idk if someone already did that but here are the books lady dakota mentioned: 1. "On earth we're briefly gorgeous" by Ocean Vuong + Vuong's other work 2. "Heartstopper" by Alice Oseman 3. "Carmilla" by Sheridan Le Fanu 4. "The song of Achilles" by Madeline Miller 5. "Call me by your name" by André Aciman 6. "Brokeback Mountain" by Annie Proulx 7. "The picture of Dorian Gray" by Oscar Wilde 8. "The perks of being a wallflower" by Stephen Chbosky 9. "Middlesex" by Jeffrey Eugenides 10. "Paul takes the form of a mortal girl" by Andrea Lawlor 11. "Giovanni's room" by James Baldwin 13. "Bad gays" by Huw Lemmey and Ben Miller 14. "The color purple" by Alice Walker 15. Sappho's poems 16. "C+nto & other poems" by Joelle Taylor 17. Allen Ginsberg's poems 18. "The secret history" by Donna Tartt 19. "Paradise Rot" by Jenny Hvai
Adding all of these to my tbr!! Here are some of my fav queer books: - To Be Devoured by Sara Tantlinger (horror, wlw) - Girl, Woman, Other by Bernardine Evaristo (wlw, nonbinary rep) - Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit by Jeanette Winterson (wlw) - Blue Is the Warmest Color by Jul Maroh (graphic novel, wlw) - Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz (mlm) - Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke by Eric LaRocca (horror, wlw) - She of the Mountains (novel); God Loves Hair (short stories); I'm Afraid of Men (memoir) by Vivek Shraya - Taproot by Keezy Young (graphic novel) - Wilder Girls by Rory Power (wlw)
I am just finishing up reading Gentleman Jack, the inspiration for the tv series. Anne Lister was a businesswoman, a regency landowner, a seducer of women, a cheater (much less cool than the other stuff, but true) and a forever learner. Her diaries written in secret code were almost destroyed upon being deciphered at the end of the 19th century, because of the "very unsavory" content. She had no shame in who she was. She made it seem like everyone was gay in her time. "The girls liked me & had always liked me. I had never been refused by anyone." Anne Lister, 13 November 1816
Definitely recommend My Policeman, told from the joint perspectives of a woman in 50s Brighton and her husband’s lover. Some scenes are so visually stunning, some are full of devastation and gaslighting and shame.
HIGHLY recommend The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo (Taylor Jenkins Reid) for the queer storyline... and slightly unrelated but The Chestnut Man (Søren Sveistrup) as another horror thriller given the theme of the channel heheh
all the books that Dakota has recommended + some queer Emily Dickinson poems . Wild nights - Wild nights! . we never know we go . love is done when love's begun . we cover thee, sweet face . going to her! . you love me, are you sure . i have never seen volcanos
A Starless Sea is a confusing mess of a novel about a library scattered across time, written gorgeously by Erin Morgenstern, which includes a gay love story between the main character and a man he meets along the surreal adventure he goes on. A rec for anyone looking for queer romance without the focus being solely on romance
I think it's the best book i've ever read. Everything is so good ! The references, the storyline, the way the story is told, the characters, the gayness, the emotions... Trully beautiful
One of my favourite books I've ever read: This Is How You Lose The Time War. It's a sci-fi enemies-to--lovers lesbian romance told primarily through teasing letters between the two characters of warring factions in the aforementioned Time War. Their passionate love for each other slowly simmers until it erupts explosively, destructively, and it damn near made me cry which is quite the accomplishment. It's a little slow to get into at first because of its surprising linguistic complexity, but I'm sure watchers of this channel will enjoy it. Some of the most gorgeous prose I have ever read.
I was debating DMing you on tiktok to ask for queer poetry recs like 2 days ago lmao. Also the way your lipstick and sweater match is so aesthetically pleasing
Happy Pride! A few of my recommendations and recent reads: How to Be Eaten by Maria Adelmann, Exodus 20:3 by Freydis Moon, Dead Collections by Isaac Fellman, Boy Parts by Eliza Clark, The World Cannot Give by Tara Isabella Burton, Pet by Akwaeke Emezi
Unfortunately, I haven't read much queer literature, but I do recommend "If We Were Villains". It is very similar to "The Secret History" and very gay lol. Happy pride month everyone! :)
If you liked those books you will probably like "these violent delights" by micah nemerever. it's dark academia and even gayer than if we were villains :p
I am currently reading "Confessions of the Fox" by Jordy Rosenberg and I highly recommend! It's a beautiful exploration of queer intimacy and trans identity :)
The Black Flamingo by Dean Atta is an excellent depiction of a young black boy going through his life, questioning his own identity & sexuality, finding the right group of people and what he truly wants to do in his life. What fascinated me the most about this is the writing style. Dean Atta magically tells the story through poems/a verse-like style. I couldn't recommend it enough.
