It’s the last week of LGBTQ+ History Month! So this week, I want to give you all something to keep your spirits going – some book recommendations! The books listed below are pretty easy reads. They’re mostly Young Adult and not super long, so it’s not hard to read these while completing all of your gross school work. Here we go.
1. “Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe” by Benjamin Alire Saenz.
I read this book in one day because it was that good. The story revolves around a teenage boy named Aristotle, who falls in love with his friend Dante. It is a BEAUTIFUL coming of age story, and also has some excellent diversity component,s as Aristotle and Dante are both Hispanic. Aristotle struggles with being a racial minority and discrimination, which is not always common in novels featuring LGBTQ+ characters. #intersectionality
2. “The Love Interest” by Cale Dietrich.
This book is a wild ride. Basically, there is a secret school that trains boys to be either stereotypical “bad boys” or “good guys,” and then they compete in the real world on who can get the girl. So then we have a bad boy and a good guy competing for this girl’s love, but then the two guys fall in love with each other! It’s a pretty interesting premise, and the first half of the book is EXCELLENT. Personally, I found that the second half of it to be subpar, but it’s fine. Still a good book. Worth the read.
3. “A Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue” by Mackenzi Lee.
I LOVE this book. It’s a historical fiction piece set in the 1700s, and focuses on Henry Montague, who is from a rich family and is supposed to be a gentleman, but he turns out to be quite the rebel. He ends up going on an adventure with his sister and his best friend, Percy, and guess who ends up falling in love? It’s great. This one is, in my opinion, more of an adventure than a romance, but if that’s your kind of novel, then this is for you!!!
4. “Simon vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda” by Becky Albertalli.
Did you see the movie “Love, Simon” and love it? Great, read the book that it’s based on! To be honest, I found the book to be super similar to the movie, which is refreshing in terms of movie adaptations, so I don’t find this book to be a “must-read” if you’ve already seen the movie. But in any case, a good book that is definitely worth your while.
5. “Two Boys Kissing” by David Levithan.
Last Valentine’s Day I wrote an article about how the record for the longest kiss in America is held by two men, and this book is based entirely on that historical event. I’m not super sure quite how accurate of a depiction it is, but it’s definitely a great read that sheds light on a SUPER interesting piece of American history a lot of people don’t know about.
6. “Call Me By Your Name” by Andre Aciman.
Did you see the movie “Call Me By Your Name” and love it? This is the book the movie is based on! The ending of the book is actually very different from the movie, and I personally think the book is better than the movie, which says a lot because I loved the movie. It’s written beautifully and truly brings you into the story. By the way, there is also an audiobook read by Armie Hammer, who played Oliver in the movie! It’s an incredible time. Honestly, just listen to the audiobook.
7. “The Price of Salt” by Patricia Highsmith.
Did you see the movie “Carol” and love it? This is the book the movie is based on! (Why do I feel like I just read that somewhere…) Now, this book is the only one on this list that features women. All the other books are male-orienred. That’s a very unfortunate thing, and it’s a symptom of the very sad truth of gay men being far more prevalent in LGBTQ+ media than lesbians and bisexual women. It’s a big issue, so honestly this book is extra important simply for its excellent portrayal of gay women.
8. “The Song of Achilles” by Madeline Miller.
Remember last October when I told you all about Achilles being bisexual? Well, if that interested you at all whatsoever, you need to read this book. It doesn’t worry too much about staying true to the historical myths of Achilles, but I didn’t care about that at all. It tells a love story between Achilles and Patroclus, which is a definite thing that happened, and it does deal with a lot of the historical myth aspects. But if you’re a stickler for history, you won’t like it. If you have an open heart, though, you will love it.
9. “Carry On” by Rainbow Rowell.
Three words: Gay Harry Potter. This book is essentially gay Harry Potter and it’s one of the best books I’ve ever read. Think about it as if Harry and Draco Malfoy were roommates, and Draco was madly in love with Harry. And then, eventually, Harry fell in love with Draco. And then they fought Voldemort TOGETHER. That’s basically what this book is all about. It’s so good. A must-read. 10/10 recommend.
And just like that, another LGBTQ+ History Month is complete!! But guess what, you can read these books at any time! Hooray!