For today’s books, I wanted to revel in Pride a bit more. The books below span a variety of genres and show a multitude of queer experiences.
The Emperor and the Endless Palace by Justinian Huang
Across multiple timelines and lives, two men are reborn, each life proving to them the eternity of love. A young emperor gets seduced by a courtier in 4 BCE, an innkeeper helps a mysterious visitor in 1740, and a college student meets an intriguing stranger in modern-day L.A.
Little Rot by Akwaeke Emezi
The bestselling, award-winning Nigerian author is back with a story of how everything can go wrong in just one weekend. It all starts with a breakup: Aima calls it quits when she realizes Kalu is not going to marry her. In an effort to self-medicate, Kalu decides to go to his friend Ahmed’s sex party, and man is that a bad idea. Soon, the three of them — plus two sex workers they meet who are visiting from Kuala Lumpur — are thrust into the gritty underbelly of Lagos, Nigeria, with its corruption, sex, lies, and murder.
Rakesfall by Vajra Chandrasekera
In this standalone sci-fi novel, Annelid and Leveret meet and are bound forever by what happened in a wood full of demons. And, when I say “forever,” I mean that literally, because their souls find each other no matter the era. But it’s not easy. Each time they’re reborn, they have to overcome new obstacles, their lives — and love — eternally shaped by others.
Honestly, between this and The Emperor and the Endless Palace, I’m starting to think that if they’re not traversing timelines and rebirth, do they really even love you?
Coexistence by Billy-Ray Belcourt
In each of these stories, Belcourt dips in and out of various versions of modern Indigenous life — a man newly freed from prison contends with the heaviness of freedom, a professor is haunted by a ghost nun, and a mother calls out to her departed son in grief.
Just Another Epic Love Poem by Parisa Akhbari
Starting when they were 13, besties Mitra Esfahani and Bea Ortega have kept The Book — a worn Moleskine notebook that holds stanzas on stanzas of an epic, never-ending poem. The Book has always been a place where either girl can fully express herself and work through her issues — from Mitra’s feelings surrounding her absentee mother to Bea’s breakup. Except this one thing. Mitra is in love with Bea and that could change everything.
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