Giovanni's room, song of achilleas and paradise rot are definitely some of my favourites Orlando by Woolf but I feel that probably work better in a feminist context than a queer one I'm currently reading Maurice by E.M Forster = gay school boys in in the early 1900s then I'm prbly moving on to Zami: a new spelling of my name June was made for queer reading
i just finished reading orlando, hahshsh. it does feel kinda queer to me, especially because in the book it is stated that orlando appreciated women's and men's love equally
I think The Fever King Duology by Victoria Lee would be a great book to add! Its very heavy in its TWs but it written very well if anyone wants gays, science-magic, classic literature references, and political drama. Also every character in the main cast is queer
Good video Dakota. :-) Some suggestions: Stephen Coote (Editor) - "The Penguin Book of Homosexual Verse" John Rechy - "City of Night" Radclyffe Hall - "The Well of Loneliness" William S. Burroughs - "Queer" Walter Baxter - "Look Down in Mercy" Alexander Trocchi - "Cain's Book" Jean Genet - "Our Lady of the Flowers" Philippe Besson - "Lie with Me" Catullus - "The Poems of Catullus" William Shakespeare - "The Sonnets" Djuna Barnes - "Nightwood" Giacomo Casanova - "The Story of My Life" Happy reading. :-)
When I was in secondary school I read a book called 'The Shell House', I don't remember much about it but it was definitely gay and I definitely enjoyed it. If I remember correctly, it was about a teenage boy who becomes obsessed with an old abandoned mansion, and learns about a soldier who lived there during the first world war, and their storylines mirror each other as they each struggle with their sexualities (but its been at least 4 years since I read it, so I might be misremembering it slightly haha - it was definitely good though!!). Thought I'd mention it since I've never seen or heard anyone else talk about it.
Ooh, and 'Lies We Tell Ourselves', that was the first sapphic book I ever read, again I read it in book club in secondary school when I was about 12 or 13. Its set in the US in 1950s, when a black girl goes to a previously all white school, and meets a white girl who is the daughter of a very vocal opponent of integration in schools.
read The Birth of Venus, it's tragic three-way love story about the wife of a famous renaissance artist who's husband is leading a secret gay life with her older brother, it will break your heart in a beautiful way I promise.
great video as always Lady Dakota, for anyone who wants some more queer stuff (especially the edgier stuff) my recommendations would be: The Rules of Attraction by Bret Easton Ellis, Frisk by Dennis Cooper (super fucked up book but worth a read) and really anything by Chuck Palahniuk. He's gay but not a lot of his stuff is outright queer, but Fight Club is super homoerotic and Invisible Monsters has a trans protagonist! Rules of Attraction is also connected to The Secret History, and Tartt and Ellis are good pals.
if you liked carmilla and other vampire stories, i think you’d also like a dowry of blood by s.t. gibson. its a novella about dracula’s brides and it’s also queer!!
Jean Genet - Our Lady of the Flowers ; thee most beautiful poetic lyrical writing, set in the queer Paris underworld, written from the perspective of a gay man in prison, painting a biographical portrait of the life of a drag queen named Divine. Jaw-dropping lines on every page, feverish and obsessive. xx
i recently finished lie with me by philippe besson and it is now my absolute favorite. very lyrical and heartbreaking. readers often compare it to cmbyn and swimming in the dark by jedrowski.
Automatically adding these to my tbr 💯 If I might add to the recos--hoping you'll check out This is How You Lose the Time War (novella) & Postcolonial Love Poem (poetry) 💖
IF WE WERE VILLAINS. not to hype this book up even more than it allready is but i often hear people say it reminded them of a secret history. Also dark academia, and we follow this group of 7 teens in teh past for half of the book, and the other half is one of those 7 teens being released from prison in the present but we don't know why, and so you read on to see what happens and why he ended up there, and just what teh hell happened really. I ADORED the characters. Each one is incredibly written and they all have their flaws but most importantly they just all come to life. I can picture them all perfectly andddd the main character is also very intrigued by one of his peers (same sex)... ANYWYAS I DIDNT DO THIS BOOK JUSTICE WITH THIS TINY COMMENT BUT ITS SO GOOD I SWEAR. also great book if ur looking to annotate a bit in my opinion.
this reminded me of when my friend was reading a book called "the history of homosexuality in argentina" at school and a teacher came and asked her what she was reading ☠️☠️
Thank you for so many recommendations! I loved Carmilla as well! A couple that I have read recently that I think you'd enjoy is Lie With Me by Philippe Besson and Our Wives Under the Sea by Julia Armfield
Lie With Me is a pretty short book and it is about an author who reflects on his whirlwind romance with another boy when he was a teen. It is reflective and sweet, but also has a lot of yearning and quiet devastation. Our Wives Under the Sea has a dual POV where we see one woman deal with her wife's return from her deep sea mission that goes wrong. Then her wife's POV with what happens in her mission plus the aftermath... the only word I can describe is claustrophobic, but it is so well written!
@@nataliabmachado i really liked this book called silhouette of a sparrow by Molly Beth Griffen! it’s a sapphic ya book set in the early 1900s, but it didn’t read like typical ya if you know what i mean. also top secret by elle kennedy and sarina bowen.
In Sally Rooney's newest novel one of the characters Felix is queer and is it just an excuse in this not very Ronney-friendly environment to advertise her? Perhaps. Okay, you got me it actually is. But I love Felix and believe that "Beautiful world, where are you" is said author's best novel so far so...do what you please but if I were you I would give it a try. To redeem myself should I say I adore Wilde and " The picture of DG" is my fav book? Anyways I already did it.
