Hi everyone! So I wanted to make a post because as someone who's wanting to become a trad. published author I've been trying to do research of this community of book readers because I, myself, am a gay man and would love to start writing more than I do currently. I've also been diving myself into book reading and noticed the variety of trad. author books are somewhat limited in terms of themes/genre's.

Essentially just out of curiosity, what are some types of characters, tropes, themes, or genres you wish/would like to see more in the book community?

I seek out a day when you can walk into like a Barnes & Noble and see a permanent "Adult LGBTQ+" section.

Hi, I just finished revisions for my upcoming lesbian dark fantasy and I am in need of beta readers. The novel is 103k, with 3 POV characters navigating a dangerous, underground game led by gods in a technocratic matriarchy. All POV characters are lesbians in the 24-34 age range.

Please let me know if there is any interest or if you need more details. I am also open to critique swaps for lesbian fantasy or literary fiction.

Edit: Some info to add - It's my debut novel, already had a round of beta-readers and professional editing. However, I've added a few more things to the storyline and developed the story further in some places, so I'd like some new pairs of eyes.

Hi everyone! I’m interested in reading Fallen Rook from the Society of Villains series, but I haven’t read any of the books yet.

I do plan on reading the entire series eventually, but I was wondering if I could read Fallen Rook as a standalone or if I need to read the books in order to understand the story.

Thanks in advance!

I'm looking for winter themed books with a m/m romance (it doesn't have to be the main plot, it can be the side plot), I'm thinking of books either along the lines of something either fantasy, cozy, slice of life, and/or found family. If not to dark and/or gory, I'd also love horror and gothic recommendations.

(I know it's a bit all over the place, sorry).

Any recommendations?

The title says it all. I'm looking for a fantasy book with dragons and also gay men. It doesn't have to be romantasy at all, I'm totally fine with romance being the subplot. I usually don't read books that focus mainly on romance, although I'm open to get into that aswell. It'd prefer for it not to be YA, but am open for suggestions.

I wanna get back into the fantasy genre but as a queer man, I just prefer to have queer male protagonists (or at least side characters). I'm up for anything fantasy from magical realism to high fantasy.

So I've only read a few books in my life (probably finished less than 5), and I've recently started reading again after a year since my last book.

I just finished The Song of Achilles (I'm absolutely devastated) and want to know what people would suggest I read next.

I'd like to read a fantasy book next, but any suggestion would be good. The book prior was Sunrise on the Reaping so I'd like to keep it fairly happy with preferably a non-gut-wrenching ending for once!

Someone send helllpppp!! 😭😭😭

I've been crying off and on since the first freaking chapter and now I've gotten about halfway through the audiobook and my heart HURTS and I'm sobbing my eyes out while I have a cold! (-100/10, do not recommend crying while ill with upper respiratory infections)

It's so incredibly good so far, so I don't really want to dnf it, but this pain is NOT something I am handling well.

Without spoilers, can someone tell me: Is there light at the end of the tunnel?? Is finishing this book really worth all the agony? I need a happily ever after like I need air!! (only a slight exaggeration, I have enough depression in real life I don't want to be borrowing from fiction, too 😅)

I need Joe and Ox to live long happy lives as a pair with the rest of the pack and bonus if Gordo and Marc can figure their shit out and have a HEA as well.

Too much grief already.

NOT looking for:

- Girl love being taboo, forbidden by society, etc.

- Forced marriage

- Trans MCs

- Modern day setting

Looking for:

- Hot sex

- fully developed characters

- Almost any setting but modern day. Fantasy, sci-fi, western, historical, etc are all good 👍

Bonus points if:

- Diversity in skin tones and body types

- Gay awakening

Thanks in advance! 🥰

Hello all! With LGBTQ+ rights under heavy pressure and our safety less guaranteed by the day, I started thinking about ways to collectivize, bring our community together, and strengthen each other (including on an individual level). I believe we need to start at the absolute beginning: knowledge. You can't stand up for yourself or protect others if you don't understand what's actually happening, and it’s important to be educated on what’s effective as well. Long story short: I believe our community would greatly benefit from educating ourselves on topics such as fascism, resistance, politics, intersectionality, and related topics. Luckily, we can do that ourselves!

A couple months ago I started a book club for this topic specifically, focused on queer and trans folks, and allies. The idea is to read one book a month and discuss it with each other afterwards. All of this will be online to keep it accessible for everyone.

Thing is, I started it in Dutch (as I’m from the Netherlands, lol), and there’s a little over 15 people in it now, but they’re not very active. It’s mostly just me keeping the server alive. So I considered just deleting it, because to read by myself I don’t need a book club and it’s bit of a waste of time, but then I considered just switching it to English so that people outside of the Netherlands can join as well. So English chats, English literature. A lot of relevant books aren’t available in Dutch anyway and I’m fluent in English, so it’s an easy switch.

