Pride Month Reads

Held in June to honor the 1969 Stonewall uprising, Pride Month celebrates and affirms the worth and vitality of the LGBTQ community. Titles in this collection include notable fiction and nonfiction works by LGBTQ authors and those writing about LGBTQ topics, including Audre Lorde, Douglas Stuart, and Amy Ellis Nutt.

The Lacuna

by Barbara Kingsolver

Publication year 2009

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Memory, Sexual Identity, Self Discovery, Nation, Art, Truth & Lies

Tags Historical Fiction

The Lacuna (2009) is Barbara Kingsolver’s sixth novel. This work of historical fiction was a New York Times bestseller and winner of the 2010 Women’s Prize for Fiction. The novel traces the life of Mexican American Harrison Shepherd from the 1920s to the 1950s. The son of a dissolute flapper who chases rich men, Shepherd begins to make his way by landing a job working for the famous Mexican visual artists Frida Kahlo and Diego... Read The Lacuna Summary

The Lady Of Shalott

by Alfred, Lord Tennyson

Publication year 1842

Genre Poem, Fiction

Themes Femininity, Sexual Identity, Art

Tags Lyric Poem, Gender & Feminism, Victorian Period, Mythology, British Literature, World History, Fantasy, Victorian Era, Classic Fiction

“The Lady of Shalott,” one of Lord Alfred Tennyson’s best-known poems, is a four-part lyrical ballad loosely inspired by the 13th-century Italian novella Donna di Scalotta. It makes use of vivid romantic language and heavy symbolism. Based on Arthurian legend and medieval sources, the poem tells the story of Elaine of Astolat, a fictional woman confined to a tower overlooking the fields surrounding Camelot. The Lady of Shalott falls in unrequited love with Sir Lancelot... Read The Lady Of Shalott Summary

The Last Letter From Your Lover

by Jojo Moyes

Publication year 2008

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Friendship, Sexual Identity, Truth & Lies

Tags Romance, Relationships, Love & Sexuality, Grief & Death, British Literature, Modern Classic Fiction, World History, Historical Fiction

The Last Letter from Your Lover is a 2010 romance novel by British journalist and writer Jojo Moyes. It centers on the interconnected lives and romances of two women living in London at different times. The first, Ellie Haworth, is a journalist in 2003 who comes across a set of love letters while researching the 1960s. The letters tell the story of Jennifer Stirling, the wife of a wealthy industrialist, and her intense affair with... Read The Last Letter From Your Lover Summary

The List

by Yomi Adegoke

Publication year 2023

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Trust & Doubt, Loyalty & Betrayal, Truth & Lies, Race, Sexual Identity, Appearance & Reality, Marriage, Fame, Justice

Tags Horror & Suspense, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Gender & Feminism, Internet & Social Media, Modern Classic Fiction

... Read The List Summary

The Long Call

by Ann Cleeves

Publication year 2019

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Forgiveness, Guilt, Sexual Identity, Family, Community, Justice, Religion & Spirituality

Tags Mystery & Crime Fiction, Horror & Suspense, British Literature, Modern Classic Fiction

... Read The Long Call Summary

The Love Wager

by Lynn Painter

Publication year 2023

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Love, Family, Fate, Perseverance, Fear, Forgiveness, Hope, Loneliness, Sexual Identity, Coming of Age, Self Discovery

Tags Romance, Humor, Contemporary Literature

... Read The Love Wager Summary

The Magic Fish

by Trung Le Nguyen

Publication year 2020

Genre Graphic Novel/Book, Fiction

Themes Guilt, Love, Shame & Pride, Fear, Perseverance, Conflict, Hope, Sexual Identity

Tags LGBTQ+, Fantasy, Fairy Tale & Folklore, Asian Literature, Life-Inspired Fiction, Children`s Literature, Modern Classic Fiction

