Best LGBT Fiction
A New York Times Notable Book of the Year • A Publishers Weekly and The Washington Post Best Book of the Year • A New York Magazine "Future Canon" Selection • A Chicago Tribune and Seattle Times (Michael Upchurch's) Favorite Favorite Book of the Year. Elio—17, extremely well-read, sensitive and the son of a prominent expatriate professor—finds himself troublingly attracted to this year's visiting resident scholar, recruited by his father from an American university. Their shared literary interests and Jewishness help impart a sense of intimacy, and when they do consummate their passion in Oliver's room, they call each other by the other's name. What begins as a casual friendship develops into a passionate yet clandestine affair, and the last chapters fast-forward through Elio's life to a reunion with Oliver decades later.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Set in 1988 and on the Italian Riviera, which adds to the charm and appeal of the novel, Call Me By Your Name is narrated by and tells the story of a seventeen-year-old American-Italian-Jewish youth, Elio Perlman, and his six-week, summer love affair with Oliver Ulliva, a university professor who is seven years older than Elio and who has been selected to live in Elio’s parents’ home as a guest “resident” while finishing a manuscript for publication as part of the parents’ way of aiding budding writers. Much of the first half of Call Me By Your Name has a “stream of consciousness” feeling to it as Elio, a very precocious and intelligent but shy young man, defies his better intuitions and finds himself more and more attracted to Oliver. By time both Elio and the reader are aware of Oliver’s true feelings toward the younger man, a new sense of urgency, an even greater feeling of sensuality and eroticism, and a more intense atmosphere of anxiety and impending doom enters the story—all of it exquisitely captured by Aciman’s exquisitely accomplished writing."
"I have never cried while reading a book, but I sure did with this one. If you want to read a book that will captivate you the way it has captivated numerous others (myself included), please read this book."
"Call Me By Your Name is a superlative novel that meticulously and comprehensively looks at the human condition from the folly of youth to the introspective later years. Told almost entirely from the stream of consciousness mind of a seventeen year old Elio, who simultaneously possesses intelligence beyond his years whilst embodying the insouciance of youth and trafficking in the same inane fickleness of the average teen in matters of the heart, and in him Aciman’s crafted a character that is quintessentially relatable. Oliver, the doctoral student who came to stay with him and his parents one summer in Italy, left a watermark on Elio’s soul. At seventeen he can’t possibly understand the rarity of his connection with Oliver, so he tells himself there will be another and there are, that it was never intended to last and maybe it wasn't, that is was a summer fling, but who's to say that makes it any less seminal? I’ve no doubt if I reread it in 5 or 10 yrs I’ll have a different interpretation; a change in perspective and the whole thing looks completely different and I feel like the same can be said of Elio. That place that meant so much from the berm to Mafalda and his parents to the bookstore to playing the guitar to paradise to afternoon naps and lazy days and nights spent f***ing each other’s brains out. The romantic in me wants to wallow in the heartbreak and vilify Aciman for countermanding the rules of romancelandia, but to simplify this novel in such a way, to make it solely about loss is a disservice to the narrative. Maybe I missed the point and it is solely a novel of love and loss with the primary objective being bittersweet heartbreak, but I choose to believe (this time) that Aciman deliberately penned a novel to make every reader take stock and cherish what they have, what they have had and what they will have."
Ten years of war and the loss of nearly his entire family have left thirty-four-year-old former sniper, Jace Christenson, with nothing to come home to. Life consists of his work in an underground vigilante group, the near-constant search for the last remaining link to who he used to be, and a string of meaningless sexual encounters that serve only one purpose... to make it easier to not feel anything anymore. But when Jace gets the call that the young man he saved two years earlier has gone missing, he's forced to deal with the truth he's been trying to deny from the moment he laid eyes on Caleb Cortano. But when he finally comes to accept that Jace Christenson wants nothing to do with someone who's shattered beyond repair, Caleb finds another way to seek solace from the pain inside. NOTE: While this book has all the elements of my romances including plenty of steamy times, some lighter moments and the ever-important HEA, IT IS A VERY INTENSE READ, so PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE PROCEED WITH CAUTION.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Much like most of the books, there’s danger and trauma and reluctant admissions of love. Past and future characters are mixed throughout, including Aleks, who I can’t really remember either, and the mysterious Dalton, Jace’s friend."
"I've been waiting for Jase and Caleb's story since we were first introduced to them."
"I felt for him in Eli's book and I was very happy to see that he got his own HEA with Jace in this book."
"Jace and Caleb's story was hard to read, but not sure to writing."
"It was just what I wanted for Caleb and Jace."
"It was so intense and at sometimes hard to read because u just wanted to comfort Caleb."
"I am glad sno balls and Martha Stewart helped strengthen the relationship between Caleb and Jace."
"I have eagerly awaited Caleb and Eli's story and I was not disappointed."
Yet for some reason, after picking up Hollydale’s most elusive playboy bachelor for a spot of fun after Tom’s wedding, Cecil is almost relieved to find Ian still there the following morning when he gets the call from a social worker that he’s been named the guardian of an orphaned two day old infant. Ian’s entire adult life has been spent climbing the ladder to partnership at his law firm, and squeezing in a little fun with omegas in his spare time.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Cecil as an Omega felt guilty, but not unhappy by his very unOmegalike faults/feelings of not wanting kids. They awoke to Cecil being given guardianship of a day old baby boy. Beyond being shocked and grief stricken by the loss of his best friend, Cecil luckily had Ian who'd at least had some experience with babies - he didn't go run screaming for which Cecil was extremely grateful. Ian knew for the child's safety he could not leave the baby boy alone with Cecil in good consciousness. The author was very good at writing witty dialogue between Ian & Cecil and describing in a humorous manner how Cecil interacted with the baby. This book went from humorous, to a serious shocking set of revelations that tied together different storylines from between the other series books."
"The setup for baby Joshua coming into Cecil and Ian's life was interesting. I realized right away that one thing we hadn't been getting much of in the series were the new baby details--burping, surprise boy-peeing, their little razor-sharp nails, etc. There's a huge amount of drama toward the middle and end of the book involving custody of Joshua."
"We learn of Bruce's life and death and the entitled alpha who believes he is above the law. The story has some parts that may be considered triggers as there is description of abuse but those parts are truly necessary for the full story to emerge."
"That their need for space and distance was even being invaded. Truly hope Susi keeps the series moving along."
"The story begins with Cecil and Ian meeting at the wedding of one of Ian’s ex-boyfriends."
"Cecil and Ian make an unusual couple since neither one of them were looking for a relationship."
"I came into this series with this book, then went back and ordered the ones I'd missed."
"Another great book in the Hollydale series."
Best LGBT Action & Adventure
The acclaimed modern science fiction masterpiece, included on Library Journal 's Best SFF of 2016, the Barnes & Nobles Sci-Fi Fantasy Blog Best Books of 2015, the Tor.com Best Books of 2015, Reader’s Choice, as well as nominated for the Arthur C. Clarke Award, the Kitschie, and the Bailey's Women's Prize. To survive, Rosemary’s got to learn how to rely on this assortment of oddballs—an experience that teaches her about love and trust, and that having a family isn’t necessarily the worst thing in the universe. Although it isn't shy about tackling Big Questions, Planet is a heart-warming debut novel that will restore your faith in science fiction (specifically) and humanity (in general). The patched-up ship has seen better days, but it offers her everything she could possibly want: a spot to call home, a chance to explore the far-off corners of the galaxy and some distance from her past. From Sissix, the exotic reptilian pilot, to Kizzy and Jenks, the chatty engineers who keep the ship running, to the noble captain Ashby, life aboard is chaotic and crazy—exactly what Rosemary wants. Sure, they’ll earn enough money to live comfortably for years, but risking her life wasn’t part of the job description.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"The focal character is Rosemary, a young human woman who has chosen to travel far from home in order to escape the stigma of a scandal back on Mars. The Doctor-Chef (the ship's medical officer and cook) has six limbs and multiple throats that make human speech a bit difficult. All of the ship's humans that have romantic entanglements with non-humans , including one with an AI, one with her shoes (that's a joke, sort of), and one with a member of an irresistibly gorgeous humanoid species that communicates through skin color. This description may make my 3-star rating seem a bit stingy, especially after I say that Chambers writes well and that there are moments of real warmth, humor, and excitement in the book."
"The author has great writing skills but she goes into excruciating detail in character development instead of plot development."
"I really liked it, the group of people interacting in this space opera where a perfect mix of brave and endearing, you immediately felt like you new them and learned to care about them."
"It’s a character story that flies through a little bit of each crew members corner of the galaxy and brings you to an exciting and touching finish."
