If you’re like me, you like to escape into books that tell stories of the reality you want. But reading can be a lot when there’s not enough representation (and capitalism has taken over our lives). To help the situation a bit, here are some short, fast queer reads that’ll spark joy and revive your reading habits.
On A Sunbeam by Walden Tillie
This is for fans of movies like Star Wars. On A Sunbeam is set in space and follows Mia on a journey of self-discovery while on her first job. She consistently reminisces over her last few years in school with her first love and finding friends with her new teammates. The best part of this book is it’s set in a world where only queer women and non-binary people exist.
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Mooncakes by Suzanne Walker and Wendy Xu
Mooncakes is one of the cutest recommendations in this article. Who doesn’t love a good story about a witch and her werewolf lover? Exactly. Nova and Tam are forced into each other’s life after years apart, and what was just a friendship blossomed into something sweeter. Except now, they have this big bad to defeat. How much cuter can it get?
The Girl from the Sea by Molly Knox Ostertag
There’s falling in love with a mermaid, and there’s falling in love with a Selkie — a seal that turns human on special occasions. Morgan has the pleasure of falling in love with one over the summer, and it’s so heartbreakingly cute.
Taproot by Keezy Young
For fans of ghost stories, Taproot is the perfect blend of romance with a sprinkle of ghoul. The only thing stopping Blue from being with his true love, Hamal, is that he’s dead. This book is proof love transcends death. Blue is a ghost who’s been in love with Hamal for the longest time, and conveniently, Hamal can see ghosts. Except, with powers like that come great enemies.
Wynd by James Tynion IV and Michael Dialynas
Another sweet book for men who love men. Wynd is a simple and quiet soul, he works at a local tarven aand finds time to gaze at his love Intrest the castle’s ground keepers soon. All would have been okay except Wynd is a magical folk and they are outlawed in Pipetown and trust that that revelation leads him to an interesting adventure.
The Magic Fish by Trung Le Nguyen
While, as queer Nigerians, we can’t understand the reality of American immigrants, we do understand having parents who are so set in their ways coming out would feel like a betrayal. Tien enjoys reading with his parents even though they struggle with the new language. His love for books helps him assimilate the language faster until he can no longer communicate with his parents. It’s a delicate story of a boy finding the confidence to come out to his parents, and such a powerful read.
Bloom by Kevin Panetta and Savanna Ganucheau
This queer graphic novel is every 20-something’s reality — trying to move out and find yourself, full of big dreams, but your parents have other plans. It’s Ari’s reality too. His parents hope he’ll stay in town and help with the bakery, but Ari wants to move out to become a famous musician. He starts finding a replacement baker to work at his parents bakery, Hector, but then sparks begin to fly.
Heavy Vinyl by Carly Usdin and Nina Vakueva
Volume 1: Riot On The Radio focuses on Chris and her job at a record store she thinks her co-workers hate her. That’s until she discovers they’re an undercover all-female fight club. For all the music-loving queers, this is a great short read full of badass fight scenes and music recommendations.
