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This week’s batch of new LGBTQ books includes a gay fantasy mystery in a gorgeous collectable hardcover, a haunting queer gothic horror novel, a foodie F/F romance in Vietnam, a royal M/M romance, queer poetry from a Book Riot favorite poet, a biography of the eternal life of Audre Lorde, and an nonbinary BIPOC anthology.
In case you missed it, on the weekend I wrote about the biggest LGBTQ releases from a year ago: Let’s Do the Time Warp: The Best Queer Books of August 2023. Be sure to sign up for All Access to get bonus content like this every week — and you also have access to all the other Book Riot newsletter bonus content!
New LGBTQ Releases This Week
Voyage of the Damned by Frances White (Gay Fantasy Mystery) (US Release)
This came out in the UK in January, but now it’s out in the US, complete with beautiful sprayed edges. Concordia’s provinces have been at peace for a thousand years. In celebration, the 12 princes of the provinces — each with their own magical Blessing — are setting off on a voyage to the Goddess Mountains together. Ganymedes Piscero is the black sheep of the journey: he doesn’t have a Blessing, he’s queer, and he doesn’t take any of this seriously. When one of the princes is murdered, though, he’ll have to solve the case to keep himself — and all of Concordia — safe.
Sacrificial Animals by Kailee Pedersen (Queer Gothic Horror)
Nick left the Nebraska farm years ago, but now he’s received a letter from his abusive father, Carlyle, hoping for a deathbed reconciliation. Nick’s brother, Joshua, was disowned for marrying Emilia, a woman of Asian decent, and he received the same letter. Back at the farm, Nick and Emilia grow closer, but as they begin an affair, Nick suspects she has sinister — even supernatural — intentions. Interspersed are scenes from Nick’s adolescence, including his queer awakening and a haunting figure on the farm.
A Banh Mi for Two by Trinity Nguyen (F/F YA Romance)
Vivi has entered a study abroad program in Vietnam to learn more about the homeland her parents refuse to talk about — and to sample all the food described in her favorite blog, A Bánh Mì for Two. Lan used to write A Bánh Mì for Two with her father, but stopped after his death. When the two meet, they bond over their love of food, and Lan agrees to show Vivi around Sài Gòn if Vivi helps her to start writing again.
Prince of the Palisades by Julian Winters (M/M YA Contemporary)
Prince Jadon of Îles de la Rêverie is having a PR problem. His messy breakup was all too public, and now he’s rehabilitating his image during a trip to the U.S. The plan is to take some pictures with puppies and keep his head down…it’s definitely not to fall for an American with pink hair that goes to his private school.
Bluff: Poems by Danez Smith (Queer Poetry)
Danez Smith is a must-read poet who has been recommended in countless Book Riot lists. This is their newest, and I’ll let the publisher’s description summarize it: “Bluff is a kind of manifesto about artistic resilience, even when time and will can seem fleeting, when the places we most love ― those given and made ― are burning. In this soaring collection, Smith turns to honesty, hope, rage, and imagination to envision futures that seem possible.”
Survival Is a Promise: The Eternal Life of Audre Lorde by Alexis Pauline Gumbs (Lesbian Biography)
Speaking of must-read poets, this book explores the “life, work, and enduring impact of Audre Lorde.” It’s fitting that this biography is written by a poet. It invites us to move beyond Audre Lorde’s quotable essays and do a deep dive into her complex poetry to find a guide to how to navigate living in this world.
My Race Is My Gender: Portraits of Nonbinary People of Color edited by Stephanie Hsu and Ka-Man Tse (Nonbinary Nonfiction)
This anthology includes photographs and visual portraits, illustrating essays about how racial and gender identities intersect: “Their experiences of challenging social boundaries demonstrate how queer communities can become more inclusive and how the recognition of nonbinary genders can be an anti-racist practice.”
✨ Paid subscribers can find 12 more LGBTQ books out this week at the end of this post! ✨
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Queer Bookish Goodies
You Must Believe Audre Lorde Art Print by LittleGaze
Speaking of quotable essays, this beautiful art print is based on a longer Audre Lorde quotation: “You cannot, you cannot use someone else’s fire. You can only use your own. And in order to do that, you must first be willing to believe that you have it.” $30+
What’s the next queer book on your TBR? Let’s chat in the comments!
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12 More LGBTQ Books Out This Week
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