If you're still working on your reading list this year, I've got 25 new LGBTQ+ books coming in Fall 2019 that should be on your TBR. Whether you're looking for books that reflect your own experiences, or are just trying to broaden your horizons, these LGBTQ+ novels and memoirs will make perfect additions to your nightstand.
2019 has been a banner year for queer writing and reading, with memoirs from prominent LGBTQ+ celebrities and activists landing in stores throughout the year. Readers may already be able to get their hands on Jackson Bird's Sorted and Jonathan Van Ness' Over the Top, but you've still got Jaquira Díaz's Ordinary Girls and Carmen Maria Machado's In the Dream House to look forward to this fall.
Of course, 2019 is also chock-full of great, queer fiction for readers of all ages. Freshwater author Akwaeke Emezi recently made their YA debut with Pet, and Rainbow Rowell and Faith Erin Hicks' collaborative graphic novel, Pumpkinheads, is also out this fall, along with oodles of other books with queer protagonists.
Check out the 25 new, queer books I've picked out for your fall reading list below, and then be sure to share your favorite #ownvoices LGBTQ+ reads with me on Twitter!
'Sorted: Growing Up, Coming Out, and Finding My Place (A Transgender Memoir)' by Jackson Bird
Trans YouTuber and TED Resident Jackson Bird tells the story of his coming out and rise to Internet fame in his first book, Sorted.
'Pet' by Akwaeke Emezi
The YA debut from Freshwater author Akwaeke Emezi, Pet centers on Jam, a transgender teen who discovers that monsters, which were believed to have been eradicated long ago, may still live in her hometown.
'Stage Dreams' by Melanie Gillman
A graphic novel set in the Wild West, Melanie Gillman's Stage Dreams follows Flor and Grace as they plan a heist involving secret Confederate documents.
'Rules for Vanishing' by Kate Alice Marshall
Sara's sister disappeared one year ago, after she followed an urban legend about a spectral road and the ghost who haunts the end of it. No one else believes that Becca was really taken by the ghost of Lucy Gallows, but her sister is convinced that's where she is. With the help of her friends, Sara journeys off into the woods to find Becca and bring her home.
'Gideon the Ninth' by Tamsyn Muir
"Lesbian necromancers in space!" The cover blurb really says it all with this one, but here's a little more info for you.
Gideon Nav wasn't born into the Ninth House, but she's lived there her entire life, and she wants nothing more than to leave and never come back. When her childhood rival, the Ninth House's Reverend Daughter, offers her her freedom in exchange for Gideon's service as her cavalier, she agrees, not knowing that she's about to become inextricably involved in a murder mystery.
'The Future of Another Timeline' by Annalee Newitz
In the year 2022, Tess has finally come upon a breakthrough that will allow time travelers to right the wrongs of the past, but a group of Comstock-inspired men want to use her invention to write women's suffrage out of history. Her travels through time to stop the "Comstockers" cause her to cross paths with Beth and Lizzy, two riot grrls, whom Tess knows shouldn't be together.
'High School' by Tegan and Sara Quin
Identical twins and queer music icons Tegan and Sara have collaborated on this memoir, which recounts the events of their coming of age in Calgary, Alberta in the 1990s.
'The Truth Is' by NoNieqa Ramos
High school is hard. Falling in love may be harder. Fifteen-year-old Verdad is already dealing with the fact that her dad has started a new family, her best friend is gone, and her mother's expectations for her might be outside of what she can achieve, when she begins to fall for a new trans student named Danny. Her mother doesn't approve, but the more important question for Verdad is what liking Danny says about her sexuality.
'How to Cure a Ghost' by Fariha Róisín and Monica Ramos
This illustrated collection from queer, Muslim, femme Fariha Róisín explores the intersection of her identity through the poet's relationship to her mother and others.
'Pumpkinheads' by Rainbow Rowell and Faith Erin Hicks
After spending every autumn working together at a pumpkin patch, high-school seniors Deja and Josiah are facing their final Halloween before college. Knowing they won't work together again, Deja sets out to help Josiah have the best night ever in this YA graphic novel from Carry On author Rainbow Rowell and The Adventures of Superhero Girl author Faith Erin Hicks.
