A collection of library staff recommendations. See what we're reading, and maybe find a new favorite book!
Want to recommend a book? Submissions can be made by filling out the form here.
This memoir by Kobabe (who is genderqueer and asexual) is deeply honest and touching, and deeply relatable to anyone who's had to struggle or is still struggling to figure out their gender or sexuality. Kobabe covers topics that are difficult to talk about, like how stressful and scary a pap smear can be as a non-cisgender and/or asexual person. Reading it made me feel seen in a way few books have.
Recommended by Avi B.
Isherwood provides a first-person account of not only the rarely discussed and frequently misunderstood era of sexually liberated 1930's Germany, but the also the struggles of the gay men fleeing the growing Nazi threat. From the man whose writings inspired the Broadway musical Cabaret, readers get a truer picture of the time and place ... and what came next.
Recommended by Scot C.
This book challenges contemporary assumptions of how people in the 19th and early 20th century understood gender and sexuality, creating a much-needed space for trans and gender nonconforming stories within the historical cannon. Also a great read for people who love queer cowboys!
Recommended by Clark G.
This book is emotionally devastating in the best way. It focuses on two queer women, Bron and Ray, and their relationships to each other and with their own families. It pulls no punches, and is in turn sweet and sorrowful.
Recommended by Avi B.
While we can not say for sure how Sappho herself would identify, this book of poetry fragments, translated by Anne Carson, provides insight into literary customs, gender, and sexuality in Ancient Greece.
Recommended by LIda S.
It's a glamourous story with twists and turns that you don't anticipate, romance you can't help but enjoy, and a very human protagonist reflecting on her life.
Recommended by Lierin S.
A Chinese American girl who wants to be a star navigates a pre-code Hollywood run by magic and blood. Sinister, beautiful, and heartbreaking.
Recommended by Cat R.
A compassionate, funny memoir. It is about trauma and forgiveness, family and chosen family, and much more.
Recommended by Amy H.
I love classical mythology, and the romance is really well done.
Recommended by Tess A.
This was my first Anne Carson, and I was blown away. I would never have thought that the transposition of characters and motifs from Greek mythology onto the lives of edgy, modern day gay teens would come out as beautiful as it did. Not just a powerful depiction of queer experiences, this one really impacted my perception of the how language is used to tell stories.
Recommended by Jake Z.
I enjoyed this books ability to connect with readers in various aspects. This included the main characters narratives working to address the interconnected issues of pervasive racism and homophobia encountered in their small town lives while searching to find a way to their true authentic lives as a same sex couple.
Recommended by Isabella B.
This first book in the series was given to me by one of my friends in the early 1980s. Although I was living in Boston and the novels take place in San Francisco, Tales of the City very much echoed the kinds of friendships and experiences I had at the time so it has a lot of meaning for me.
Recommended by Cindy F.
This queer, feminist Frankenstein story is perfect for anyone who enjoys gothic fiction as well as anyone who relates a little too much to the song Triple Dog Dare by Lucy Dacus.
Recommended by Hilary C.
A compelling set of short stories that describe different stories from where I grew up. Same streets different narrators.
Recommended by Emmanuel S.A.
He was born in Lewiston, Me., lived in Provincetown, read the mystics, painted in Germany, and travelled to Mexico all before returning to a chicken coop in Maine where he died.
Recommended by Joseph P.
The author is a gay, Black man; this lent an unfamiliar (to me) tone to the short book, which is actually related to another book, "In West Mills". Winslow takes on love, racism, Black masculinity, morality, hypocrisy, and justice in a small Southern town in the mid-1970s. The narrative delves into the power of secrets through the eyes of several women.
Recommended by Elizabeth C.
Two plays about the early days of AIDS epidemic in NYC in the 1980s and the public paranoia of gay men. The plays concern HIV advocacy and healthcare equity issues. The Normal Heart is heart-rending.
Recommended by Karen B.
Part memoir, part investigative report, and part cultural critique, Chen explores what it means to be asexual. An empathetic and illuminating look at a sexual orientation that's often misunderstood even within the LGBTQIA+ community.
Recommended by Nicole K.
A novel by the pioneering transgender physician Alan Hart, The Undaunted follows two doctors innovating new treatments for anemia as they try to navigate through issues of identity, privilege, and access in the medical field.
Recommended by Nancy C.
A classic. Should be on everyone's starter list for queer reads. Lush descriptions and fantastic storytelling of her life as a queer black woman in 1950s NYC.
Recommended by Brianna P.
"Rendered in beautiful detail and an extraordinary color palette, Always Human is a sweet love story told in a gentle sci-fi setting by a queer woman cartoonist, Ari North." -Goodreads description
Recommended by Manda T.
