2024 continues to race by. I honestly cannot believe that we are almost halfway through this year. Somehow, it is already June, which also means it is Pride Month! I am hoping to make it to a Pride festival in a nearby city this month, but living in a small (conservative) town, I don’t really have the opportunity to celebrate Pride Month as much as I would like. Because of this, I try to show my support by reading LGBTQ+ books. I do this year-round, but I really make a goal for it during the month of June.
While I do not limit myself to only LGBTQ+ books in June, I do my best to read as many as possible. I decided to select ten LGBTQ+ books that I would like to read this month. I am currently on a self-induced book-buying ban, so the added bonus is that most of these books are already on my shelf. I’m always down to try and reach my physical TBR goals.
I decided I would like to have some nonfiction reads this summer. I am not a huge nonfiction reader, but I try to read a few every year. This month, I would like to read Pageboy by Elliot Page and All Boys Aren’t Blue by George M. Johnson. I currently have the audiobook borrowed for Pageboy on my Libby app, so I am hoping to read this one right away. I also already own All Boys Aren’t Blue on my Kindle.
Hopefully, this will finally be the month I pick up Delilah Green Doesn’t Care by Ashley Herring Blake. I have wanted to pick up a book from her for a while now, and I have heard great things about this one. Cleat Cute by Meryl Wilsner is another one that I have had my eyes on for a while, but it has always fallen to the back burner. I have physical copies of both of these.
I have a few different LGBTQ+ young adult books on my physical TBR that I would like to read. Every year, I try to read as much LGBTQ+ YA literature as possible so that if I ever need to, I have a list of recommendations for my high school students. I also am always trying to increase the diversity in my small classroom library. Even though there is always a threat of parent outcry, I still keep LGBTQ+ literature on my shelves.
Imogen, Obviously is a book that initially drew me in because of the cover, but when I saw it was written by Becky Albertalli, I had to buy it! I also would like to read Ophelia After All by Racquel Marie, which was another gorgeous cover-buy. Seriously, what is it about making these YA covers so dang pretty? It is part of the reason I had to put myself on a book-buying ban. I can’t resist a satisfying cover!
A third YA book I would like to read is Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo. I have heard so many great things about this one, and after reading the blurb, I knew I had to read it. I have a feeling this one is going to make me feel a lot of emotions as it tackles not only homophobia but also racism. Part of the reason I haven’t picked this one is because I know it will hit hard.
Another book that will likely make me cry is The First to Die at the End by Adam Silvera. I read the first book, They Both Die at the End, last year, and I was sobbing at 2 a.m. in the bathtub when I finished it (it was supposed to be a fun, relaxing read—boy, was I naive). I picked up the prequel immediately after it was released, but I have put this one off because I know it will make me cry (I have a tendency to do this it seems).
Finally, I have a couple of graphic novels I would like to get to this month. Gender Queer by Maia Kobabe and Are You Listening? by Tillie Walden are two graphic novels I have had on my shelf for a while. After writing my thesis for my master’s on graphic novels, I needed to take a break from reading them (I seriously read so many in the span of a year). I know these will be quicker reads, but I have also heard these will pack a punch.
These are all the LGBTQ+ books I am making a priority this month! I would love to get to more than this, but I don’t want to bite off more than I can chew during this first month of summer. I am excited to have more free time to read, though, and I think these books will be the perfect books to start off my summer vacation.
If you have any other LGBTQ+ recommendations, please leave them down below in the comments! I am always on the lookout for more LGBTQ+ novels.
Until next time, xx