Too Queer for the East. Too Muslim for the West.
A growing list of books by LGBTQ+ authors of Muslim backgrounds (or from the general SWANA region) and/or focusing on such experiences in the text.
Based on books I have read or keen to do so. Recommendations are welcome






Literary Lasagna - Give Them Time to Cook
These are books that don't rush to impress you. They simmer while the author adds in the layers. They may confuse you or bore you at first - but if you give them time to cook you'll end up with a delicious meal of a book!
Always taking recommendations! If you are recommending a series - the layers need to come together by the end of the first book (not half way through the series).






Barack Obama's favorite books
All of his picks since 2008, both summer reading lists and yearly round-ups.






books your pretentious friend has heard of






Lucy Dacus Recommendations 💛
Books recommended by musician Lucy Dacus, a solo artist and member of the band boygenius. Pulled from her goodreads list.






LGBTQIA+ literary fiction
The only queer & GNC lists/quests I’ve seen have been genre. I love them, but I wanted to also curate a list of literary fiction with LGBTQIA+ characters and themes!






High Femme Fiction
pink, sophisticated & sometimes fatale <3 (added some essential nonfic & poetry!)






She’s spiraling
Books where the protagonist loses their grip on reality, has strange, unsettling, and/or surreal experiences






Lestat at the Indie bookstore
All of the books seen on display in Episode 1 of The Vampire Lestat, "Detroit," during Lestat's trip to the independent bookstore in Montreal, encountering some snotty cashiers.






Asian Authors
An on-going attempt to track Asian authors in my Interested/TBR (and hopefully Finished) categories. Books are generally fiction/lit fic/fantasy with some memoirs. Authors span West to East Asia, the Asian diaspora, and mixed-race folx.






Mixed Perspectives Books
These books utilize first person, second person, and third person perspective- ideally all three but books with some combination of the three are also included.






Queer and trans intergenerational connections
Fiction and non-fiction with significant intergenerational exchange/learning/teaching/relationship between trans and/or queer characters/people.
This list is in progress, please recommend in the comments! Especially interested in:






SWANA Authors
SWANA authors are authors from South West Asia and North Africa. They currently make up <1% of the trad publishing industry. This list is here to introduce you to their stories.
NOTE: if you find an author who doesn’t belong on this list, please comment & I will remove the book(s) ASAP.
As always, lists are forever evolving🥰






Queer Literary Fiction
Focused on stories with beautiful prose, depth, and explore the intricate realities of the LGBTQ+ experience. Sub-genres could range from historical, contemporary, science fiction, magical realism, and classics (even romance!).
I will continue to update this, so comment if you have more!






prose by poets
don’t you love it when poets write novels, nonfiction, memoir! the language they bring!!






your favourite artist’s fakest artist
works that look at the life and legacy of ‘great’ fictional artists. recommendations welcome!






queer books by non-white authors
a lot of what i read is what i see talked about, books at the top of search results, books face out at bookshops, etc. i never really stopped to consider how many of those books were written by white authors, so i have set a task to be more conscious of the cultural and ethnic diversity in my reading and thought to make a list to keep track of what i’ve read and what i want to read.
please feel free to comment any recommendations!






lgbtqia+ book recs
reading diversely is not a trend. it’s the bare minimum. and if your shelves don’t reflect that, you’re missing out.






alphabet soup group
Books on my TBR with LGBTQIA+ characters or themes.






Not gay as in happy, but queer as in f*ck you
Unapologetically queer and complicated, running from romance to the dark side of queer experiences





