Pride Month started to honor the 1969 Stonewall Uprising in Manhattan. It has become a celebration of the culture, achievements, and impact of the LGBTQ individuals and community on history in our society. Celebrations include pride parades, picnics, parties, workshops, and more.
Last year, Kansas Talking Books celebrated with a list of fiction and nonfiction books about LGBTQ+. This year, we’re focusing on the characters in fiction books of all genres.
Celebrate with us and make one of these books your next read.
DB 104764 A psalm for the wild-built by Becky Chambers
Annotation: Centuries ago, the robots of Panga gained self-awareness and disappeared into the wilderness. When Sibling Dex, a tea monk, meets Splendid Speckled Mosscap, a robot, they are the first person to encounter a robot in years. Dex and Mosscap travel through the woods together, engaging in philosophical conversation. Strong language. Commercial audiobook. 2021.
DB 75306 Amateur City by Katherine V. Forrest
Annotation: Arriving early on her second day on the job at a Los Angeles office-furniture company, Ellen O'Neill finds her obnoxious boss dead. Detective Kate Delafield befriends Ellen--who, like Kate, is a lesbian--while investigating Ellen's coworkers. Some violence, some strong language, and some explicit descriptions of sex. 1984.
DB 110413 Less is lost by Andrew Sean Greer
Annotation: "For Arthur Less, life is going surprisingly well: he is a moderately accomplished novelist in a steady relationship with his partner, Freddy Pelu. But nothing lasts: the death of an old lover and a sudden financial crisis has Less running away from his problems yet again as he accepts a series of literary gigs that send him on a zigzagging adventure across the US. Less roves across the "Mild Mild West," through the South and to his mid-Atlantic birthplace, with an ever-changing posse of writerly characters and his trusty duo--a human-like black pug, Dolly, and a rusty camper van nicknamed Rosina. He grows a handlebar mustache, ditches his signature gray suit, and disguises himself in the bolero-and-cowboy-hat costume of a true “Unitedstatesian"... with varying levels of success, as he continues to be mistaken for either a Dutchman, the wrong writer, or, worst of all, a "bad gay." We cannot, however, escape ourselves--even across deserts, bayous, and coastlines. From his estranged father and strained relationship with Freddy, to the reckoning he experiences in confronting his privilege, Arthur Less must eventually face his personal demons. With all of the irrepressible wit and musicality that made |Less| a bestselling, Pulitzer Prize-winning, must-read breakout book, |Less Is Lost| is a profound and joyous novel about the enigma of life in America, the riddle of love, and the stories we tell along the way." -- Provided by publisher. -- Strong language and some descriptions of sex. Commercial audiobook.
DB 105199 Payback’s a witch by Lana Harper
Annotation: Emmy Harlow is a witch. Her power is limited because of her self-imposed exile from her magical hometown after her breakup with Gareth Blackmoore. On her first night home in years, Emmy runs into the intriguing Talia Avramov, who is another, more recent ex of Gareth. Unrated. Commercial audiobook. 2021.
DBG06050 Smoke and shadows by Tanya Huff
Annotation: Tony Foster, saved from the streets by 450-year-old vampire Henry Fitzroy, is now a production assistant for the show Darkest Night, where he has just discovered the dead body of the guest star. Tony fears it has something to do with the strange shadows he has seen around the studio, and asks special-effects wizard Arra Pelindrake, who turns out to be a real wizard, for help. When Tony and Henry can't persuade Arra to face down the shadows, they must battle them before they gain a foothold in this world. Some descriptions of sex and violence, strong language. Followed by "Smoke and mirrors". 2004. Marrakesh title.
DB 105943 Somebody killed his editor by Josh Lanyon
Annotation: Recently dumped--by both his editor and boyfriend--mystery writer Christopher Holmes heads to an isolated writers conference where he runs into an old flame--and the body of his ex-editor. Ex-cop J. X. Moriarty must find the killer and ignore his attraction to Christopher. Strong language, some violence, and some explicit descriptions of sex. 2016.
DB 112697 The four profound weaves by R. B. Lemberg
Annotation: "The Surun' nomads do not speak of the master weaver, Benesret, who creates the cloth of bone for assassins in the Great Burri Desert. But aged Uiziya must find her aunt in order to learn the final weave, although the price for knowledge may be far too dear to pay. Among the Khana in the springflower city of Iyar, women travel in caravans to trade, while men remain in the inner quarter, as scholars. A nameless man struggles to embody Khana masculinity, after many years of performing the life of a woman, trader, wife, and grandmother. As his past catches up, the nameless man must choose between the life he dreamed of and Uiziya-while Uiziya must discover how to challenge the evil Ruler of Iyar, and to weave from deaths that matter. In this breathtaking debut set in R. B. Lemberg's beloved Birdverse, The Four Profound Weaves offers a timeless chronicle of claiming one's identity in a hostile world." -- Provided by publisher. -- Some violence and some descriptions of sex.
DB 100460 The first sister by Linden A. Lewis
Annotation: A priestess of the Sisterhood, the First Sister has traveled the stars with the soldiers of Earth and Mars. When her former captain abandons her, however, she loses her power and must spy on her new master on behalf of the war effort. Some descriptions of sex, strong language, violence. Commercial audiobook. 2020.
DB 99672 Boyfriend material by Alexis J. Hall
Annotation: Luc O'Donnell is the son of two famous rock stars who needs to clean up his image. A nice boyfriend like barrister Oliver Blackwood is just what he needs. But can he convince Oliver to pretend to date him without falling in love? Unrated. Commercial audiobook. 2020.
DB 103560 The Guncle by Steven Rowley
Annotation: It's been years since Patrick O'Hara left behind the life of a sitcom star for retirement in Palm Springs. Now a family tragedy has left him in charge of his niece and nephew. While he has always loved being Gay Uncle Patrick, this new responsibility is overwhelming. Unrated. Commercial audiobook. 2021.
DB 109331 Rainbow rainbow: stories by Lydia Conklin
Annotation: "In this exuberant, prize-winning collection, queer, trans, and gender-nonconforming characters seek love and connection in hilarious and heartrending stories that reflect the complexity of our current moment. A nonbinary writer on the eve of top surgery enters into a risky affair during the height of COVID. A lesbian couple enlists a close friend as a sperm donor, plying him with a potent rainbow-colored cocktail. A lonely office worker struggling with their gender identity chaperones their nephew to a trans YouTube convention. And in the depths of a Midwestern winter, a sex-addicted librarian relies on her pet ferrets to help resist a relapse at a wild college fair. Capturing both the dark and lovable sides of the human experience, Rainbow Rainbow establishes debut author Lydia Conklin as a fearless new voice for their generation.." -- Provided by publisher. -- Strong language and some explicit descriptions of sex.
DB 111371 A taste of gold and iron by Alexandra Rowland
Annotation: "A place in your home. A place at your hearth. Kadou, the shy prince of Arast, finds himself at odds with one of the most powerful ambassadors at court-the body-father of the queen's new child-in an altercation that results in his humiliation. To prove his loyalty to the queen, his sister, Kadou takes responsibility for the investigation of a break-in at one of their guilds, with the help of his newly appointed bodyguard, the coldly handsome Evemer, who seems to tolerate him at best. In Arast, where princes can touch-taste precious metals with their fingers and myth runs side by side with history, counterfeiting is heresy, and the conspiracy they discover could cripple the kingdom's financial standing and bring about its ruin." -- Provided by publisher. -- Unrated. Commercial audiobook.