Recs if you like John of John...

We should all be reading queer, all year, but this list is full of upcoming queer books of all makes and models coming out in 2026. If you have a rec to add, just please keep in mind we’re looking for 2026 releases!

We should all be reading queer, all year, but this list is full of upcoming queer books of all makes and models coming out in 2026. If you have a rec to add, just please keep in mind we’re looking for 2026 releases!

Every single Aardvark Book Club book pick since its inception. Updated monthly!

Hello! My name is John / Jon / Jonny / Jonathan! This list contains books that feature a main or semi-important character with a variant of the name John.

As always, open to suggestions!

ownvoices books across genres by queer men/masc authors that feature queer men as main characters

disclaimer: this is all just based on my own research and may not always be 100% accurate to the author’s identity - feel free to comment any edits or suggestions!

I'm a huge fan of Maisie's music and her newest album Florescence has been playing nonstop since it came out. She's a passionate reader, so over the years many books recommendations have accumulated and I thought it would be cute to make a list out of them. Info taken from her Goodreads and Instagram accounts, newsletter, podcast, and various interviews she did. I will update this list as new recs come up, but if I miss something feel free to suggest it in the comments.

Books on my TBR with LGBTQIA+ characters or themes.

a collection of books im interested in which are releasing this year (2026). no particular order

Ceud mìle fàilte! ☆ Castles, Moors, Sìth and lochs and trees for as far as the eye can see! From fantasy, sci fi, crime, lit fic, horror, to non fiction, the Scots can do it all 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

A small country with mighty good *authors and equally amazing books that deserve a spotlight!

*List mainly features authors who are Scottish but also some books by authors who may not be Scottish but their books are set in Scotland!

The longlist for the Booker Prize 2026

Literary fiction that explore crises of masculinity. Particularly concerned with outsiders, weirdos, and capitalist alienation in books where the self is in conflict with the masculine ideal, the masculine ideal itself is in flux, or the masculine ideal has been rendered obsolete. Authors of any gender; protagonists exclusively men.

Fiction set entirely or primarily on the islands of Scotland (Hebrides, Orkney, Shetland, and others)

Open to recs

All the 2026 Aardvark book club picks

under construction

Fiction & nonfiction books that explore the complexities and traumas of father-child relationships or in which such relationships play a central role. Not all books on this list include “daddy issues” — these books can be about the different perspectives and nuances of the father-child relationship, whether positive or negative. Some books center the child, some the father, some both.

Suggestions are welcome.

Stories by Scottish authors/about Scotland- complied for you by a central belt lassie

basically my favorite genre that encompasses a lot of other genres. all very different in tone! i have not yet read all of these.

Shamelessly yoinked from a certain other reading app that shall not be named... this is a list of recently published (2025-2026) LGBTQ+ fiction across a spectrum of genres and identities!

(Disclaimer: I haven't read most of these, but so many compelling covers made me want to save them all in a list to continue referencing into the future.)

weird gay shit, lots of genre and gender bending, probably no fantasy

The longlist for the 2026 Booker Prize