literary matchmaking

prepare to fall in love!

Hey! You’re here! Thank you.

I hope June is treating you well. I hope you get a little treat and some time to read if that’s your thing.

It’s absolutely my thing, which is why I am here today to be your personal book matchmaker. I recently put out a call on my instagram for book recommendation requests in hopes I might be able to make a little magic happen.

Yes Rory, yes I do.

This go around I am recommending all queer books because hi hello you should read a queer book. Yes, it’s pride month, but don’t get it twisted. These books hit all year long.

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Books & Bakes

. Laura interrogates the idea of what makes a queer book every week and pays attention to books and the world with earnest curiosity and big love.

A quick note: I haven’t read all these books! At first I wanted to only recommend books I have read but quickly realized that was too limiting. I’m betting my reputation on this (lol) so I promise I’ve done my homework. The books I have read will be in bold.

Adventure (Not Romance)

Reader #1 requested queer books with adventure that are not romance. Let’s go!

How Much of These Hills is Gold by C Pam Zhang // This debut novel is an adventure story following two siblings on a journey of survival against the backdrop of the American gold rush. I haven’t read any of Zhang’s work but I am told the language is rich and luscious.

The Ballad of Jacquotte Delahaye by Briony Cameron // A brand new release! This debut novel is based on true events and tells the story of one of the few purported female pirate captains to sail the Caribbean. The publisher summary calls this a “buccaneering escapade” which hello sign me up. Looks like there is a love-interest/romantic element to this one, but from what I can tell the adventure of life on the sea is at the center of the narrative.

Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas // Okay before anybody yells at me, yes this one absolutely has a romantic element! There is a cutie pie love story right in the middle of it. I know. The opposite of what you asked for. But I’m in charge here missy and this is a queer adventure story if I’ve ever read one! There are also ghosts and monsters and *tons* of action. This one is marketed as YA but I would recommend it to any reader looking for adventure with maybe just a touch of young, queer love mixed in.

Queer Thrillers

Reader #2 requested queer thrillers. Hold onto your popcorn, because I’ve got some good ones!

Scorched Grace by Margot Douaihy // This is technically a mystery, not strictly a thriller, but it’s about a queer, chain-smoking nun who solves crimes, so do we really care? The second book in this series is already out so if you love it you have more to look forward to. Margot Douaihy is a western mass author and she is an absolute delight and just a rad person and artist. Follow her!

Hell Followed With Us by Andrew Joseph White // Again, this is more horror than strictly thriller, but it is action packed and thrilling, let me tell you. This YA debut follows a young trans boy on the run from the fundamentalist cult that raised him and released an Armageddon that decimated much of the planet. It’s dark and not for the faint of heart. The queer kids at the center of this book are saving themselves and that’s the most thrilling, beautiful thing. Warning - it’s pretty gory.

Rainbow Black by Maggie Thrash // Maggie Thrash is a graphic novelist and memoirist I have long admired and her most recent novel sounds absolutely unhinged in the best way. I don’t want to just quote from the publisher’s summary but in this case it’s just too good - Rainbow Black is part murder mystery, part gay international fugitive love story--set against the '90s Satanic Panic and spanning 20 years in the life of a young woman pulled into its undertow. I mean c’mon!!! I’m ready.

Decades Long Friendship Fiction

Reader #3 requested recommendations for decades-long friendship fiction similar to one of my beloveds, Idlewild by Joseph Frankie Thomas. Books about queer friendship are so precious to me and this request made me reflect on some absolute gems. More queer friendship books please!

Another Brooklyn by Jacqueline Woodson // A book of my life that I will bring up at every possible opportunity. People don’t talk enough about the genius of Jacqueline Woodson. For my money, she is one of our greatest living writers and this is her best work. Unlike others in the decades-long friendship genre, this novel is slim and there is not a single word or sentence that is excessive or out of place. Nobody writes girlhood or friendship like her. That’s all you need to know!

The Rachel Incident by Caroline O’Donoghue // Set across decades in Ireland, this is a classic coming-of-age novel that centers friendship. It’s about the friendships that persist through massive fuck-ups and the messiest moments of our becoming. I would recommend this one to almost anyone and the audiobook is fantastic.

Family Meal by Bryan Washington // Another book of my life. No one writes queer friendship and community like Bryan Washington. He tends to non-romantic relationships with a care and reverence that feels revolutionary to me. This one is about chosen family and grief and recovery in every sense of the word. And don’t just listen to me, this bad boy won a Lambda Literary Award just last night. Congratulations, Bryan! Please keep breaking my heart forever.

Okay that’s all I’ve got today. This was fun! Maybe a part two next week? I’m going to go drink some (more) coffee and dream about all the books I want to read peacefully on a bench Rory Gilmore style.

Tell me in the comments if you have read any of these or if you have other recs for these sweet babes. Also send me your recommendation requests! You can leave them in the comments here or dm me on instagram.

I love you.

Love,

Rosamond