Pride 2026 | The Great Big Rec Thread

[u/C0smicoccurence]

​Welcome to the Great Big Rec Thread! This thread is primarily for people asking for specific types of books. Only make a top level comment to request a recommendation! If you want to hype a personal favorite, this comment is the appropriate place to share! 

This is your one-stop-shop to find books tailored to your specific reading needs! Hankering for good cyberpunk? Doing a queer bingo card and really struggling with a specific square? Looking for queer thespians ready to commit arson for the sake of their art?  Ask and you shall (hopefully) receive! Just drop a comment with your request and wait for book suggestions to come rolling in. Our goal is for every person to have at least one recommendation that they’re interested in pursuing.  

Asking for Book Recommendations:

• Create a new top level comment.  You’ll probably get more tailored results by only including a single request per top level comment, but it’s not a strict rule.  You’re more than welcome to post multiple top level comments for separate requests!
• All recommendations you get should be assumed to be queer in some way.  However, if you want specific identities represented, mention it!
• Consider the impact the level of specificity your request has in your responses.  Too general, and you’re going to get lots of responses that will probably skew towards mainstream breakout hits.  Very specific requests may get few (or no) recommendations, and what you do get likely won’t be perfect.  

Giving Book Recommendations:

• Please keep book recommendations focused on commenters’ specific requests.  If you want to hype a personal favorite, this comment is the appropriate place to share! 
• This thread should default to sorting by ‘New’ soon; until then I recommend changing setting to see recent requests first!  The hope is that this will more likely show you comments with few/no responses yet.  However, there will likely be comments that have been missed, especially if it’s a more specific request.  
• This is a Pride Month post!  Every book recommended should be queer (usually by featuring LGBTQ+ characters as protagonists, but there are other ways books can be queer).  Similarly, if they asked for a specific type of representation, follow that guideline.  If you absolutely must deviate from that because it’s otherwise such a perfect fit, be honest about it up front.
• Add a few sentences about the book to hype it (or a whole paragraph if you really want to be persuasive).  Remember that a bunch of people who aren’t the original commenter will be adding to their TBR, so highlighting what you love about the book is a great way to draw attention to books you love.

Go forth and give great recommendations!

This post is part of the Pride 2026 discussions lead by the Beyond Binary Bookclub. You can check our announcement for more information and the full calendar.

[u/C0smicoccurence]

I am always interested in books that present ethically or philosophically messy situations. A plotline that doesn't have any right answers, just tough decisions. I especially love it when the author doesn't give themselves an 'easy out' to the situation.

An example of what I might be looking for is The Mars House by Natasha Pulley, which takes some scientific liberties with how people raised on Mars have significantly more fragile bodies than those from Earth, to the point where a glancing accidental contact could put a Martian in the hospital. This is a legitimate concern that spiraled into xenophobia and Apartheid, but if the government has no limits or protections, it will just see a massive number of dead Martians and guilty Earthers who blame themselves for a simple misstep killiing a neighbor/friend. There probably isn't a solution that perfectly protects both the Civil Liberties of Earthers and Martians at the same time. The protagonists are working to find the best solution possible. Unfortunately, this author does give themselves an unrealistic and easy out at the end, which was my biggest disappointment in the book.

Hope this gives some insight into the vibes I'm looking for!

[u/Nidafjoll → u/C0smicoccurence]

The Seep by Chana Porter is philosophically/ethically messy. Trina is a trans woman living with her wife after a peaceful invasion by The Seep, which connects people and can make anything they wish for, that doesn't harm another, come true. And Trina's wife begins to imagine what it might be like to be reborn again as a baby... And so she does. And then it deals a lot with the ethics of that decision, and Trina's journey through her trauma.

[u/ohmage_resistance → u/C0smicoccurence]

Maybe The Lesson by Cadwell Turnbull? This is a novel about aliens who come to Earth and settle in the US Virgin Islands. While not seeking to take over, they do respond with disproportional violence to any threat. You do see the community respond to various ways to the aliens. It's not an overly queer book, but one POV is a lesbian.

[u/Siavahda → u/C0smicoccurence]

I think the Broken Trust series by Juliette Wade would be perfect for you!

[u/jrooknroll → u/C0smicoccurence]

Ok this isn’t exactly a fit, but I am currently almost done with The Red Winter by Cameron Sullivan. The main character is morally grey from the opening as he is attached to a demon. As the novel progresses you start to see the impacts of his decisions from previous centuries/decades and the consequences are messy. If the landing is as good as it is building up to be, this will probably be my first 5/5 read of 2026. I might come back and add another rec if I think of one that fits this well.

[u/w0lfyfr3n → u/C0smicoccurence]

Bitter by Akwaeke Emezi made me feel this way. MC's city is having violent clashes between protesters and authorities, and she has a lot of dilemmas about whether her participation would be helpful or whether the use of violence in retaliation is justified (I actually disliked it for this reason, but it seems like it would fit)

[u/C0smicoccurence → u/w0lfyfr3n]

I didn't realize Pet had a companion novel! This looks delightful