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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DC pride 2021
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 2021 collects DC Pride<...
The secret lives of country gentlemen
Charles, KJ
Paper Book
Abandoned by his father, Gareth Inglis grew up lonely, prickly, and well-used to disappointment. Still, he longs for a connection. When he meets a charming stranger, he falls head over heels-until everything goes wrong and he's left alone again. Then Gareth's father dies, turning the shabby London...
Rainbow rainbow : stories
Conklin, Lydia
Paper Book
Longlisted for The Story Prize & the PEN/Robert W. Bingham Prize for Debut Short Story Collection A fearless collection of stories that celebrate the humor, darkness, and depth of emotion of the queer and trans experience that's not typically represented: liminal or uncertain...
Skin And Its Girl
Cypher, Sarah.
Paper Book
A young, queer Palestinian American woman pieces together her great-aunt's secrets in this "enchanting, memorable" (Bustle) debut, confronting questions of sexual identity, exile, and lineage.   "As beautifully detailed as a piece of Palestinian embroidery, this...
The Lgbtq+ History Book: Big Ideas Simply Explained
Dorling Kindersley Ltd.
Paper Book
Discover the rich and complex history of LGBTQ+ people around the world - their struggles, triumphs, and cultural contributions. Exploring and explaining the most important ideas and events in LGBTQ+ history and culture, this book showcases the breadth of the LGBTQ+ experience....
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...
Queerly beloved : a novel
Dumond, Susie
Paper Book
A people-pleasing baker tries to find her place as a bridesmaid-for-hire. Will she finally find her happily ever after-and her own voice? "A delightful debut, perfect for any person who's ever created their own place to belong."-Casey McQuiston, bestselling author of Red,...
Hijab Butch Blues: A Memoir
H., Lamya.
Paper Book
A queer hijabi Muslim immigrant survives her coming-of-age by drawing strength and hope from stories in the Quran in this "raw and relatable memoir that challenges societal norms and expectations" (Linah Mohammad, NPR). "A masterful, must-read contribution to conversations on...
Heretic : a memoir
Kadlec, Jeanna
Ebook
A memoir of leaving the evangelical church and the search for radical new ways to build community.  Jeanna Kadlec knew what it meant to be faithful--in her marriage to a pastor's son, in the comfortable life ahead of her, in her God--but there was no denying the truth that...
Bad gays : a homosexual history
Lemmey, Huw
Audiobook
We all remember Oscar Wilde, but who speaks for Bosie? What about those 'bad gays' whose un-exemplary lives reveal more than we might expect? Too many popular histories seek to establish heroes, pioneers and martyrs but, as Huw Lemmey and Ben Miller argue, the past is filled with queer people whose...
A short history of queer women
Loehr, Kirsty
Ebook
All this could be different
Mathews, Sarah Thankam
Paper Book
2022 NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FINALIST ONE OF THE LOS ANGELES TIMES' TOP 5 FICTION BOOKS OF THE YEAR ONE OF TIME AND SLATE'S TOP 10 BOOKS OF THE YEAR Named one of the BEST BOOKS OF 2022 by NPR, Vogue, Vulture,...
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
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 LGBTQ Performers Shaped Popular Culture (1955-1979)
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...
At Her Service
Spalding, Amy
Ebook
City of Laughter
Verbitsky, Misha
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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