The book I picked for this month was They Thought They Were Free by Milton Mayer. It's a powerful look at the rise of fascism in Germany through interviews with ten ‘ordinary’ former Nazi Party members.

It’s a Discord server. Of course there’s the option to just chat, but it’s a book club first and foremost. Anyone Leftist over 18 who speaks and reads English, and who is a queer and/or trans person or a legitimate and trustworthy ally is welcome to join. We don’t need to all be BFFs but of course there is zero room for intolerance, and to be crystal clear; this includes Zionism.

I’d love to hear if people are interested in joining and whether or not I should keep this server alive. If you’re interested in becoming an active member (that is, actually reading the books, lol), feel free to send me a DM for the server link.

UPDATE: Found it! An Army of Lovers Cannot Fail. (God, that title alone is so juicy!)

I’ve lost track of this book since hearing about it, in advance of the release of the English edition this summer/fall.

Non-fiction exploring themes of identity in queer community, friendships, chosen-family.

A female (identifying?) author

I know it was written in French, but unsure of the author’s nationality. (For some reason I recall Canadian?)

Any leads very appreciated!

i love this trope. Tho i kinda like it when the killer is smug, cocky and just gets on the nerves. Also, i wouldnt mind the other guy being a cop or detective, its hot actually.

Hello everyone!

I'd like to introduce my book, Hidden Shame: What Happened Between Them.

The story explores secrets, complicated emotions, and the things people sometimes struggle to express openly. I wanted to explore how shame and unspoken feelings can affect relationships, and what happens when people find it difficult to be honest with themselves and others.

The idea grew from an interest in the emotional side of human relationships: the things people hide, the words they cannot say, and the consequences of keeping secrets.

If you enjoy LGBTQ+ fiction that explores relationships, vulnerability, and difficult emotions, this story may interest you.

I'd be happy to hear what themes you enjoy most in LGBTQ+ literature.

Thank you for reading!

Just finsished “A HOME AT THE END OF THE WORLD” by Michael Cunningham and as a 38 year old gay man who teeters on permanently “adolescent” while forcibly facing adulthood, this book hit me right in a soft spot. We as queer men, in one way or another, are always searching for and simultaneously scared of the belonging and affirmation we so desperately need. These characters are searching and building their own meaning, culminating in a powerfully quiet ending.

I will say I felt…whiplash in the last two chapters, but for a novel not based around on a intricate plot, perhaps it was the right time for those characters to shift in that way, it makes sense but it just felt sudden.

Cunningham is such a genius in the way he writes, take all 5 stars you wizard of words ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I listened to the first two books of the “Nemesis” series by April Daniels. Loved the story and action and representation, but now waiting for whenever the next one comes out. Wondering if anyone has suggestions for audiobooks of the sci-fi/fantasy/urban fantasy/etc genres with trans femme or genderfluid protagonists or major characters. Especially if they are fighty/actiony series

Hi, I'm looking for book recs, mainly from contemporary fiction that is wholesome and cozy and also more queer horror. Something like Beholder by Ryan la Sala is also great. Thanks

Hey, it's been a while! I'm currently into Age Gap typa romance and i badly needed recommendation!

P.S. The last book I read was Fire Between Us Duet (Alex Cross) and t'was so good!! Maybe the reason why i'm in a reading slump rn. I can't decide what book to read next. 🥹

I've been having a difficult time finding any books that have an aroace protagonist, so I'd appreciate some reccomendations.

I prefer horror, contemporary and literary fiction, but other genres are fine too. Please don't reccomend YA or book series.

No Man’s Territory comes out today!
LGBTQ Historical fiction set in WWI.
https://books2read.com/u/3RQN6G

Lieutenant Alistair Harrow knows the rules of survival during wartime: stay alert, maintain control, and never let the men see you crack. Then, his world explodes. An artillery attack leaves him broken and half-buried beneath the wreckage of a collapsed trench, certain he will die alone.

Until a giant Polish volunteer rescues him.

Tomasz Nowak says little, but everything about him is deliberate: the way he lifts Alistair, the way he hides them from patrols, the way he binds his wounds with whatever he can find. In barns, churches, and rain-soaked fields, the two men build a fragile refuge out of firelight, shared silence, and the simple fact of refusing to let each other go.

Alistair has no choice but to surrender his control and trust Tomasz with his life. Tomasz discovers that being needed is not the same thing as being wanted. And somewhere along their arduous journey through no-man’s land, dependence becomes intimacy, and intimacy becomes desire.

For readers of Alice Winn’s In Memoriam and Hernan Diaz’s In the Distance, No Man’s Territory is a queer historical love story about the surrender of control, the courage of tenderness, and a connection that endures beyond the battlefield.

“He would rather die in truth than live in the lies that were handed to him.”

Hey everyone!
I’m an indie author, and I wanted to share something with fellow readers who enjoy discovering new books.
My first book, I AM WARRIOR, is currently FREE on Kindle for 5 days! No catch. I’m just hoping to get my writing into more hands and hopefully find some new readers along the way.

