#queer escapism

gather round queer kiddos, for this book rec of stories featuring wlw of all designations, where happy things happen and bad things do not (nearly as much). I’ve aimed for happy endings and not too much tragedy or pain over the course of these stories, but (unfortunately) haven’t read all of them so do let me know if any mistakes slipped through.

This list is heavy on the fiction because I’m mainly aiming to provide some solace and warmth. Where there is some overlap between categories (e.g. coming out after uni and the what comes next section, or if you’re looking for escapism then the background-to-no romance section might also be useful) I have only included a book under one or the other, not duplicated.

All links direct through to the Storygraph, which includes reader-sourced content warnings on all titles so do make sure to check those out as well (and if you want you can follow me here). Now, have at it!

Coming out and of age

At middle school / primary school / roughly under age 12

Star-Crossed by Barbara Dee

Ivy Aberdeen’s Letter To The World by Ashley Herring Blake

The House You Pass On The Way by Jacqueline Woodson

Princess Princess Ever After by Katie O’Neill (graphic novel)

At high school

You Should See Me In A Crown by Leah Johnson

Keeping You A Secret by Julie Anne Peters

Annie On My Mind by Nancy Garden

The Gallery Of Unfinished Girls by Lauren Karcz

Georgia Peaches And Other Forbidden Fruit by Jaye Robin Brown

Leah On The Offbeat by Becky Albertalli

Style by Chelsea M. Cameron

Hot Dog Girl by Jennifer Dugan

Tell Me Again How A Crush Should Feel by Sara Farizan

Amelia Westlake Was Never Here by Erin Gough

Our Own Private Universe by Robin Talley

At uni

Tell Me How You Really Feel by Aminah Mae Safi

Learning Curves by Ceillie Simkiss

Outside / after school

Like Water by Rebecca Podos

The Princess And The Fangirl by Ashey Poston

Ship It by Britta Lundin

Juliet Takes A Breath by Gabby Rivera

Coming out after uni

The London Of Us by Clare Lydon

Breaking Character by Lee Winter

Knit One, Girl Two by Shira Glassman

Out And Proud by Lisa Young (directs to Bella Books)

What comes after the big come out

Everything Leads To You by Nina LeCour

Double Exposure by Chelsea Cameron

A Hidden Hope by Laura Ambrose

Seriously... I’m Kidding by Ellen DeGeneres (non fiction)

Happy Accidents by Jane Lynch (non fiction)

Escapism (i.e. genre fiction where queerphobia isn’t a thing)

Of Fire And Stars by Audrey Coulthurst

The Seafarer’s Kiss by Julia Ember

Belle Revolte by Linsey Miller

Mooncakes by Suzanne Walker with Wendy Xu (graphic novel)

Passing Strange by Ellen Klages

The Lost Coast by Amy Rose Capetta

Ash by Malinda Lo

Not Your Sidekick by C.B. Lee

Escaping Exodus by Nicky Drayden

Crier’s War by Nina Varela

Girl, Serpent, Thorn by Melissa Bashardoust

The Midnight Lie by Marie Rutkoski

Cinderella Is Dead by Kalynn Bayron

An Accident Of Stars by Foz Meadows

The Art Of Saving The World by Corinne Duyvis

Water Witch: The Deceiver’s Grave by Nene Adams

Romance & identity take a back seat

The Black Veins by Ashia Monet

Once & Future by Amy Rose Capetta and Cori McCarthy

Lumberjanes by Grace Ellis, Noelle Stevenson, Shannon Walters with Brooklyn A. Allen (graphic novel)

Princeless: Raven The Pirate Princess by Rosy Higgins (graphic novel)

Classics

Rubyfruit Jungle by Rita Mae Brown

Carmilla by Joseph Sheridan le Fanu, edited by Carmen Maria Machado

Annie On My Mind by Nancy Garden

Villette by Charlotte Bronte

The how tos and histories

How We Get Free: Black Feminism And The Combahee River Collective, edited by Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor

Sapphistries: A Global History Of Love Between Women by Leila J. Rupp

Overshare: Love, Laughs, Sexuality And Secrets by Rosie Spaughton and Rose Wllen Dix

Rewriting The Rules: An Anti-Self Help Guide To Love, Sex And Relationships by Meg-John Barker

Coming Out Stories: Personal Experiences Of Coming Out From Across The LGBTQ+ Spectrum, edited by Emma Goswell and Sam Walker

Further reading

Definitely make sure to check out @bellabooks​, publisher of wlw stories!

@bookriot​‘s Queer Women’s History Reads and Books About LGBT History, but make sure to poke around the whole website

Gay’s The Word bookshop: based in London but ships worldwide, I’m mainly including it here because it has an excellent filter system with settings for category and identity to help you find the books you want to read

All of @biandlesbianliterature really, but especially the Coming Out Later In Life book list

The books section over at Autostraddle is really everything I ever wanted

Honestly I can imagine a world where I’m 59 and I can go up to a college student and be like “oh you need to write a paper on Taylor Swift and the queer undertones in her writing? Here’s my tumblr from the 2010s-2020s. You should be able to find everything you need there.”

Taylor uses this technique where she makes a song sound stern at first listen but upon further review they turn into this duality of Taylor trying to convince herself to feel one way in the chorus but the verses tend to be sarcastic or speak the truth of uncertainty or worry or love.

We saw this on the 1 (“I persist and resist the temptation to ask you/If one thing had been different/Would everything be different today?”)

Gold rush follows a similar set up. It’s like gorgeous but closeted and trying to wake up from this daydream that keeps coming about a life with this beautiful being.

It reminds me of but I’m a cheerleader.