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LGBTQIA+ @ DML January 2026 |
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Mama : a queer Black woman's story of a family lost and found
by Nikkya Hargrove
The author—fresh out of college, Black and queer—fights to adopt her baby half-brother after their often incarcerated mother dies, but along the way, must contend with family court, Jonathan's biological father, schools and“the system” that is full of preconceived notions.
Please see here for more information about the January 12th discussion.
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Into the Midnight Wood
by Alexandra McCollum
A whimsical queer romance about two mismatched roommates whose fragile--and definitely not romantic at all--balance is upended by an impending family wedding and an otherworldly danger in the nearby enchanted wood. There are at least 100 things wrong with Meredith Schwarzwelder. In fact, keeping track of these things is the only way David Carew has managed to remain living with him for as long as he has. Meredith is an irredeemable eccentric who flirts with everyone in his path (#3 on the list), cries at anything (#35), makes the worst coffee in the world (#70), and talks to mice, or imagines he does (#50). It's bad enough living with such a person on the edge of the Midnight Wood, but when magic starts to seep from the wood and a dark being emerges with a sinister plan involving Meredith, David decides that it's time to leave the cottage, and his roommate, behind. Then Meredith's brother gets engaged to the daughter of David's boss, and David sees an opportunity: If he can insert himself into the festivities, maybe he can advance his career and get himself out of a personal rut. With wedding bells sounding and the dangers of the Midnight Wood encroaching, David realizes there's much more hiding beneath the surface of his roommate's seemingly carefree charm, and that perhaps his own exasperation carries more fondness than he'd like to admit. Cozy, sharp, steamy, and poignant, Into the Midnight Wood is a contemporary queer fairy tale about the masks we wear, the stories we tell, and the powerful need for true, honest connection to heal old wounds and new.
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Last First Kiss
by Julian Winters
Sparks fly in this second chance m/m rom com when an unlucky-in-love event planner realizes the man-of-honor at the high profile wedding he's planning is the same man who broke his heart.They say you never forget your first kiss. But Jordan Carter wishes he could forget the one he shared with Jamie Peters as teens. And the one they almost shared again last year before Jamie made it clear he wasn't the right man for Jordan to be with while he's figuring himself out. Now, Jordan's fully focused on his career at 24 Carter Gold, his family's event planning company, and ready to move on - until his boss assigns him to plan a new client's high-profile wedding. The bride's man-of-honor? None other than Jamie. As things ramp up the closer they get to the wedding, so does Jordan's relationship with Jamie, with sarcastic asides turning into steamy hook-ups. But can Jordan afford to pursue Jamie if he's still unsure of who he is? Or is knowing who he loves enough? Venue shopping, cake-tastings, and dress fittings with the man he can't forget just might change the man Jordan Carter is meant to become. Last First Kiss by Julian Winters is a second chance romance about finding yourself-and the love of your life.
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Like in Love with You
by Emma R. Alban
Mean Girls meets Northanger Abbey in this sharp and sexy Regency Romance that begs the question: what if Cady and Regina just... kissed?When Catherine Pine relocates to Bath in 1817, she comes face-to-face with her mother's arch nemesis and her daughter--the wildly popular Lady Rosalie. Twenty-five years after a horrible betrayal, Catherine's mother sees the perfect opportunity for revenge: Catherine must win the favor of Lady Rosalie's suitor and unofficial betrothed, the most eligible Mr. Dean. Only Catherine soon discovers that Lady Rosalie is by far the wittiest, cleverest, most intriguing young woman Catherine's ever met, and she's instantly smitten. Which is a problem.Meanwhile, Lady Rosalie feels trapped in her relationship with Mr. Dean and in her role as Bath's resident mean girl. But when she notices newcomer Catherine gunning for her spot as queen bee, Rosalie finally feels a spark again-something she absolutely doesn't want to extinguish.As Rosalie and Catherine circle Mr. Dean, and their mothers force them into increasingly absurd contests of wit and feminine charms, the two women somehow find themselves falling for each other, scheme, by barb, by catty jab...Is it possible that their sizzling rivalry can become a match to last?
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Missing Sam
by Thrity Umrigar
A tense and twisty story of a woman who goes missing on a morning run and her wife's determination to both find her and clear her own name--from the bestselling author of Honor. One night after a party, old grievances surface between married couple Aliya and Sam and the night ends badly with a heated argument. Sam goes for a run early the next morning to clear her head--and doesn't come back. Aliya reports her wife missing, but as a gay, Muslim daughter of immigrants, she can't escape the scrutiny and suspicion of those around her. Scared and furious and feeling isolated as strangers and acquaintances alike doubt her innocence, Aliya makes one wrong choice after another. She must fight to prove her innocence in the public eye even as she is torn between her fear that Sam is dead and her desire to find and save her wife. But is safety ever truly possible for them? A provocative examination of suburban mores, Missing Sam captures the terror manifested in today's political climate, and the real dangers, both physical and psychological, of being brown and queer in America.
