Of course here at Autostraddle and For Them, we’re immersing ourselves in and celebrating queer books and authors all year long — not just during the month of June. But this Pride month, we’re doing something special for our LGBTQ bookworms and teaming up with Bookshop.org to offer 15% off our curated recommendations of LGBTQIA+ authors. Just use the code Pride24 at checkout to receive your special gay discount now through June 30 at 11:59 p.m.
We’ve curated titles across genres and encompassing many different scopes and tones, because Pride month represents many different things to different people. There are some classics on here, but we’ve also focused on a lot of recent work as a nod to our current exciting moment in queer literature, which is flourishing despite rampant efforts to restrict and ban LGBTQ books. Read more about the vibe of each book below as well as find links to Autostraddle reviews and blurbs from our team of book critics.
100 Boyfriends by Brontez Purnell
For if your goal this Pride is to acquire, well, 100 boyfriends.
A Dream of a Woman by Casey Plett
For if you want to immerse yourself in strange, complex, immersive trans short fiction this Pride.
“Casey Plett’s short fiction collection A Dream of a Woman is a love story. It’s not girl-meets-boy-meets-happy-ending. It’s not even girl-meets-girl-meets-happy-ending. Instead, it’s a trans love story in the most literal sense — it’s about how we love and how we attempt to love.” – Drew Burnett Gregory
Abandon Me: Memoirs by Melissa Febos
For if you’re heading into Pride fresh off a breakup.
Alice Sadie Celine by Sarah Blakley-Cartwright
For if your mommy issues are coming out this Pride.
“There’s no slow-burn to find here; the narrative of this novel unfolds like a wildfire, every bit as destructive and fittingly set against an overly hot, climate change-baked California.” – Kayla Kumari Upadhyaya
All the Yellow Suns by Malavika Kannan
For if you want to read YA with good politics this Pride.
All This Could Be Different by Sarah Thankam Mathews
For if you’re planning to spend Pride with friends who feel more like family.
“A masterclass in character development, All This Could Be Different provides a textured view of friendship. It looks at not just how we show up for and tend to the people we care about but also how we fail them.” – Kayla Kumari Upadhyaya
All-Night Pharmacy by Ruth Madievsky
For if you’re fighting with your sister this Pride.
Before We Were Trans: A New History of Gender by Kit Heyam
For if this Pride you want to be reminded gender nonconformity existed
“Within six chapters, Heyam’s work spans the last millennia and much of the globe, showing areas of historical study where the roles of trans or gender nonconforming people have been completely obscured or erased from the record or misrepresented as not having much to do with gender identity at all.” – Stef Rubino
Big Swiss by Jen Beagin
For if you’re in (or seeking out) an age gap relationship this Pride.
“The novel isn’t dismissive or flip about trauma itself but rather is sharply critical of social media’s breeding of trauma discourse, of the pop psychology that festoons pretty infographics and flattens words in ways that dampens their meaning.” – Kayla Kumari Upadhyaya
Biography of X by Catherine Lacey
For if you want to read what I considered the best queer novel of 2023 this Pride.
Birthright by George Abraham
For if you’re fighting for a Free Palestine this Pride.
Blackouts by Justin Torres
For if you’re interested in queer history but want to read a novel over nonfiction this Pride.
Boulder by Eva Baltasar
For if you want to travel to Reykjavik this Pride.
Boys Weekend by Mattie Lubchansky
For if you’re going to spend Pride trying to forget about the horrible bachelor/bachelorette party you had to go to with cishet people recently.
Brainwyrms by Alison Rumfitt
For if you want to have a disgusting (complimentary) Pride.
“Characters indulge in the taboo, find comfort in the things that others find obscene, express their most volatile desires and shameful fears, and navigate the world they’ve been born into, like only characters created by someone with the experience of queerness, and of transness, can truly ever express.” – Juan Barquin
Brown Neon by Raquel Gutiérrez
For if you’re spending Pride month in the Southwest.
“Over the course of these ten essays, Gutiérrez skillfully maps the realities, struggles, and joys of queer, Latinx, artistic life in the Southwest U.S. while also calling all readers to deconstruct the borders and boundaries that plague their own communities.” – Stef Rubino
Cecilia by K-Ming Chang
For if you want a quick erotic read this Pride.
