https://www.glbtrt.ala.org/overtherainbow/archives/827
The following titles were selected for the Over the Rainbow Book List final bibliography:
Fiction
- The Keeper of Lonely Spirits by E.M. Anderson. Mira, 2025.
Peter Shaugnessy is an immortal graveyard caretaker cursed to never return to his home of Ireland. He can also talk to plants and see ghosts, both of which come in handy as he dedicates himself to helping ghosts move on to the next life. When he moves to Harrington, he encounters a town full of vibrant characters. Peter’s character growth is the primary focus of the novel – he has lost his family and his husband to time, and he seeks to keep himself at arms length from developing any deeper feelings and relationships (platonic or romantic) to save himself from future pain. Harrington’s residents make that impossible, however. He grows close to Nevaeh, who runs the graveyard and has recently lost her father, David, a sweet, widowed museum caretaker, and Sayid and Samira, both spirited kids, and each of these relationships are built carefully and beautifully. This book is recommended for anyone interested in gentle, healing stories with light supernatural elements and happy endings. - Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil by V.E. Schwab. Tor, 2025.
This book follows the stories of three women, but also how in those stories they are more than three women. Maria, who becomes Sabine; Charlotte who becomes Lottie; Alice, who is drawn into the complex, morally gray world between them. Each of these women has a full, rich history, each are allowed to be vulnerable, powerful, manipulative, flawed, victorious — but in different ways that are true to their characters. Schwab’s writing shifts along with her characters, poetic and tender at times, cutting as steel and glass at others. - A Gentleman’s Gentleman by T.J. Alexander. Vintage Books / Penguin Random House, 2025.
In this classically-constructed, spicy romance novel, Christopher is a minor lord in England, and he must find a wife before his 26th birthday or risk losing his title, land, and money. But Christopher has a problem: he’s a gay trans man who has zero interest in having a wife or the life of the ton. As a part of this duty, he hires a valet, James, who helps Christopher enter polite London society. Fans of Downton Abbey and Bridgerton will like the queer take on this era.
Hungerstone by Kat Dunn. Zando, 2025.
“Wouldst thou like to live deliciously?” Hungerstone is a thrilling, gothic tale set against the backdrop of the Industrial Revolution about a woman taking control of her life and learning how to want. This is the story of Lenore – a woman married to a hungry steel magnate – and as the story unfolds, we learn why she obsesses over etiquette and being a proper wife. As we learn more about her past, how it plays into her present, and how Carmilla’s role here is a forced reckoning, Lenore is compelled to see the realities around her that are not polite or comforting. This Carmilla retelling is dark and dreamy, and will keep you on the edge of your seat from beginning to end. - Blood on Her Tongue by Joanna van Veen. Poisoned Pen Press / Sourcebooks, 2025.
Joanna van Veen delivers another gripping, Gothic tale, this time starring twin sisters in a tale that blends shades of Dracula, Victorian era natural sciences, and questioning of self. The book largely follows Lucy in a third person limited view, with occasional inclusions of journal entries and letters from her sister, Sarah. Lucy and Sarah are both great characters, fully fleshed out with strengths, weaknesses, and secrets. Sarah’s household – with all its interpersonal tensions – gives the book an interesting atmosphere. - Murder by Memory by Olivia Waite. Tor, 2025.
A short, cozy sci-fi mystery, this story follows Dorothy, a detective on a futuristic ship traveling through space. On the HMS Fairweather there is a library where the minds of everyone on board are stored, and once your body deteriorates, your mind is uploaded into a new body, essentially creating the potential for immortality. But when Dorothy discovers that bodies are being murdered and memories erased permanently she realizes something sinister is afoot. Cozy mystery and lesbian sci-fi fans will enjoy this read. - Harriet Tubman: Live in Concert by Bob the Drag Queen. Gallery Books, 2025.
