8 of the Most Exciting LGBTQ Books Out June 11, 2024

A queer pirate fantasy novel! That’s enough to hook me, but in case you need more: Avra has accidentally stolen a political secret and flees to the open ocean to escape detection. There, he teams up with his ex, Captain Teveri az-Ḥaffār, to sell the information. There are just a few obstacles between them and wealth, like an ambassador who is already suspicious of Avra and the fact that they’re sailing through sea serpent territory during breeding season. Freya Marske, author of A Marvellous Light, says, “Come for the irrepressible gremlin of a narrator, stay for the plot-relevant cake competitions!”

If you’re looking for a darker read, pick up the newest queer horror novel from the author of Manhunt. In 1995, a group of queer kids barely survived Camp Resolution, a conversion camp in the middle of the desert. Sixteen years later, they return to take on an evil that threatens the world. This unsettling body horror novel is an “ode to queer survival.”

Jojo always planned to follow in the footsteps of her Nascar racing mother. But when her mother dies, her dad forbids her from even getting her license. Meanwhile, El has always looked up to her motocross star older sister, Max. When Max disappears, El is determined to track her down — which leads her to the auto shop where Jojo works. They quickly grow close, and Jojo helps El in her investigation, which leads them to street races, heists, and impromptu road trips.

Tate is going to be a world-famous violinist. Ever since they saw an incredible concert, it’s been their dream. The problem is that so far, they’re really bad at playing. But that’s why they enrolled in Camp Prodigy. There, they meet up with Eli, another nonbinary kid who was the one to inspire them in the first place. Eli is struggling with severe performance anxiety — they had a panic attack after that concert. Together, they’ll help each other develop their skills.

Nolan is a nonbinary kid who attends a birthday party at a roller skating rink and is disappointed when a boys’ skate and then a girls’ skate is announced — they feel like they don’t belong. But they find the courage to request a song for everyone.

This is a collection of first-person narratives of queer Nigerian men, sharing the pain and beauty of their lives in a country that legally discriminates against them. The book came out late last year, but the audiobook version came out today.

In 1922, a wealthy young man confessed to murder, claiming it was self-defense after being blackmailed by a network of “shadow men.” The media quickly ran with this story, speculating on what terrible secret Walter Ward could have that would motivate him to kill someone. This true crime book slowly reveals the underworlds of the 1920s, including what being queer in the Jazz Age was like.