Midsumma Festival

Midsumma Festival is a celebration of LGBTQIA+ arts and cultures held annually for 22 days over January and February in Melbourne, bringing together a diverse mix of LGBTQIA+ artists, performers, communities and audiences.

Discover some LGBTQIA+ reading recommendations below.

Updated January 4, 2026
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The DC book of pride : a celebration of DC's LGBTQIA+ characters
Axelrod, Jadzia
Paper Book
Discover the rich history of DC's LGBTQIA+ Superheroes in this inspiring gift-title featuring detailed character profiles and comic book artwork Celebrate Pride with DC's LGBTQIA+ Superheroes. Written and curated by DC expert Jadzia Axelrod, The DC Book of...
DC pride : love and justice
Ayala, Vita
Paper Book
DC celebrates Pride with this incredible collection starring fan-favorite LGBTQIA+ characters Harley Quinn, Poison Ivy, Midnighter, Extrano, Batwoman, Aqualad, Alan Scott, Obsidian, Future State Flash, Renee Montoya, Pied Piper, and many more! DC Pride- Love and Justice collects...
Queer : a graphic history
Barker, Meg-John
Paper Book
'Queer: A Graphic History Could Totally Change the Way You Think About Sex and Gender' Vice Activist-academic Meg-John Barker and cartoonist Jules Scheele illuminate the histories of queer thought and LGBTQ+ action in this groundbreaking non-fiction graphic novel. ...
Who's afraid of gender?
Butler, Judith
Paper Book
National Bestseller. Named a Best Book of 2024 by NPR, Harper''s Bazaar, W, and Esquire. "A profoundly urgent intervention." --Naomi Klein "A timely must-read for anyone actively invested in reimagining collective futurity." -...
Cecilia
Chang, K-Ming
Paper Book
An erotic, surreal novella from the author of Organ Meats and Bestiary. Seven, who works as a cleaner at a chiropractor's office, reencounters Cecilia, a woman who has obsessed her since their school days. As the two of them board the same bus--each dubiously...
Queer as folklore : the hidden queer history of myths and monsters
Coward, Sacha
Paper Book
THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER Queer as Folklore takes readers across centuries and continents to reveal the unsung heroes and villains of storytelling, magic and fantasy. Featuring images from archives, galleries and museums around the world, each chapter...
El libro de la historia LGBTQ+
Bronski, Michael
Paper Book
Descubra la rica y compleja historia del colectivo LGBTQ+ en todo el mundo: sus luchas, triunfos y contribuciones culturales. Este libro explora y detalla las ideas y eventos más importantes de la historia y la cultura LGBTQ+ y nos muestra así toda la experiencia LGBTQ+. Se trata de un...
Perfume and Pain
Dorn, Anna.
Paper Book
"Perceptive and witty--like a Sally Rooney novel set in Southern California." --The Minnesota Star Tribune "It's this author's best work yet. A Sapphic roller-coaster ride." --Kirkus Reviews (starred review) A controversial Los Angeles-based author attempts to...
Queer villains of myth and legend : a revelry of queer rogues and outlaws through the ages
Jones, Dan
Paper Book
The wicked companion book to Queer Heroes of Myth and Legend. Featuring 50 profiles and select B&W illustrated portraits, Queer Villains of Myth & Legend is a celebration of those delightfully villainous queer mystical beings. Every good...
365 gays of the year (plus 1 for a leap year) : discover LGBTQ+ history one day at a time
Laney, Lewis
Paper Book
A fun and fascinating compendium of LGBTQ+ icons, one for every day of the year, and a celebration of queer history - or as RuPaul would say; Herstory!  Discover your queer hero and learn something new every day with 365 Gays of the Year, an...
Arthur and Teddy are coming out
Love, Ryan, (Journalist)
Paper Book
The feel-good read of 2024. Perfect for fans of Mike Gayle, Beth O'Leary and Alice Oseman's Heartstopper. Selected as one of the Independent's 19 debut authors set to make their mark in 2023 'Gentle, honest and beautifully authentic' Julietta...
It gets better . . . except when it gets worse
Maines, Nicole
Paper Book
NATIONAL BESTSELLER . The irreverent and candid coming-of-age memoir of Nicole Maines, trailblazing trans actress, activist-and sometimes someone who's just existing, which is actually pretty hard! Nicole Maines knows a little something about "happily ever after"-not just because...
Atmosphere : a love story
Reid, Taylor Jenkins
Paper Book
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * GOOD MORNING AMERICA BOOK CLUB PICK * From the author of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo and Daisy Jones & The Six comes an epic new novel set against the backdrop of the 1980s space shuttle program about the extraordinary lengths we go...
Ordinary love : a novel
Rutkoski, Marie
Paper Book
A page-turning, irresistible novel of class, ambition, and love, this is the breathtaking story of a woman risking everything for a second chance at the one who got away * "A brilliant examination of queerness, friendship, motherhood, longing and ambition. It's funny and moving and sexy. Above...
The secret public : how music moved queer culture from the margins to the mainstream
Savage, Jon
Paper Book
Jon Savage, the author of the canonical England's Dreaming, explodes new ground in this electrifying history of pop music from 1955 through 1979. In demonstrating that gay and lesbian artists were responsible for many of the greatest cultural breakthroughs in the last half of the twentieth...
Live, Laugh, Lesbian : Navigating Life as a Lesbian in the 21st Century
Scott, Helen.
Paper Book
"Sometimes, it's easy to feel like the only lesbian in the world - let alone in the village. But wherever you are with your sexuality, you've just picked up a book with the word 'lesbian' in the title and I know baby you would be so proud." From strap-ons and Lesbian Bed Death to...
At her service
Spalding, Amy
Paper Book
Fans of Casey McQuiston, Alexis Hall, and Meryl Wilsner will fall for this sweetly sexy, gloriously relatable sapphic rom-com about self-improvement, chasing your dreams, and writing your own Hollywood love story - from the acclaimed author of For Her Consideration. Max...
City of laughter : a novel
Fruchter, Temim.
Paper Book
A rich and riveting debut spanning four generations of Eastern European Jewish women bound by blood, half-hidden secrets, and the fantastical visitation of a shapeshifting stranger over the course of 100 years An ambitious, delirious novel that tangles with queerness, spirituality,...

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