Cruising Utopia, 10th Anniversary Edition: The Then and There of Queer Futurity José Esteban Muñoz
For if you want to study up on queer theory this Pride like the delightful little gay nerd you are!
Everything for Everyone: An Oral History of the New York Commune, 2052-2072 by Eman Abdelhadi and M.E. O’Brien
For if you’re going into Pride wanting to envision radical new futures.
Exhibit by R.O. Kwon
For if you’re getting kinky this Pride.
Fair Play: How Sports Shape the Gender Debates by Katie Barnes
For if you’re organizing against transphobic sports bans this Pride.
“Through the stories of athletes who have been most acutely impacted by our failure to treat them equitably, interviews with medical professionals, and meticulous research on the history of competitive sports in the U.S., Barnes crafts a compassionate study of how conversations on sex and gender are handled in sports are structured by and contribute to the way our society at large understands and considers both.” – Stef Rubino
Falling Back in Love with Being Human: Letters to Lost Souls by Kai Cheng Thom
For if you’re needing some gentle self love this Pride.
Feed by Tommy Pico
For if you need to feel nourished by poetry this Pride.
Females by Andrea Long Chu
For if you want a thought-provoking Pride month.
“Chu uses a persona of provocateur as a mask for a deeper, more personal truth. It’s not that she isn’t suggesting things that are radical. It’s just that they’re not actually that controversial when you think about them.” – Drew Burnett Gregory
Fiona and Jane by Jean Chen Ho
For if you’re planning to run around creating chaos with your bestie this Pride.
Giovanni’s Room by James Baldwin
For if you simply want to read one of the best novels ever written this Pride.
Her Body and Other Parties Carmen Maria Machado
For if you’re in the mood for some freaky queer speculative short fiction this Pride (October isn’t the only time of year we’re here for queer horror!).
High-Risk Homosexual by Edgar Gomez
For if you want a gay manifesto working against machismo this Pride.
Hijab Butch Blues by Lamya H
For if you read Stone Butch Blues last Pride.
“Lamya’s ability to bring seemingly disparate elements together to paint such a vivid picture of what it’s like to have to make the choices they’ve made in the ways they’ve made them is absolutely stunning in its execution. There is not a single hard transition in any of the essays here, and their ability to move so easily through the stories of the Quran and their own life emphasizes the weight of the importance of Islam in their life.” – Stef Rubino
Homie by Danez Smith
For if you’re grieving a friend this Pride.
Housemates by Emma Copley Eisenberg
For if you know you’ll be having some housemates drama this Pride.
“Emma Copley Eisenberg has written a remarkable novel and a reminder that it’s not just people who change our perspectives, but art. For me, Housemates was one such work of art. I can tell you that it’s funny and sexy and smart and well-written. But the truest compliment I can give is that it challenged me and changed me.” – Drew Burnett Gregory
How Far the Light Reaches: A Life in Ten Sea Creatures by Sabrina Imbler
For if you’re planning a beach trip this Pride.
“A taxonomy not only of ten varied and complex sea creatures but also of the self, the body, familial and romantic relationships, and gender, it’s one of the best nonfiction books I read all year. I’ll never look at a goldfish — or even the ocean, really — the same.” – Kayla Kumari Upadhyaya
How to Fuck Like a Girl by Vera Blossom
For if you want to give your future self a gift and support queer authors in the process by preordering books this Pride.
How to Write an Autobiographical Novel by Alexander Chee
For if you want to become a better writer or artist this Pride.
I Love This Part by Tillie Walden
For if you want to spend time with a sweet little small-town gay girlhood graphic novel this Pride.
In Sensorium: Notes for My People by Tanaïs
For if you’re thinking a lot about scents, sensory experiences, history, and liberation heading into this Pride.
“The text reads as a dynamic cross between vulnerable vignettes, spiritual meditations and historical retellings. Tanaïs invites us into the ever-changing scenery of their childhood, exploring their sexuality, navigating their current relationship, sharing stories about their parents, grandparents and ancestors affected by the violence against Bangladeshi people.” – Em Win
It Came from the Closet: Queer Reflections on Horror by Multiple Authors, edited by Joe Vallese
For if you’re going to spend Pride month revisiting your favorite horror movies.
