Queereaders discussion

Hello All,

I'm Roo (she/her) from the UK. Currently aiming to read 50 LGBTQ+ books this year so I am very much looking for some good recommendations. I am 4 books in so on track thus far for hitting my target.

I love nothing more than curling up with a cup of tea, cozy blanket, my dogs and a good book (and the occasional true crime podcast!). When I'm not reading or at work, I'm usually found up a hill somewhere on an adventure with my wife and dogs.

Welcome Roo!

I mostly end up reading older books, but I have recently read two LGBTQ+ memoirs that I thought were both great: Native Country of the Heart: A Memoir by Cherríe L. Moraga and In the Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado. They're so different than each other, but I recommend both of them!

What are some of your favorite books?

Probably the most active threads on here are the currently reading threads - hopefully those will give you other ideas:

https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

Hi Greg,

Thanks for the recommendations!

I tend to read mostly crime and I really enjoyed the Kate Danies series from Mari Hannah. I have her latest one lined up to read in the coming weeks.
Just finished 'The House on Half Moon Street' by Alex Reeve. One of my top reads in the last 12 months as I didn't actually manage to guess the 'who done it' for once!

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo is probably my top read this year so far though. Not my usual genre of book but I couldn't put it down.

Emma wrote: "Hello All,

I'm Roo (she/her) from the UK. Currently aiming to read 50 LGBTQ+ books this year so I am very much looking for some good recommendations. I am 4 books in so on track thus far for hitti..."

Hi Roo, lovely to meet you, one of my friends last year tried only to read queer books but I don't think they quite managed it! 'The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo' looks really interesting, but might have to save it until I have worked a bit more through my big pile of books on my night table!
I second Greg's mention of 'In the Dream House' for when you're in the mood for something serious and powerful. I've read some good m/m novels so far this year, do you prefer saphic, or not mind?

Hi Clarissa, nice to meet you too.
I have managed to compile a list of just over half the books for the year so I do have a few to pick from at the minute. I am aiming to keep building the list though so I don't run out of options by the end of the year. I will definitely have to check out 'In the Dream House'.

'The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo' was better than I expected it to be, I wasn't sure I would like the format but I couldn't put it down. I would definitely recommend adding it to the pile.

I do prefer saphic but I'm broadening my horizons and within the 50 books I aim to read at least one for each of the letters in LGBTQIA (LBT are ticked off so far). I have 'The Binding' on my to read list which is m/m so I'm all ears for other suggestions in that space.

Emma wrote: " I have 'The Binding' on my to read list which is m/m so I'm all ears for other suggestions in that space.
"
I love the classics like James Baldwin's 'Giovanni's Room' and Thomas Mann's 'Death in Venice', but they tend to be really sad!

Clarissa wrote: "Emma wrote: " I have 'The Binding' on my to read list which is m/m so I'm all ears for other suggestions in that space.
"
I love the classics like James Baldwin's 'Giovanni's Room' and Thomas Mann..."

Giovanni's Room is brilliant Clarissa! He perfectly captures the psychology of what the characters faced then, and of course his writing is gorgeous as always. Definitely sad though!

Perhaps I will wait to read Giovannis Room and save it for when I feel ready to tackle a sad book. I havent read many classics so I need to add a few to my collection.

Emma wrote: "Perhaps I will wait to read Giovannis Room and save it for when I feel ready to tackle a sad book. I havent read many classics so I need to add a few to my collection."

It's definitely steeped in the psychology of the time it was written, back when hiding was a matter of survival. Reading it is a tough experience. The social pressures were so strong then that they internalized and then warped the psyche. I think Baldwin is so brilliant at understanding the psychology of how all those social pressures, fears, and dangers worked!

But it's almost like understanding a foreign country now - things are so different. It can't be approached from a modern perspective. Expect a deep and lovely but draining read.

Many other classics are much more fun to read, but I do really love it.