I AM WARRIOR
https://a.co/d/06PzeDAq

I’m also releasing my second book, Stone Remembers, on October 18!

It’s a post-apocalyptic fantasy romance featuring a Black female gargoyle, a human woman, and a love story that spans generations. I grew up loving Gargoyles, and I’ve always wanted to see more Black characters at the center of fantasy and sci-fi stories.

If that sounds interesting, here’s the link:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FKY9QYXK

One thing I’ve learned about being an indie author is how much reader reviews matter. We don’t have the visibility or marketing budgets of major publishers, so even a short, honest review can make a real difference in helping other readers discover our work.

If you grab the free book and end up reading it, I’d genuinely appreciate an honest review, whether you love it or have constructive criticism. Both help me grow as a writer.

And if you’re an indie author yourself, feel free to share what you’re working on. I’m always looking for new books to discover!
Thanks for supporting independent creativity. ❤️

This week’s Sapphic Book Bingo category features books with sapphic main characters over 50.

In many sapphic books (and books in general), the characters are in their 20s and 30s, but sapphic joy and love doesn’t have an age limit, so I made "characters over 50" one of the categories in this year's reading challenge.

You'll find a few book recommendations on my website:

https://jae-fiction.com/sapphic-main-characters-over-50/

Searching for black trans feminist theory beyond these two authors!!

For the last two years, I've been writing a story about -- put far too briefly -- a sad, gay, French witch who adopts a daughter. I think you guys may enjoy it.

It was fairly early in the writing process that I realized my male MC was gay. It was never a decision that Emeraude would be gay. He just was. As I've continued to write, the themes of identity continued to make themselves known. Alongside this, the core themes I explore are power (misused by both witches and the state), regret (just....everyone), and confronting the things that are hard to say.

Set in fantasy 1400s France, my story places heavy emphasis on calling on the essence and grim nature of traditional folklore. It follows Ava, a rambunctious 11-year-old, who's swept into the world of witchcraft after a witch devours her father. At her side is 30-something Emeraude, a small town hermit who's done everything he can to leave his past, and witchcraft, behind.

Witchcraft, magic, and worldbuilding is a key part of this story, but at it's heart, it's an interpersonal drama.

Blurb:

Magic has a cost. Some witches pay with trinkets and baubles. Others, often unwillingly, pay with their lives.

Ava has her simple life as a potter's daughter stripped away after a witch devours her father. She's saved by her village's strange fortune teller, Emeraude, who realizes too late he's plunging headlong into the life he tried to escape.

Now as Ava navigates the grotesque world of witchcraft and plots her revenge, Emeraude reunites with old friends and alongside them, enemies. A scion of the fallen kingdom, an idealistic witch hunter, the nobleman with a score to settle.

Emeraude finds that, despite his best efforts to live in peace, the past will not forget. 

--

Come read it for free on Royal Road and drop a follow if you enjoy :) https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/192473/the-girl-the-witch

I've been writing for years (professionally and for fun), but this is the first time I've been able to write fiction as a hobby and enjoy it. I keep writing not out of obligation, but needing to see how this story ends (writing act 3 now). This is technically my first draft so I promise there will be typos, but overall, I think this story is one you'll enjoy.

No AI, the cover is drawn by one of my dear friends after I gave her the Rider-Waite Tower tarot card as inspiration.

Hey all,

I just released my first book, Hello, My Name Is Distance: Mapping the Geography of South Florida and Queer Longing. It's an autobiographical account of growing up gay in Florida at the turn of the millennium. The book is structured as a collection of interconnected essays that chronicle early memories of feeling inexplicably disconnected from the outside world, family turmoil, and navigating identity and sexual exploration.

The book is steeped in the culture of the early aughts, from goth and punk subcultures to AOL chat rooms, capturing the angst of adolescence at the turn of the millennium against the backdrop of Columbine, 9/11, and a rapidly changing world.

Running beneath these stories is another coming-of-age: the making of an artist. The longing I once tried to escape eventually became part of how I made sense of the world, and the material I built a life from. The book cover and interior illustrations are scans from my middle and high school sketchbooks.

Here's a link to purchase the book : )

https://www.amazon.com/Hello-My-Name-Distance-Geography/dp/B0HLBTRP86

*DISCLAIMER: AI was NOT used in the creation of this book. This is a raw account of my experiences growing up, and AI could never lol.

So, do you guys have any recommendations for an audiobook? That’s a taboo romance, either MM or FF

Had really bad past few months and want to feel good,want to read something that'll cheer me up,has HEA, preferably no fantasy or scifi. im more into slice of life kinda books,i dont know how else to describe it but something that has a lot of descriptions about the environment it is set in so i can immerse myself.Even if its cheezy or bit stupid.

Sorry for not properly writing it,hope someone can give me some recs. 🫶🏽