If you are interested in lesbian culture around stonewall era, you should read stone butch blues by Leslie Feinberg. It's heartbreaking, soft and very political.
my favorite novels with queer representation fall into a few categories lol for historical fiction, i’d definitely have to say the seven husbands of evelyn hugo, last night at the telegraph club, the song of achilles, and the mercies are a few of my favorites. malibu rising is also great, although it does not have a queer main character like the rest, just a side character. regardless, i still think it is an excellent novel! if you’re looking for a ya fantasy series with bi, gay, lesbian and poc representation, i’d have to recommend the carry on series by rainbow rowell. so far it has three parts: carry on, wayward son, and anyway the wind blows. they are youthful, fun, romantic and excellent escapism all around! if you’re on the hunt for a lighthearted and hilarious sapphic rom-com, delilah green doesn’t care (a sequel is being released this november, and the third installment in 2023!) and count your lucky stars (the third novel in a companion novel series) are the best recommendations i can give you! the smallest category i have contains an excellently dark, introspective and emotional sapphic thriller. the girls i’ve been tackles subjects of trauma, healing, romance and so much more in a suspenseful setting. that’s all i have for now! happy reading! p.s. PLEASE look up trigger warnings for all of these books before you read them :)
one of my favourite queer reads is the price of salt by patricia highsmith (written in 1953). it was often regarded as the first mainstream lesbian love story with a happy ending.
Happy pride month lady dakota! Im new here and I absolutely adore your intro! Cant wait to see your recommendations i have been looking for new books to add to my wishlist,,have lots of fun in Paris living the mysterious author dream ha
I recommend Swimming in the Dark by Tomasz Jedrowski. It has the same feel as Call Me by Your Name but without the obsessive+grooming bits(although people should check its trigger warnings too). It's realistic, mature and emotional gay historical fiction that needs more love 🌈
i always get sad during pride month for so many reasons, so any chance i can get to get lost into queer literature, i will gladly take. ty for all the recs!!
i'm reading loveless by alice oseman right now,, and as an aroace myself, i find it to be a very comforting read, like a big warm hug that i never knew i craved so badly
I love that the first recommendation was Vuong! I absolutely adore his ambitious style and structure-I really think he has quite a radical rethinking of what a novel (or poem for that matter) can be. I almost think it is a disservice to call ‘On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous’ a piece of queer literature because of its incredible range and depth. Such an amazing writer, he really deserves the first mention.
@@oopsgirl44 the film is so gorgeous, such a beautiful adaptation, it captured the emotions of the book so perfectly in my opinion. so happy that you enjoyed it, on my initial watch the feelings of the movie lingered with me for days and days
Cemetery boys, the seven husbands of Evelyn hugo, Aristotle and Dante discover the secrets to the universe, and autoboyography are my personal favorite lgbt books that aren’t mentioned here 🥰
Glad Ari & Dante isn’t mentioned since the second book is the most transphobic thing I’ve ever read, + all the biophobia through the whole series is freaking disgusting.
@@Isaacnoel54 yes I totally agree with the second book but I really like the first one. It’s my beautiful childhood ‘cause it’s easy to read if you’re practicing English as foreigners.
@@Isaacnoel54 Wait wow what in the second book is transphobic and what is biophobic about the whole series? Cause I don't remember reading any of that but idk maybe I read over it for some reason. Could you please tell me because I would really like to know
If you love manga or graphic novels, please read "I Think Our Son Is Gay" by Okura. It is a heartwarming slice-of-life ish manga told from the perspective of a mother who suspects that her son might be gay (as the title says). I've finished the second volume yesterday and got so mad my library doesn't have the rest of the series 😤 in the 2nd volume it addresses this kind of gross, ignorant comment like, "you're too pretty to be gay, what a waste" which I don't think is talked about enough. A waste according to whose standard? Heteronormative standard?
I'd recommend these violent delights by Micah Nemerever and The town of Babylon by Alejandro varela, both are rlly amazing imo and I truly enjoyed it, fav reads of 2022
I love the work of Audre Lorde. Her biomythography "Zami A New Spelling of my Name" is excellent, and Norton just put out an anthology of a number of her essays and poems, with an introduction by Roxanne Gay.
I’m reading “The Hearts invisible Furies” by John Boyne. It’s about a man growing up gay in Ireland during the 1960’s when the Catholic Church was still very influential and it was illegal to be gay. I’ve not finished it yet but it’s a gorgeous book that I’ve not seen mentioned in many places but is very good.
I would highly recommend "Separate rooms" by Pier Vittorio Tondelli, it's a book about love, passion, separation and loss. Pier Vittorio Tondelli is also one of the most important Italian writers of the second half of the XX century!
these violent delights by micah nemerever would be right up your alley. (im not the best at summaries so ill just copy down a part of the summary i found in the amazon product description lol) its a dark academia novel surrounding “two college students, each with his own troubled past, whose escalating obsession with one another leads to an act of unspeakable violence.” its absolutely captivating though make sure to check tws ofc
lie with me by Philippe Besson is really good and also very short. A man runs into the doppelganger of his first lover, and then reflects on his teenage years and his relationship with said boy
The Telegraph Club, One Last Stop, Who I Was With Her and, Red White and Royal Blue are a few great queer YA novels, the first detailing the asian-american, sapphic experience in the 50’s, the second a modern, moderately sci-fi story of two young women from different decades, the third one is sapphic and just kinda sad and the last is so well know i don’t even have to say anything
Red, White and Royal Blue and One Last Stop are not technically YA novels but if you're looking for a queer YA novel, Casey McQuiston (author of those two books) just wrote one called I Kissed Shara Wheeler. It was such a delight!! It just came out a month or so ago.
