Pride is synonymous with marches and parties but if you need some downtime why not settle down with a good book and celebrate everything that is wonderful about the LGBTQ+ community. With new releases and modern classics, fantastic fiction, and marvelous memoirs, there’s something for everything on our latest reading list.
Fun, froth, frugality, and a rainbow dress abound in this young adult tale of queer teen Mahalia growing up in a home with little money to spare. Follow this sassy protagonist as she saves for a coming out party after missing out on a sweet sixteen. Friday I’m in Love is the perfect read for anyone who has ever wanted to shout their identity from the rooftops and a reminder of why Pride is necessary.
The first in a duology, Pages for You is a spellbinding love letter to an all-encompassing lesbian love affair between seventeen-year-old student Flannery and her teacher, Anne. Browning’s attention to the nuances of their romance is captivating and has echoes of André Aciman’s Call Me by Your Name. Drown in the waves of love in this poignant and touching novel that brings back all the emotion of first love and the acute pain that so often accompanies it.
This non-fiction coffee table book is an ode to art created by and for the LGBTQ+ community, from the humble pin badge to the mighty AIDS memorial quilt. Carefully curated, inclusive and intersectional, if you are interested in the role design has played in the LGBTQ+ rights movement, this beautiful book is a must.
From its first flight at the San Francisco Gay Freedom Day Parade in 1978, Gilbert Baker’s rainbow flag became a symbol of the LGBTQ+ community. Baker’s design will forever be linked with Pride events the world over, and what better way to discover more about the person behind the stripes than with this autobiography? A reminder of how far we have come as a community and the power we have when we work together for a common good, Rainbow Warrior is an inspiring read about one gay rights activist whose legacy will last forever.
Bestseller Bellefleur returns with a new bisexual romance set in the publishing industry which promises to appeal to LGBTQ+ bibliophiles. Fans of the fake relationship trope will fall for bookseller Tansy and publishing heiress Gemma in this charming tale written in the authors trademark conversational style. The perfect beach read.
There’s a reason Sarah Waters is so beloved by fans of sapphic fiction – her ability to transport readers to another place and time. First released in 1998, Tipping the Velvet is a stunning debut set against the backdrop of Victorian Britain’s vaudeville scene. Young protagonist Nan falls for a male impersonator called Kitty and, as the novel moves on, their relationship becomes more complex. This is a powerful novel well worthy of its place in lesbian literature. If you haven’t read it – do. If you have – perhaps it’s time for a re-read?