'Over the Top: A Raw Journey to Self-Love' by Jonathan Van Ness
From Queer Eye star Jonathan Van Ness comes this memoir detailing his journey from addiction, to recovery, to acceptance.
'Red at the Bone' by Jacqueline Woodson
In this slim novel, Jacqueline Woodson explores the impact of one teen pregnancy on two New York City families over the course of decades.
'Aphrodite Made Me Do It' by Trista Mateer (Oct. 1)
Honeybee author Trista Mateer blends artwork, mythology, and poetry in this new self-help collection.
'Crier's War' by Nina Varela (Oct. 1)
The first book in a new duology, Nina Varela's Crier's War takes place in the aftermath of a civil conflict that turned a country's power dynamics upside-down. Humans have been subjugated by their inventions, the Made, but what will happen when a human servant falls in love with a member of Made royalty?
'Frankissstein' by Jeanette Winterson (Oct. 1)
Weaving together narratives from across the last 200 years, Jeannette Winterson's Frankissstein probes the limits of the human imagination and our ability to manipulate the natural world. Circling everything from intelligent sex dolls to the cryogenically frozen corpses of people who believed they'd come back to life, Frankissstein is a must-read new novel from the author of Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit.
'salt slow' by Julia Armfield (Oct. 8)
This short-story collection features tales that weave together the horrific and the miraculous, including one story of a teenager for whom puberty looks much different that expected.
'The Man Who Saw Everything' by Deborah Levy (Oct. 15)
Longlisted for the Booker Prize, Deborah Levy's The Man Who Saw Everything follows a historian whose work takes him into East Berlin, where he is struck by a moving vehicle. In the aftermath of the accident, this novel examines the what-ifs and could-have-beens of the man's life.
'Tarnished Are the Stars' by Rosiee Thor (Oct. 15)
Anna's clockwork heart is illegal, as is her work as the Technician — the Robin Hood of the black-market organ trade. The son of the highest legal authority is out to take down the Technician, but the more he learns about his father's laws, the more he begins to wonder whose side he should really be on.
'Mooncakes' by Suzanne Walker and Wendy Xu (Oct. 15)
In this graphic novel, teen witch Nova and itinerant werewolf Tam find themselves pitched into a battle with dark magic forces when one of them is suddenly attacked by demons.
'Ordinary Girls' by Jaquira Díaz (Oct. 29)
A memoir of identity and place, Jaquira Díaz's Ordinary Girls moves from the dissolution of Díaz's family in the wake of her mother's schizophrenia onset, to the dynamics of families that are made instead of born.
'Full Disclosure' by Camryn Garrett (Oct. 29)
Trying to carve out a space for herself in her new school, Simone thinks things are finally looking up when she starts coordinating a production of Rent and hanging out with the cute guy she likes. But a letter threatening to expose Simone's status as HIV-positive unless she stops socializing with her new friend could change everything.
'I’m a Gay Wizard' by V.S. Santoni (Oct. 29)
When Johnny and Alison dabble in a little bit of magic, they expect nothing more than a night of harmless fun. They certainly didn't anticipate receiving invitations to the exclusive Marduk Institute — a school for magically gifted children. Separated from their families, Johnny and Alison soon find that Marduk isn't all sunshine and rainbows. Sometimes, in fact, magic can be deadly.
'The Best Bad Things' by Katrina Carrasco (Nov. 5)
A historical crime novel set in the late-19th-century Pacific Northwest, The Best Bad Things follows Alma Rosales, a trained Pinkerton detective, who must investigate the disappearance of her smuggler employer's stocks — as she carries a torch for her.
'In the Dream House' by Carmen Maria Machado (Nov. 5)
From Her Body and Other Parties author Carmen Maria Machado comes this memoir of domestic abuse. At a time when abuse in similar-gender partnerships is still under-discussed, In the Dream House is a must-read from one of the 21st century's best storytellers.
'Dear Twin' by Addie Tsai (Nov. 15)
A high-school graduate whose twin has gone missing writes letters to her vanished sister and attempts to forge ahead with her own life in this YA novel.
