Your Favorite Queer Books of 2024 So Far
Now that we’re halfway through the year, I wanted to check in on how your reading life is going, so I sent out a midyear check-in survey to Our Queerest Shelves subscribers. (And if you’re not a subscriber, why not go ahead and fix that now?) A bunch of you very kindly participated, so now I get to share your responses, starting with your favorite queer 2024 release you’ve read so far this year! I had to disqualify one of my favorite reads of the year so far, The Pairing by Casey McQuiston, because it’s not technically out until the second half of 2024.
I’ve featured all the books named by more than one person in the survey, but I also included the full list of 41 unique titles at the end as a bonus for paid subscribers. I did take out a 2023 book that was accidentally included, but other than that, this is everyone’s answers.
“Sounds Gay, I’m In” Embroidered Baseball Cap by ImpureThoughts
In honor of your collective favorite queer book of 2024 so far, here’s a very gay baseball cap. On sale for $19.
Your Favorite Queer Books of 2024 So Far
Books Mentioned Twice
Another First Chance by Robbie Couch (Queer Guy YA Contemporary)
Greta & Valdin by Rebecca K. Reilly (Queer Fiction)
The Emperor and the Endless Palace by Justinian Huang (M/M Romantasy)
The Mars House by Natasha Pulley (M/NB Sci-Fi)
Truly Madly Deeply by Alexandria Bellefleur (Bi4Bi M/F Romance)
Wander in the Dark by Jumata Emill (Gay YA Thriller)
Books Mentioned Three Times
Here We Go Again by Alison Cochrun
This is one of my favorite reads of the year, too! It’s an F/F friends-to-rivals-to-lovers romance with a road trip, ADHD representation (in both main characters), and an exploration of the stresses of being a high school English teacher. It’s a rom-com about death. I wrote a full review at the Lesbrary with all my thoughts, but suffice it to say, I highly recommend this one!
Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar
It’s always nice when one of the biggest literary fiction titles of the year is queer. This is a bestseller that comes highly recommended by authors like Tommy Orange, Lauren Groff, John Green, Clint Smith, and more. It follows Cyrus, a twentysomething queer poet who has been numbing his pain with drugs and alcohol. His mother was killed when her plane was shot down over Tehran in a senseless act of violence by the U.S. military. His father recently died of a heart attack. As he becomes sober, Cyrus goes looking for meaning, and he finds it by researching martyrs. When he hears about an artist dying of cancer in an exhibition at a museum, he is determined to meet her.
The Sins on Their Bones by Laura R. Samotin
This one was a bit of a surprise for me; I haven’t heard a ton about it, but clearly, I’ve been missing one of the big queer books of the year! This is a dark fantasy inspired by Jewish folklore, and it also made Book Riot’s The Best Books of 2024 (So Far) list. Here’s how R. Nassor recommends it: “In a gut-punch of a queer Jewish folklore-inspired dark fantasy, former Tzar, Dimitri, may still have the queerest, deadliest, and loveliest friends, but ever since his husband, Alexey, came back from the dead and overthrew him, they’ve been in hiding. Dimitri’s spymaster, Vasily, hopes that by infiltrating the court, he can gather intelligence to take back the throne. But Alexey will summon any demon to build a great empire, and he won’t let a little thing like morality stop him. To counteract Alexey’s evil, Dimitri and Vasily must risk it all — even learning dark magic that could corrupt their souls — in an evocative series debut.”
Your Favorite Queer Book of 2024 So Far
The Prospects by KT Hoffman
Your favorite queer book of 2024 so far is The Prospects! This was named by five OQS readers as their #1 new queer book of the year so far. Sports romance is trending, including baseball romance novels, and queer romance is no exception! Susie Dumond also named this one of the best queer books of 2024. Here’s how she recommends it: “In KT Hoffman’s The Prospects, readers meet Gene Ionescu, the first openly trans professional baseball player. Gene is finally hitting his stride on his minor league team, the Beaverton Beavers, when his biggest rival is traded to his team. But the electric tension between Gene and Luis slowly turns into the kind of chemistry that can help them win big time — on the field and off. It’s a joy-filled romance sure to have baseball fans and sport-hating readers cheering wholeheartedly for the Beavers.”
The Full List of Your 41 Favorite Queer Books of 2024 So Far
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