As a kid, I remember asking a librarian to show me where I could find “books about magic”… I remember the horror—and slight amusement—on the librarian’s face as she turned to my dad and I and proclaimed, “Oh, we don’t have those here. Those types of books are banned.”
According to NPD Bookscan, it seems that being an LGBTQ+ book is a good thing right now, at least for sales. But what if, in some ways, those same labels are losing sales as well?
There’s no better way to beat the dreary Oregon winter than to turn on the heat. A great way to do that is to add a little spice to your reading pile with a deeply engrossing romance. Here are a few LGBTQ+ romances to warm you from inside out, written by local Oregon authors who haven’t seen the sun this winter just as much as you, so they know how it feels.
I picked up my first graphic novel back in 2020 and fell madly in love with the simple yet beautiful artwork, and the heart-wrenching story.
Representation is important for reinforcing the idea that asexuality is a valid sexual orientation and identity and that fulfilling relationships are absolutely attainable for people who identify as asexual. Author of THE HOUSE IN THE CERULEAN SEA, TJ Klune has made incredible strides in queer representation in general and ace representation specifically. In interviews and on his blog, he advocates for more representation and remains a beacon of hope to other aspiring writers who want to include ace characters and relationships in their novels, whether they identify as ace or not.
Where there is no general sexual frivolity in a bisexual character, there may instead be the assertion of “confusion.” This is particularly true in cases where the audience is led to believe (not know, as this usually happens through suggestion instead of saying the words out loud, which is a whole other issue in and of itself) that a character is bisexual, but they tend to end up with the opposite gender. While this is fine in theory, the issue we’re faced with is the perpetuation of the stereotype that bisexuals are just “confused” or “experimenting,” and that when they settle down, they will inevitably choose a “straight” relationship.
If you’re part of the LGBTQ+ community, you’re probably eager to get your hands on any piece of queer media you can; if you’re not part of the community, maybe you’re looking to broaden the scope of your reading preferences. There are so many queer books out there, but it can be hard to keep with new releases and how many titles have already been published. Here we have put together a list of LGBTQ+ reads to add to your TBR list, whether you’re reading by yourself or with a book club.