As the nights are getting longer and chillier, the wintry fantasy of getting cosy under a blanket with a book in hand is looking all the more appealing. Our list highlights recently released LGBTQ+ books that should help make this fantasy a reality, while completing your 2026 reading goal!
Hard Count
Lucas Malone
Hard Count is a gay football story operating in a new genre Lucas Malone is coining ‘the sex opera’. Characterised as maximalist erotic fiction, the sex opera is a big, melodramatic novel where sex is not just a necessary story beat but drives the plot. It’s exuberant, glamorous and perfect for a reader looking to indulge in a heightened, heated romp of a book which centres gay male characters. Pick up a physical copy to relish the cover design by Erin Craig, who has previously designed for Robin Carr’s Virgin River and Rachel Reid’s Heated Rivalry.
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The Wild Heart
David Menon
Author David Menon is behind a different type of gay love story. The Wild Heart is a crime thriller set against the backdrop of the Troubles in Northern Ireland; Mark and Ian are the central couple, but when Ian tries to adopt a new identity, his past as a member of a loyalist paramilitary gang in Belfast catches up with him. Get wrapped up in the poignant romance which runs parallel alongside a politically charged plot wherein unionist politicians are working to destroy the Good Friday Agreement. Menon has been writing LGBTQ+ books in the contemporary romance genre for many years, and you can find his Silver Springs series here.
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Surviving Hagee
Nat Hagee
Nat Hagee is a trans non-binary writer whose book, Surviving Hagee, is a candid reflection on childhood abuse, family silence, and enduring trauma. The intentionally conversational tone allows the distressing subject matter to be punctuated by moments of dark humour and much-needed levity. Weaving together meditations on gender identity, growing up in a culture of normalised abuse, and how trauma manifests in our adult selves, Hagee breaks a compounded silence in the hopes of making other survivors feel less alone.
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The Book of G
Geoffrey Dicker
A memoir from independent creative Geoffrey Dicker, The Book of G traverses his artistic life through an array of celebrity anecdotes and personal childhood reflections in a welcome addition to the wide collection of autobiographical LGBTQ+ books worth reading. From dancing on stage with Grace Jones to posing with a sunglass-free Anna Wintour and an argument with Prince, the name-drops and stories (with photos to match) capture the breadth and spontaneity of an artist’s life.
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The Unfrozen Few
Randy Boyd
The Unfrozen Few follows eleven AIDS patients who were cryogenically frozen in the 1980s and wake up in present-day America. Operating within the mystery genre, Randy Boyd negotiates themes of time, memory, and the nuances between exploitation and salvation. Boyd is a Black gay novelist, five-time Lambda Literary Award finalist, and has lived with HIV since 1985. The Unfrozen Few was just named a finalist in the 2026 American Fiction Awards (LGBTQ+ Fiction category) and is the first instalment in a multi-book saga. Get reading, and this might be the start of your next series obsession.
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Strange is the Light
Sarah Maria Griffin
The latest fiction from Ireland’s own Sarah Maria Griffin is about a girl, her friends, their secrets and the games they play. From carefree children to fractured adults, Strange is the Light spans 30 years of summer friendship and the inevitable betrayals that come with long-lasting interpersonal dynamics. Set in Valentia, an island off the southwest coast of County Kerry, the book has warranted some Stranger Things comparisons with its blend of sci-fi, mystery and childhood companionship.
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The Unsolvable Case
Courtney Smyth
The Unsolvable Case is the fourth and final instalment in Courtney Smyth’s queer fantasy-mystery series, The Undetectables. This time it is three days before Samhain and the Undetectables are called up for one last case, but the stakes are higher than ever before.
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Almost Made This Place My Own
Eamon Carr
Eamon Carr has released a new limited-edition photography book as an accompaniment to his exhibition Visions of America 1978-79. Documenting his travels across the US in the late ‘70s while touring with Horslips, several photographs from Almost Made This Place My Own depict drag performer Lily White, notably when she and Carr attended the National Drag Club Awards together. White introduced Carr to the culture of American queer nightlife that was far from mainstream at the time. Having rediscovered these photographs and negatives decades after they had been taken, the book revisits the vibrant drag scene from a previous generation with a contemporary perspective that is both cinematic and intimate. While this one may not qualify for your reading goal, it’s one of those LGBTQ+ books you won’t regret picking up.
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UNSAFE: The Carceral Roots of the Anti-Trans Backlash
Sarah Lamble
An antidote to fear and hate which is dominating present-day politics, Sarah Lamble explores the dangerous rise in transphobia and locates the illogic of punishment and security which fuel anti-trans rhetoric. Lamble champions radical solidarity as a solution to arguments surrounding safety concerns that have been weaponised by essentialist feminism. This book will be a generative read for anyone seeking a deep exploration of the so-called ‘gender wars’ in Britain.
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Black and Irish: Awesome Icons
Leon Diop
Pick up a copy of the latest project from Leon Diop (founder of Black and Irish) to discover the stories behind 10 inspirational Black Irish icons: from record-breaking sprinter Rhasidat Adeleke to NASA scientist Fig O’Reilly to world-champion Irish dancer Elliot Kwelele. Black and Irish: Awesome Icons also highlights LGBTQ+ activist Beryl Ohas, who wrote Confessions of a Lazy Lesbian and was the recipient of The GALAS Person of the Year award in 2023. The book is illustrated and suitable for younger readers keen to learn about these trailblazers.
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Girl Crush Prayers
Leigh Douglas
Irish comedian Leigh Douglas is making books novel again. Girl Crush Prayers is a coming-of-age story for gay girls which oscillates between the early 2000s and 2019 and is being released as a podcast serialisation. The first three chapters will launch November 10, and the subsequent chapter episodes will be released weekly until February 2027. For the audiobook lovers who want to hear the personality of characters come to life, Douglas approaches queerness with a touching sense of humour and captures the Y2K era in which our protagonist comes of age.
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For more recommendations of LGBTQ+ books to add to your reading list, look here!
© 2026 GCN (Gay Community News). All rights reserved.
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