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LGBTQIA+ @ DML October 2026 |
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Vampires at Sea
by Lindsay Merbaum
Immortal beloveds Rebekah and Hugh are on vacation! Against a backdrop of ongoing war, this pair of chic emotional vampires from San Francisco sets off on a queer Black Sea Cruise, eager to relax, join an orgy, and feast upon their fellow passengers' desires and sorrows. When Hugh becomes enchanted by an alluring--and possibly magical--nonbinary social media influencer named Heaven, Rebekah's reality capsizes, and her true nature is unleashed.
Please see here for more information about the October 19th discussion.
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Children of the Wolf
by Abby Geni
A woman notices a pattern of men disappearing in her small town, reawakening memories of her childhood raised by a father obsessed with his violent Viking heritage. As an adult, Liv leads a quiet life, tending to the beekeeping business that supports her and her brother. But when a dead body is discovered in her town, she is forced to grapple with a legacy of violence from when she was small. As a child, she shared a home in rural Iowa with her brother Finn and their father Ulf. Swedish-born Ulf, a direct descendant of the infamous Erik the Red, raises his children as if they are Vikings. They are homeschooled, speak only Swedish, learn swordplay and archery, celebrate the Norse holidays, and worship the old gods with blood sacrifices. But when Liv is fourteen, her family's sanctum is broken apart by an FBI raid. Separated from their father, Liv and Finn must learn to adapt to normal life. Now, twenty years later, Liv and Finn have changed their last names and moved to Haven, Michigan. Through her work as a beekeeper, Liv meets Penny, a secretive, unusual, beguiling woman. Just as her life is beginning to open up in new ways, Liv notices a strange and upsetting pattern in the area around Haven: men are disappearing. As she tallies up the missing, she senses disturbing similarities to her own father's crimes. While she's thrown back into the uncertainty she felt after Ulf's arrest, Liv, struggling to hold on to what she knows to be true, must decide how to proceed: whether to involve Finn and Penny in her suspicions, leave the whole matter alone, or take action to solve--and stop--the same kind of violence she always hoped to escape.
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I Kissed Her First
by Betty Cayouette
This is Riley's last summer as a chef. At least, this is what she's promised her dads, who run a Cape Cod lobster shack and don't want their daughter to follow in their stress-ridden footsteps. So Riley decides to go big and audition as a private chef for a singer's European tour. When she finds out she got the gig, she's thrilled. But when she learns that the singer she'll be cooking for is Luna Leya, she and her sister's favorite popstar? She almost can't believe it. Soon enough, Riley and Luna strike up an unexpected friendship, much to Luna's manager's disapproval. Luna should be focused on getting her Grammy, which means pulling off this tour without a hitch and continuing to date the notorious singer/heart throb/beloved bad boy Hudson, who's rocketed her to a new level of fame with their hit single. Luna should definitely not be sneaking off to the Eiffel Tower and private Andalucian dinners to spend time with Riley. As the two get closer, Riley thinks she might be losing her mind. Is it possible the Luna Leya is flirting with her? And is there a world where Riley could keep her dream of being a chef alive? Soon, things will reach a tipping point and both Riley and Luna will be left wondering: could their story be a love song after all?
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A Thousand Monstrous Forms
by Saratoga Schaefer
Artist Poppy Reed doesn't care if others think her marriage to Celia Marie Fox, a wealthy art dealer, is impulsive. Sure, they've only known each other for six months, and Celia has an infamous romantic reputation, but Poppy is brimming with excitement when she moves across the country to Celia's home: a formidable, isolated, and art-filled manor called Busirane. As Poppy tries to celebrate her first weeks of marriage and enjoy her new home, Busirane seems intent on rebuffing her every attempt to settle in. Strange noises and confounding occurrences lead Poppy to believe the house is haunted, a suspicion worsened by Celia's insistence that Poppy avoid the locked basement. When Celia leaves for a work trip, Poppy is left alone in the house, then finds herself snowed in. Surrounded by secrets, stalked by faceless statues, and beset by bodiless whispers, she struggles to trust her wife--and her own mind. When Poppy is eventually drawn to the forbidden basement, dark truths shatter everything she thought she knew, throwing her into a desperate bid for survival.
