{Top 5} LGBTQ Books I Intend to Read

Today’s Top 5 Wednesday topic is the one in which I have to admit that I’m a terrible gay man, and have yet to read really any books in which the central plot revolves around gay characters. To be quite honest though, the majority of books in which the main character is gay appear at this time to be contemporary romances, which is far and away my least favorite genre to immerse myself in.

Still, I do want to broaden my horizons and better acquaint myself with stories about characters that I know I’ll relate to. These are the ones that have caught my eye over the last few months/year that I really want to make time for soon!

{Top 5} LGBTQ Books I Intend to Read

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{Peter Darling}

by Austin Chant

It’s weird. I grew up loving anything Disney princess related. Ariel and Belle were the two characters I was most obsessed with and I remember thinking I either wanted to grow up to be a merman, or to live in a gigantic castle full of books. While I have yet to sprout fins, and I’m still working on the castle full of books thing, I’ve found my taste for Disney-retellings has sort of shifted over the years.

I’ve become less invested in the stories about the princesses and more excited about Peter Pan retellings. I can’t get enough of them. I think it’s something to do with the fantasy of Neverland and never growing up. When I first came across the synapsis for Peter Darling, I knew I had to read it. This is a Peter Pan retelling with a twist and transgendered Peter Pan, who leaves Neverland, grows up, and begins to question his gender identity and feelings for Captain Hook. It just sounds so promising and creative. Unfortunately I wasn’t approved for an ARC like I’d hoped to be, but I’m planning on making time for it soon!

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{Openly Straight}

by Bill Konigsberg

 I actually own this book on my kindle. I bought it early this month and plan to read it in a few weeks time once I chip away at some of the many ARCs I suddenly found myself approved for. This one is a contemporary YA romance set in a boarding school in New England. Being a New England native myself, I’m surprised this didn’t catch my eye earlier! I’ll probably read and review this one next month at the latest.

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{Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda }

by Becky Albertalli

This is one book that has been recommended to me repeatedly by friends on Goodreads. Centered around a closeted character who is being blackmailed when evidence of his sexuality falls into the wrong hands, this one sounds like more than a fairly straightforward romance between two characters. I have heard that romance plays a part in the storyline though, and I’m almost certain I can already guess how it will unfold, but I’ve heard great things about this book regardless and look forward to the day I can read it.

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{The Song of Achilles}

by Madeline Miller

A gay love story set in ancient Greece between Patroclus and Achilles? Sign me up! I have a huge love for mythology of any sort, and framing a love story between two gay characters within one sounds like something I’d love. I have heard that while it’s not entirely faithful to the original mythos surrounding the characters, that it’s still a delightful read. I’m really excited to get to it actually. I want a physical copy of the book, so it’s just a matter of keeping my eye out for a good deal and then I plan on making time for it.

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{The Seafarer’s Kiss}

by Julia Ember

 Okay, I talked about sort of being over the Disney princess-retellings above, but when I came across this book and realized that it was a little Mermaid retelling with a lesbian romance, I threw all those previous notions to the wind and immediately started making plans to work this story into my reading schedule in the next couple of months. I absolutely love that the story appears to be infused with Norse mythology. It seems like a really creative retelling that I have pretty much only heard good things about. Plus, the cover is gorgeous and I would buy a physical copy just so I could find a place for it on my bookshelf really.

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What do you think about my choices? Have you read any great LGBTQ books that I’ve missed? Do you know of any fantasy-focused stories with great LGBTQ characters?

Thanks for reading!

xoxo