10 books to read in celebration of Pride Month

To mark pride month this year, I want to cast a spotlight on several fantasy books with characters on the rainbow spectrum. I don’t think we should limit our LGBTQ+ reading to June, but there is no better time than the present to start.

Although LGBTQ+ POVs remain underrepresented in media, I’m happy to see increased awareness in the past few years. Inclusive story-telling on-screen or in literature elicits empathy as you temporarily put yourself in someone else's shoes and experience their struggle.

To a queer reader, viewing a story from the POV of someone they can relate to, who mirrors their life experience, struggles, and worries, can be revelatory. We need more books (and movies) to help normalize LGBTQ+ identity and fight the stigma they still face, give queer people role models they can identify with, and help straight people understand how those different from them feel. At the end of the day, love is love.

So, with the help of my social media followers, who responded to my call and recommended their favorite inclusive books featuring queer characters, I rounded up ten titles to read this summer. Some are more popular, and you might have already seen them all over social media, but I also included some that are brand new.

So, here is my top ten selection for this summer, in no particular order. And because I suck at math, my top ten list includes eleven books: