I’ve been thinking about this list for a little while. Because, while I’m sure we can all agree that sometimes all you need is a good romance, there are other times when a romance just isn’t doing it for you, but something more litfic-esque, a bit more introspective and (on occasion) in depth, suits just fine. Yes, this is a different list to either of the litfic lists we’ve done haha what do you mean. But anyway, if you’re looking for a lesbian book to read in this, the birth week of all lesbians everywhere, then here are 10 to start you off!
A lot of these titles are available on Scribd, so if you want to check out that service but don’t have an account yet, use my invite code to get 2 months for free! (This also gives me one free month.)
Zipper Mouth
Laurie Weeks
Goodreads
Rep: lesbian mc with substance abuse disorder
CWs: drug & alcohol abuse
Why Should I Read It?
Zipper Mouth is like a 160 page long drugs trip on the part of our main character. It’s a stream of consciousness, what the hell am I reading, type of book. But it’s a book you get stuck into and find you can’t put down. Where’s it going? What’s even happening? These are questions you may or may not get answers to.
A History of Burning
Janika Oza
Goodreads
Rep: Indo-Ugandan lesbian mc
CWs: sexual assault, racism, anti Black racism
Why Should I Read It?
It’s so rare these days that I’m surprised by LGBT main characters in books, so A History of Burning was a nice surprise. It’s a slowburn of a book (pun intended), telling the story of a family spanning 100 years or so, from the patriarch’s arrival in Kenya in the late 19th century, through the expulsion of Asians from Uganda, to the late 90s in Canada. It’s not out yet, but fear not! You only need to wait one more week to get your hands on it.
These Days
Lucy Caldwell
Goodreads
Rep: lesbian mc
Why Should I Read It?
This and the next rec are for all you fans of tragic narratives. There’s gotta be some of you out there right? Anyway, this book takes place across four days of bombardment by German planes in Belfast. It’s actually a book that escaped our net for last year’s releases, a fact I’m kicking myself over because it’s so so good. If you want something to tug at your heart, this is for you.
The Pull of the Stars
Emma Donoghue
Goodreads
Rep: lesbian mc, sapphic li, gay side character with PTSD
CWs: child birth, stillbirth, institutional abuse, physical abuse, past child sexual abuse, mentions of suicide, mentions of domestic abuse, blood, gore
Why Should I Read It?
Another rec for the people who want to feel a bit emotionally ruined by what they read! I personally have not been the same since I first read this one. My life divides into before and after this book. If you want to find yourself hollowed out by what you read, staring at the ceiling blankly once you finish, then well. What are you waiting for?
Cassandra at the Wedding
Dorothy Baker
Goodreads
Rep: lesbian mc
CWs: suicidal ideation, suicide attempt, death of a parent
Why Should I Read It?
Cassandra at the Wedding is another stream of consciousness one, this time featuring codependent twin sisters. Though, one is more codependent than the other. But anyway. It’s the kind of book where you can just feel the heady heat of the world the characters inhabit, where the emotions are so raw it’s almost like you’re experiencing them yourself.
The Skin and Its Girl
Sarah Cypher
Goodreads
Rep: Palestinian American lesbian mc, Palestinian lesbian mc
Why Should I Read It?
Possibly my absolute favourite book of the year so far, this comes out tomorrow and I have never been begging you to preorder it more than I am now. You need this book in your life, just trust me. It’s a book that feels like poetry, each word so carefully selected to give you sentences that hit you like a gut punch. I’ve read a lot of good books this year, but if this one stands head and shoulders above the rest.
Belladonna
Anbara Salam
Goodreads
Rep: biracial Egyptian American lesbian mc, biracial Ethiopian Italian sapphic character, sapphic character
CWs: period typical racism
Why Should I Read It?
Get yourself ready for some obsessions and lies, with a side order of lesbian nuns and unrequited love. Is there anything more lesbian than being in love with your best friend who doesn’t love you back? (If your answer is yes, okay, fine, but still.) Do not let this book’s low Goodreads rating deceive you! They just don’t get it like I do.
Annie Oakley’s Girl
Rebecca Brown
Goodreads
Rep: lesbian mcs
Why Should I Read It?
If you’ve followed our newsletter at all, you’ll have spotted a theme from me in the past few months, I’m sure. Well, until now, I didn’t have a way of slotting a Rebecca Brown book into a rec list, but I sure do now! I picked Annie Oakley’s Girl here, but honestly anything by Rebecca Brown could apply. All of her stories are so simple and unadorned, yet they’re heartwrenching as can be (especially A Good Man in this one… like. Ouch?).
The Wrong End of the Telescope
Rabih Alameddine
Goodreads
Rep: Lebanese-Syrian transfem lesbian mc, Haitian lesbian li, trans side character, Lebanese gay side character, Palestinian gay side character, Syrian side characters
CWs: transphobia, torture, implied rape, violence
Why Should I Read It?
Rabih Alameddine is solidly up there as one of my favourite authors by now, and The Wrong End of the Telescope is where it all started for me. At its heart, this is a book about human connection, about relationships that form in the most desperate of circumstances, and how love and care can liberate. All wrapped up in the most poetic of prose.
The Human Origins of Beatrice Porter and Other Essential Ghosts
Soraya Palmer
Goodreads
Rep: Trinidadian & Jamaican mcs, nonbinary butch lesbian mc, bi mc, trans side character, gay side characters
CWs: homophobia, past child sexual abuse, domestic abuse, misgendering, cancer
Why Should I Read It?
Rounding off this list with a book whose UK release is later this week (get on those preorders, guys!). The Human Origins of Beatrice Porter is a book about the power of stories, the way we construct our own origin stories, writing out anything distasteful, recasting ourselves as heroes through and through. It’s a magical read you won’t want to miss out on.
What would you rec?
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