My 2024 Pride Month Reading List (Plus, 10 Must-Read Books By Queer Creators)
I’m a reader that hates to have long-standing residents on my to be read (TBR) list, and books focused on LGBTQIA+ experiences hold a sizable chunk of this distinction, with some titles being flagged “of interest” years ago.
There is such a thing as “right mindset” reading, and many of my TBR mainstays are nonfiction that have, year after year, been passed over in favor of lighter — or fictional — reads. But that ends this June! I'm committed to only reading my back stack books for Pride Month, and hopefully, finding some new favorites to recommend to others.
Before we jump into my Pride Month reading list, if you’re looking for great queer-focused stories by queer creators, here are a few of my favorite reads from the past few years (click the link for a full review):
2024 Pride Month Reading Recommendations
Still Life by Sarah Winman
Edinburgh by Alexander Chee
Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo
Maurice by E.M. Forster
Real Queer America: LGBT Stories From Red States by Samantha Allen
Don’t Cry for Me by Daniel Black
My Government Means to Kill Me by Rasheed Newson
The Town of Babylon by Alejandro Varela
The Shards by Bret Easton Ellis
The Heartstopper Series by Alice Oseman
Looking for even more titles? View my reading list and recommendations from 2023, 2022, 2021 and 2020. Plus, a little read this/not that comparison.
My Pride Month Reading List: 10 TBR Old-Timers
The Prettiest Star by Carter Sickels
Date added to TBR: May 2, 2020
Genre: Historical Fiction
Goodreads Average Rating: 4.43
What It’s About [adapted from the dustjacket]: The story explores what home and family mean when the world feels harsh and unpredictable. Set amidst the early AIDS epidemic of the 1980s, Brian, who fled his small Appalachian hometown for the freedom of New York City, must return home as his health declines.
Out of the Shadows: Reimagining Gay Men's Lives by Walt Odets
Date added to TBR: June 13, 2020
Genre: Nonfiction
Goodreads Average Rating: 4.44
What It’s About [adapted from the dustjacket]: While progress has been made, young gay men still face challenges from stigma and a lack of self-acceptance. Odets, a psychologist, uses personal stories from his practice to show how men can embrace their true selves and chart their own course.
The Groom Will Keep His Name: And Other Vows I've Made About Race, Resistance, and Romance by Matt Ortile
Date added to TBR: July 22, 2020
Genre: Essays
Goodreads Average Rating: 3.85
What It’s About [adapted from the dustjacket]: Ortile, a gay Filipino immigrant navigating life in America, explores how his experiences as an immigrant shaped his views on sex, power and identity.
These Violent Delights by Micah Nemerever
Date added to TBR: July 29, 2020
Genre: Thriller
Goodreads Average Rating: 3.98
What It’s About [adapted from the dustjacket]: This novel is centered around the dark and intense friendship between two troubled college freshmen in 1970s Pittsburgh. As their bond spirals into an obsession, they are driven towards a shocking act of violence that reveals a disturbing truth about their connection.
How We Fight For Our Lives by Saeed Jones
Date added to TBR: July 31, 2020
Genre: Memoir
Goodreads Average Rating: 4.28
What It’s About [adapted from the dustjacket]: Award-winning poet Jones shares his journey as a young Black gay man in the South, navigating race, sexuality and self-discovery through a series of personal encounters.
This House Is Haunted by John Boyne
Date added to TBR: September 10, 2020
Genre: Horror
Goodreads Average Rating: 3.60
What It’s About [adapted from the dustjacket]: In 1867, Eliza Caine arrives at Gaudlin Hall as the new governess. Upon arrival, she finds only the children, Isabella and Eustace, with no adults present. While not a queer novel, gay-identifying Boyne is a masterful cross-genre storyteller.
The Lie: A Memoir of Two Marriages, Catfishing & Coming Out by William Dameron
Date added to TBR: September 28, 2020
Genre: Memoir
Goodreads Average Rating: 3.94
What It’s About [adapted from the dustjacket]: After openly gay Dameron realizes his photo is being used to catfish straight women, he reflects on his own lies — life in the closet, drug use, etc. — that almost derailed his life.
Brave Face by Shaun David Hutchinson
Date added to TBR: October 3, 2020
Genre: Memoir
Goodreads Average Rating: 4.41
What It’s About [adapted from the dustjacket]: Hutchinson documents his process to self-acceptance and finding reasons to live after struggling with depression and attempted suicide as a teenager — products of grappling with his sexuality in an unaccepting environment.
How to Write an Autobiographical Novel by Alexander Chee
Date added to TBR: November 12, 2020
Genre: Essays
Goodreads Average Rating: 4.40
What It’s About [adapted from the dustjacket]: Explores how Chee’s identities — reader, writer, son and activist — have intertwined with his development as an author. Through personal stories, he reflects on major events like his father's death, the AIDS crisis and 9/11.
The Times I Knew I Was Gay by Eleanor Crewes
Date added to TBR: November 22, 2020
Genre: Graphic Novel
Goodreads Average Rating: 3.94
What It’s About [adapted from the dustjacket]: From her sexual confusion as a teenager and struggles with societal expectations to finding her path and embracing her identity, Crewes doesn’t hold back in revisiting her early life.
