in a relationship. But when Mike leaves for Osaka to visit his dying father, Benson ends up living with Mike’s mother. | ||
Detransition, Babyby Torrey PetersReese and Ames end their relationship when Ames detransitions. After Ames finds out his lover, Katrina, is pregnant with his baby, the three think about creating a family together. | Girl, Woman, Otherby Bernardine EvaristoThis book explores living in Britain as a Black person through twelve different perspectives. Themes include colonialism, sexuality, gender, and race. | ||
The Late Americansby Brandon TaylorThe widely acclaimed author of Real Life and Filthy Animals returns with a deeply involving new novel of young men and women at a crossroads. | Endpapersby Jennifer Savran KellyDawn Levit, a bookbinder conservationist working at the Met in 2003 deals with her gender identity discovers a love letter hidden in the endpapers of a 1950's lesbian pulp novel and tries to track down the author. |
Mademoiselle Revolutionby Zoe SivakJust before the Reign of Terror, biracial heiress Sylvie leaves Saint-Dominique at the beginning of the Haitian Revolution for Paris at the beginning of the Haitian Revolution, where she meets Robespierre and his mistress. | My Government Means to Kill Me by Rasheed NewsonIn this coming-of-age story about a young gay Black man, Trey leaves his wealthy Indianapolis family behind for NYC and becomes a member of ACT UP in the 1980s. | ||
The Merciesby Kiran Millwood HargraveIn 1617 Norway, Maren lives in a community of women after all the men were drowned in a storm. When a man comes and rules tyrannically over the town, Maren connects with his wife Ursa. | The Sweetness of Waterby Nathan HarrisAs the Civil War ends, two brothers who were previously enslaved are hired by white homesteaders to work their farm. Meanwhile, two Confederate soldiers return home and continue their romantic relationship in secret. | ||
The Pull of the Starsby Emma DonoghueSet in 1918 Ireland, the lives of three women working with quarantined pregnant women at a hospital intertwine over the course of three days. | On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean VuongLittle Dog writes a letter to his mother exploring their family's history in Vietnam and sharing with her parts of his life as well. | ||
Hildby Nicola GriffithDaughter of a poisoned prince and a crafty noblewoman, quiet, bright-minded Hild arrives at the court of King Edwin of Northumbria, where the six-year-old takes on the role of seer/consiglieri for a monarch troubled by shifting allegiances and Roman emissaries attempting to spread their new religion. | The World and All That It Holdsby Aleksandar HemonA sweeping novel looks at love, memory, and history in the making. |
Sorry, Broby Taleen VoskuniTo appease her Armenian mother, Nar participates in a series of events in San Francisco where, instead of meeting a mom-approved man, she meets Erebuni, a woman who gives her the courage to come out as bisexual and proudly be herself for the first time in her life. | All The Right Notesby Dominic LimIn this hilarious and joyous rom com, sparks fly when a piano genius and a Hollywood heartthrob are thrown together for a charity performance of solos, heartfelt duets, and a big, showstopping finale. | ||
We Could Be So Goodby Cat SebastianCasey McQuiston meets The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo in this mid-century rom-dram about a scrappy reporter and a newspaper mogul’s son. | A Shot in the Darkby Victoria LeeBack in New York to study photography, an ex-Orthodox woman hooks up with a man who turns out to be her teacher, a legendary artist who was disowned by his family and discharged from the military for being transgender. | ||
That Summer Feelingby Bridget MorrisseySpending a week at her new friends’ reopened sleepaway camp, newly divorced Garland Moore, seeking signs from the universe, reconnects with Mason, a man from her past, but instead finds herself drawn to his sister, discovering her stars have aligned in a way she never could’ve predicted. | You, Againby Katie GoldbeckFormer enemies-turn-friends, Ari, a struggling comedian, and Josh, a chef planning to take the culinary world by storm, both reeling from ego-bruising breakups, find comfort in each other’s company until one night, the unspoken boundaries of their platonic relationship begin to blur. | ||