“If you’re a big fan of horror, you’re probably already planning to get this book. But if you’re a casual fan, or have always wondered what LGBTQ+ people see in horror films, then It Came From The Closet is an excellent introduction. I finished it with a new appreciation for the genre, and I highly recommend it.” – Abeni Jones
Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo
For if you want some really great historical romance this Pride.
Let the Record Show: A Political History of ACT Up New York, 1987-1993 Sarah Schulman
For if you want to honor the political origins, legacy, and reality of Pride this Pride.
Long Live the Tribe of Fatherless Girls by T Kira Māhealani Madden
For if you’re grieving a parent this Pride.
“I know we’re not supposed to judge a book by its cover, but Long Live the Tribe of Fatherless Girls has literal sparkles and an endorsement from Mary Gaitskill on it, so perhaps we can bend the rule: this tale is a gritty glittering treat, composed of sentences and essays that will surprise you with their form as much as their content.” – Vanessa Friedman
Love Is an Ex-Country Randa Jarrar
For if you’re seeking out queer Palestinian joy, humor, heartbreak, rage, and so many other complex emotions this Pride.
Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar
For if you’re having a sober Pride.
Memory Piece by Lisa Ko
For if you’re obsessed with the significance of archival work this Pride.
“Memory Piece is queer not only in content but in form, its playful approach to craft not quite experimental but nonetheless subtly imaginative and nonconforming.” – Kayla Kumari Upadhyaya
Mistakes Were Made Meryl Wilsner
For if you’re looking for a MILF this Pride.
Mrs. S by K. Patrick
For if you want a steamy summer affair this Pride.
Nevada by Imogen Binnie
For if you’re contemplating a big life-changing road trip this Pride.
Our Wives Under the Sea by Julia Armfield
For if you want to feel gently haunted this Pride.
“So much of the novel is about unknowable things, and yet Armfield bakes intimacy and understanding into so many scenes.” – Kayla Kumari Upadhyaya
Outwrite: The Speeches That Shaped LGBTQ Literary Culture by Multiple Authors, edited by Julie R. Enszer and Elena Gross
For if you want a dose of queer literary history this Pride.
“The work included in the anthology OutWrite: The Speeches That Shaped LGBTQ Literary Culture, edited by Julie R. Enszer and Elena Gross, perfectly exemplifies the reasons why it’s so imperative to look back at history with the willingness to be impacted by whatever we learn.” – Stef Rubino
Paul Takes the Form of a Mortal Girl by Andrea Lawlor
For if you want to fuck your way through Pride.
“This is a book filled with sex scenes that will make your jaw clench and your thighs quiver. It’s also a book that understands how for many people sex is not just about pleasure and connection and chaos — it’s about community.” – Drew Burnett Gregory
People Collide by Isle McElroy
For if you want some body-swap drama this Pride.
“A uniquely enjoyable read, People Collide most importantly does that rare but incredible thing of exploring cishet relationships by and through a queer vantage point without feeling glib, trite, or silly.” – Nic Anstett
Pet by Akwaeke Emezi
For if you’re ready for a revolution this Pride.
“In the speculative young adult novel Pet and its prequel Bitter, Akwaeke Emezi explores the possibilities and responsibilities of revolution and world-making.” – Chinelo Anyadiegwu
Playboy by Constance Debre
For if you want to be a lesbian playboy this Pride.
Pretty: A Memoir by KB Brookins
For if you’re centering Black trans voices this Pride.
Sister Outsider: Essays and Speeches by Audre Lorde
For if you’re revisiting the classics of queer essays and contemplating the power of the erotic this Pride.
Sluts: Anthology by Multiple Authors, edited by Michelle Tea
For if you’re in your slut era this Pride.
Stone Fruit by Lee Lai
For if you’re the cool gay aunt this Pride.
Survival Takes a Wild Imagination by Fariha Róisín
For if you’re focused on survival this Pride.
“Through her newest collection of poetry, Survival Takes a Wild Imagination, multidisciplinary artist Fariha Róisín explores her experiences as a queer, Muslim, Bangladeshi woman trying to heal from a childhood of abuse and the pain of generational trauma while also providing responses to these questions and posing some new ones for us to consider as we try to move through our corners of the world.” – Stef Rubino
The Free People’s Village by Sim Kern
For if you’re wanting to eat the rich this Pride.
