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jkhjklhjlhlkjk Moms, Dads, Grads Security 101 Tech Science Life Social Good Entertainment Deals Shopping Travel Entertainment Books 13 very gay and very good books you should read this Pride Month The perfect way to add some gay pride to your reading list. By MJ Franklin on June 18, 2019 Share on Facebook (opens in a new window) Share on Twitter (opens in a new window) Share on Flipboard (opens in a new window) Books with colours of the Pride flag. These 18 books are the perfect way to add some gay pride to your reading list. Credit: Mashable composite Pride

Mashable celebrates Pride all year long and honors Pride Month in June by exploring and championing the modern LGBTQ world in all its glorious queerness — including the leaders, conversations, and spaces, both online and off, making up a community that embraces and continues to fight for the freedom to thrive as our most authentic selves.

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Pride Month is officially here and that can only mean one thing: time to load up your reading list with stellar queer stories.

Of course, you should be mixing gay books into your to-be-read pile no matter what time of year, but this month, as you celebrate Pride, queer books can be the perfect way to explore the breadth and diversity of the LGBTQ community.

Fortunately for anybody looking for a great gay read, the book world is filled with a bevy of queer stories of all genres.

Whether you're looking for a meditative poetry collection about queer identity and mental health, a deep dive into the New York City's ballroom culture in the '80s and '90s, a comic about a group scouts who find themselves plagued by supernatural creatures at camp, or a coming-of-age story about a shapeshifter who is navigating life and dating, there is a queer book out there for you.

Here are 18 very gay and very good books you should read this Pride Month. 1. Less, Andrew Greer(opens in a new tab)

Andrew Greer's 2018 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel Less(opens in a new tab) starts off with a character in crisis: our protagonist Arthur is a struggling novelist, feeling existential as he approaches his 50th birthday, and, to make matters worse, he's just received an invitation to his ex-boyfriend's wedding. Instead of despairing, Arthur says "NOPE" and instead embarks on a haphazard literary world tour. But what sells the book is Greer's resounding heart and humor, making this tale of romantic misadventures as funny as it is earnest. 2. Under the Udala Trees, Chinelo Okparanta(opens in a new tab)

Under the Udala Trees(opens in a new tab) is a book about star-crossed love. The novel follows the life of Ijeoma, a young girl who, at the start of the book, is sent away from her family in order to stay safe during the Nigerian civil war. While away, Ijeoma meets Amina, another girl also separated from her family. The two begin a brief relationship... only to find out that their love is forbidden. What follows is a beautiful novel about love and hardship as Ijeoma is sent home, forced into an unhappy marriage with a man, all the while grappling with her attraction to women. 3. madness, sam sax(opens in a new tab)

Don't forget to add a bit of poetry to your reading list this Pride Month! If you're looking for a collection to start with, check out sam sax's collection madness(opens in a new tab). The poems in this collection cover everything from sexuality to mental health to culture and heritage, but what shines through and connects each of these threads is sax's incredibly thoughtful and evocative prose. 4. Last Seen Leaving, Caleb Roehrig(opens in a new tab)

If the Babadook has taught us anything, it's that Pride is not complete without a little noir. To that end, if you are looking for a darker read this month, make sure you check out Caleb Roehrig's Last Seen Leaving(opens in a new tab). The book is a coming out story masked as a mystery thriller about Flynn, the primary suspect in an investigation when his girlfriend January disappears. Flynn's answers about his life with January don't quite add up... but maybe that has less to do about January and more about the secret that Flynn is keeping. 5. Nevada, Imogen Binnie(opens in a new tab)

Nevada(opens in a new tab) follows Maria, a young trans woman living in New York City, trying to navigate the punk scene while also working in retail. When Maria's girlfriend breaks up with her by revealing that she's been cheating, Maria's world is turned upside down. On a quest to escape it all, Melanie embarks on a cross country road trip where she meets James, a stoner living in Nevada who is just as lost as Maria. As the book jumps between both James and Maria's perspectives, Nevada offers a thoughtful look at identity and the trans experience. 6. Lumberjanes, Noelle Stevenson, Shannon Watters, Grace Ellis, and Brooke A. Allen(opens in a new tab)