This is book combines magical realism with historical figures, when Harriet Tubman reappears to give a concert about her life and that of four enslaved people she led to freedom following in the footsteps of Hamilton by Lin Manuel Miranda. She recruits Darnell Williams, a hip-hop musician who was outed as a gay man at an awards show, and this story also follows his personal struggle with his identity as a gay, Black musician in contemporary America. Together Harriet and Darnell attempt to write a Broadway caliber show while also confronting the challenges of both of their pasts. - Sister Snake: A Novel by Amanda Lee Koe. Ecco / Harper Collins, 2024.
Sister Snake is an interesting, modern take on the Legend of the White Snake that follows sisters Su and Emerald, exploring themes of passing, identity, and chosen family in a unique way. This story is beautifully told, but definitely dark at times. - Rough Pages by Lev AC Rosen. Tor Forge, 2024.
This is the third book in Rosen’s series of mysteries starring Detective Evander Mills, but it can be read as a standalone. This noir mystery follows Mills as he navigates the mystery of a murdered book seller, the fallout of being exposed as a gay man and being removed from the police force, and helping protect the formed family of the Lavender House, was all interesting. The focus on a time where queer literature was obscene material with a high risk of prosecution for sharing it (and worse for being queer) – mirroring, too painfully, many contemporary attacks on marginalized peoples and their literatures, including queer folks – makes this an even more engaging read. - Wild/Hurt: Poems by Meg Ford. Button Publishing, 2025.
This immersive, interactive poetry collection takes the reader on a journey through trauma and its many responses. Reading through this book can take many paths and forms, and the author includes common reading paths in the back of the book, allowing for comparison of one’s own journey through the poems to the more common paths. - Murder in the Dressing Room by Holly Stars. Berkley Prime Crime, 2025.
In this cozy mystery, the owner of a drag club is murdered in her own dressing room. Her protégé, Misty Devine (Joe by day), takes it upon herself to solve the mystery. It’s well-paced, and while some of the queens are a little one-dimensional, overall it’s an entertaining story.
Nonfiction
- Forest Euphoria by Patricia Ononiwu Kaishian. Spiegel & Grau, 2025.
Kaishian’s narrative is a wonderful look at the queerness inherent in nature while also being moving, personal, and reflective. There is wonderful information about fungi and slugs and snails, but that is not the primary focus of the book. Instead, these and other vignettes helped frame larger discussions: such as why certain fields, animals, and environments are not as studied, the continued struggle of underrepresented populations in science and other fields, and the importance of reconnecting and paying attention. - Black, Queer, and Untold: A New Archive of Designers, Artists, and Trailblazers by Jon Key. Levine Querido, 2025.
Jon Key was one of the few Black students in his graduating class at the Rhode Island School of Design, and his hunger to see himself reflected in his underrepresented fields led him to create this impressive feat of research that is also part memoir. Key’s work pays tribute to the incredible (and often forgotten) Black queer artists and designers who came before him, and chronicles a history of Black queer art from the 19th century to the present through personal narratives, archival documents, photos, and other documents. This book is beautifully designed and carefully considered, and Key relates so much important information without descending into textbook territory. - Marsha: The Joy and Defiance of Marsha P. Johnson by Tourmaline. Tiny Reparations Books / Penguin Random House, 2025.
Tourmaline’s biography of Marsha P. Johnson is excellently researched and clearly a labor of love. The book can be read either chronologically or through Marsha’s different lenses, whether as a care giver, an activist, an artist, and so forth. Tourmaline’s writing overall breathes life into Marsha; it is at times personal and at times analytical, but always honest and endearing, and most importantly, it is informative. The depiction of trans-exclusionist views and how they affected the queer community then (as, unfortunately, now) and the joy to be found in bars and with drag groups in which Marsha performed, were both equally well-rendered, which is no small feat.
So Many Stars: An Oral History of Trans, Nonbinary, Genderqueer, and Two-Spirit People of Color by Caro de Roberts. Algonquin Books / Little, Brown, 2025.
