The Queer Bookshelf:
A Reader’s Guide
Overview
We are in the middle of a vibrant renaissance of queer writing. But LGBTQ+ writers, characters and readers have been here since the beginning — quietly, defiantly and persistently telling their stories — if you know where to look.
The Queer Bookshelf is your guide to this essential queer history, and to its contemporary flourishing. Drawing on the author’s own journey as a queer reader and book club host, and packed with recommendations from authors, booksellers, and book lovers around the world, The Queer Bookshelf is a celebration of the books that have helped generations of LGBTQ+ people find themselves on the page.
From literary fiction to memoir, to crime, fantasy, and young adult, and even cowboy romance, The Queer Bookshelf is a warm, entertaining companion for anyone beginning or deepening their own queer reading adventure.
Details
- Format
- Size
- Extent
- ISBN
- RRP
- Pub date
- Rights held
- Other rights
- Hardback
- 216mm x 135mm
- 304 pages
- 9781917189071
- GBP£20.00
- 4 June 2026
- UK & Commonwealth (ex. Can) + Europe
- DHH Literary Agency
Categories
Praise
‘The Queer Bookshelf is a joyful compendium of our literary heritage, and I’m honoured my own books are featured. It’s a fun way to fill the holes in my intellectual armour about the many courageous writers who wrote about the love that dared not speak its name long before me. My one caveat: my reading list is now a doozy!’
‘If you’re looking for a friendly guide to welcoming you into the diverse world of queer literature, look no further than The Queer Bookshelf.’
About the Author
Layla McCay is a passionate reader, host of queer book clubs from the UK to the US and Japan, and acclaimed performance storyteller with The Moth. She can frequently be found on the BBC and features in The Mortified Guide Netflix miniseries about growing up gay. Layla has won numerous awards for her positive impact on LGBTQ+ culture and inclusion, from Attitude 101 to the Rainbow Honours and Outstanding Executive Role Models. Her book Breaking the Rainbow Ceiling: How LGBTQ+ People Can Thrive and Succeed at Work won an Axiom Gold Book Award. Layla lives with her wife in London.