Bookworm Cottage Style

This year we are diversifying our bookshelves — reading more stories that highlight a multitude of lived experiences. June is Pride Month, so this roundup is focused on LGBTQ+ stories. There are SO many incredible books that it was hard to narrow down a list for this post, but these are some of my absolute favorites. All are fiction except for Untamed, which is nonfiction.

The Heart’s Invisible Furies by John Boyne (217; 582 pages) // This is hands-down one of my all-time favorite books. The story follows Irishman Cyril Avery over the span of 70-some-odd years as he navigates life as a gay man in a Catholic country. Cyril is adopted, and although the reader knows the identity of Cyril’s birth mother from the very first pages, there is so much anticipation built as the reader wonders if their paths will cross and if/when Cyril and his mother will realize the root of their connection. Although the book navigates several instances of violence, sexual assault, prejudice, and loss, the scenes are brief and the overall tone is unfailingly optimistic. Cyril has a witty, dry sense of humor and I found a wide grin breaking out across my face numerous times. If you like sweeping family dramas or books that trace a character’s life across several decades, do not pass this one up!

In Memoriam by Alice Winn (2023; 382 pages) // This is such an incredible book about two young men during WWI who are best friends and secretly in love with each other, not realizing the feeling is mutual. There are lots of gruesome scenes, especially on the battlefield, but ultimately this is a hopeful love story filled with drama and suspense. 

Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid (2025; 337 pages) // Joan is an astronomer who is training to become one of the first female astronauts at NASA in the 1980s. The book opens with Joan working at mission control in Houston, and we quickly learn that the mission has gone terribly wrong, with many astronauts’ lives on the line. We then hop back in time over the past couple of years as we learn about each of the astronauts involved, as well as Joan’s forbidden workplace romance and her complicated family life. I love space thrillers (The Martian and Project Hail Mary are some of my favorite books) and I love TJR’s love stories, so this book knocked it out of the park for me. I also really enjoyed reading about Joan’s role as a loving, positive mentor for her young niece. 

Less by Andrew Sean Greer (2017; 272 pages) // This Pulitzer Prize winning book is about a middle-aged novelist who goes on an around-the-world adventure to help mend a broken heart. Although the book is short (roughly 250 pages) it is packed with mishaps, heart, and humor. Just delightful!

Less is Lost by Andrew Sean Greer (2023; 272 pages) // What a treat to get to spend more time with some of my favorite characters! Despite going into Less is Lost with very high hopes and expectations, I loved this book just as much as its predecessor. In this book, our protagonists’s relationship is flailing and his finances are dire, prompting Less to embark on cross country road trip of speaking engagements to earn a little extra cash, and perhaps do some soul-searching in the process. The result is a fun, hopeful adventure with a tug-at-your-heartstrings ending.(If you haven’t read Less, described above, definitely pick that up first.)

Red, White & Royal Blue, by Casey McQuiston (2019, 448 pages) // This is a fantastic, steamy LGBTQ romance about the son of the President of the United States who falls for the Prince of Wales. Not wanting to draw attention to their relationship and not wanting to hurt his mother’s presidential re-election campaign, the two embark on a clandestine, cross-continental relationship. In the acknowledgements, McQuiston writes that she had a slightly different book in mind in early 2016, but after the 2016 election she realized that the book “needed to be escapist, trauma-soothing, alternate-but-realistic reality” and a “spark of joy and hope.” Given the state of the world right now, this recipe still works.

One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston (2021; 418 pages) // I really enjoyed Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston, but I liked One Last Stop even better! The plot is a mix between a time travel mystery and an LGBTQ romance. The characters and friendships are fantastic!

The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune (2020; 400 pages) // ​​I became completely endeared to the quirky characters in this cozy, magical feel-good book. As protagonist Linus learns to challenge his first impressions of magical orphan children with strange, sometimes dangerous abilities, readers are invited to challenge their own prejudices as well, to treat others with compassion, and to recognize that our flaws alone don’t define our character.

Untamed, by Glennon Doyle (2020; 352 pages) // Even if Glennon Doyle’s journey and struggles look far different than your own, there is a little something for everyone in these inspiring, powerful essays. I found myself highlighting so many words of wisdom throughout the book that I want to remember and carry forward.