107 female authors everyone should read
10 Great Books By LGBTQ+ Authors
Books we recommend by LGBTQ+ authorsWhether you're a member of the community or an ally, you might be looking for the best books by LGBTQ+ authors to devour in honor of Pride Month. From fun LGBTQ+ young adult (YA) books to serious examinations of queer identity, there's no shortage of excellent titles to put on your list. Many of the best LGBTQ+ books are available in multiple formats, including e-books, physical copies and audiobooks (purchased in the Audible store or on Amazon).
In this article: "On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous" by Ocean Vuong, "Juliet Takes a Breath" by Gabby Rivera and "Detransition, Baby" by Torrey Peters
Best books by LGBTQ+ authors
"On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous" by Ocean Vuong
Among the top LGBTQ+ books for adults is this beautifully lyrical novel that explores class, race, sexuality and notions of masculinity, communicated in the form of a letter from the main character to his mother who can't read. Painful, haunting and unforgettable, this coming-of-age story touches on themes of identity and whether we can ever truly be seen and heard by those closest to us.
"Juliet Takes a Breath" by Gabby Rivera
When Juliet, a young Latina lesbian from the Bronx, gets an internship with her favorite feminist author, she sets out on a path to an unforgettable summer. While it's written for a young adult audience, there's more than enough for adults to enjoy in this funny, moving and powerful tale.
"Detransition, Baby" by Torrey Peters
Real life can be messy, and this sharp novel doesn't shy away from that fact. Ames detransitions, thinking he'll make his life easier, but he loses his girlfriend, Reese, and the family they'd been planning. Reese has always wanted a baby, but as a transgender woman, this comes with its own complications. So, when Ames gets his boss, Katrina, pregnant, it could be a chance for the three of them to form an unconventional family unit.
"Bad Gays" by Huw Lemmey and Ben Miller
Queer people have always existed, which means that history is littered with bad ones as well as good. This book explores LGBTQ+ history through the stories of its villains. Not only is it a funny and informative read, but it's also a reminder that the gay community doesn't only have to focus on its more saintly members through the ages to be accepted.
"Stone Butch Blues" by Leslie Feinberg
A personal exploration of butch and trans experience, this semi-autobiographical novel is as moving and relevant today as it was when it was published in 1993. Once an underground classic, it's now widely available and a heavy but vital read.
"You Know Me Well" by Nina LaCour and David Levithan
If you're looking for LGBTQ+ books for teens, consider this one co-written by two big names in YA fiction. This book explores queer friendship and community from the alternating perspectives of two teens who meet at a Pride event. It's smart, funny and full of heart, introducing you to characters you won't forget about any time soon.
"The Collected Poems of Frank O'Hara"
Frank O'Hara's poetry might be filled with cultural references that are firmly rooted in the midcentury era in which it was written, but it feels remarkably fresh. His poems touch on love, sexuality, social anxiety and loneliness in a way that feels eternally relevant, with a charming enthusiasm for the world that can't be ignored.
"Rainbow Rainbow" by Lydia Conklin
This collection of short stories examines elements of the LGBTQ+ experience not frequently explored in fiction. It accepts that life and identity are complex and doesn't shy away from uncertainty or difficult issues. Although at times raw and uncompromising, these stories can also be funny and full of queer joy.
"One Last Stop" by Casey McQuiston
When August meets a beautiful girl on the subway, the last thing she expects is that she's been displaced in time and belongs in the 1970s. The premise might be far-fetched, but this time-bending romance novel is funny, joyful and impossible to put down.
"Last Night at the Telegraph Club" by Malinda Lo
Set in San Francisco's Chinatown in the 1950s, this is the piece of intersectional queer historical fiction you've been waiting for. At once exploring the excitement of young love and the horrors of the Red Scare of the McCarthy era, Malinda Lo has created a cast of characters you'll truly care about.
More good LGBTQ+ books worth checking outPrices listed reflect time and date of publication and are subject to change.
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The Best Books Of 2024…so Far
Sara Tieman is not only an ace Promotions & PR Manager for WGN Radio, but she is also a voracious reader (and world traveler!) who stops by every now and again to tell John about some of the best books she's reading. What's on her 2024 list so far? John, Steve Alexander and Bob Kessler also offer up their suggestions.