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Cutting Edge: Hockey as Queer Culture
by Daniel Gawthrop
Heated Rivalry for realz: a fascinating and timely examination of ice hockey through a queer lensConversations around the phenomenal success of the TV series Heated Rivalry have put a spotlight on LGBTQ+ hockey players at a cultural moment when queer and trans folk in sports are being bullied and scapegoated. When author Daniel Gawthrop laced on his first pair of skates as a twelve-year-old Peewee house league player in 1975, he never imagined he would grow up to start a gay men's hockey club. Nor that his mainstream media musings about the beauty of Russian Rocket Pavel Bure would prompt straight commentary by everyone from Don Cherry to The Village Voice. These stories and more form the heart of Cutting Edge, a fascinating probe into the role of gender, masculinity, and sexuality in defining--and too often demeaning--Canada's national sport.Examining the game through a queer lens, Gawthrop reveals how hockey has evolved from the bastion of straight white male machismo it used to be into a sport where women and players of all ethnicities are welcome and where gender-diverse people now have safe places to play. At the same time, hockey's powers that be--from scandal-ridden Hockey Canada to the overly cautious NHL--have been reluctant to embrace change, especially in light of the growing social pushback against queers in sport.And then there's Heated Rivalry, whose unexpected mainstream success has led to questions about whether it will encourage queer professional players to finally come out, all while introducing the sport to new generations of fans. With great insight and verve, Cutting Edge explores this phenomenon and more, pointing the way to a better, more modern, and more inclusive kind of hockey.
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And If I Die Before I Wake: A Memoir
by George M. Johnson
They may be the author of the #1 most banned book in America, but George M. Johnson isn't finished telling their story yet. Written with unflinching emotion and unapologetic boldness, And If I Die Before I Wake is nothing short of a testimony -- one the world desperately needs to hear.George M. Johnson is no stranger to death. In this debut adult memoir, readers are invited to witness untrodden ground as George navigates an HIV diagnosis, alcoholism, tremendous loss, and nationwide book bans over the span of 15 years. Through the highs and lows of life in the spotlight, they have clung to family and community like never before -- finding their most authentic self along the way. Drawing inspiration from Toni Morrison, Jesmyn Ward, and Ta-Nehisi Coates, And If I Die Before I Wake explores grief, trauma, sexuality, and the Black family through the lens of transformation, healing, and hope. Poetic, grounded, and bursting with signature humor, this is New York Times-bestselling author George M. Johnson more bold, more brave, and more daring than ever -- ready to share a new part of their journey with the world.
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I Think My Therapist Hates Me: A Memoir
by Chris Olsen
Social media phenomenon and mental health advocate Chris Olsen invites readers into his therapist's office--and into the story he's spent years trying to understand--in this raw, fearless, and darkly funny memoir. For much of his childhood, Chris Olsen believed his family was ordinary, even idyllic. Then, at thirteen years old, everything changed. When his mother revealed she was an alcoholic, the foundation beneath him cracked open, exposing secrets, struggles, and generational wounds that would shape the course of his life. Years later, determined to make sense of a story that often felt written for him rather than by him, Chris returns to the moments that defined him. Guided by conversations with his therapist, Lizzie, he revisits the memories he's spent years avoiding: hiding his sexuality from the people he loved, navigating his parents' tumultuous divorce, surviving toxic relationships, watching his mother cycle through treatment centers, and eventually confronting his own addiction. With the same sharp humor, emotional honesty, and magnetic storytelling that have won over millions of followers, Chris peels back the layers of his public persona to reveal the messy, complicated truths underneath. As he reckons with the gap between the version of himself the world came to know online and the person struggling, grieving, and growing behind the screen, he asks a universal question: Who are we when no one is watching? By turns hilarious, heartbreaking, and deeply hopeful, I Think My Therapist Hates Me is a personal exploration of the stories we inherit, the identities we construct, and the courage it takes to face ourselves honestly. It's a heartfelt reminder that self-discovery is messy, recovery is hard-won, and becoming the author of your own life begins with telling yourself the truth.
