The best LGBTQIA+ books to read this History Month

Heartstopper has changed the face of YA fiction and we're here for it. If you're a fan of graphic novels, Heartstopper is just the sweetest. It tells the story of Charlie, a highly-strung, openly gay over-thinker, and Nick, a cheerful soft-hearted rugby player, who meet at a British all-boys grammar school. Friendship blooms quickly, but could there be something more...? Heartstopper is now a popular show on Netflix. It's so heartwarming and totally binge-worthy. Check it out. Currently, there are four volumes in this series.

Bernadine Evaristo's vibrant and poetic novel Girl, Woman, Other follows the lives and struggles of twelve different characters. Mostly women, black and British, they tell the stories of their families, friends and lovers, across the country and through the years. This book is everything.

Those of you familiar with Love, Simon may recognise this Young Adult fiction novel by Becky Albertalli. If you don't know about this book already, it follows a closeted gay teen, Simon. When a sensitive and private email falls into the wrong hands, his sexuality is at risk of getting out. Simon is being blackmailed by class clown Martin and at this rate, his sexual identity and secret pen-pal, Blue, will become everyone's business.

A favourite on TikTok, Adam Silvera's novel is a bestseller and there's a reason why, babes. On September 5th, a little after midnight, Death-Cast calls Mateo and Rufus to give them some bad news: they're going to die today. Mateo and Rufus are total strangers, but both looking to make a new friend on their End Day. There's an app for that and it's called the Last Friend, and through it, Rufus and Mateo are about to meet up for one last great adventure - to live a lifetime in a single day.

Looking for a little chaos? This debut from Torrey Peters was long-listed for the Women's Prize for Fiction and it could be the book for you. Protagonist Reese is a transgender woman living in New York and is surprised by the sudden reappearance of her de-transitioned ex, Ames, who has gotten his boss pregnant after an affair - we know, right? Could the three of them form an unconventional family – and raise this baby together?

If you're into modern classics, The Color Purple should be on your list. If you haven't read it already, you've missed out. Still, it's not too late to give it a try. Set in the deep American South, this very powerful novel follows the life of young Celie, a young Black girl born into poverty. After being married off to an abusive man, Celie meets a beautiful singer named Shug Avery, who is in charge of her own destiny – and they fall in love. With Shug and other strong women at her side, Celie takes back her life, her children and her destiny.

Maurice is a young man who grows up very privileged and has his life as an upper-class aristocrat already written out for him. However, Maurice is a gay man. If you're looking for a classic, coming-of-age story with gay romance to save for a rainy day, Maurice is a good place to start. E.M. Forster wrote the novel in 1914 but it wasn't until after his death, in 1970, that this book finally saw the light of the day.

McQuinston's One Last Stop is an LGBTQ+ rom-com about 23-year-old August who has just moved to New York City. August is convinced that the only way to get through life is to do it alone, despite what movies and books are telling her. But, then there's a girl on the train: Jane. Jane is different. She doesn't just look like an old school punk rocker because, in fact, she's been displaced in time from the 1970s. August does everything she can to save the girl lost in time. Who doesn't love a love story?

Dazzling as ever, Oscar Wilde's most popular work is a great piece of gothic literature. If you're a fan of all things mystery and like your book a little spooky, The Picture of Dorian Gray is for you. This novel is about the portrait of Dorian Gray by Basil Hallward; an artist obsessed with Dorian. Later, Dorian expresses wishes to sell his soul and the wish is granted. Whilst Dorian stays young, the portrait is burdened with all of his sins.

This bestseller chronicles angry teen Aristotle and know-it-all Dante who meet at the swimming pool but have nothing in common. As they begin to spend more time together, they develop a special friendship, an unbreakable bond. And it is through this friendship that Ari and Dante will learn the most important truths about the universe, themselves and the kind of people they want to be.Winner of the Stonewall Book Award in 2013, this novel is a favourite within the community.