"So sitting down to read this book in the waining of November, having found a suggestion on some random blog, I was hoping more for an adventure with dueling spaceships and dark sinister plots. What I loved most is that even in that one spot where the book could have fallen back to troupes about laser pistol duels in the belly of a ship, it didn't."
"The author does a good job depicting species with different physical characteristics and unique personalities, resulting in a believable story."
"Fantastic science fiction book about a person's journey... both from one place to another as well as a journey of self, discovering who (and what) she is and finding a family."
Best LGBT Anthologies & Collections
When Andrew and Julia have their baby, they quickly realize their daughter is very different from other children. Blackbird Fly is a masterful, intensely suspenseful novel from the Queen of Scream. Fans of Stephen King, Blake Crouch, Paula Hawkins, Kendra Elliot and Robert Dugoni will be gripped by this page-turning supernatural thriller, guaranteed to keep you reading till the next morning. Her style, story line, and characters are touched by no one.” (Amazon reviewer). “As always happens when you read Willow Rose books, you just can't stop.” (Amazon reviewer). “As an avid Willow Rose fan, I'm always excited when she has a new book.” (Amazon reviewer).
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"This book is their story."
"This is getting better and better.Willow Rose is being compared to Stephen King who is my all time favorite horror writer."
"A great back story to an awesome 1st book."
"I absolutely loved this book."
"I loved this book!"
"Can Anna stop Umbrella Man before he kills again?"
"I liked this second book and what really happened with Anna from the beginning."
"Willow Rose does a superb job on the second book in the Umbrella Man series."
Best Gay Fiction
An Instant Classic and One of the Great Love Stories of Our Time. Elio—17, extremely well-read, sensitive and the son of a prominent expatriate professor—finds himself troublingly attracted to this year's visiting resident scholar, recruited by his father from an American university. Their shared literary interests and Jewishness help impart a sense of intimacy, and when they do consummate their passion in Oliver's room, they call each other by the other's name. What begins as a casual friendship develops into a passionate yet clandestine affair, and the last chapters fast-forward through Elio's life to a reunion with Oliver decades later.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Set in 1988 and on the Italian Riviera, which adds to the charm and appeal of the novel, Call Me By Your Name is narrated by and tells the story of a seventeen-year-old American-Italian-Jewish youth, Elio Perlman, and his six-week, summer love affair with Oliver Ulliva, a university professor who is seven years older than Elio and who has been selected to live in Elio’s parents’ home as a guest “resident” while finishing a manuscript for publication as part of the parents’ way of aiding budding writers. Much of the first half of Call Me By Your Name has a “stream of consciousness” feeling to it as Elio, a very precocious and intelligent but shy young man, defies his better intuitions and finds himself more and more attracted to Oliver. By time both Elio and the reader are aware of Oliver’s true feelings toward the younger man, a new sense of urgency, an even greater feeling of sensuality and eroticism, and a more intense atmosphere of anxiety and impending doom enters the story—all of it exquisitely captured by Aciman’s exquisitely accomplished writing."
"An Achingly Beautiful Prose of Art. Winner of the 20th Lambda Literary Award. Call Me By Your Name by Andre Aciman. Is an Ethereal Masterpiece; A Mythical Gem of Queerdom. The Novel exudes the Transformative Power of Words, Language, and Imagery. with Disarming Clarity & Volatile Poignancy. The After Effects of this book is perfectly encapsulated. By the Immortal Words of Elio to Oliver. "All That Remains is Dreammaking and Strange Remembrance" pg199. The Audiobook narration by Armie Hammer is Eargasm Heaven!!"
"You felt like you were 17 again and feeling all those emotions of someone being the most important thing in the world to you."
"Looking forward to the movie."
"A bit slow at parts."
"I wanted to read the book before watching the movie, but somehow it never happened."
"Such a sweet and rewarding story about true love and friendship."
"Easy read!"
