Top Ten Tuesday: LGBTQ: What I've Read and What I Want to Read

Of course I love diverse books, and books that cover difficult topics just as many readers do. Books that explore themes of gender and sexual identity have become more prevalent in the YA book world- which is a great thing. So today I've got five of my favorite LGBTQ books, and five that I really want to read. Leave me your recommendations down below!

Hosted by: The Broke and the Bookish 

Books I have loved:

 

1. Grasshopper Jungle by Andrew Smith
This book is so weird, so good, and not talked about enough! I love Smith's writing as it sounds so natural and real and I love how he tackles multiple important themes in each of his novels. This one tackles defining your sexuality and how humans record and think about history.

2. Boy Meets Boy by David Levithan
Levithan is the King of gay YA fiction! His books are so funny and his characters are so real. I love how many of his books are about gay kids who have already come out and are happy with themselves and their lives. Most of the time LGBTQ books have an sad element to them, but his books are about people who love themselves finding love, and it's so refreshing.

3. Simon vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becki Albertalli 
This is the most swoon-worthy book I have ever read! I had a huge goofy smile on my face the entire time I read this book. I loved the characters, I loved the romance, and I loved the humor.

 

4. I'll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson
This is still my favorite book I have read all year, and there is no way I will ever stop talking about it! Nelson's writing is beyond beautiful and the characters in this novel (Noah in particular) are just as beautiful and have found a permanent place in my heart.

5. Great by Sara Benincasa
The concept of this book is really cool. It's a YA retelling of The Great Gatsby, but where our Gatsby and Daisy characters are both girls. This one was a really fun read as I love Gatsby and the spin on this retelling.

Books I want to read (and then love): 

 

6. Ask the Passengers by A.S. King
I need to read more A.S. King, and I have had this one on my Nook forever! I trust King with the important topics, and I have heard this novel is really good.

7. Two Boys Kissing by David Levithan
I also have this one on my Nook and would love to get to it soon! As I said above, I love Levithan's novels. And I also love the fact that he was writing fiction with gay characters in a time where that was a rarity!

8. The Art of Being Normal by Lisa Williamson 
This is a 2015 release about being transgender, and it looks like it is well done! I really want to get my hands on this one!

 

9. Luna by Julie Anne Peters
This is somewhat of a YA classic, and one of the first popular YA books about being transgender. I would love to give this ground-breaking book a read.

10. Fans of the impossible Life by Kate Scelsa
This is also a 2015 release, that sounds like it will be both poignant and funny. It's about a girl who is in love with her gay best friend.