Tales of the City is the first novel in the nine-novel series by Armistead Maupin. Set in 1970s San Francisco, it follows the residents of a small apartment complex at 28 Barbary Lane, including the eccentric landlady, Anna Madrigal, and has plenty of LGBTQIA+ characters to fall in love with. There's even a limited series adaptation on Netflix. starring Laura Linney.

Fun Home: A Family Home Tragicomic is a coming-of-age memoir by illustrator Alison Bechdel. This special memoir addresses themes of sexuality, gender roles, dysfunctional family life and mental health. It even inspired the hit-musical Fun Home and we're obsessed. Bechdel spent seven years on it and it shows.

Written with such wit and warmth, All My Mother's Lovers is a unique story about grief, family and sexuality. Maggie's mother, who never fully accepted her, has died in a car crash. Now back at home, Maggie discovers five sealed envelopes, each addressed to a mysterious man she's never heard of. So, Maggie is determined to hand-deliver the letters and find out what these men meant to her mother, which destroys everything she thought she knew about her parents' marriage.

If you're a fan of Grecian fantasy and adventure epics, Madeline Miller's The Song of Achilles may be for you. Achilles, the son of the cruel sea goddess Thetis and legendary king Peleus, and young prince Patroclus are brought together by chance they form an inseparable bond. Trained by the in war and medicine, the young men join the cause to save Helen of Sparta – will this test their fate?

Shon Faye's bestseller, The Transgender Issue, was published last year. Faye looks at what it means to be transgender in the UK right now and calls for action, as well as harmony between marginalised people so radical change can be ensured. This is a landmark work that offers a healthier conversation about British trans life. Step up, if you think you could tackle this.

Banana Yoshimoto's Kitchen was an instant hit in Japan when it was released in 1987. A bestseller for a number of years, it won two of Japan's most prestigious literary prizes. Kitchen tells two short stories about mothers, transsexuality, bereavement, kitchens, love and tragedy in contemporary Japan. A fan of Japanese culture? Check out this epic bestseller by Banana Yoshimoto.

Call Me By Your Name has been made a popular film, starring Armie Hammer and Timothée Chalamet. It's the mid-1980s on the Italian Riviera where Elio, 17, falls for the older Oliver, a postdoctoral scholar completing a manuscript at their family home. Under the heat of the Italian sun, they embark on a journey of self-discovery and romance.

Travis Alabanza is one of Britains finest queer writers, stunning audiences with Edinburgh Fringe fave Burgerz and most recently Overflow at the Bush Theatre. Travis has recently revealed that their book, None of the Above, is due to be released this year. Through seven sentences addressed to them, Alabanza enters upon a thought-provoking discussion of non-binary identity and the impact of society's attitudes on their existence. So, get your pre-orders in.

Fan of something a bit dark and supernatural? Alison Rumfitt's debut is astounding and so punk. The book is about Alice, a transgender woman, who spent one night in an abandoned house with her friends Ila and Hannah. Since then, things have not been going well. Alice is living a haunted existence. Alice and Ila, estranged, reunite at the house to rescue Hannah – but the house has other plans for them. This is dark, political and gritty.Editor's favourite.

Looking for something a bit different? Giovanni's Room is a 1956 novel by legendary writer James Baldwin. Baldwin's novel focuses on the events in the life of an American man living in Paris and his feelings and frustrations with his relationships with other men in his life, particularly an Italian bartender named Giovanni whom he meets at a Parisian gay bar.

Alongside his other titles such as The Swimming Pool Library, Hollinghurst has cemented himself as a great writer of gay fiction. Man Booker Prize-winning novel The Line of Beauty is a gay modern classic, as far as we're concerned. The story surrounds the young gay protagonist, Nick Guest, during the 1980s. The book explores the realities of his sexuality and gay life with the AIDS crisis forming a backdrop to the book's conclusion.

Middlesex is a bestseller, and its characters and events are loosely based on aspects of Eugenides' life and observations of his Greek heritage. A coming-of-age story, the 21st-century novel chronicles narrator and protagonist Cal – who is an intersex man of Greek descent. Why not give it a go?