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The Silver Book
by Olivia Laing
It is September 1974. Two men meet in Venice. One is a young English artist, in panicked flight from London. The other is Danilo Donati, the magician of Italian cinema, the designer responsible for realizing the spectacular visions of Fellini and Pasolini. Donati is in Venice to produce sketches for Fellini's Casanova. A young apprentice is just what he needs. He sweeps Nicholas to Rome and introduces him to the looking-glass world of Cinecittâa, the studio where Casanova's Venice will be ingeniously assembled. In the spring, the lovers move together to the set of Saláo, Pasolini's horrifying fable of fascism. But Nicholas has a secret, and in this world of constant illusion, his real nature passes unseen. Amid the rising tensions of Italy's Years of Lead, he acts as an accelerant, setting in motion a tragedy he doesn't intend.
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You Watched in Silence
by H. Lee Justine
In this shivery blend of queer psychological thriller and horror, evocatively set in the secluded islands of the Pacific Northwest, You Watched in Silence combines the bite of Jessica Knoll with the twists of Verity and the atmospheric tension of The Haunting of Bly Manor.Caitlyn believes her world is falling apart when her best friend cuts her off--until she gets a message from the only person who can put it back together. Family vlogger Bella Greene--the celebrity influencer she and her ex-best friend were obsessed with--offers Caitlyn a job as nanny to her twins.Like millions of others, Caitlyn knows that Bella's life is in pieces, too. Canceled over perceived indifference to a tragic suicide by one of her fans, Bella fled with her family to a remote island off the coast of Washington. For Caitlyn, the opportunity to help Bella will also help her to heal; a way to honor the past while creating a new future.Caitlyn can't believe how easily she bonds with the twins. She also feels an instant connection with the family's flirtatious chef, Hannah Zhou, who soon stirs romantic impulses that Caitlyn never imagined having again. It feels like magic ... until she catches a glimpse of a mysterious girl that nobody else can see.Before she knows it, Caitlyn descends into constant terror, unable to tell if she is losing her mind or being haunted by a past she'd rather forget. Worse, there is magic here, a dark force that manifests in mysterious pentagrams, animal sacrifices, and scrawled threats right in Bella's backyard, and increasingly close to her home.But who's behind it? Is it a disgruntled employee? A scorned lover? Or someone out for unjust revenge? Because Bella didn't do anything wrong ... right?
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Ace of Hearts: Lessons in Love from an Asexual Girl
by Cooklin
Starred Review from Booklist, this powerful account will comfort those who grew up feeling broken.What does love look like when you are not interested in sex?Growing up, Caitlin Cook knew the recipe for social success from watching television and reading books: two best friends, two enemies, and a boyfriend. So she arranged her life accordingly: making friends and dreaming of the boys she met in school.But she felt that inside, something was wrong with her. Because though she wanted to get close to people, every time she experimented with sex, she just felt bored.This graphic novel follows Caitlin Cook, who is asexual but does not yet fully realize it. From evangelical purity politics to the footloose college campus, Caitlin navigates different worlds each with their own sexual orthodoxies, and clumsily attempts to fit into each of them. A thoughtful and immersive coming-of-age memoir about one girl's struggle to figure out and then claim her asexual identity.
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Fire in Every Direction: A Memoir
by Tareq Baconi
From the renowned Palestinian scholar, a memoir of political and queer awakening, of impossible love amidst generations of displacement, and what it means to return home. Both a love story and a coming-of-age tale that spans countries and continents, Fire in Every Direction balances humor and loss, nostalgia and hope, as it takes us from the Middle East to London, and from 1948 to the present. Tareq Baconi crafts a deeply intimate, unforgettable portrait of how a political consciousness--desire and resistance--is passed down through generations. This is an account of finding oneself through histories of dispossession and reclaiming what has been silenced.
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Gertrude Stein : An Afterlife
by Francesca Wade
This richly detailed portrait of Gertrude Stein explores her literary influence, complex persona and iconic Paris salon, while tracing Alice B. Toklas's determined efforts to preserve her partner's legacy amid revelations that reshaped public understanding of them both.
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My Name Means Fire: A Memoir
by Atash Yaghmaian
Honest, powerful, and moving, My Name Means Fire is a bold narrative that challenges the stigma and misinformation around dissociative identity disorder (DID) and ultimately reckons with what it takes to survive.
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The Royal We
by Roddy Bottum
A founder of the iconic band Faith No More shares his coming-of-age and out-of-the-closet story in pre-tech boom San Francisco.
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Just Between Us: A Graphic Novel
by Adeline Kon
A figure skater grapples with the pressure to perform and her changing feelings when her competitor starts training at the same rink.
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Step Bi Step: The Ultimate Guide for Bisexual, Pansexual and Queer Young People
by Laura Clarke
How do I survive and thrive as a bi+ young person? LGBTQIA+ sex educator Laura Clarke has the answers on everything from coming out, dating and sex to myths, misconceptions and biphobia. With advice from bi+ activists and influencers including Pearl Mackie, Megan Jayne Crabbe, and Sofie Hagen - and many more.
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