The Bennet Womenby Eden Appiah-KubiWelcome to Bennet House, the only all-women’s dorm at prestigious Longbourn University, home to three close friends who are about to have an eventful year. EJ is an ambitious Black engineering student. Her best friend, Jamie, is a newly out trans woman studying French and theatre. Tessa is a Filipina astronomy major with guy trouble. For them, Bennet House is more than a residence—it’s an oasis of feminism, femininity, and enlightenment. But as great as Longbourn is for academics, EJ knows it can be a wretched place to find love. | Fly with Meby Andie BurkeFlying-phobic ER nurse Olive Murphy is still gripping the armrest from her first-ever take-off when the pilot announces an in-flight medical emergency. Olive leaps into action and saves a life, but ends up getting stuck in the airport hours away from the marathon she's running in honor of her brother. Luckily for her, Stella Soriano, the stunning type A copilot, offers to give her a ride. After the two spend a magical day together, Stella makes a surprising request: Will Olive be her fake girlfriend? |
A Master of Djinnby P. Djeli ClarkIn 1912 Cairo, a new world where the Egyptian Ministry of Alchemy, Enchantments and Supernatural Entities maintains an uneasy peace, the Ministry’s youngest agent, Fatima, must stop an imposter who threatens to tear apart the very fabric of this new Egyptian society. | Mortal Folliesby Alexis HallA young noblewoman must pair up with an alleged witch to ward off a curse in this sapphic romance set 1814. | ||
The Empress of Salt and Fortune by Nghi VoIn this novella, In-yo travels away from her home to enter a political marriage and grows close with Rabbit, a handmaiden. | To Shape a Dragon's Breathby Moniquill BlackgooseRevered as a Nampeshiweisit, a person in a unique relationship with a dragon, by her people, 15-year-old Indigenous girl Anequs, at odds with the “approved” way of doing things, is forced by Anglish conquerors to attend a proper dragon school – and if she cannot succeed there, her dragon will be killed. | ||
The Ballad of Perilous Gravesby Alex JenningsIn a fantastical version of New Orleans, where music is magic, failed magician Perilous Graves and his sister, when nine songs of power escape from the magical piano that maintains the city's beat, must capture these ballads to save the city they love. | The Fifth Season by N.K. JemisinA post-apocalyptic fantasy that begins with the collapse of an economic center, the murder of a child, and the falling of ash from the sky. | ||
A Taste of Gold and Ironby Alexandra RowlandIn Arasht, a kingdom where princes can tell what substances are precious metals through touch, Kadou and his sister uncover a counterfeiting conspiracy, amounting to heresy, which could bring about his country's ruin. | The Water Outlawsby S.L. HuangInspired by a classic of martial arts literature, S. L. Huang's The Water Outlaws are bandits of devastating ruthlessness, unseemly femininity, dangerous philosophies, and ungovernable gender who are ready to make history—or tear it apart. |
Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky ChambersRosemary joins an interspecies crew on a spaceship often tasked with dangerous missions across deep space and learns about finding family. | This is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max GladstoneOn opposite sides of a war that transcends time and space, Blue and Red begin to write letters for one another. | ||
The First Sisterby Linden A. LewisA Sisterhood priestess whose soldiers own the rights to her body confronts a difficult choice between duty and her heart, while an elite Venus soldier questions his allegiances when he is ordered to kill his former partner. | Light from Uncommon Starsby Ryka AokiAn urban science fiction featuring Shizuka, a violinist who made a deal with the devil. She meets Katrina, a young transgender woman and fellow violinist, and starts to fall for Lan, a retired starship captain and mom. | ||
A Memory Called Empireby Arkady MartineMahit discovers that the previous ambassador from her mining Station to the Teixcalaanli Empire was murdered during a time of instability across multiple space systems. | We Are Satellites by Sarah PinskerSociety is quickly adopting a new implant called The Pilot, causing Val and Julie to ask hard questions with regards to themselves and their children, David and Sophie. | ||