Best LGBT Horror eBooks
Features “The Mist” now a TV series event on Spike The #1 New York Times bestseller and winner of the 1986 Locus Award for Best Collection, Skeleton Crew is “Stephen King at his best” ( The Denver Post )—a terrifying, mesmerizing collection of stories from the outer limits of one of the greatest imaginations of our time. Todd’s Shortcut”. -“The Jaunt”. -“The Wedding Gig”. -“Paranoid: A Chant”. -“The Raft”- “Word Processor of the Gods”. -“The Man Who Would Not Shake Hands”. -“Beachworld”. -“The Reaper’s Image”. -“Nona”. -“For Owen”. -“Survivor Type”. -“Uncle Otto’s Truck”. -“Morning Deliveries (Milkman No. In the introduction to Skeleton Crew (1985), his second collection of stories, King pokes fun at his penchant for "literary elephantiasis," makes scatological jokes about his muse, confesses how much money he makes (gross and net), and tells a story about getting arrested one time when he was "suffused with the sort of towering, righteous rage that only drunk undergraduates can feel." Skeleton Crew contains a superb short novel ("The Mist") that alone is worth the price of admission, plus two forgettable poems and 20 short stories on such themes as an evil toy monkey, a human-eating water slick, a machine that avenges murder, and unnatural creatures that inhabit the thick woods near Castle Rock, Maine. In addition to "The Mist," the real standout is "The Reach," a beautifully subtle story about a great-grandmother who was born on a small island off the coast of Maine and has lived there her whole life.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Some stories were scary, some were supernatural, and some were tragic but all in all it was a good enough reliable read to get me through the night."
"The book is shaped like a brick, thgouh....literally."
"I like Skeleton Crew Stories and Stephen king."
"Classic!!"
"With most collections of short stories I find the individual stories to be hit or miss."
"Classic Stephen King."
"Stephen King is a terrific writer and I really like his books in this format where there's multiple short stories."
"I enjoy reading King's short stories so much."
Best Lesbian Fiction
Grieving over the loss of her family and feeling like her life is unraveling, Lindsey McDermott quits her job, gets a puppy, and retreats to her grandparents’ home in the Texas Hill Country. When Jack and Lindsey form an unlikely friendship, Hannah reluctantly joins them and the three spend the summer swimming and healing as laughter eventually replaces tears. Gerri Hill has thirty published works, including the 2014 GCLS winner The Midnight Moon , 2011, 2012 and 2013 winners Devil's Rock , Hell's Highway and Snow Falls , and the 2009 GCLS winner Partners the last book in the popular Hunter Series, as well as the 2013 Lambda finalist At Seventeen.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"The best part of this story for me, is that though the story is full of emotional moments, there isn’t any crazy misunderstandings drama. Most stories like to add the whole nine yards of drama with people misunderstanding and jumping to negative conclusions, and I never thought I would say that a story about the death of loved ones would be less depressing and frustrating than those interpretation drama in other stories."
"Each, in his/her own way stumbled into a new relationship that gradually replaces the nearly overwhelming weight of their sadness with love, hope, happiness and family."
"The friendship that developed before reminded me so much of my own relationship and love, it brought happy tears to my eyes."
"I loved this book."
"Excellent story of people over coming their grief and sorrow together and eventually finding love, romance, and family."
"Great story about two hurting people, done with the right amount of subtly."
"Truly enjoyed this story.not too much angst which was refreshing."
Best LGBT Literary Fiction
Yet their greatest challenge, each comes to realize, is Jude himself, by midlife a terrifyingly talented litigator yet an increasingly broken man, his mind and body scarred by an unspeakable childhood, and haunted by what he fears is a degree of trauma that he’ll not only be unable to overcome—but that will define his life forever. Here is an epic study of trauma and friendship written with such intelligence and depth of perception that it will be one of the benchmarks against which all other novels that broach those subjects (and they are legion) will be measured.” —Sam Sacks, The Wall Street Journal. "With her sensitivity to everything from the emotional nuance to the play of light inside a subway car, Yanagihara is superb at capturing the radiant moments of beauty, warmth and kindness that help redeem the bad stuff. “… A Little Life becomes a surprisingly subversive novel—one that uses the middle-class trappings of naturalistic fiction to deliver an unsettling meditation on sexual abuse, suffering, and the difficulties of recovery. "This exquisite, unsettling novel follows four male friends from their meeting as students at a prestigious Northeastern college through young adulthood and into middle age.... The book shifts from a generational portrait to something darker and more tender: an examination of the depths of human cruelty, counterbalanced by the restorative powers of friendship." If [Yanagihara's] assured 2013 debut, The People in the Trees , a dark allegory of Western hubris, put her on the literary map, her massive new novel...signals the arrival of a major new voice in fiction." "[The] book has so much richness in it—great big passages of beautiful prose, unforgettable characters, and shrewd insights into art and ambition and friendship and forgiveness." "Through insightful detail and her decade-by-decade examination of these people’s lives, Yanagihara has drawn a deeply realized character study that inspires as much as devastates. This book made me realize how merciful most fiction really is, even at its darkest, and it's a testament to Yanagihara's ability that she can take such ugly material and make it beautiful. " A Little Life floats all sorts of troubling questions about the responsibility of the individual to those nearest and dearest and the sometime futility of playing brother’s keeper. By the time the characters reach their 50s and the story arrives at its moving conclusion, readers will be attached and find them very hard to forget."