... Read The Magic Fish Summary

The Magician

by Colm Tóibín

Publication year 2021

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Literature, Conflict, Sexual Identity, Family, Marriage, Siblings, Self Discovery, Social Class, Community, Education, Nation, Politics & Government, War, Art, Justice, Music, Order & Chaos, Truth & Lies

Tags Historical Fiction, Life-Inspired Fiction, LGBTQ+, Military & War

... Read The Magician Summary

The Magician's Assistant

by Ann Patchett

Publication year 1997

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Truth & Lies, Grief, Regret, Sexual Identity, Death, The Past, Place, Family

Tags Magical Realism, LGBTQ+

Written by acclaimed American author Ann Patchett, The Magician’s Assistant is a piece of contemporary literature that explores life after grief, the nature of love, and the power of family dynamics. Told in two parts, one set in Los Angeles and the other in small-town Nebraska, the novel emphasizes the importance of setting and environment in the development of identity.The author of nine novels and the recipient of numerous awards, Ann Patchett is an outspoken... Read The Magician's Assistant Summary

The Magus

by John Fowles

Publication year 1965

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Sexual Identity, Appearance & Reality, Self Discovery, Order & Chaos

Tags Horror & Suspense, British Literature, Fantasy, Postmodernism

The Magus (1965) by John Fowles is a metafictional psychological thriller that blends a twisty, mysterious plot with existentialist philosophy and Postmodernist narrative play. Set on a beautiful, remote Greek island, the novel follows Nicholas Urfe, a disaffected British schoolteacher who becomes entangled in a surreal psychosexual game orchestrated by the enigmatic Conchis. Nick’s descent into Conchis’s world leaves him grappling with The Quest for an Authentic Self Amid Illusions, Narrative Instability as Metaphor for... Read The Magus Summary

The Master

by Colm Tóibín

Publication year 2004

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Sexual Identity, Literature, Loneliness, Love, Mental Health, Aging, Death, Family, Friendship, Social Class, Art

Tags Historical Fiction, Life-Inspired Fiction, Irish Literature

... Read The Master Summary

The Mighty Red

by Louise Erdrich

Publication year 2024

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Forgiveness, Fear, Grief, Love, Memory, Shame & Pride, Indigenous Identity, Masculinity, Sexual Identity, Coming of Age, Death, Climate, Environment, Plants, Marriage, Mothers, Colonialism, Community, Politics & Government, Justice

Tags Modern Classic Fiction

... Read The Mighty Red Summary

The Miseducation of Cameron Post

by Emily M. Danforth

Publication year 2012

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Sexual Identity, Coming of Age

Tags LGBTQ+, Realistic Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction, Historical Fiction, Romance

Written by Emily M. Danforth and published in 2012, The Miseducation of Cameron Post depicts lesbian teen Cameron Post’s coming of age in Miles City, Montana. The book, which comprises three parts—“Summer 1989,” “High School 1991-1992,” and “God’s Promise 1992-1993”—explores themes of homosexuality, grief, and religion. Danforth, who grew up in Miles City, draws from her own experiences of “growing up gay in the 1990s.” In 2018, LGBTQ culture advocate Desiree Akhavan directed the YA... Read The Miseducation of Cameron Post Summary

The Misfits

by James Howe

Publication year 2001

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Sexual Identity, Race, Coming of Age

Tags Humor, Coming of Age, Satirical Literature, Bullying, Diversity, LGBTQ+, Education, Modernism, American Literature, Children`s Literature, Education, Realistic Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction

The Misfits is a young adult novel by bestselling American author James Howe. The first of four in The Misfits series, the novel chronicles a group of unpopular seventh graders’ participation in a contentious student council election. The series inspired No-Name Calling Week, a bullying-prevention initiative that has been held by schools across the country.Plot SummaryThe Misfits is told from the perspective of Bobby Godspeed, a seventh grader living in Paintbrush Falls, New York. Bobby... Read The Misfits Summary