Happy Pride Month, That’s Normal readers! It’s been a lovely June full of gorgeous rainbow colors on flags, in parades, on my emoji keyboard and my snapmap! I love it.
One of the things I love most about it is celebrating all the incredible works from LGBTQ authors and works about LGBTQ characters. I often get asked about why I enjoy queer romance and characters so much, and that questions baffles me. It’s a non-issue. If the books are great, the books are great. If the work is worth my time, it’s worth my time. Period.
Heartbreak and unrequited love, deep passion, tender first loves – all of it resonates whether the characters are hetero or not. Love is love, y’all. And that works in fiction as well. If you’ve never given LGBT romance or fiction a chance, here’s a little primer into some of my favorites and others much like them to try.
Favorite Classic
Brideshead Revisited
Look at that cover. Repressed homo feelings ALL OVER IT. Evelyn Waugh is a master satirist, but Brideshead is really a tortured exploration of obsession, a subtle relationship between Charles Ryder and Sebastian Flyte. YEARNING is the word I use to describe this novel, depicted perfectly by that wing tip shoe on the cover. GAH. Read it.
Other Great Classics
Favorite Comic
Check Please!
Lindsey and I told you all about Check Please before when we were hopelessly engrossed in not just the amazing webcomic by Ngozi, but fallen headlong into the fandom. You might have thought that the love for this little Southern baker and his stoic hockey captain was overstated, but you’d be wrong. Bitty and Jack (and seriously EVERY OTHER CHARACTER in this comic) are not only gorgeously drawn, but fully realized.
The story of Bitty’s college hockey career is closing in on the end of his junior year. When he graduates, so will the comic. You don’t want to miss what happens in between. Ngozi has created a multi-platform experience; she maintains Bitty’s (fake) twitter account in real time. It’s currently a year ahead of the comic. There are behind the scenes livestreams, extras. Being a Check Please! fan is a fandom treat. I’ve read lots of other LGBT comics and webcomics since falling in love with OMGCP, and none of them compare in story, character, art or extras.
Other Great Comics
The Less than Epic Adventures of TJ and Amal
Favorite Characters
Captive Prince
This might be my favorite LGBT series of all time. That’s partly because I stumbled upon it when it was still a small indie print. It’s partly because high fantasy is my favorite genre in general. It’s also in part due to author CS Pacat’s fabulous command of of her plot and her prose. But it’s mostly because of Laurent and Damen.
The characters of Captive Prince – a bisexual prince betrayed by his family and sold into anonymous slavery to his rival nation, and the gay crowned prince who has every reason in the world to hate him – are masterful creations. Watching the chess game that is this series unfold is beyond tense; it is an experience that hits every emotional marker you have. You need to read it.
More Captive Prince on That’s Normal
Other Great Characters
Favorite Young Adult
Autoboyography
You haven’t read this one yet – it comes out in September, but Christina Lauren’s look at what it’s like to be bisexual or gay in a strict religious community (in this case, Provo, Utah) is poignant, heartbreaking and maybe the best book they’ve ever written. I loved Tanner’s tumult as a formerly out bisexual forced back in the closet by virtue of his location. I loved watching him fall in love with the local bishop’s son, Sebastian, through the fits and stars of first infatuation, requited obsession, teenage anxiety and real affection. You won’t want to miss it when it comes out.
Other Great YA Authors
Favorite Romance
A Seditious Affair
I have long told you all that KJ Charles writes my favorite historical M/M romance novels. She also writes some really great historical fantasy novels too. But A Seditious Affair (part of the Society of Gentlemen series) is my favorite.
Silas is a seditious book seller, a rough and tumble type who meets anonymously every Wednesday night for assignations with Dominic, who unbeknownst to him, is exactly the man who can see him hanged for his actions. These men are falling in love with their Wednesday alter egos without ever knowing who the other really is. Until they do. Ensue all the angst! And the tension! And the drama! It’s a fantastic love story, superbly realized and ludicrously well-written. All of her books are worth reading.
Other Great Romance Authors
Keep giving LGBT authors a shot on your TBR list. I might be recommending the same ones over and over, but I love them! I need you to love them toooooooooo.
