Over the past year, I have committed to diversifying my reading beyond the best sellers, and to seek out more diverse authors and storylines. I am focusing on including more Authors of Color, more stories surrounding a variety of cultures and religions, even more LGBTQIA+ stories, and stories featuring characters with disabilities. Several times throughout each month, I’ll be featuring books or authors highlighting different experiences each time.

As June is Pride month, I am featuring mostly Pride themed content on the blog, so for this Diversity Spotlight, I wanted to feature a few LGBTQIA+ books that have had a major impact on my life personally.

All Through the Night by Suzanne Brockmann

This was the very first mainstream romance that I ever saw with gay leads. As part of a series, the relationship between Jules and Robin developed on page over several books in the series, but they were always the secondary couple, with the primary focus on the cis- couple. But finally with this book, Jules and Robin were the lead… and the story revolves around their wedding. This was in 2007, and long before I started questioning my identity.

Leah on the Offbeat by Becky Albertalli

Leah came into my life while I was in the middle of my questioning. While it would be 2 more years before I would officially start identifying as Bi, this book really helped to clarify a lot of my feelings. I was pretty sure about my identity by the time I was done with this book, I just needed more time to fully realize what it would mean for me.

Hairpin Curves by Elia Winters

My first F/F romance after acknowledging my identity. The thought of reading F/F romance used to make me really uncomfortable until I realized that it was because I was hiding from myself, not the topic itself. I have since read several romances with two female leads. On a side note, when you accept who you are, the world amazingly opens up for you.

Feel the Fire by Annabeth Albert

Being new to the LGBTQIA+ community as a member, and having grown up before anything other than LGBT identities were discussed, this book was really my first experience with anyone who identifies as demisexual. And, while I am not ready to claim this as my identity without exploring it further, I really connected with the way Tucker described his sexuality. People in my life have never understood when I tell them that I need to have a connection with someone before I’m able to be intimate with them, but this book, and Tucker’s character, made me feel seen.