What are the best queer books to read?

Short Answer

The best queer books span memoir, fiction, fantasy, history, and romance — start with the ones that match your interests, from Giovanni's Room for classic fiction to The House in the Cerulean Sea for cozy fantasy.

Fiction

• Giovanni's Room by James Baldwin — a 1956 classic of queer literary fiction
• Call Me by Your Name by André Aciman — first love in Italy
• On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong — poetry and memoir in novel form
• The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller — myth, love, and war
• The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune — found family, cozy fantasy
• Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston — rom-com royalty
• Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz — YA classic

Memoir & Nonfiction

• Fun Home by Alison Bechdel — graphic memoir
• Gender Outlaw by Kate Bornstein — trans classic
• Sissy by Jacob Tobia — trans memoir
• How We Fight for Our Lives by Saeed Jones — Black queer memoir
• The Stonewall Reader (ed. Jason Baumann) — history
• Ace by Angela Chen — asexuality, society, and relationships

Books That Center Trans Stories

• Detransition, Baby by Torrey Peters — messy, brilliant, trans-centered
• Nevada by Imogen Binnie — the first great trans novel
• Before I Had the Words by Skylar Kergil — trans youth memoir
• Redefining Realness by Janet Mock — trans woman of color memoir

Queer Classics You Should Know

• The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
• Orlando by Virginia Woolf
• Rubyfruit Jungle by Rita Mae Brown
• Zami by Audre Lorde
• Stone Butch Blues by Leslie Feinberg

Where to Find More

• The Stonewall Book Awards (annual, by genre)
• r/QueerBooks, r/sapphicbooks, r/MM_RomanceBooks
• Local queer bookstores: The Bureau of General Supplies (Chicago), Giovanni's Room (Philadelphia), Gay's the Word (London), Wilde Stores (Berlin)
• Your library's LGBTQ+ section — and your librarian, who almost certainly has opinions