Powerful and inspiring novels have the capacity to transport readers to a variety of realms, both familiar and unfamiliar.
There are several LGBTQ+ novels with a wide range of storylines that speak of the intrinsic struggle, hope, and history of the LBGTQ+ movement, as well as the personal stories of the community through the fictitious and actual individuals involved, that everyone should have on their shelves/kindles. Here are some LGBTQ book recommendations to read during Pride Month.
The One Woman is Laura May‘s debut novel, Julie, a graphic designer, manipulates what the eye cannot perceive. Julie’s life and relationship with her partner Mark are routine no matter how she looks at it. Until she meets Ann. Ann is a businesswoman as well as a sweet and caring person. Julie can’t deny that their unexpected meeting resulted in attraction. When their history and present collide once more in Barcelona, the spark is untamed. Julie must choose between her love for Ann and her allegiance to Mark when catastrophe strikes. Is pure love capable of enduring when time has come to a halt?
It’s 1518 in Strasbourg, and a lone woman begins to dance in the main square in the sweltering July heat. She dances nonstop for days and is accompanied by hundreds of other women. The local government declares a state of emergency and sends in musicians to scare the dancing women. Meanwhile, pregnant Lisbet, who lives on the outskirts of town, looks after the family’s bees. As Lisbet is lured deeper into a web of secret passions and deceptions, the dance plague deepens. This gripping narrative of superstition, transformation, and women pushed to their limits is based on true events.
Sneha is one of the lucky ones, graduating into the lengthy maw of an American recession. She’s relocated to Milwaukee in search of an entry-level corporate job, now she can pay for dinner with her new friend Tig, hire her college mate Thom, and send money to her parents in India. She starts dating women and quickly develops a strong attraction to Marina, a seductive and attractive dancer who always appears to be just out of reach.
Trouble, however, arrives before long. Evictions loom as painful secrets surface; jobs go off the tracks; and evictions loom. Even as her friendships grow, Sneha finds it difficult to be completely intimate and candid with anyone. Tig then starts formulating a radical answer to their difficulties.
Young is a cynical but upbeat Korean student who bounces around from home to class to the beds of recent Tinder dates. He and Jaehee, his female closest friend and roommate, frequent adjacent bars, where they drink rounds of soju and ice-cold Marlboro Reds to drown out their worries about their love lives, family, and money. Even Jaehee eventually leaves Young to settle down, leaving him alone to care for his elderly mother and find company in a series of men, including one whose attractiveness is matched by his coldness, and another who could wind up becoming the great love of his life.
The Kellys are a raucous, boisterous, and loving Australian family. The Lees are well-educated, haughty, and well-dressed Americans. Except for the fact that their daughters are married, they have nothing in common. The two families are stranded together for six weeks when a neighboring volcano erupts on their short vacation to a secluded tropical island off the coast of Queensland.
With only two other island employees in their group, everyone is forced to reconsider what—or who—they really want. Island Time is a delightful summer story about lesbian romance, family secrets, ambition, fatherhood, and a bird-chasing bromance. This seductive, sun-drenched haven of white sand beaches, crystal-clear lakes, and lush jungle will prove that it’s never too late to change your fate.
What are your favorite LGBTQ+ reads? Share in the comments!
