I embarked on my most ambitious reading journey ever this year. I made a goal to finish 70 books by the end of the year. To be honest, I thought it would be nearly impossible for me. However, after I got started, I just couldn’t stop reading! I had to share my top LGBTQ Literary Fiction books of 2025, again, this is so far
I wanted to focus on books that are similar to one I would like to write. I found so many good ones that this list was hard to narrow down, but I think I got it! I’ll definitely do another one at the end of the year to solidify my 2025 choices.
The genres I have been reading have mostly been literary fiction, with a focus on LGBTQ+ books. I have read a few romances and others as well, but my plan is to write literary fiction, so I wanted to hone in on those. Let me tell you, there are some amazing authors out there!
Without further ado, let me get to my top 3, in no particular order!
By: Ruth Coker Burks
This book ripped my heart out and made me feel everything. Yes, that’s a good thing. I love a book that takes me on an emotional journey. I was young when the AIDS epidemic started, and I grew up with it. I remember the fear that gripped people. Even after we knew how it was spread, people still acted in ignorance.
As a young gay boy/man I was terrified to come out. Not to mention, I was also a part of the church at that time, so being gay was in no way shape or form a choice for me. That is how I was able to connect so well to this book. The young men that Ruth was caring for reminded me so much of myself. I could have been one of them. Many of them were disowned by bigoted parents because of religious reasons, while many others were disowned out of bigotry not wrapped in Christianity.
This story takes you on an emotional journey as Ruth fights to get these young men everything they deserve to live. You won’t be able to put it down. It will have turning pages until dawn. This is one example of stories I’d like to share.
By: John Boyne
This book is a masterful example of literary fiction! This is my chosen genre to write in, and this book also happens to be the type of fiction I would like to write, within that genre.
This book took me on a journey. It’s rare to find a book that feels so intimate and so close, but this book had me in a chokehold. The writing is beyond beautiful. The story is fantastic and covers decades of one man’s life. It ripped my heart out, filled it with love, made me feel seen in a way.
As a gay man who became a teenager in the late 80s, it brought back so many memories for me. Things I had not thought about in ages. I had a lot of things working against me coming out back then, religious pressure, AIDS, and the way we were treated back during that time. When everyone blamed the gays for AIDS, you made sure to hide the fact you were one of them. But, this story goes well beyond that. This is the entire snapshot of a man’s life that gives you just a small peek at what life is like for us.
By: Ocean Vuong
Here is another fantastic example of literary fiction. Vuong has a tone and style that I hope to live up to one day. This book was like watching a soul be ripped from a person. It was extremely beautiful and full of heart. It put such a sense of unexplainable longing inside of me. I don’t even know what the longing is for but that’s the best way for me to describe it. I will be going back to this book again and again.
I hesitate to talk much about it because I don’t feel I can even do it the justice it deserves. The words are pure art. You can tell that Vuong bled onto the page. You can almost see the blood stains. That’s how powerful it is. It was a life changing book for me. It helped me to pin down the style of writing I want to have. It helped me to learn more about how literary fiction works. How your characters are front and center and their actions speak everything.
There you have it! Those are my top three books of 2025, so far. It was so hard to narrow down my list. At the end of the year I will bring you a list of my top five.
I hope that you will take a minute and read these three, especially if you are a part of the LGBTQIA+ community. These three books are snapshots into different eras. They are beyond beautiful in their own ways and at times devastating, but isn’t that life? Life is beautiful, messy, ugly, soul shattering, full of light, and graceful all in one span of time.
These books will also give you a look at what you can expect from me as an author. Literary fiction has a powerful way of showing us life in all of its splendor. At the same time, genre fiction is beautiful in its own right, with its formulaic approach. Literary fiction focuses on the characters and should provide you with a story that moves you in ways that you never imagined. Let’s explore it all together!