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Overall, I found it to be an engrossing read; I felt for the characters, I thought it was well written (though not fabulous or outstanding, but decently done, very little purple prose, which I appreciate), and it generated a lot of response from me. It follows these people for more than three decades, but at the very outset, in their youth, they have cell phones and modern technology, so I'm assuming the novel takes you into the 2040s, which is awkward. Also the treatment of queer issues and how society views homosexuality seems very modern but doesn't evolve as the time goes on. Child trafficking exists; there are many, many incidents of an authoritative figure--a coach, a doctor, a family member, whoever--taking advantage of young children, sometimes abusing them for years; pedophilic rings do exist, even in America; and of course abuses committed by members in organizations such as the Catholic Church have occurred and continue to occur (and be covered up). We certainly don't like to face the long-lasting consequences; we the public think everything is OK when the pervert goes to jail or whatever, we revel when these bad guys get their comeuppance, but the psychological scarring and warped worldview of the victims continues for the rest of their life. I'm reading this book, particularly the difficult "Dear Comrade" section, and thinking, "My god, life is so unfair! I think "The Postman", with its discussion of the law and debate between Jude and Harold, is probably the most enlightening as to what the book is really about. Second, the criticism of the book as tragedy porn is somewhat mirrored in the novel, as artist JB makes a successful career in his paintings, particularly those of Jude. Is Yanagihara just toying with the emotions of the reader, just piling on the pain in an overwrought manner to elicit a cheap response? Do you believe that these photographs are not tragedy porn because their raw, visceral subjects provide commentary on greater societal and political issues? At a candlelight vigil, one of my friends was in a small group mourning the loss of a dorm-mate, when a cameraman came by, lowered the boom mike into their circle, and recorded their crying. Gun massacres are headline news, of course, as was the Vietnam war and the photo of the African child--does that make it okay? I'm not looking to pick an argument, I merely think this is a topic worth exploring, and every person is going to have their own red lines on the issue. I won't name them, to avoid spoilers, but the book does have some happy moments among all the tragedy; and Jude is blessed with some amazing friends (we should all be so lucky for that!). This book had me squirming and crying at some parts, and laughing and smiling at others, but ultimately it gave me a lot of food for thought, and I appreciate that."
"One of the most powerful and disturbing books I have ever read!"
"At first, the book is wonderful."
"You feel their struggles and their pain and feel part of the story."
"What little the author divulges about Jude comes in minute-tease-like-morsels and so I found myself not reading, but racing through this novel to find out about his mysterious past."
"Anytime I hear of an abused person I will think back on this book."
"It is the story of how we are each influenced by every one of our life experiences, good and bad, and it is a story of ravaging child sexual abuse and the damage that does."
"It was written very well, but was a difficult subject and at times hard to get through because of the subject matter."
Best LGBT Short Stories
Nadia When Nadia Clark’s charmed life as a billionaire is blown off track by a near-death experience, she signs up for a survival training course. Especially since she wants her classmate, too. He ignores the lust that is as wild as the Smoky Mountains he knows like the back of his hand. Survival for Three is a scorching hot Bisexual / Menage MMF romance with explicit scenes and a guaranteed HEA ending!
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"I reviewed an ARC copy voluntarily and I'm giving an unbiased review based on my reading the book. Nadia, Perry and Lincoln are so far apart in the type of lives they have that they really are the perfect lovers!"
"This story is about Lincoln, the rising star of action films, Perry, the ex-seal that owns a survival school and Nadia an oil heiress."
"Nadia, Lincoln and Perry are each dealing with their own issues, trying to find their true selves."
"Three people brought together to survive the wilderness, only to fall into lust, then love."
"I loved, loved, loved this book!"
"No, she started with three interesting singles and put them alone on a survival trip."
"Nicole as outdone herself again, this book was so enjoyable, Nadia, Lincoln and Perry on a survival journey where they fell in love attack by wolves got lost and caught in a major snow storm n avalanche with no hope ,but u got to get the book and see how it end..."
"Actor needing to have training and heiress of a fortune."