Queer Book Club Picks

This two-volume graphic novel is probably Tagame’s most popular work, but is very different from his usual fare. In this all ages manga, the erotic horror mangaka introduces us to Yaichi, a young father who goes through his own journey of understanding when he hosts his Canadian brother-in-law, Mike, after his twin brother has died. The graphic format allows for a quick read, but the story itself packs quite an emotional punch, as we experience Yaichi’s relationship with his ex wife and his daughter, his late brother, and his new family member. 

If you’re interested in a text that’s a little less approachable, but which will definitely lead to some heavy conversation, Ocean Vuong’s novel, told as a letter to the narrator’s mother, is a go-to book club choice. The narrator, who only goes by Little Dog, bounces around time while telling the page all of the things he could never tell his mother to her face. All about his traumatic upbringing, his queer awakening, and the joys and tragedies of his coming-of-age. It’s not an easy book, but that’s what book clubs are for, right?

YA is always a fun thing to bring into a book club, especially if it’s full of people who are used to reading something more like Ocean Vuong. In Be Dazzled, Raffy is a young cosplayer extraordinaire—much to the dismay of his artist mother. While she believes his arts and crafts projects are overly pedestrian and not true art, Raffy’s goal is to win the biggest cosplay competition in Boston—not only for recognition and potential sponsorship, but also to beat his ex, who he taught everything about cosplay. Told in a dual timeline, we get to see how the messy teens came together and fell apart, and how the right costume can change a lot of things.

While this isn’t the Asexuality 101 type of nonfiction book that some people in my book club expected, this wildly accessible book explores the concepts of asexuality, desire, and love through anecdotes, interviews, and other elements of storytelling by an excellent investigative journalist. It’s also a great way to jumpstart conversations about the aro/ace spectrum, which is one of the branches of the family that gets the least attention, advocacy, and love. 

Jae’s novels are hefty things, but super easy to read. This one, which follows the development of the relationship between two women who meet via (as the title suggests) a wrong number text, never goes where you might expect. A slower moving, quiet love story, it’s also about each woman’s development into someone better than they were at the start, and how their worlds change for the better because of it.

This book has been pegged as The Hunger Games with magic, but also is about villains??? In a remote town, seven families each select a champion to compete over a wellspring of magic. While this tournament to the death is a tradition, this time around finds the champions the center of worldwide attention—which changes everything. 

When pop star Unice Love and producer Lydia Pride come together to make a holiday track for charity, sparks fly. But between the two of them, plenty of baggage and barriers exist between them and a future that includes a happily ever after. (Note: this novella was previously released in the Love is All anthology.)