LGBTQIA+ Reading & Gift Guide: Where to Start With My Novels

As the cold of winter starts to set in, I realize the holiday season is creeping up on us. Maybe you’re new to my books, having discovered me through the release of Being Emily’s audiobook, which is currently 50% off for the holidays. Perhaps you’ve read me before and want to jump back in, but don’t know where to start. Whether you’re looking to give a gift to a LGBTQIA+ loved one or simply want to gift yourself something, this post should help you decide which book/s would be perfect for your situation. 

All of my novels are optimistic LGBTQIA+ young adult books, and as such make perfect gifts for LGBTQIA+ folks and their family, friends, and loved ones. The flowchart below (plain text provided after) can help you narrow down which book makes a good starting point. The flowchart is designed for folks just starting with my novels. Further down the page is a short list of the themes and highlights of each of the books if you want more information about all of them. 

In addition to my own novels, I’ll be posting more in December and January about what I’m reading and what I recommend in terms of books and pursuits to help us survive and thrive in this current political climate. As a quick tip here, I’m finding meditations from Sebene Selassie super helpful. You can visit her website or search any podcast app for her name. 

Flowchart for Finding the Right Book

This chart is based on conversations I have at in-person events and does not include all the possible options. You’ll notice I don’t have a line for those looking to buy books for trans masc folks. For them, I recommend checking out works by Kacen Callender as a start. My work centers identities that include the genders/sexualities of Sapphic, lesbian, bi, pan, trans and cis women, femmes, and nonbinary folks. And of course, those identities overlap a lot.

Plain text alternative to the flowchart:

Which of your books should I get for my LGBTQIA+ kid/friend/relative, or for myself?

Q: Do they identify as a trans girl/woman/femme or nonbinary?

If yes, nonbinary: In the Silences.

If yes, trans girl/woman/femme: Being Emily. The audiobook is 50% off until Dec. 9th!

If no, not as far as I know, then two options:

If they like humor and/or romance gone awry: My Year Zero.

If they’re neurodivergent and/or like mysteries: Curious Minds.

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If you’ve already read Being Emily – next I recommend either Just Girls or In the Silences. Check out their lists below to see which one appeals most to you!

Themes and Highlights of Each Book

Here’s a deeper dive into my novels in handy bullet points in case you’ve already read one or more and want to see what else is out there, you’re curious, or you (like me) are oppositional and want to resist the flowchart.

Being Emily

• Optimistic trans girl story
• First Young Adult novel to tell the story of a trans girl from her perspective
• Positive Christian representation
• “Powerful and empowering, with an optimistic message that we all need more of in our lives.” – Kate Bornstein
• Winner: Golden Crown Literary Award in Dramatic / General Fiction
• Winner: Moonbeam Children’s Book Award in Young Adult Fiction – Mature Issues
• Lambda Literary Award Finalist
  

In the Silences 

• Nonbinary teen coming out
• Pan, bi and BIPOC representation
• Cute teen romance
• White people talking to white people about racism
• Comic books superheroes as anti-racist metaphors
• Heroic grandparents
• Winner: Golden Crown Literary Award in Young Adult
• Winner Moonbeam Children’s Book Award silver medal in Pre-Teen Fiction – Mature Issues

Curious Minds

• Awkward lesbian romance
• Many neurodivergent identities – including BIPOC neurodivergent characters
• Lesbian literary history
• College-based treasure hunt
• A lesbian character with lesbian parents

Just Girls

• Butch lesbian & trans girl main characters
• Characters playing a real world game
• Navigating violence 
• Queer & trans community helping folks thrive

Nico & Tucker

• Intersex, genderfluid main character
• Butch lesbian main character
• Slow romance with much communication
• Trauma recovery
• Avoiding therapy–and then going to therapy
• Cosplay (from Battlestar Galactica and Torchwood)

Synclair

• Spirituality and religions
• Meditation and magic
• Comedy ← my funniest novel
• Mysterious circumstances
• Trans elder helping our teen heroes

My Year Zero

• Dating mistakes
• Bipolar love interest
• But bipolar disorder is not used as a plot point
• Parental emotional abuse 
• Teens engaged in online SFF group storytelling
• Small-town lesbian 

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Have you read any of these books? Which is your most recommended? Let me know in the comments below or on my Instagram and Facebook pages.

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