Happy Pride! Here’s something short and sweet: a few quick LGBTQ+ book recommendations in case you’re looking for your new favourite book. And even if you’re not, you might just find it anyway!

Check, Please!, Ngozi Ukazu

One of my favourite graphic novels of all time, Check, Please! follows avid baker and ex-figure skater Eric Bittle as he moves to university and joins the ice hockey team. Lots of boys being boys, hockey lingo and queer coming of age arcs. And pies. So many pies.

(If you don’t want to buy the physical copy of this book, it’s online for free on the official Check, Please! website!)

On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous, Ocean Vuong

Ocean Vuong’s debut novel is written as a letter by Vietnamese American, Little Dog, to his mother, and mirrors the author’s life. Stunning, emotional and visceral, this novel follows a young, gay, biracial immigrant raised in America by a Vietnamese mother and grandmother, and it will punch you in the heart.

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, Taylor Jenkins Reid

The title is misleading. This book is queer. And so! So good! Believe the hype, don’t believe the internalised misogyny that makes you think that romance novels are a lesser type of writing just because women like them. Read this book, enjoy this book. Follow Evelyn Hugo through twentieth century Hollywood and her seven high-profile, disastrous marriages. You will thank me.

The Black Flamingo, Dean Atta

Dean Atta’s debut novel is written in poems. This young adult novel follows Michael, a mixed-race gay teen, as he enters university and finds drag – and himself. A Stonewall Book Award Winner, this novel explores identity, belonging and embracing your uniqueness.

The Song of Achilles, Madeline Miller

A retelling of The Iliad, this novel follows Achilles and Patroclus from youth to the battlefield outside the walls of Troy. Heartbreaking, beautiful, and you’ve probably read it already so I’m not sure why I’m even recommending it.

They Both Die at the End, Adam Silvera

Another YA offering, The Both Die at the End follows Rufus and Mateo on the day they are due to die. In this novel, death is a science and predicting it a public service. Rufus and Mateo receive their phone call at midnight: today is the day they will die. And without anyone else to spend it with, the two match on a death day app and decide to spend it together.

Hearts Still Beating, Brooke Archer

The newest book on the list (and written by someone I know), Hearts Still Beating is a zombie story and a love story rolled into one. Two girls separated by the zombie apocalypse are brought back together – only, one of them already got turned. A brutal post-apocalyptic world, this story features corrupted humanity, action and a whole lot of gore.

Any of them take your fancy? If not, no worries! We produced another recommendation list last year for LGBTQ+ History Month! Plus:

• LGBTQ+ History Month movie recommendations
• LGBTQ+ History Month poetry recommendations
• Sustainability Book Reviews series
• Women’s History Month movie recommendations
• Girl Power movie recommendations

By Bethany Climpson, Sustainability Engagement Assistant