Over the last few years, I’ve found myself trying to reignite the love I had for reading when I was younger, and I’ve most easily been able to regain that feeling by reading queer books. Here’s a countdown of some of my favorite LGBTQ+ books you should read next!
5. Delilah Green Doesn’t Care by Ashley Herring Blake
Delilah Green Doesn’t Care follows Delilah when she returns home for her stepsister’s wedding, despite having many bad memories of both the town and her family. She ends up reconnecting with one of her sister’s friends, Claire, and despite initial frustration with one another, Delilah and Claire begin to connect. This book is a fun and easy read with a sequel coming out in November. I would definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a nice queer love story to curl up with.
https://www.booksmith.com/book/9780593336403
4. The Charm Offensive by Alison Cochrun
The Charm Offensive tells a love story between Dev, a producer on a reality dating show called Ever After, and Charlie, the star of the show’s newest season. Despite what I initially believed was a cheesy premise, Cochrun crafted a book that captured my attention in an unexpected way by depicting Charlie’s struggle with anxiety and Dev’s struggle with depression in an incredibly powerful and realistic way that I hadn’t seen before in this genre. While the book’s primary focus may seem to be the love story between Charlie and Dev, I found its portrayal of mental health to be its greatest success.
https://www.booksmith.com/book/9781982170714
3. The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
The Picture of Dorian Gray explores the concept of aestheticism, which is the idea of creating art for its beauty alone, rather than any other sort of commentary. In the novel, Dorian Gray sees a beautiful painting of himself and is so struck by it, that he sells his soul in order to stay beautiful, like the painting, forever. However, as Dorian begins to commit more and more heinous acts, the painting gets increasingly horrific, despite Dorian looking the same as always. This novel instills a haunting feeling in the reader and will likely leave you thinking about it long after you’ve finished reading.
https://www.booksmith.com/book/9780141439570
2. Open Me Carefully by Emily Dickinson, edited by Ellen Louise Hart and Martha Nell Smith
Open Me Carefully is a book of letters and poems (many never before seen) written by Emily Dickinson and sent to her sister-in-law, Susan Huntington Dickinson. Historically, the significance of their relationship has been censored or minimized, but this book brings it back to life, revealing the possibility of a much deeper relationship Dickinson could’ve had with her greatest companion. Dickinson’s words are captivating and I found myself whisked away into the world that she lived in.
https://www.booksmith.com/book/9780963818362
1. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo starts from the perspective of Monique Grant, a magazine reporter, when legendary Hollywood star Evelyn Hugo asks her to write a tell-all about Evelyn’s incredibly private life. The novel then takes readers back to the 50’s and continues on through Evelyn’s life, as she tells her story to Monique. Despite Evelyn being primarily known for having had seven husbands in her life, Monique soon finds out that Evelyn’s greatest love could’ve been someone else entirely. This is possibly my favorite book. It captured me immediately, broke my heart, and put it back together again with one of the most devastatingly beautiful love stories I’ve ever read.
https://www.booksmith.com/book/9781501161933
If one of these books piqued your interest, remember to look in locally owned bookstores first before going to Amazon to buy them! Some great bookstores in SF include Dog Eared Books in the Mission, Booksmith on Haight, and Fabulosa Books in the Castro.