Recommend Some LGBT+ Books
#SixForSunday is a prompt run by the fabulous Steph over at alittlebutalot - link here for more!
This week on Six For Sunday we’ve been given the challenge of recommending some LGBT+ books! My only problem is fitting all my recommendations in to one post… So I’ve gone with the six queer stories that I’ve enjoyed the most / return to most frequently (so far!).
1. And I Darken by Kiersten White
PROOF THAT HISTORICAL FICTION CAN AND SHOULD BE QUEER. I love historical fiction - And I Darken is a retelling of Vlad the Impaler but with Vlad as a girl, Lada - but so much historical fiction I’ve read is so very straight (and white) that it feels implausible. This… is not. This series features at least one, if not two, of my favourite queer relationships in fiction. It’s also very violent and… impaler-y. It strikes a wonderful balance between stabby historical political games, and genuinely soft and lovely moments of humanity. So very worth reading.
2. Red, White, and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston
I’ve talked about this one before. It’s the gay prince book. It’s nonsensical and delightful (and isn’t only gay, FYI) and honestly these characters are all so cute I can’t even stand it. Escapist romp that isn’t afraid to have serious moments. History, huh?
3. Tash Hearts Tolstoy by Kathryn Ormsbee
My kingdom for ace spectrum representation! I picked this up after being recommended it by Alice Oseman (I was in the signing queue for Heartstopper at YALC, she’d just announced Loveless, so I naturally went ‘omg Alice please tell me about any other ace books you know and where have they been all of my life’. Of course.) It reminds me a lot of the Lizzie Bennett Diaries on youtube, expect this one is about Tolstoy, not Austen. And the main character is asexual romantic, which I loved! It follows her as her webseries takes off and she tries to figure out how to navigate a world that assumes that if you fancy someone, you must want to hook up with them, etc. I adored it, and please recommend me all the great ace-spec YA.
4. A Darker Shade of Magic (series) by VE Schwab
I can’t remember, because I read this series in almost one go, at which point certain characters turn up. So, in the interests of avoiding spoilers, let’s just say that it’s a brilliant magical adventure, featuring princes and pirates and magicians - and it’s queer. And the main queer relationship is wonderful and interesting and nuanced and makes my heart sing.
5. The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon
QUEENDOM WITH ALL KINDS OF QUEER REP ALERT. Although, if you aren’t even aware of Priory’s existence, where have you been for the past year?! Priory is a fantasy novel that ignores the historical (read: straight, white, male) expectations that are so often forced on fantasy narratives, and instead explores an interesting, diverse, and nuanced world. With dragons. I adored this book so much that I have the ARC, hardback, AND paperback next to each other on my shelf. The holy trinity of Priorys, if you will.
6. Carry On by Rainbow Rowell
Oh come on, like you thought I’d get through an entire post about LGBT+ books and not mention Carry On?! I’ll be honest, this was one of the first queer narratives I ever read, and I absolutely love and adore it. I don’t care that it’s essentially glorified Harry Potter fanfiction. It’s absolutely joyous and the audiobook is even better and - SNOWBAZ FEELINGS. Ugh. So perfect.
