A collection of library staff recommendations. See what we're reading, and maybe find a new favorite book!
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Carson’s book is a reimagining of the Greek myth of Geryon and the Tenth Labor of Herakles. In this work, Carson powerfully depicts the queer experience while also weaving in elements of mythology. This was the second Carson translation I’ve read (I am not a classicist), and it still stands out as a unique retelling of a Greek myth.
- Morgan W.
It's weird! It's historically accurate! It rises to the challenge of trying to imagine how a Puritan community might conceptualize gay and trans identity. While I have some critiques, I had genuinely never read anything like this book and felt challenged by it in the best way.
- Clark G.
A new book from two respected biblical scholars who changed their minds about what the Bible says God thinks about gender and sexuality and who wanted to apologize and make things right. Includes some very thoughtful arguments about how God and we can and have changed our minds about things in order to be more honest and loving.
- Elizabeth P.
This is the story of an abusive (lesbian) relationship - not a light premise, but unfolded beautifully and often with a touch of playfulness that makes it almost unbearably human.
- Avi B.
Pride recommendations tend not to include military history; military autobiographies tend not to be so directly and lyrically queer. The movie is one of the most fabulous ever made.
- Chris S.
The story follows the spectral form of a recently deceased queer photojournalist attempting to track down his murderer and save his friend and lover amidst the tumultuous political stakes of late 20th century Sri Lanka. The characters (alive and dead) are as colorful as the cover would suggest, with antiheroes abound and a plot rich in complex mythology, tragedy, and political double-crossing.
- Georgia M.
Dragons! Sapphic yearning! Sword girls! Magic! The world felt so alive and lived in and fresh while also familiar, like all the fantasy I've loved for a long time but SO MUCH BETTER!
- Sarah Rebecca G.
Fast-paced (don't let the size of the book fool you) standalone fantasy in a queernorm world is always a fun time. Add in dragons and pirates and it's an even better time.
- Nina W.
Grief, gender, and the in-between places of both are explored poetically in this dual-timeline book about a modern London teenager and a Renaissance Italian painter. Genuinely one of my favorite books of all time.
- Nina W.
In the dystopic future, wrongdoers are given extra shadows as punishment as required by the Department of Balance, an especially hard task for Kris, whose newborn daughter was born with an extra shadow. Exploring grief, family, romance, rebirth, and queer resistance through strong character development, this is a sharp, tender, devastating and hopeful novel.
- Katie K.
This book follows Agatha, a Catholic religious sister who begins work at a halfway house with her fellow sisters in Woonsocket, Rhode Island. It is one of the most beautiful, introspective stories of a queer woman's coming to terms with herself I have ever read. I have convinced so many of my friends to read this, and everyone has such a different response to the ending .. Tonally it leaves things very open-ended, so I highly recommend if that is something that intrigues you in a book!
- Sabrina F.
Historical Romance isn't usually my thing, but I found this to be in equal parts funny, warm, and nuanced. More trans, queer historical romance, please!!
- Sarah Rebecca G.
Gender Outlaw is a biography and memoir originally published in 1994 by Jewish-American author, playwright, performance artist, and gender theorist (As well as a transgender woman.) I felt the book was an engaging, frank, well-researched, humorous, and detailed account of the author's experience & exploration of gender throughout her life. I think the 2016 revised edition is especially interesting because she addresses how language surrounding gender & sexuality has grown and developed with the times since she originally published the book in 1994. I recommend checking out the audiobook read by the author as she is very open and welcoming. Truly, inviting you into the conversation with love, humor, wonder, and joy.
- Jocelyn F.
Though the setting is South Dakota in the fall of 2016, the political climate depicted is still unfortunately very relevant today. Sharply funny and bittersweet, but ultimately hopeful, this book showcases the necessity of intergenerational friendships and the power of chosen families for the trans community.
- Nicole K.
I am a massive fan of Alison Bechdel. You might know her from her most famous work, Fun Home (the graphic novel or the musical adaptation), or even the "Bechdel Test", but this graphic novel is my favorite work of hers. It gets a lot more psychoanalytical about Bechdel's life, sexuality, and her relationship to her mother compared to Fun Home which was more focused on her relationship with her father. Despite being extremely specific to Bechdel's life, I find that the specificity with which she writes makes the story all the more relatable and compelling. If you haven't read Fun Home you really should read that one first, but I think it's worth reading through both books just to get to this one.
- Emma Jane K.
A blurb I saw for this book called it "King Lear and his three lesbian daughters" and I was immediately sold. It has a dystopian setting that is both strangely cozy and anxiety-inducing. I really loved the way it dissected the relationships between the sisters.
- Hilary C.
While this might not be an obvious Pride Month choice, it is one of my favorite films where the queer subtext/implicit reading drives the heart of the narrative. Steve (James Spader) reveals a queer desire for his best friend Blaine (Andrew McCarthy), which he cannot avow or publicly acknowledge. This leads him to treat Blaine's new girlfriend Andi (Molly Ringwald) horribly, although it seems all of his true resentment and hard feelings revolve around his relationship to Blaine himself. While this may not be the most dominant reading of the film, I have always seen it this way and think it adds a layer, making James Spader's character much more multifaceted and interesting. Also, queer readings of heteronormative media have always been a part of queer history and art, so I just wanted to celebrate that for Pride Month!
- Sabrina F.
I don't think of myself as a big documentary person, but I was really affected by this one. The way this world slowly unfolds and pieces itself together for you is quite compelling and, at times, heartbreaking. This is one of those foundational type pieces of art where you think you have an idea of what it is based on how often you've heard it mentioned in pop culture or wherever, but actually sitting down to watch it affects you more than you might have first imagined it could.
- Emma K.
This is the last movie I saw in movie theater before the pandemic and, honestly, that felt correct: this movie has face coverings, Sapphic yearning, and one of the best uses of Vivaldi's "The Four Seasons." It's just a beautiful (sort of sad but in the best way) story to get lost in.
- Sarah Rebecca G.