Lark Ascendingby Sila HouseAs fires devastate the United States, Lark and his family head to Ireland, rumored to be accepting American refugees. But only Lark survives the trip, and once ashore, he doesn’t find the safe haven he’d hoped for. Running for his life, an abandoned dog becomes his closest companion, and he meets a woman in search of her lost son. Together they form a makeshift family and attempt to reach Glendalough, a place they believe will offer protection. But can any community provide the safety that they seek? | Uranians: Storiesby Theodore McCombsThe five speculative stories in Theodore McCombs's kaleidoscopic collection span several possible worlds, teasing the boundaries between coexisting realities and taking up the question of queer difference from one surprising vantage after another. |
Lavender Houseby Lev A C RosenWhile investigating the mysterious death of matriarch Irene Lamontaine, head of a famous soap empire, Andy Mills is seduced by the safety and freedom found in Lavender House, where a queer family lives honestly and openly, until he becomes a pawn in their deadly game. | Plain Bad Heroinesby Emily M. DanforthBeginning with the two members of The Plain Bad Heroine Society, more people die strange deaths at the Brookhants School for Girls and the school closes. A century later, the film adaption of the school’s story brings an entire cast and crew back through its doors. | ||
Last Call at the Nightingaleby Katharine SchellmanIn 1924 New York, Vivian frequents a dance hall called The Nightingale and finds a dead body there one night. | We Are Watching Eliza Brightby A. E. OsworthAfter sharing her workplace sexual harassment story with a journalist, video game coder Eliza is fired. She’s also made the male gamers of the internet very angry, which threatens to blur the line between the internet and in-person life even further. | ||
Board to Deathby CJ ConnorWhen a man who offered to sell a rare edition of the game that inspired Monopoly at a suspiciously low cost turns up dead, board game shop and café owner Ben Rosencrantz becomes the top suspect. | Firewatching by Russ ThomasA Detective Sargent assigned to the Cold Case Unit is on the trail of a financier's murderer, but he discovers he had previously hooked up with the main suspect. | ||
Now You See Usby Balli Kaur JaswalWhen a Filipina maid is arrested for murdering her female employer, three other Filipina domestic workers -- Corazon, Donita and Angel -- are shocked into action, using their moxie and insight to piece together the mystery of what really happened -- and exposing the secrets of Singapore's elite along the way. | A Killing in Costumesby Zac Bissonnette |
Summer Sons by Lee MandeloAndrew was all set to join his best friend Eddie in Nashville for Eddie’s graduate program, but Eddie commits suicide before Andrew arrives. What exactly happened to Andrew at Vanderbilt? | The Cabin at the End of the World by Paul TremblayAt a rural cabin, seven-year old Wen is approached by strangers while on vacation with her fathers. | ||
Sisters of the Lost Nationby Nick MedinaAs girls start going missing amidst strange and sinister happenings in the reservation's casino, including her little sister, Anna Horn, an outcast struggling with her place on the rez, must confront demons old and new as she hunts for answers. | What Moves the Deadby T. KingfisherWhen Alex Easton, a retired soldier, receives word that their childhood friend Madeline Usher is dying, they race to the ancestral home of the Ushers in the remote countryside of Ruritania. | ||
Sister, Maiden, Monsterby Lucy A. SnyderWith the world being ravaged by a nightmarish transformative virus, dark forces bring together three women trying to survive: Erin, who has acquired an appetite for human flesh; Savannah, a BDSM switch who now has a penchant for murder; and Mareva, who is plagued by multiplying tumors. | Bloomby Delilah S. DawsonRo becomes obsessed with a woman she met at the farmer’s market selling artisan soaps, and discovers she both wants to be her and have her while beginning to wonder which of them is actually becoming consumed by the other. | ||
Sorrowlandby Rivers SolomonFleeing from the strict religious compound where she was raised, Vern, in the safety of the forest, gives birth to twins, and to keep her small family safe, unleashes incredible brutality far beyond what a person should be capable of. | House of Hungerby Alexis HendersonEscaping the slums, Marion applies for the position of Bloodmaid and is swept into a world of lust, blood, and dark debauchery presided over by the feared Countess Lisavet, who enlists her into a vicious game of cat and mouse. |