I've been almost exclusively reading queer books lately! Here are some faves: anything written by Carmen Maria Machado, the woman is a genius. Milkfed by Melissa Broder, Pizza Girl by Jean Kyoung Frazier, Sarahland by Sam Cohen, Oranges Are Not The Only Fruit by Jeanette Winterson xx
Just By Looking at Him by Ryan O'Connell is probably my favorite queer book I've read in this year (or maybe it's tied with Harrow the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir). It's funny, insightful, and beautifully candid, all about a disabled gay man living in LA and working in television. Much like the author, himself. This is the book I'm recommending to everyone right now.
For all the Brazilians in Dakota's comment section: Têm um livro muito bom que eu li que chama "Garota, Mulher Outras," escrito pela autora Bernardine Evaristo. Ele explora temas como identidade, raça, e sexualidade, contando várias histórias do ponto de vista de personagens diferentes. Eu recomendo muuuuuito pra quem quer um livro sáfico muito bem escrito.
Thanks so much for the recs! Here goes some of my faves:Memorial, Exciting Times, Everyone in this room will someday be dead, They never learn, she gets the girl, red white and royal blue, One last stop, i kissed shara wheeler, the seven husbands of Evelyn Hugo.
radio silence is a wonderful book full of queer exploration, i found it very relatable. it is a young adult book but it made me smile, also a very quick read
Please i urge you to read 'All Men Want to Know' by Nina Bouraoui, its a coming of age story about a queer woman who beautifully explores her childhood in Algeria and her teen years in paris, as her mother is french and her farther Algerian. It is one of the most beautiful books i have read and with one of the most magical opening sentences i have come across.
Head to squarespace.com/dakotawarren to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain using code DAKOTAWARREN
idk if someone already did that but here are the books lady dakota mentioned:
1. "On earth we're briefly gorgeous" by Ocean Vuong + Vuong's other work
2. "Heartstopper" by Alice Oseman
3. "Carmilla" by Sheridan Le Fanu
4. "The song of Achilles" by Madeline Miller
5. "Call me by your name" by André Aciman
6. "Brokeback Mountain" by Annie Proulx
7. "The picture of Dorian Gray" by Oscar Wilde
8. "The perks of being a wallflower" by Stephen Chbosky
9. "Middlesex" by Jeffrey Eugenides
10. "Paul takes the form of a mortal girl" by Andrea Lawlor
11. "Giovanni's room" by James Baldwin
13. "Bad gays" by Huw Lemmey and Ben Miller
14. "The color purple" by Alice Walker
15. Sappho's poems
16. "C+nto & other poems" by Joelle Taylor
17. Allen Ginsberg's poems
18. "The secret history" by Donna Tartt
19. "Paradise Rot" by Jenny Hvai
you are an angel thank you so much
@@lt28maja you're welcome
Hi I don’t know if this spelling was intentional but for #11 the book is called Giovanni’s Room :)
@@leemonade7211 thank you :))
🩷🩷🩷
Adding all of these to my tbr!! Here are some of my fav queer books:
- To Be Devoured by Sara Tantlinger (horror, wlw)
- Girl, Woman, Other by Bernardine Evaristo (wlw, nonbinary rep)
- Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit by Jeanette Winterson (wlw)
- Blue Is the Warmest Color by Jul Maroh (graphic novel, wlw)
- Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz (mlm)
- Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke by Eric LaRocca (horror, wlw)
- She of the Mountains (novel); God Loves Hair (short stories); I'm Afraid of Men (memoir) by Vivek Shraya
- Taproot by Keezy Young (graphic novel)
- Wilder Girls by Rory Power (wlw)
I am just finishing up reading Gentleman Jack, the inspiration for the tv series. Anne Lister was a businesswoman, a regency landowner, a seducer of women, a cheater (much less cool than the other stuff, but true) and a forever learner. Her diaries written in secret code were almost destroyed upon being deciphered at the end of the 19th century, because of the "very unsavory" content. She had no shame in who she was. She made it seem like everyone was gay in her time.
"The girls liked me
& had always liked me.
I had never been refused by anyone."
Anne Lister, 13 November 1816
Definitely recommend My Policeman, told from the joint perspectives of a woman in 50s Brighton and her husband’s lover. Some scenes are so visually stunning, some are full of devastation and gaslighting and shame.
"Aristotle and Dante discover the secrets of the universe" is another queer book that i adore!
SAY IT LOUDER FOR THE PEOPLE IN THE BACK!!! 10/10 will stick with me for the rest of my life !
