In honor of Pride Month, here is a list of my favorite recent-ish books featuring love stories written by queer authors. Only some of these are romance novels so if that’s not your jam, what in the world are you doing reading this newsletter there may be something here for you as well.
Red White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston - This rom-com is essentially high-quality fan-fic (I originally typed fan-dic by accident, which is hilariously apt) imagining that Prince Harry was queer and Meghan Markle was the Texas-born son of America’s first female President. It is funny, steamy and made me cry more than once. Uma Thurman will play the President in the film!
Cantoras by Carolina De Robertis - Set in Uraguay, this book spans several decades as it tells the story of how the love among a group of women and the care they have for their community is both personally and politically transformative. This story is as sad as it is beautiful and hopeful.
Here for It: Or, How to Save Your Soul in America by R. Eric Thomas - The essays in this memoir cover a range of topics, including sweet and charming stories of the author reconciling his queerness and his faith while meeting and falling for his pastor husband. The chapter that has stayed with me since reading the book, however, was the one about his friendship with a girl that he went to high school with that ended tragically. It may be one of the most moving descriptions of platonic love that I have ever read.
Take a Hint, Dani Brown by Talia Hibbert - I recommend all the books in the Brown Sisters trilogy, but this one is my favorite. The scene that did it for me was when the titular Dani realizes that her fake boyfriend has a firm (lol) understanding of her dissertation research topic. I can’t even tell you how deeply I swooned. This book might be the steamiest of the bunch.
You Should See Me in a Crown by Leah Johnson - A super-cute YA romance/coming-of-age situation about a small town Black queer girl who decides to run for prom queen to raise money for college and ends up falling for her manic-pixie-dream girl competition in the process. Try to guess why the state of Oklahoma tried to ban this book, among many others, for being “obscene.” SPOILER: it rhymes with flack clear swirls, whom they think they can legislate out of existence. Stick it to the man and get yourself a copy!
All the rest…
Speaking of rainbows, on a day when things were terrible I read this profile of Jacob Collier and his technicolor wardrobe brought me so much joy. It is not just his fearless mixing of wild prints that set him apart. Unlike most celebrities, he is committed to re-wearing his clothes. Which reminded me of my favorite non-repeater, Laura Lee, the bassist from Khruangbin. She never repeats a stage outfit but keeps it sustainable by working with a stylist to borrow all of her amazing looks, and somehow she never manages to look like anyone else. Celebrity styling logistics articles and my antidote to doom-scrolling.
There are plenty of explainers out there for those of you who are not familiar enough with Spike Lee’s oeuvre to know why his giant nameplate necklace says MARS. What I need is the explainer of why it looks so chintzy. Where is the bling? Why is the chain so thin? Why does his suit give me ‘second-grader hoping to catch the eye of his crush during First Communion service’ vibes?
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I wished I had scrolled past the news that Reality Bites is getting a reboot (I forgot to bookmark the link and tbh that’s for the best). If that doesn’t make you feel old, how about the fact that this piece from The Atlantic investigating how the characters have held up over time was written eight years ago?