May means the start of freedom for so many of us. No school, no teaching– even summer Fridays! But for us who are still 9-5ing it, we remember what the smell of cut grass meant to us as kids: reading in the park, or long visits to the library. And we have just the books to scratch that itch! This list is full of exciting and intriguing writing, including a memoir by the Inaugural J. Michael Samuel Prize, Jobert Abueva; new YA from Lammy winner Abdi Nazemian; and new books from Lammy finalists Stephanie Adams-Santos and Nicole Melleby!
Bio/Memoir
- Boy Wander: A Coming of Age Memoir by Jobert Abueva, Rattling Good Yarns Press, LLC
- Wild Dances: My Queer and Curious Journey to Eurovision by William Lee Adams, Astra House
- At Sea with Patrick Dennis: My Madcap Mexican Adventure with the Author of Auntie Mame by Robert Karr, Rattling Good Yarns Press, LLC
- Lesbian Love Story: A Memoir in Archives by Amelia Possanza, Catapult
- Lessons and Carols: A Meditation on Recovery by John West, William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company
Fiction
- The Fear of Large and Small Nations by Nancy Agabian, Nauset Press
- Shocking Pink by Stuart Canterbury, Running Wild Press
- Homebodies by Tembe Denton-Hurst, Harper
- From the Longing Orchard by Jessica Jopp, Red Hen Press
- Wait Softly Brother by Kathryn Kuitenbrouwer, Buckrider Books
- Big Gay Wedding by Byron Lane, Henry Holt & Company
- Transmission by J. E. Sumerau, Texas Review Press
- The Late Americans by Brandon Taylor, Riverhead Books
- Glassworks by Olivia Wolfgang-Smith, Bloomsbury Publishing
- The Language of Love and Loss by Bart Yates, John Scognamiglio Book
LGBTQ Studies
- Red Closet: The Hidden History of Gay Oppression in the USSR by Rustam Alexander, Manchester University Press
- Screenage: How TV Shaped Our Reality, from Tammy Faye to Rupaul’s Drag Race by Fenton Bailey, Ebury Press
- The Male Gazed: On Hunks, Heartthrobs, and What Pop Culture Taught Me about (Desiring) Men by Manuel Betancourt, Catapult
- Park Cruising: What Happens When We Wander Off the Path by Marcus McCann, House of Anansi Press
- Working-Class Queers: Time, Place and Politics by Yvette Taylor, Pluto Press
Romance
- Imogen, Obviously by Becky Albertalli, Balzer & Bray/Harperteen
- The Song of Us by Kate Fussner, Katherine Tegen Books
- They Ain’t Proper by M.B. Guel, Bella Books
- An Island Princess Starts a Scandal by Adriana Herrera, Canary Street Press
- Stars Collide by Rachel Lacey, Montlake
Mystery/Thriller
- The Salt Grows Heavy by Cassandra Khaw, Tor Nightfire
- Our Hideous Progeny by C. E. McGill, Harper
- Integrity by E. J. Noyes, Bella Books
- We Don’t Swim Here by Vincent Tirado, Sourcebooks Fire
- This Is the Way the World Ends by Jen Wilde, Wednesday Books
Speculative Fiction
- The Untimely Undeath of Imogen Madrigal by Grayson Daly, Nosetouch Press
- The Shadow Cabinet by Juno Dawson, Penguin Books
- Graveyard of Lost Children by Katrina Monroe, Poisoned Pen Press
Young Adult Literature
- Breakup, Makeup by Stacey Anthony, Running Press Kids
- The Adult by Bronwyn Fischer, Algonquin Books
- Ander & Santi Were Here by Jonny Garza Villa, Wednesday Books
- You Don’t Have a Shot by Racquel Marie, Feiwel & Friends
- Only This Beautiful Moment by Abdi Nazemian, Balzer & Bray/Harperteen
- Notes on Her Color by Jennifer Neal, Catapault
- The Rules of Us by Jennifer Nissley, Labyrinth Road
Children’s/Middle Grade Literature
- The Wishing Flower by A. J. Irving, Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers
- Duck, Duck, Tiger by Brittany R. Jacobs, Beaming Books
- Forever Is Now by Mariama J. Lockington, Farrar, Straus and Giroux
- Together: A First Conversation about Love by Megan Madison, Jessica Ralli, and Passchier, Rise X Penguin Workshop
- The House on Sunrise Lagoon: Sam Makes a Splash by Nicole Melleby, Algonquin Young Readers
- Abc-Deconstructing Gender by Ashley Molesso and Chess Needham, Running Press Kids
- A Child’s Introduction to Pride: The Inspirational History and Culture of the Lgbtqia+ Community by Sarah Prager and Caitlin O’Dwyer
- Phoenix Ani’ Gichichi-I’/Phoenix Gets Greater by Marty Wilson-Trudeau, Phoenix Wilson, Megan Kyak-Monteith and Kelvin Morrison
Poetry
- Dream of Xibalba by Stephanie Adams-Santos, Orison Books
- Home by Whitney Hanson, Penguin Life
- Mare’s Nest by Holly Mitchell, Sarabande Books
- Perennial Fashion Presence Falling by Fred Moten, Wave Books
- Diving at the Lip of the Water by Karen Poppy, Beltway Editions
Comics/Graphic Novels
- The DC Book of Pride: A Celebration of DC’s LGBTQIA+ Characters by Jadzia Axelrod and DK, DC Comics
- Grand Slam Romance by Ollie Hicks and Emma Oosterhous, Abrams Comicarts – Surely
- Every Day: The Graphic Novel by David Levithan and Dion Mbd, Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers
- I Thought You Loved Me by MariNaomi, Fieldmouse Press
- DC Pride: The New Generation, DC Comics