Yes yes yes!! Read the 2nd book last month and loved it
HIGHLY recommend The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo (Taylor Jenkins Reid) for the queer storyline... and slightly unrelated but The Chestnut Man (Søren Sveistrup) as another horror thriller given the theme of the channel heheh
perks of being a wallflower is my favorite book and movie
Aristotle and Dante discover the secrets of the universe is one of my FAVORITE books and it’s one of the gayest things I’ve ever read!
all the books that Dakota has recommended
+ some queer Emily Dickinson poems
. Wild nights - Wild nights!
. we never know we go
. love is done when love's begun
. we cover thee, sweet face
. going to her!
. you love me, are you sure
. i have never seen volcanos
A Starless Sea is a confusing mess of a novel about a library scattered across time, written gorgeously by Erin Morgenstern, which includes a gay love story between the main character and a man he meets along the surreal adventure he goes on. A rec for anyone looking for queer romance without the focus being solely on romance
This is such a beautiful written book oh my god. Erin Morgenstern is amazing ❤
oh my god i absolutely loved this book
This book is so good. I read it online and just had to get a physical copy because the imagery and plot are woven together so elegantly
I think it's the best book i've ever read. Everything is so good ! The references, the storyline, the way the story is told, the characters, the gayness, the emotions... Trully beautiful
One of my favourite books I've ever read: This Is How You Lose The Time War. It's a sci-fi enemies-to--lovers lesbian romance told primarily through teasing letters between the two characters of warring factions in the aforementioned Time War. Their passionate love for each other slowly simmers until it erupts explosively, destructively, and it damn near made me cry which is quite the accomplishment. It's a little slow to get into at first because of its surprising linguistic complexity, but I'm sure watchers of this channel will enjoy it. Some of the most gorgeous prose I have ever read.
I was debating DMing you on tiktok to ask for queer poetry recs like 2 days ago lmao. Also the way your lipstick and sweater match is so aesthetically pleasing
The stars and the blackness between them. One of the most beautiful books I’ve ever read with poetry in between.
Hi Dakota! We've never met but I just wanted to thank you, so much for existing! I am immensely grateful for your content - I love you!
Happy Pride! A few of my recommendations and recent reads: How to Be Eaten by Maria Adelmann, Exodus 20:3 by Freydis Moon, Dead Collections by Isaac Fellman, Boy Parts by Eliza Clark, The World Cannot Give by Tara Isabella Burton, Pet by Akwaeke Emezi
Please read "Detransition, Baby" its sooooo good im obsessed
Unfortunately, I haven't read much queer literature, but I do recommend
"If We Were Villains". It is very similar to "The Secret History" and very gay lol. Happy pride month everyone! :)
If you liked those books you will probably like "these violent delights" by micah nemerever. it's dark academia and even gayer than if we were villains :p
stared at my book sobbing an hour straight after i finished it
yeees I second this, if we were villains is so great
i didn’t know that was gay omg i have it thank u
the way you described the song of achilles was just chef's kiss
I am currently reading "Confessions of the Fox" by Jordy Rosenberg and I highly recommend! It's a beautiful exploration of queer intimacy and trans identity :)
The Black Flamingo by Dean Atta is an excellent depiction of a young black boy going through his life, questioning his own identity & sexuality, finding the right group of people and what he truly wants to do in his life. What fascinated me the most about this is the writing style. Dean Atta magically tells the story through poems/a verse-like style. I couldn't recommend it enough.
this is my fav outfit of yours in a youtube video i think. god bless dakota warren's fashion tastes
Things a Bright Girl Can Do, 100%! Dakota, you really remind me of the character Sadie towards the start of that book.
Giovanni's room, song of achilleas and paradise rot are definitely some of my favourites
Orlando by Woolf but I feel that probably work better in a feminist context than a queer one
I'm currently reading Maurice by E.M Forster = gay school boys in in the early 1900s
then I'm prbly moving on to Zami: a new spelling of my name
June was made for queer reading
i just finished reading orlando, hahshsh. it does feel kinda queer to me, especially because in the book it is stated that orlando appreciated women's and men's love equally
I think The Fever King Duology by Victoria Lee would be a great book to add! Its very heavy in its TWs but it written very well if anyone wants gays, science-magic, classic literature references, and political drama. Also every character in the main cast is queer
Good video Dakota. :-)
Some suggestions:
Stephen Coote (Editor) - "The Penguin Book of Homosexual Verse"
John Rechy - "City of Night"
Radclyffe Hall - "The Well of Loneliness"
William S. Burroughs - "Queer"
Walter Baxter - "Look Down in Mercy"
Alexander Trocchi - "Cain's Book"
Jean Genet - "Our Lady of the Flowers"
Philippe Besson - "Lie with Me"
Catullus - "The Poems of Catullus"
William Shakespeare - "The Sonnets"
Djuna Barnes - "Nightwood"
Giacomo Casanova - "The Story of My Life"
Happy reading. :-)
my favourite queer book is mrs dalloway !
When I was in secondary school I read a book called 'The Shell House', I don't remember much about it but it was definitely gay and I definitely enjoyed it. If I remember correctly, it was about a teenage boy who becomes obsessed with an old abandoned mansion, and learns about a soldier who lived there during the first world war, and their storylines mirror each other as they each struggle with their sexualities (but its been at least 4 years since I read it, so I might be misremembering it slightly haha - it was definitely good though!!). Thought I'd mention it since I've never seen or heard anyone else talk about it.
