The Most Exciting Adult LGBTQ Books Out This Week!
Including trans litfic, sapphic historical fiction, M/M fantasy romance, and lots more.
Today’s Our Queerest Shelves is brought to you by: Erewhon Books
Worlds collide in this historical Jewish fantasy debut by Ariel Kaplan, The Pomegranate Gate! Set in 14th Century Spain, young Toba Peres and Naftaly Cresques flee with their Jewish community from the Inquisition and the Queen's tyrannical command to convert or die. Each carrying heavy secrets, Toba and Naftaly run across the otherworldly, mirrored realm of the Mazik, mysterious, magical beings to whom they are both connected. They will have to evade Inquisitions in each world if they plan on saving both! This first book in The Mirror Cycle will be available September 26, 2023. Preorder today! Find out more about Erewhon Books here!
I hope you like new queer books, because there are a ton of them this week! In fact, there are so many that I had to split them up: today is the adult new releases, and Thursday will have the kids’ and YA new releases.
Queer books, BIPOC books, and sex education books continue to be targeted by book banners. We know these can be life-changing — even life-saving — for kids to have access to. That's why today I'm highlighting EveryLibrary, which helps fight back against book bans. You can donate to help out, sign up as a volunteer, or join the mailing list on their homepage to stay up to date.
Looking to keep up with new queer books? Check out Book Riot's New Release Index! Delighting velocireaders since 2017, it will keep you in the loop for all the new and noteworthy books. You can even sort by queer books! (Psst, I help curate the queer books added, so you know they’re good.) Subscribe today — you won't be able to read them all, but it's fun to try!
New LGBTQ Releases This Week
Bellies by Nicola Dinan (Trans Woman Fiction)
Tom and Ming meet at a drag night, and they immediately hit it off and start dating. Tom can’t wait to start their life together after graduation. When they move to London, though, Ming tells him she’s transitioning. Through these changes as well as personal and professional crises, will Ming and Tom be able to grow together? This is getting a ton of praise, including multiple-starred reviews.
I Will Greet the Sun Again by Khashayar J. Khabushani (Achillean Fiction)
K is a Muslim, Iranian American kid growing up in the San Fernando Valley who just wanted to be known as a “boy from L.A.” But he feels like he has to hide the fact that he gets crushes on boys to live up to his parents’ image of the ideal son. Suddenly, his violent father takes him and his brothers back to Iran. When he returns to the U.S. months later, K struggles to feel like he belongs to either place.
The Lookback Window by Kyle Dillon Hertz (Queer Fiction)
For three years, Dylan was a victim of sex trafficking. Vincent, his trafficker, promised to marry him when he turned 18. Attempts to charge Vincent when Dylan escaped went nowhere, and now the statute of limitations has run up, so he tries to forget about his past and enjoy the present with his fiancé, Moans. Then a new law offers Dylan the chance to sue his abuser — but is it worth the chance for compensation if it means having to relive the most traumatic moments of his life?
Falling Back In Love With Being Human: Love Letters to Lost Souls by Kai Cheng Thom (Trans Nonfiction/Poetry)
I spoke about this book at length on today’s episode of the All the Books podcast, so check that out if you’d like to hear more! Kai Cheng Thom is a phenomenal author of fiction, poetry, essays, and more. In this collection, she writes love letters to a wide range of subjects, including truly hateful people, trying to connect to our essential humanity. Interspersed are instructions to embody the letters, whether it’s “Write a prayer of hope on a piece of paper and leave it somewhere for someone else to find” or advising you to lay in the forest, cover yourself in leaves, and listen. I adored this.
When We Were Sisters by Fatimah Asghar (Queer Fiction) (Paperback Rerelease)
The Way Life Should Be by William Dameron (Achillean Fiction)
This Brutal House by Niven Govinden (Queer Men Fiction)
Lush Lives by J. Vanessa Lyon (Queer Fiction)
All This Could Be Different by Sarah Thankam Mathews (Sapphic Fiction) (Paperback Rerelease)
Slant by Katherine O'Donnell (Lesbian Fiction)
Set in Stone by Stela Brinzeanu (F/F Historical Fiction)
One Summer in Vancouver by Tony Correia (Queer 1990 Historical Fiction)
With Love, from Cold World by Alicia Thompson (Bisexual M/F Romance)
Sparks Fly by Birdie Lynn (M/M Fantasy Romance)
Fit for the Gods: Greek Mythology Reimagined edited by Book Riot's own Jenn Northington and S. Zainab Williams (Queer-Inclusive Fantasy Anthology)
Time and Soul by Genevieve Huffman (Sapphic Fantasy)
Sordidez by E G Condé (Trans Man Science Fiction)
Radiant Pink by Meghan Camarena and Melissa Flores (F/F Superhero Graphic Novel)
Amongst Us - Book 1: Soulmates by Shilin Huan (F/F Manga)
Sipping Dom Pérignon Through a Straw: Reimagining Success as a Disabled Achiever by Eddie Ndopu (Queer Memoir)
Punks: New & Selected Poems by John Keene, narrated by the author (Gay Poetry) (Audiobook Rerelease)
For more new releases, check out our New Books newsletter and the New Release Index — you can even filter by queer books!
LBGTQ Book Riot Post from the Archives
A-Z Queer YA Recommendations
From Annie On My Mind to Zara Hossain Is Here, check out the whole alphabet of queer YA recommendations!
Queer Bookish Goodies
I was thinking about Falling Back In Love With Being Human and stumbled on this queer corvid print, so it felt like a nice match. This is based on a queer vintage photo. $20
That's it for me! Until next time, you can find me at my sapphic book blog the Lesbrary and (sigh) Twitter. You can also hear me on All the Books or you can read my Book Riot posts.
Happy reading!
Danika