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Main, Middle & Gay: A Chef Finds His Place in the World Against All Odds
by Patrick O'Connell
It is amazing to read the story of how he came to be the chef he isa pioneer for the industry, a believer in rural America, a supporter of local economies, and a wizard creating pure magic. Chef Jos Andr sThe chef and founder of the Michelin-starred restaurant The Inn at Little Washington gives us an inside look at the tumultuous joys and struggles that have brought him to his special place at the intersection of Main, Middle, and Gay.World-renowned chef Patrick O'Connell has been recognized as a pioneer of American cuisine; his internationally acclaimed restaurant in the Virginia countryside, the Inn at Little Washington, is Michelin-starred and a Relais & Ch teaux hotel. Named for the three historic streets in the little town where O'Connell's life and career have taken root, Main, Middle & Gay chronicles O'Connell's winding journey through the rough-and-tumble restaurant world. Growing up gay in the 1950s and working as a paperboy and a cook at a hamburger joint, O'Connell found his place with other misfits in the addictive restaurant scene, where he learned to be nimble and grew up fast while working long hours and late nights with colorful characters. He lived free-spirited on farms with friends and traveled Europe, teaching himself to cook along the way. When he opened his restaurant in an old abandoned garage, he had no idea it would grow to the heights it has achieved today. In his first-ever memoir, O'Connell shows us the evolution that has led the Inn at Little Washington to become a global destination for foodies and travelers alike.
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Adam, Mine.
by K. Ancrum
Victor Frankenstein, a 17-year-old brilliant prodigy, wants his fellow university peers to finally take him seriously. After suffering a public humiliation over his wild academic theories, Victor makes a bet with the most popular student: he swears he will find the secret to human reanimation before graduation. Desperate and unwilling to be humiliated again, Victor does the unspeakable: he kidnaps a young man from a small, neighboring village and destroys his body using untried Alchemy instead of science…
Elias Hilfiker awakens, horrified—his voice is gone, his skin is stitched and scarred, and his community has exiled him. Worse, Victor’s clumsy alchemy has unintentionally created a bond between Elias and his tormentor, forcing them to constantly feel each other’s emotions.
Enraged by the desecration of his life, Elias swears before God and Man that he will seek vengeance on Victor at any cost. Meanwhile, Victor embarks on a journey to reverse the horror he’s unleashed. As they cross the European landscape—hunter and hunted—Victor bows before the weight of his sins while Elias uncovers the secrets of his own power in a world where he was once powerless.
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But I Hate Him
by Page Powars
Rory is academic royalty. As the heir to the most successful tutoring company in the world, he can be nothing less than perfect if he wants to gain his parents' approval. So it's simple. Rory studies harder than anyone else. He does not make mistakes. And he never loses. Except to Luca Melendez. The infuriatingly good-looking hockey player who wins every academic competition without even trying. When Rory has a very public meltdown, throwing a smoothie at Luca and shattering his own public image in the process - it feels like one more thing Luca ruined. To salvage his reputation, Rory has his sights set on winning the most cutthroat academic camp in the country, BRAIN. There is nothing standing between Rory and the final medal. Until, Luca Melendez shows up. This means war and Rory has the perfect plan: Make Luca fall in love with him. And then break Luca's heart right before the final competition.
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A Dangerous Bargain
by Erin Cotter
It's the height of the Italian Renaissance. In the golden city of Florence, art is equal to holiness--and angels walk among us, bestowing their talents...for a price. Seventeen-year-old artist Virgil is in trouble. To support his family, he's bargained most of his life away to an angel--only to discover that his missing brother is in danger, and nothing but magic can rescue him. Now, with just a few months left to live, Virgil is desperate enough to try the one thing he swore he would never, ever do--team up with the infuriating, annoyingly talented, and most notorious playboy in all of Florence, the charming Leonardo da Vinci. As the two journey through Florence's gilded streets, luxurious cathedrals, and glorious Medici palaces, they unearth dark truths beneath the city's facade. Those in power will do anything to keep their deadly secrets safe, but with his feelings for Leonardo giving him new life, Virgil is determined to expose their lies before he runs out of time. Even if it might cost him his soul.