Ooh, and 'Lies We Tell Ourselves', that was the first sapphic book I ever read, again I read it in book club in secondary school when I was about 12 or 13. Its set in the US in 1950s, when a black girl goes to a previously all white school, and meets a white girl who is the daughter of a very vocal opponent of integration in schools.
read The Birth of Venus, it's tragic three-way love story about the wife of a famous renaissance artist who's husband is leading a secret gay life with her older brother, it will break your heart in a beautiful way I promise.
the seven husbands of evelyn hugo by taylor jenkins reid was so amazing (and gay 😼)
I'd recommend The Charm Offensive, The Degenerates, She gets the Girl and The House in the Cerulean Sea ❤
I would add gore Vidal, the city and the pillar and Christopher Isherwood, a single man.
great video as always Lady Dakota, for anyone who wants some more queer stuff (especially the edgier stuff) my recommendations would be: The Rules of Attraction by Bret Easton Ellis, Frisk by Dennis Cooper (super fucked up book but worth a read) and really anything by Chuck Palahniuk. He's gay but not a lot of his stuff is outright queer, but Fight Club is super homoerotic and Invisible Monsters has a trans protagonist! Rules of Attraction is also connected to The Secret History, and Tartt and Ellis are good pals.
if you liked carmilla and other vampire stories, i think you’d also like a dowry of blood by s.t. gibson. its a novella about dracula’s brides and it’s also queer!!
zami by audre lorde and stone butch blues are some other books i’d recommend!
i would also reccomend "maurice" by E.M froster and it's amazing :)
Jean Genet - Our Lady of the Flowers ; thee most beautiful poetic lyrical writing, set in the queer Paris underworld, written from the perspective of a gay man in prison, painting a biographical portrait of the life of a drag queen named Divine. Jaw-dropping lines on every page, feverish and obsessive. xx
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo!! You need to read it
This is amazing coz im about to do a school project on queer literature, thank you so much, Lady Dakota
i recently finished lie with me by philippe besson and it is now my absolute favorite. very lyrical and heartbreaking. readers often compare it to cmbyn and swimming in the dark by jedrowski.
Automatically adding these to my tbr 💯
If I might add to the recos--hoping you'll check out This is How You Lose the Time War (novella) & Postcolonial Love Poem (poetry) 💖
IF WE WERE VILLAINS. not to hype this book up even more than it allready is but i often hear people say it reminded them of a secret history. Also dark academia, and we follow this group of 7 teens in teh past for half of the book, and the other half is one of those 7 teens being released from prison in the present but we don't know why, and so you read on to see what happens and why he ended up there, and just what teh hell happened really. I ADORED the characters. Each one is incredibly written and they all have their flaws but most importantly they just all come to life. I can picture them all perfectly andddd the main character is also very intrigued by one of his peers (same sex)... ANYWYAS I DIDNT DO THIS BOOK JUSTICE WITH THIS TINY COMMENT BUT ITS SO GOOD I SWEAR. also great book if ur looking to annotate a bit in my opinion.
i think you’d like the midnight lie by marie rutkowski and wilder girls by rory power! they’re both sapphic :)
this reminded me of when my friend was reading a book called "the history of homosexuality in argentina" at school and a teacher came and asked her what she was reading ☠️☠️
Thank you for so many recommendations! I loved Carmilla as well! A couple that I have read recently that I think you'd enjoy is Lie With Me by Philippe Besson and Our Wives Under the Sea by Julia Armfield
Lie With Me is a pretty short book and it is about an author who reflects on his whirlwind romance with another boy when he was a teen. It is reflective and sweet, but also has a lot of yearning and quiet devastation. Our Wives Under the Sea has a dual POV where we see one woman deal with her wife's return from her deep sea mission that goes wrong. Then her wife's POV with what happens in her mission plus the aftermath... the only word I can describe is claustrophobic, but it is so well written!
@@nataliabmachado i have never heard anybody else talk about lie with me but I adore it. it broke me, but it is truly one of my favorite books
@@maggiea5783 I haven’t heard many people talk about it either! What others have you liked?
@@nataliabmachado i really liked this book called silhouette of a sparrow by Molly Beth Griffen! it’s a sapphic ya book set in the early 1900s, but it didn’t read like typical ya if you know what i mean. also top secret by elle kennedy and sarina bowen.
@@maggiea5783 Thanks! I will look those up
happy pride month dakota!! i hope you enjoy paris
“Maurice” by E.M. Forster)
Dakota, have you watched Thelma ? paradise rot gave me thelma energy so im gonna read it asappppp
You should definitely read stone butch blues by leslie feinberg
Is it me or Dakota looked like Taylor Swift in the thumbnail.
I finished Giovanni’s Room yesterday and it ruined me 😗
Time Was (Ian mcdonald) was short but very good!
In Sally Rooney's newest novel one of the characters Felix is queer and is it just an excuse in this not very Ronney-friendly environment to advertise her? Perhaps. Okay, you got me it actually is. But I love Felix and believe that "Beautiful world, where are you" is said author's best novel so far so...do what you please but if I were you I would give it a try.
To redeem myself should I say I adore Wilde and " The picture of DG" is my fav book? Anyways I already did it.