If you're looking for some comics to check out this Pride month, be sure to check out Lumberjanes(opens in a new tab). The series documents the adventures of a group of scouts — Jo, April, Mal, Molly, and Ripley— as they spend a summer together. The only thing is, their camp is plagued by supernatural creatures including yetis, three-eyed wolves, and giant falcons. In addition to featuring stunning art, the book is also incredibly inclusive as the story delves into each diverse character, making Lumberjanes the perfect Pride Month read. 7. Fun(opens in a new tab) Home, Alison Bechdel(opens in a new tab)

Fun Home(opens in a new tab) is a graphic memoir about coming out and finding love, centered around two people. The book documents Alison Bechdel (who also came up with the Bechdel test), her experience exploring her attraction to women, and the way that her father resisted her identity. But, after Alison's father is hit by a car and killed, she reflects on his past and realizes that he may have had his own struggles with his sexual identity. 8. How(opens in a new tab) To Write An Autobiographical Novel, Alexander Chee(opens in a new tab)

To read Alexander Chee's essay collection How To Write An Autobiographical Novel(opens in a new tab) is to stand in a hall of mirrors, watching as a single person, and all of the identites that compose them, is reflected from all angles. The essay collection is a deep dive into Chee's past as he documents his expereinces as a gay rights and HIV/AIDS activist, a rose gardener, a writer, and more. But at the core, the book explores how we use writing to shape who we are and how who we are shapes our writing. 9. They Both Die At The End, Adam Silvera(opens in a new tab)

As the title probably suggests, They Both Die At The End(opens in a new tab) is not what we could a "happy" book. The novel follows a day in the life of two boys, Mateo and Rufus, who get early morning calls from Death-Cast telling them that today is the day that they're going to die. Though initially strangers, Mateo and Rufus are soon brought together through the Last Friend app, a social network that connects people on their last day alive. But as Mateo and Rufus embark on a quest to check items off their bucket list while they still have time, their friendship grows into something more, ultimately exploring what happens when we fall in love with someone we know we only will have a very limited time with. 10. You(opens in a new tab) Know Me Well, David Levithan and Nina LaCour(opens in a new tab)

Sometimes all you need is a good friend. And that's where You Know Me Well(opens in a new tab) comes in. The book is about Mark and Kate, two students who have remained total strangers even though they've sat next to each other in class for an entire year. When the they run into each other unexpectedly at a bar in San Francisco, each dealing with a small crisis (Kate has just run away from love while Mark is dealing with the fact that the boy he loves is interested in someone else), they become fast friends. Documenting Mark and Kate's adventures with love, relationships, and growing up, You Know Me Well reveals how our friends can become our greatest lifeline. 11. The Argonauts, Maggie Nelson(opens in a new tab)

The Argonauts (opens in a new tab)defies categorization in the best way. The book is a poetic memoir about Maggie Nelson's relationship with Harry, a gender-fluid artist with whom Nelson falls in love and begins a family. But in addition to the incredible story, The Argonauts radiates with stunning observations about being queer and in love, making the memoir feel less like a book and more like the perfect rendering of a person's heart on a page. 12. Don't Call Us Dead, Danez Smith(opens in a new tab)

Fair warning up front: Don't Call Us Dead(opens in a new tab) is a devastating poetry collection. But this book is as beautiful as it is painfully raw. Throughout the collection, Smith writes about race, queer identity, and AIDS, with an electrifying amount of passion and care, making this book a must-read for Pride Month. 13. Leah on the Offbeat, Becky Albertalli(opens in a new tab)

You may know Becky Albertalli for her novel Simon vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda(opens in a new tab) (which was turned into a fantastic movie Love, Simon). But now Albertalli is back with a new book: Leah on the Offbeat(opens in a new tab). Where Sapiens outlines Simon's adventures in coming out, Leah on the Offbeat reveals that Leah is struggling with her identity too: she's bisexual and working to muster the courage to come out to her friends. But as Leah navigates her senior year of high school, she realizes that she may love one her friends more than anyone else might expect. Featured Video For You The history of Pride

The story was originally published in 2018 and updated in 2019.

More in Books, LGBTQ Mashable Image MJ Franklin (opens in a new tab)

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