By Jay Flood
Pride month is less than two weeks away, which means it’s time to start thinking about what books we’re going to read to celebrate and show our allyship. With all of the anti-LGBTQ+ legislation that is being passed throughout the country, it’s imperative we are vocal about our support for the LGBTQ+ community. Reading books with queer characters is one way to show support. Intentionally reading diverse books exposes us to communities we may or may not be part of and allows us to expand our knowledge and understanding of their experiences and perspectives of the world. There are many identities and sexualities that make up the LGBTQ+ community, but for this Falcon Four, I recommend books that focus on each letter of the “LGBT” acronym.
Written in the Stars by Alexandria Bellefleur 
If you love a good “fake dating” trope, this new adult, lesbian romance is for you. Elle Jones is the epitome of sunshine and optimism whose dream is to find her true soulmate. Darcy Lowell, Elle’s exact opposite, is reserved, pessimistic, and avoids love at all costs. However, Darcy’s brother won’t let her give up on love. He sets Darcy and his new business partner on a blind date, which is a disaster. To avoid more setups, Darcy tells her brother that the date was a success. When Elle finds out Darcy lied, they agree to fake date. I am not usually a romance reader, but I enjoyed this book because of its dual POV. Experiencing both Elle and Darcy’s perspectives made their romance more exciting. This also allowed me to better understand each character’s intentions and inner thoughts.
The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller 
Told from the perspective of Patroclus, an exiled prince, The Song of Achilles tells the story of the Iliad in a beautiful, heartbreaking, and new way. While not completely accurate to the Iliad, this book is still a fun read, especially if you are into Greek mythology. We all know Achilles to be a powerful demigod who is consumed with rage. However, through Patroclus’s perspective, we get to see the flawed, mortal parts of him. Scholars and philosophers have analyzed Patroclus and Achilles’ relationship in the Iliad due to its complexity and nontraditional dynamic. The Song of Achilles’ modern twist and simple prose make it an easy, simple read. This book is medium-paced, as it retells the story of Patroclus and Achilles’ entire life, which includes a ten-year war that remained anti-climactic until after Achilles’ death. This book was a good story that left me feeling heartbroken and emotional.
One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston
Although this book is told from the perspective of a bisexual woman named August, there is so much more representation. August moves to New York City for school, gets a job at a 24-hour pancake diner, and moves into an apartment with three other queer characters. While taking the subway every day, she meets Jane, a lesbian from the 1970s who has been misplaced in time. As August and Jane try to solve the mystery, August develops a crush on Jane. This book is filled with funny pop culture and historical references. The development of found-family and character arcs make this book feel like the show “Friends,” with accurate and positive representation. If you read any book from this list, I highly suggest this book as it represents many identities and sexualities. It also depicts struggles of identity, belonging, and vulnerability which is something I think everyone can relate to.
Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas
A 16-year-old trans, gay, and Latinx boy performs a ritual that unlocks his powers as a brujo. In order to prove he is a real brujo, he decides to solve the mystery of his dead cousin whose spirit is nowhere to be found. However, when trying to summon his cousin’s spirit, he accidentally summons a “handsome, bad boy” whose death remains a mystery. They agree to help each other, but soon realize they don’t want to let each other go. This is the only book on my list that I have not read. However, many of my friends have recommended it, so I downloaded the audiobook and plan to read it for pride month.
There are so many LGBTQ+ books that exist now that didn’t when I was a kid. All of the books I read only had characters who were straight and cisgender. There was no representation for people like me and my friends. I don’t typically read romance books, but even in the genres I do read, there is no LGBTQ+ representation. Even now it’s difficult to find books where there are queer characters without that being the entire plot. My favorite books are books that have diverse characters and unrelated plots. This pride month, intentionally read books with queer characters and celebrate the expansion of diversity and representation in literature.