If you are interested in lesbian culture around stonewall era, you should read stone butch blues by Leslie Feinberg. It's heartbreaking, soft and very political.
These violent delights by micah nemerever (jewish dark academia murder boyfriends)
If we were villains(theater kids and murder)
an iconic duo of books
Recommendation: If we were villains by M. L. Rio
my favorite novels with queer representation fall into a few categories lol
for historical fiction, i’d definitely have to say the seven husbands of evelyn hugo, last night at the telegraph club, the song of achilles, and the mercies are a few of my favorites. malibu rising is also great, although it does not have a queer main character like the rest, just a side character. regardless, i still think it is an excellent novel!
if you’re looking for a ya fantasy series with bi, gay, lesbian and poc representation, i’d have to recommend the carry on series by rainbow rowell. so far it has three parts: carry on, wayward son, and anyway the wind blows. they are youthful, fun, romantic and excellent escapism all around!
if you’re on the hunt for a lighthearted and hilarious sapphic rom-com, delilah green doesn’t care (a sequel is being released this november, and the third installment in 2023!) and count your lucky stars (the third novel in a companion novel series) are the best recommendations i can give you!
the smallest category i have contains an excellently dark, introspective and emotional sapphic thriller. the girls i’ve been tackles subjects of trauma, healing, romance and so much more in a suspenseful setting.
that’s all i have for now! happy reading!
p.s. PLEASE look up trigger warnings for all of these books before you read them :)
On Earth We Are Briefly Gorgeous ♥
has anyone read " the song of Achilles "?
so glad to see you dakota
not dakora but can we read it?
Orlando-Virginia Woolf
I love loveless by alice oseman
I can’t recommend Honeybee by Craig Silvey harder
Maurice by EM Forster
heaven or this by topaz winters, i urge you to read her work i have a feeling you'll like it
the danish girl: fiction based on the true story of one of the first trans women
Ily💕
Orlando by Virginia Woolf. :)
one of my favourite queer reads is the price of salt by patricia highsmith (written in 1953). it was often regarded as the first mainstream lesbian love story with a happy ending.
the happy ending part is such a spoiler, kills the tension at the end!! I was so on edge until the last page - fave wlw read!!
Happy pride month lady dakota! Im new here and I absolutely adore your intro! Cant wait to see your recommendations i have been looking for new books to add to my wishlist,,have lots of fun in Paris living the mysterious author dream ha
I recommend Swimming in the Dark by Tomasz Jedrowski. It has the same feel as Call Me by Your Name but without the obsessive+grooming bits(although people should check its trigger warnings too). It's realistic, mature and emotional gay historical fiction that needs more love 🌈
It's one of my favourite books ever!! It's so beautifully written too♡
yes it’s so good !
I love it too 😍 (also the cover is gorgeous)
Omg i love this book sm it’s so beautifully written, I never hear ppl talk about it enough!
i always get sad during pride month for so many reasons, so any chance i can get to get lost into queer literature, i will gladly take. ty for all the recs!!
i'm reading loveless by alice oseman right now,, and as an aroace myself, i find it to be a very comforting read, like a big warm hug that i never knew i craved so badly
i just finished reading it, it’s soooo good. i personally relate to pip the most:D
Yes same!! 💜💜💜
Fellow aroace here - thats such a good description of how Loveless feels!
I adore that book so so much! Im not aro ace but could relate to Georgia in many ways
I read it recently and honestly that is the best way to describe Alice Oseman as an author!
I love that the first recommendation was Vuong! I absolutely adore his ambitious style and structure-I really think he has quite a radical rethinking of what a novel (or poem for that matter) can be.
I almost think it is a disservice to call ‘On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous’ a piece of queer literature because of its incredible range and depth.
Such an amazing writer, he really deserves the first mention.
maurice by e.m forster is my absolute favourite book in the whole entire world, i couldn't recommend it enough
I watched the film again today and I'm still feeling it 😭😭❤️❤️ this comment made me very happy 🥺🌹
@@oopsgirl44 the film is so gorgeous, such a beautiful adaptation, it captured the emotions of the book so perfectly in my opinion. so happy that you enjoyed it, on my initial watch the feelings of the movie lingered with me for days and days
although it's a christmas story, I recommend "The Price of Salt" by Claire Morgan to anyone who is a fan of the movie "Carol" :)
isn't patricia highsmith the author of the price of salt?
@@sneshree i think she used claire morgan as a pseudonym for this book but it is indeed patricia highsmith !
i recommended the same book and just saw your comment :)
Cemetery boys, the seven husbands of Evelyn hugo, Aristotle and Dante discover the secrets to the universe, and autoboyography are my personal favorite lgbt books that aren’t mentioned here 🥰
Aristotle and Dante is SOOOo gooodddd I have to recommend too.
I just bought the sequel.☺️
Glad Ari & Dante isn’t mentioned since the second book is the most transphobic thing I’ve ever read, + all the biophobia through the whole series is freaking disgusting.
@@Isaacnoel54 yes I totally agree with the second book but I really like the first one. It’s my beautiful childhood ‘cause it’s easy to read if you’re practicing English as foreigners.