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False Face
by Josh Galarza
Rusty is positive Todd with two D's is a figment of his troubled mind. That's the only explanation for why he breaks into musical numbers and lurks in the school bleachers to stare unabashedly at Burt, the cutest guy in school. But when Todd's antics go a little too far, Rusty quickly finds himself in a dangerous situation. Little does Rusty know, the boy he's head over heels for just might be the one to save his life. By day, Burt Espinoza is the only out kid in school who's ever maintained his social status. But by night, he is a real hero: a secret agent rescuing vulnerable queer kids in danger. His handlers (also his adoptive moms) are concerned he's pushing himself too hard to be the man he thinks he needs to be. Now Burt has to prove that he's ready for his biggest mission yet: saving the only boy he's ever hurt.
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My Own Kind of Person
by Tim Manley
Sean O'Brien copes with anxiety by being the funny guy--at school, in his relationships, and onstage at local open mics. But when his stand-up act starts feeling like a performance of someone he's not, everything changes. As Sean struggles with awkward girlfriend encounters and rising panic, he meets Elijah, a new guy with quiet confidence and an honesty Sean has never allowed himself. Suddenly, Sean's life, his comedy, and his self-awareness come into sharper focus. With wit and emotional depth, My Own Kind of Person explores the courage it takes to speak your truth--even when your voice shakes.
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Scorpion Deep
by Cg Drews
The only thing Jonathan Covey wants from the gloomy, moldering isle of Kelcarrow is to leave it. Summer is ending, and his friends are looking forward to college on the mainland, unaware that Jonathan was not accepted to join them. He'll be left behind with nothing but the ocean's haunts and a rising dread of being abandoned.
In an act of wild desperation, Jonathan pays a tithe to Scorpion Deep, an eldritch sea god who many of the locals have dismissed as myth. He wants to forget the past, he wants to follow his friends, and most of all he wants to finally escape.
To his shock and horror, the ritual works—Scorpion Deep awakens. And despite his terror, Jonathan can't help but feel drawn toward the ageless entity that seems just as mutually obsessed with him. As scales start growing down his spine and Scorpion Deep's adoration of him turns bloody, Jonathan realizes the only way to end the nightmare is to destroy the monster one way or another.
But once a god has awoken, the only way to be free is to pay a price of blood.
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The Siren's Kiss
by Leslie Vedder
Rayleigh has spent the last three years bound to a cursed ship after crossing the sea god Red-Handed Roger. Her only hope for freedom is to find his long-ago stolen heart--which means taking on his sworn enemy, the Sea Witch. But Rayleigh's not the only one with a score to settle... Fiery mermaid Maren is also searching for the Sea Witch, determined to bargain for the soul of her lost brother. When Rayleigh and Maren's separate missions bring them together, sparks fly, and all their plans go up in flames. Now they'll have to join forces to survive.Find the Sea Witch. Steal the heart. And don't fall for your enemy, no matter how irresistible she is. How hard can it be?
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Tom Burne Has Left the Chat
by Seán Farrelly
When micro-influencer Tom Burne takes his own life, he leaves behind his phone, its password, and a cryptic message that needs decoding. Seventeen-year-old Jamie doesn't intend to take the phone, but once he does, he knows it was meant for him. Fuelled by his own sense of isolation and the recent passing of his father, Jamie loses himself in uncovering the truth. The more he investigates the digital fragments contained within the phone, the deeper into Tom's dark world he falls. As his own grief resurfaces and with his mother pushing for them to move to a different country for a fresh start, Jamie has very little time to find out the harsh reality that led to Tom's tragic end. Can he clear Tom's name before it is too late?
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You're No Better (Deluxe Limited Edition)
by Andrew Joseph White
Morgan Slaughter, a seventeen-year-old trans boy with autism, put his serial killer father in prison years ago. Despite that, everyone thinks Morgan will grow up to be just like his dad: including his volatile mother, the documentary crew following their family, and maybe himself. Desperately, Morgan latches onto his father's final victim--the only one who was never identified--hoping that if he unravels the mystery, he'll finally prove he's better than the man who hurt him. But this puts Morgan in the crosshairs of classmate Felicity Keating, who knows the truth about Morgan's childhood--that he wasn't just a witness to his father's brutality, he was an accomplice. And if he doesn't let them help with his investigation? They'll tell everyone. Forced to confront his past, Morgan's ugly but carefully controlled world unravels. The film crew is manipulative. His mother's temper spirals into malice, then violence. And Morgan and Felicity may be more tightly intertwined than either of them can stomach . . . You're No Better is a gritty and unapologetic coming-of-age suspense about teens who grew up surrounded by cruelty and are clawing their way to adulthood the only way they know how.