Recommendations from John Williams:
Sara Tieman's reading list (year-to-date):
Recommendations from Steve Alexander:
Recommendations from Bob Kessler
'There There' by Tommy Orange
It lives up to the many accolades it's earned. Gripping, heart-wrenching, compelling and essential. (2023 'One Book, One Chicago' selection)
'Peace Like a River' by Leif Enger
An exceptional novel about a lot of things: hardships, saviors, selflessness and miracles but mostly about family. It's worthy of multiple reads because of the richness of the text alone (especially the epic Western poem which is presented in excerpts written by one of the main characters).
'Prophet Song' by Paul Lynch
At times a horrifying depiction of a family amidst urban warfare but I still couldn't put it down. While this is fiction, much of what happens is real life for far too many people in today's world.
'The Blues Brothers: An Epic Friendship, the Rise of Improv, and the Making of an American Film Classic' by Daniel DeVise A detailed and delicious account of the rise of John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd's careers and the creation of the movie. It reinvigorated my love for the film and the music it celebrates.
'The Fetishist' by Katherine Min Part page-turner, revenge/kidnapping tale, part social commentary and part love story, this was heartfelt, biting and a bit heartbreaking.
'A Fire in the Canyon' by Daniel Gumbiner The story isn't exactly suspenseful or high-stakes … until it is. Uncontrollable climate events are the center of this and I was drawn in to the people, the place and sense of community in California wine country.
'What a Fool Believes' by Michael McDonald with Paul Reiser Like Michael McDonald's music, very likable and approachable. It's an honest, revealing telling of his life, career and journey to sobriety.
'Why We Read – on Bookworms, Libraries and Just One More Page Before Lights Out' by Shannon Reed Delightful and insightful. Her long-standing love of reading is palpable and jumps off the page. It's inspired me in my own 'reading life' – to stick with it, go deeper, diversify and savor every word.
Recommendations from Producer Pete
Welcome to the O.C.: The Oral History by Josh Schwartz, Stephanie Savage, Alan Sepinwall
There Was Nothing You Could Do: Bruce Springsteen's "Born In The U.S.A." and the End of the Heartland by Steven Hyden
The City Is Up for Grabs: How Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot Led and Lost a City in Crisis by Gregory Pratt
Burn It Down: Power, Complicity, and a Call for Change in Hollywood by Mo Ryan
60 Songs That Explain the '90s by Rob Harvilla
'Choosing to Run: A Memoir' by Des Linden
Play Like A Man: My Life in Poster Children by Rose Marshack
Country and Midwestern: Chicago in the History of Country Music and the Folk Revival by Mark Guarino
The Loop Files: An Oral History of the Most Outrageous Radio Station Ever by Rick Kaempfer
Recent Posts John WilliamsCormac McCarthy Did Not Talk Craft, With One Surprising Exception
By the time the marine biologist Roger Payne won the MacArthur genius grant in 1984, his fame was well-established: Credited with helping discover the song structure of humpback whales, he had popularized their mysterious groans and creaks with a series of field-recorded LPs that fueled the marine conservation movement.
By the 1990s, as part of a pop-science turn that would deliver to millions of viewers an infectious sense of awe for sea mammals, Payne was giving interviews, directing an IMAX film and narrating television documentaries in a patrician New England accent that made clear "whale" is spelled with an "h."
He had also begun drafting a book. Part memoir, history and activism, "Among Whales" was designed to maximize concern for increasingly polluted oceans and reverence for their endangered giants. It was his first, and as he wrote, he sought editing help from a new friend, a writer he had met at a reunion for the MacArthur Fellowship: Cormac McCarthy.
McCarthy had won the inaugural MacArthur in 1981, when he was an obscure but revered writer at work on "Blood Meridian." After that, he said, he went to every MacArthur reunion. He studiously avoided other writers at these events, but when he met Payne, the two became "joined at the hip," Payne's widow, Lisa Harrow, recalled after his death. By 1986, they were traveling to Argentina to watch whales together.
Payne died on June 10, 2023, leaving boxes of uncataloged papers that document his combative, creative, decades-long friendship with McCarthy, who survived him by three days.
During his long career, McCarthy sat for very few interviews and kept notoriously silent about his creative process and his approach to craft. In early drafts of "Among Whales," which are among the documents left by Payne now being prepared for accession by a research institution, he revealed his views.
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