@@Isaacnoel54 Wait wow what in the second book is transphobic and what is biophobic about the whole series? Cause I don't remember reading any of that but idk maybe I read over it for some reason. Could you please tell me because I would really like to know
maurice by E.M. Forster
YES! dark academia gay classic
If you love manga or graphic novels, please read "I Think Our Son Is Gay" by Okura. It is a heartwarming slice-of-life ish manga told from the perspective of a mother who suspects that her son might be gay (as the title says). I've finished the second volume yesterday and got so mad my library doesn't have the rest of the series 😤 in the 2nd volume it addresses this kind of gross, ignorant comment like, "you're too pretty to be gay, what a waste" which I don't think is talked about enough. A waste according to whose standard? Heteronormative standard?
This is perfect timing, I'm currently drunk eating pizza! Thank you for providing me with quality content
I'd recommend these violent delights by Micah Nemerever and The town of Babylon by Alejandro varela, both are rlly amazing imo and I truly enjoyed it, fav reads of 2022
More people need to read these violent delights 🏃♀️🏃♀️🏃♀️🏃♀️
These violent delights is my favorite book!!
@@sofiamilla7809 yes, and Dakota would love it
LOVED these violent delights, i've been bullying everyone into reading it because it doesn't get enough love
@@angelacanedit as you should
I love the work of Audre Lorde. Her biomythography "Zami A New Spelling of my Name" is excellent, and Norton just put out an anthology of a number of her essays and poems, with an introduction by Roxanne Gay.
this channel brings me so much joy, thank you Dakota for curing my book burnout
Pride month just got so much better
I’m reading “The Hearts invisible Furies” by John Boyne. It’s about a man growing up gay in Ireland during the 1960’s when the Catholic Church was still very influential and it was illegal to be gay. I’ve not finished it yet but it’s a gorgeous book that I’ve not seen mentioned in many places but is very good.
I would highly recommend "Separate rooms" by Pier Vittorio Tondelli, it's a book about love, passion, separation and loss. Pier Vittorio Tondelli is also one of the most important Italian writers of the second half of the XX century!
In addition to Heartstopper I reccomend Radio Silence and Loveless by Alice Oseman 🖤💜
these violent delights by micah nemerever would be right up your alley. (im not the best at summaries so ill just copy down a part of the summary i found in the amazon product description lol) its a dark academia novel surrounding “two college students, each with his own troubled past, whose escalating obsession with one another leads to an act of unspeakable violence.”
its absolutely captivating though make sure to check tws ofc
lie with me by Philippe Besson is really good and also very short. A man runs into the doppelganger of his first lover, and then reflects on his teenage years and his relationship with said boy
The Telegraph Club, One Last Stop, Who I Was With Her and, Red White and Royal Blue are a few great queer YA novels, the first detailing the asian-american, sapphic experience in the 50’s, the second a modern, moderately sci-fi story of two young women from different decades, the third one is sapphic and just kinda sad and the last is so well know i don’t even have to say anything
Red, White and Royal Blue and One Last Stop are not technically YA novels but if you're looking for a queer YA novel, Casey McQuiston (author of those two books) just wrote one called I Kissed Shara Wheeler. It was such a delight!! It just came out a month or so ago.
I've been almost exclusively reading queer books lately! Here are some faves: anything written by Carmen Maria Machado, the woman is a genius. Milkfed by Melissa Broder, Pizza Girl by Jean Kyoung Frazier, Sarahland by Sam Cohen, Oranges Are Not The Only Fruit by Jeanette Winterson xx
Just By Looking at Him by Ryan O'Connell is probably my favorite queer book I've read in this year (or maybe it's tied with Harrow the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir). It's funny, insightful, and beautifully candid, all about a disabled gay man living in LA and working in television. Much like the author, himself. This is the book I'm recommending to everyone right now.
For all the Brazilians in Dakota's comment section: Têm um livro muito bom que eu li que chama "Garota, Mulher Outras," escrito pela autora Bernardine Evaristo. Ele explora temas como identidade, raça, e sexualidade, contando várias histórias do ponto de vista de personagens diferentes. Eu recomendo muuuuuito pra quem quer um livro sáfico muito bem escrito.
obrigada!:)
Vlw♡
Anotado!
Thanks so much for the recs! Here goes some of my faves:Memorial, Exciting Times, Everyone in this room will someday be dead, They never learn, she gets the girl, red white and royal blue, One last stop, i kissed shara wheeler, the seven husbands of Evelyn Hugo.
more dakota recs… happy pride month to me!!!!
radio silence is a wonderful book full of queer exploration, i found it very relatable. it is a young adult book but it made me smile, also a very quick read
It's my birthday and I get to watch the video early 🥰
happy birthday and happy pride month!!
I recommend “Camilla and Laura” by SD Simper. Its a rewritten work of sheridan le fanu’s Camilla, but updated for a modern queer audience.
Read these violent delights by micah nemerever for murderous gays!!!!!
Yes!!
these violent delights is dark academia excellence
Please i urge you to read 'All Men Want to Know' by Nina Bouraoui, its a coming of age story about a queer woman who beautifully explores her childhood in Algeria and her teen years in paris, as her mother is french and her farther Algerian. It is one of the most beautiful books i have read and with one of the most magical opening sentences i have come across.
ooo this sounds interesting- thanks for the rec!! **runs to libby**