At a time where, globally and more overtly than ever in the United States, conservative groups are vilifying, policing, and denying the existence of trans and gender diverse people, this book offers a much needed light in the darkness. The book is the result of hours of interviews from 20 individuals. These narratives share valuable lived experiences, made all the more valuable in bringing people of color to the forefront. The book can be read chronologically or thematically, and either would produce a satisfying experience. While some sections are darker than others, throughout the work inspires hope, camaraderie, and love. - It Rhymes with Takei by George Takei. IDW Publishing | Top Shelf Productions, 2025.
This graphic memoir reveals Geoge Takei’s most personal story of all: his journey of coming out as a gay man at the age of 68. With beautiful illustrations by Harmony Becker, Takei explores – in his engaging sense of humor – his experiences with Japanese American internment, illustrious acting career as Hikaru Sulu on StarTrek, outspoken activism, and what it was like to live in the closet for most of his life. Takei’s passion for improving the world for others really shines through in this work.
The Intermediaries: A Weimar Story by Brandy Schillace. W. W. Norton & Company, 2025.
Schillace’s work offers both in depth research and a humanizing story as she describes Dr. Magnus Hirshfeld’s work at the Institute for Sexual Science (Institut für Sexualwissenschaft) and, specifically, one of its patients – a transwoman named Dora Richter. Schillace’s tying of historical events to the current environment, particularly in the United States, is achingly appropriate. Books like hers that record the historical reality of queer individuals to paper – to preserve and to spread it – are only more important in such times. This book is highly recommended this book for anyone interested in LGBTQ+ history, and especially for those interested in trans and non-binary history, as well as the history of fascism and totalitarianism and how such governments use attacks on “undesirables” to advance their agenda. - Beyond Bananas and Condoms: The LGBTQIA+ Inclusive Sex Education You Never Got at School by Dee Whitnell. Jessica Kingsley Publishers, 2025.
Whitnell provides an excellent and inclusive sexual education primer in Beyond Bananas and Condoms. While informational and instructive, it also makes good use of humor and addresses that any type of sex ed can be awkward. This is recommended for both teenagers and young adults, as well as someone entering a new gender or sexual identity at any age. - Cleavage: Men, Women, and the Space Between Us by Jennifer Finney Boylan. Celadon Books, 2025.
Boylan allows readers into both her experiences long before transition and those long after, showing folks what it’s like to be one person who has been perceived in many different ways throughout her life. Her humor throughout the book keeps the tone lighthearted, even through some tough discussion topics, like motherhood in transition, changing friendships, and discrimination. She uses her experiences and relationships to highlight that love can remain through transition, through loss, and through whatever major changes life brings our way. - Shame-Sex Attraction: Survivors’ Stories of Conversion Therapy by Lucas Wilson. Jessican Kingsley Publishers, 2025.
This powerful edited collection brings together the voices and experiences of those who have been subjected to queer conversion therapy. Wilson’s book is a heart-wrenching read. Each section has a different contributor, each of whom has gone through some form of conversion therapy. Some reads are harder than others, but all of the stories are, in their own way, painful. A must needed book to ensure that these stories are told and that these experiences will not happen to future generations. - Boy from the Valleys: My Unexpected Journey by Luke Evans. Ebury Spotlight 2024.
Boy From the Valleys is a sincere and sweet memoir that traces Luke Evans’s journey from a small Welsh town to international stardom. What stands out most is the humility that runs through the entire narrative – Evans never loses sight of where he came from, and his reflections on fame, identity, and staying true to himself feel honest and unfiltered. The early chapters about growing up in a strict Jehovah’s Witness household are particularly powerful, and his path through hardship to self-acceptance is both moving and inspiring. It’s a story of grit, perseverance, and grace, reminding readers that even under the Hollywood spotlight, humanity can shine through. - Fluid: A Guide for People with Flexible Sexuality by Mark Cusak. Jessica Kingsley Publishers, 2025.
Cusack’s work is an excellent primer for both those who may be fluid as well as those who wish to learn in more scholarly pursuits. The combination of interviews from individuals with their various, fluid identities, and the well-cited resources allow for both personal learning and following the citations.