7 of the Most Exciting New Queer Books Out This Week

This literary fiction title follows gay men and the women they marry from 1980s China to 2020s Chinatown in New York City. Bao Mei used to sell tickets to closeted gay men like Old Second at the Workers’ Cinema, where the men met up in secret. She was having her own affair at the cinema with the projectionist. When the safety of the theater collapses, though, Old Second and Bao Mei agree to get married and immigrate to the U.S. together.

This is one of the most-anticipated queer releases of May. Mark is a reporter in the 1960s who’s stuck interviewing the obnoxious New York shortstop for his whole first season. Eddie is having a tough enough time on the team, so he’s also reluctant, but neither of them is exactly given a choice. Mark is still mourning the death of his partner, the one no one knew about. He’s vowed never to have a secret relationship again — but now Mark and Eddie are falling for each other…

Ellie is attending PakCon, a food packaging conference, on behalf of her parents’ business — and for the chance to land them a Superbowl ad spot. There, she meets Vanya, and they immediately hit it off. They have so much in common, including both being Armenian and living in the Bay area. But then they discover another connection they share: their parents, with their competing businesses, are sworn enemies.

This sapphic fantasy was originally self-published, and now it’s being republished by Tor (specifically, Bramble, the romance imprint of Tor). This new edition has sprayed edges, if that tempts you! It’s about Reyna and Kianthe, who just want to run a tea shop together. But Kianthe is a powerful mage, and Reyna is one of the Queen’s guards, so they’re reluctantly pulled into adventures. Opinions differ on whether this counts as cozy fantasy since there’s a lot of action and adventure, but either way, there are plenty of cozy moments between the dragon fights!

This is the newest in the Singing Hills Cycle, which follows a nonbinary scribe as they record stories from across this fantasy world. The Brides of High Hill is a gothic mystery, where Cleric Chih and a bride-to-be explore the mystery of Lord Guo’s previous wives and search the halls of this possibly haunted estate.

Here’s another book I named as one of the biggest new LGBTQ titles of the month! I’ll just quote myself: “There are a ton of great queer books coming out in May, but this is the biggest and most-anticipated new release. For the first time, WNBA champion and two-time Olympic gold medalist Griner opens up about her time in a Russian penal colony and how she finally came home. She also discusses how her wife, friends, and family kept her hopeful during a terrifying time.”

Odette’s life is going pretty well: they enjoy their job at the bookstore — including getting a crush on a customer — and they even have an adorable pet rabbit. There’s just one problem: there’s a jellyfish in front of one of their eyes that no one else can see. Then, the jellyfish starts multiplying. Reviews say this graphic novel effectively portrays the experience of losing your sight.