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Your Boyfriend Needs an Exorcist
by Justine Pucella Winans
Just because Schuyler is a bloodthirsty evil spirit doesn't mean she can't fall in love. Ever since Wren Castillo moved into the house Schuyler haunts, Schuyler has been crushing hard. But Wren has a boyfriend, Enzo, and he's the worst. Schuyler has no choice but to watch as Enzo treats Wren terribly-until she accidentally possesses him.
With Enzo's spirit nowhere to be found, Schuyler must pretend to be him until she can set things right. But Schuyler feels more at home in Enzo's body than she ever did in her own, and as she grows closer to his family and friends-including Wren-she starts to wonder if this could all be for keeps.
Maintaining a possession is harder than Schuyler expected, though, and it might just take some spilled blood to keep her new body going strong. Worse, it turns out she's not the only one interested in stealing Enzo's body. When another evil spirit threatens everyone Schuyler now holds dear, she must decide just how far she's willing to go to secure her second chance at love-and life..
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Bite Me: A Graphic Novel
by Jennifer Dugan
Poe never imagined that during her senior year of high school she would be attacked by a pair of vampires and turned into one herself. And she never dreamed her longtime crush, Jolie--who seemed to maybe actually like Poe back--would turn out to be a slayer. When Jolie drives a wooden stake into her chest, Poe's heart is broken at the betrayal. But somehow she survives the slaying, and when she awakens, it's unclear which is stronger inside her: the thirst for blood, or the thirst for revenge on Jolie. Now the hunter has become the hunted. But, when the girls come face to face again, Jolie seems overjoyed that Poe is still alive. And beneath Poe's rage remains a burning passion of a different sort. Can a vampire and a slayer ever be more to each other than predator and prey?
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Family Found: A Queer Friendsgiving Celebration: (A Picture Book about Chosen Family, Belonging, and Gratitude for Kids Ages 4-8)
by Joanna McClintick
When celebrants gather for their annual Friendsgiving--Thanksgiving with their chosen family--each has a unique story to tell as a child tries to piece together how it all began. No one remembers how it started. The Friendsgiving gathering is moving into high gear, and for one child in the group, it's a good time to ask some questions about the event's history. Great-Uncle Billy, while snapping some green beans for the meal, says he was the one who started the tradition, back when people had to speak in code to keep being gay a secret. Miss Mona thinks that she was the originator, after her car broke down one year and she had to make a change of plans. Grandma Jane and Nana Rose tell their version of the tale while the smell of cinnamon and apples fills the air. As more people (and dogs) arrive and the music is turned on, it grows clearer that the details may not matter; what counts is the love they all share. With warm, jubilant artwork and a welcoming text that introduces moments from LGBTQIA+ history, Family Found celebrates one family as they come together on a day of gratitude.
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The Pumpkin Seed
by Poppy O'Neill
Mom's new partner is moving into the home Mom and her child share. Will there be enough room for all three of them--and their plants--to thrive? Perfect for children experiencing family changes, a story of growing together plants a seed of hope. A child and mother plant a pumpkin seed the same day Sam, Mom's new partner, moves in. Sam brings a bin with no bottom for making compost. The child is enraged by this slimy, stinky bin, and Sam is always in the way, putting her stuff where it doesn't belong and taking Mom's attention. Meanwhile the pumpkin seed sprouts and is growing quickly, until one day it's big enough to plant in the garden. But before the child can put it in the ground disaster strikes and the pot smashes, and all of the child's animosity toward Sam comes pouring out. Eventually, just as the compost nourishes the plant and turns it into something amazing, the child's relationship with Sam blooms and they find their way. And by the same time next year, they have enough pumpkins to make all kinds of treats, and new seeds to plant.
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Realmsweep
by H. E. Edgmon
In a fantastical version of the United States filled to the brim with magic and dragons, the tween prince of Texas must compete in a notoriously dangerous scavenger hunt.
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