The Future Is Disabled: Prophecies, Love Notes and Mourning Songs by Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha
For if you’re helping organize more accessible events this Pride.
“Piepzna-Samarasinha beautifully describes how disabled people — especially BIPOC and queer disabled people — have been caring for each other, keeping each other alive, and fighting for justice, as well as how these skills and models can create the future.” – Katie Reilly
The Skin and Its Girl by Sarah Cypher
For if you’re looking for stories of queer Palestinian womanhood this Pride.
The Tradition by Jericho Brown
For if you are seeking out a lyrical exploration of history, violence, Blackness, and so much more this Pride.
The World Keeps Ending, and the World Goes On by Franny Choi
For if you can’t stop thinking about the end of the world this Pride.
Thunder Song: Essays by Sasha Lapointe
For if you’re interested in anthropological work and queer Indigenous narratives this Pride.
Time Is a Mother by Ocean Vuong
For if you’re overwhelmed by grief this Pride.
Time Is the Thing a Body Moves Through by T. Fleischmann
For if you’re thinking of art and bodies this Pride.
Vagabonds! by Eloghosa Osunde
For if you’re proud of who you are even in the face of extreme marginalization this Pride.
“How do you love as queer Nigerians in Nigeria when the country could snatch everything from you in a heartbeat? There are different answers in the novel. Some characters navigate through privilege, others through hiding so well they forget they’re hiding. My favorite characters find ways to survive together; to grow fangs and learn to hold each other gently in them.” – Chinelo Anyadiegwu
We Have Always Been Here: A Queer Muslim Memoir by Samra Habib
For if you’re on a journey of self-discovery this Pride.
We Were the Universe by Kimberly King Parsons
For if you’re a horny menace this Pride.
“We Were the Universe eschews the conventional grief novel in its horniness, the conventional motherhood novel in its queerness, and even the conventional sex novel in its emphasis on fantasy over reality.” – Kayla Kumari Upadhyaya
When We Were Sisters by Fatimah Asghar
For if you’re spending Pride with sisters of any kind.
With Teeth by Kristen Arnett
For if you’re drawn to unreliable narrators this Pride (or perhaps are the unreliable narrator yourself).
“Like her debut, Mostly Dead Things, Kristen’s second novel With Teeth is a deeply felt, deeply uncomfortable, deeply hilarious story of a total disaster of a lesbian. It asks questions about parenthood and queer community that will stay circulating around my brain for a long time to come.” – Drew Burnett Gregory
Wow, No Thank You by Samantha Irby
For if you’re already exhausted by Pride.
“A mortifying interaction with a new friend, a cat haunting (!!!), and more hysterical treasures are nestled in these pages. For all its sardonic musings, it’s quite a delight to read, and a quick one, too. Irby makes discomfort hilarious.” – Kayla Kumari Upadhyaya
You Exist Too Much by Zaina Arafat
For if you’re wondering if you have a love addiction this Pride.
“The unnamed narrator in You Exist Too Much brilliantly sheds light on the murky overlaps between cultural traditions, intergenerational trauma, and LGBTQ identity. She’s witty and self-deprecating, at times chaotic but always genuine, in a way that feels overwhelmingly human. It was easy to fall into the world of this book and into the inner workings of the narrator’s in-betweenness.” – Sarah Yanni
Your Driver Is Waiting by Priya Guns
For if you’re getting mad and/or swole this Pride.
“Told in electric first-person prose, Your Driver Is Waiting is a rip-roaring story of family — blood and chosen — fighting to survive under capitalism, and saying fuck you to anyone who chooses their own comfort and safety over the comfort and safety of others.” – Kayla Kumari Upadhyaya
Your Emergency Contact Has Experienced an Emergency by Chen Chen
For if you want playful poems that match your maximalist vibes this Pride.
Who broke the comment section? I’ve tried to write one more than once and it’s not coming up? Lame.
Im a teacher on summer break and 😍😍😍😍😍 I want to read them all. Already set up a book club with my queer teacher coworkers.
Oh I want to read so many and I want to recommend the ones I���ve read to everyone! 100 Boyfriends! Mistakes Were Made! Her Body and Other Parties! and most of all, this description of Giovanni’s Room. ‘For if you simply want to read one of the best novels ever written this Pride.’ this really says it all