LGBTQ Reads for Pride 2022

Every year, it feels like Pride comes around at just the right time. New York is truly alive after months of darkness and cold, and everybody wants to see and be seen. Between the marches, the parties and the parades, Pride Month is a time to reflect on queer history and futures, for LGBTQ people to come together and celebrate the community! Regardless of what your queer community looks like where you are, you should be free to read books that depict queer life, for inspiration, for self-identification and because these books are just really, really good.

Panpocalypse, Carley Moore

This book so perfectly captures the feeling of early pandemic, and the dreadful feeling of longing for touch when it’s not safe to do so. Set in the spring of 2020, the story centers on Orpheus, a queer disabled person, who travels New York City by bike searching both for her ex-girlfriend Eurydice and a secret lesbian bar Le Monocle. Panpocalypse is a brilliant blurring of fiction and truth, and it’s such a unique read. Carley Moore’s writing is both cynical and hopeful, specific and universal, and always affecting. I rarely recommend Covid books, but this strange and beautiful time-bending book is not to be missed! - Julia

Plain Bad Heroines, Emily Danforth

This was the only book I took with me on a recent trip out of state and I’m so glad I did! Emily M. Danforth is the author of The Miseducation of Cameron Post, a classic story of a rural teenager who is sent to live with her conservative aunt following the death of her parents. Maybe you saw the movie? Plain Bad Heroines feels like a departure from Cameron Post. It’s gothic with dual narratives. The first is set at Brookhants School for Girls in 1902 and the next follows a film crew in present day as they adapt the The Happenings at Brookhants for the screen. It’s atmospheric, engrossing and a little spooky!

-Aatia

Tidesong, Wendy Xu

This book is wonderful–Wendy Xu has done it again! Sophie is preparing for her magic school audition, but when a mysterious dragon boy washes up on the beach, she and her family discover they have some bigger magical problems to contend with. Tidesong is a beautiful ode to growing up and growing into your magic, both metaphorical and literal! - Isabel

Acts of Service, Lillian Fishman

In Acts of Service, a New York woman goes looking for sexual liberation in the worst possible way. She finds herself in a poorly-defined polyamorous relationship with a man and a woman. Things get messy. This book explores unsettling relationship dynamics, desire and power. If you were into any of the books on our Hot/Sad Girl Reading List, definitely check this one out. - Aatia

Days of Bluegrass, Edward van de Vendel

Originally published in 1999 and translated from the Dutch. I’m thrilled to present the best gay romance I’ve read since Boyfriend Material! This swoon-worthy classic has been a hit across the pond for good reason! It’s tender, intense, heartbreaking and exhilarating. In this, teens fall in love at summer camp, and their love story makes for an amazing read. - Jacque

Greedy, Jen Winston

Jen Winston’s memoir of coming out as bisexual in her twenties is as heartfelt, funny and timely as you could hope for. The authors misadventures take her to the places I go and her stories feel like my own. In many chapters, she is a fish out of water, searching desperately for belonging in queer nightlife and relationships, in other chapters she's right at home. - Aatia

This Body I Wore, Diana Goetsch

Diana Goetsch was 50 when she came out as trans, and her memoir follows what she describes as a second adolescence and a re-coming-of-age. This self-discovery followed years of internal struggle, not feeling “right” in her body. She cites Tranny by Laura Jane Grace as a reference. It’s moving to read about a grown person making such an affirming change in their life. - Aatia

Women’s House of Detention, Hugh Ryan

This is one of those books that you want to talk about with every single person after reading it. Hugh Ryan is a master historian and storyteller, and this book feels like his strongest work yet! In The Women's House of Detention, Hugh Ryan spotlights a long forgotten, yet significant part of queer history. His research is meticulous and extensive. Told through the personal, gripping experiences of the women and transmasculine people whose lives were forever impacted by the House of Detention, this book not only explains and examines this piece of history, but compels us to never forget it again. - Amali