27 Must Have Queer Summer Reads

Beach season is upon us, so get your reading list in order. Also be sure to check out the books everyone must read in their 20s.

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1. We The Animals By Justin Torres

electricliterature.com

The first novel by Torres, this story takes you right into the middle of a chaotic family and the bond between three brothers.

2. The Velvet Rage By Alan Downs

rucomingout.com

A look at the feeling of shame many gay men internalize, coined as "velvet rage," as they grow up in a straight world.

3. Tiger, Tiger by Galaxy Craze

goodreads.com

Need a good cry? This one is for you.

4. The Swimming Pool Library by Alan Hollinghurst

goodreads.com

In 1983 London, a young privileged man saves the life of an elderly aristocrat having a heart-attack in a public lavatory. Hooked already, right?

5. The Heart Is A Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers

goodreads.com

The author was only 23 at the novel's publication, but it has been considered her finest work. The story follows deaf-mute John Singer, who becomes the confidant for various characters in a Georgia mill during the 1930s.

6. If You Follow Me By Malena Watrous

A woman follows her girlfriend to another country, and has a minor freak out about it in the process.

7. Spoon Fed By Kim Severson

For all the foodies out there, this one was written by the out food critic for The New York Times.

8. The Price of Salt by Patricia Highsmith

The author was inspired by a mysterious woman she happened across in a shop. Due to the unconventional characters that defied stereotypes about homosexuality, the book was popular among lesbians in the 1950s and is now considered a classic.

9. So Many Ways To Sleep Badly By Matilda Berstein Sycamore

Sex, drugs, and trying to find hope in San Francisco.

10. Girl In Need Of A Tourniquet By Merri Lisa Johnson

An honest and compelling memoir of how a borderline personality disorder affected the author's relationships, and caused her to be a "psycho girlfriend."

11. The Mysteries Of Pittsburgh By Michael Chabon

avclub.com

A delightful coming of age story set in the summer time.

12. Fun Home By Alison Bechdel

amazon.com

In this graphic novel, Alison grows up in a funeral home that her family calls the "fun home." Alison discovers in college, after coming out as a lesbian, that her father is also gay.

13. Forgetting Elena By Edmund White

goodreads.com

A comedy of manners set on a privileged island community.

14. Barrel Fever By David Sedaris

fantasticfiction.co.uk

A collection of stories and essays that will keep your attention all the way through.

15. A Love Story Starring My Dead Best Friend By Emily Horner

Two awkward teens fall in love while working on a musical together. You know, that old cliche.

16. Eminent Outlaws By Christopher Bram

Nominated for an award for best gay nonfiction, and a completely captivating read.

17. Chelsea Girls By Eileen Myles

eileenmyles.com

An ill-fated affair with an almost famous junkie.

18. Confessions Of A Fairy's Daughter By Alison Wearing

goodreads.com

When the author was 12, her father came out as gay. Nearly unheard of in 1970s small-town Canada.

19. Two Serious Ladies By Jane Bowles

peterowen.com

This book has become a cult classic for a reason. A story about two very opposite woman attempting to break out of the norm in the 1940s.

20. Funeral Rites By Jean Genet

goodreads.com

A darker read and a brutal portrayal of World War II.

21. People In Trouble By Sarah Schulman

goodreads.com

An artist and AIDS activist in New York City gets involved in a tricky love triangle involving her husband and girlfriend.

22. At Swim, Two Boys By Jamie O'Neill

A love story set right before the Easter uprising of 1916 in Ireland.

23. The Year Of Ice By Brian Malloy

worldofkj.com

A gay high school senior copes with his father's irresponsibility in this touching novel set in Minneapolis in the late '70s.

24. Strangers In Paradise By Terry Moore

forbiddenplanet.co.uk

Like author Alison Bechdel, Terry Moore has made some amazing queer comics. Who says that comics can't be a summer read?

25. Many Waters By Madeleine L'Engle

andthiswasodd.blogspot.com

Fantastic time and space travel, what more do you need?

26. The Song Of Achilles By Madeline Miller

Via madelinemiller.com

Just another story about an unwanted boy living in the shadow of King Peleus and his golden son, Achilles.

27. I Am Not Myself These Days By Josh Kilmer-Purcell

amazon.com

A hilarious story of a New Yorker's dual life as an advertiser by day, drag queen by night. Kilmer-Purcell has been described as a writer who, "straddles the divide between absurdity and normalcy, and stitches them together with surprising humor."

What will you be reading this summer?