How do you decide on a list of 20 lesbian fiction books? [ 20 that you’d like to see in public libraries]
This list is not a definitive guide to lesbian fiction, it has been put together to highlight the diverse collection of lesbian fiction that is available today, and as an aid to stock selection panels.
Firstly, getting the list of titles down to 20 is hard, deciding on a list that takes in all genres of lesbian writing, is hard. I am one librarian, one lesbian; my selection won’t suit all literary tastes or persuasions. I’m looking on bookcases, under tables, in the dusty recesses of my mind to remember all of the authors I have either read or have listed to read.
There are the classics, the books that will be gathering a thin layer of dust on any self-respecting lesbian’s bookcase. Alongside these will probably be the set of contemporary fiction must haves, and finally, the popular lesbian titles, the ones I often refer to as the chick lit* shelf fillers.
* Not intended to offend any author. The majority of these titles are constantly on bestseller lists.
In no particular order -
The 20:
Dykes To Watch Out For by Alison Bechdel
Fall On Your Knees by Ann-Marie MacDonald
Curious Wine by Katherine V. Forrester
Landing by Emma Donoghue
Mind Games by Nancy M Griffis
Talon by J P Mercer
The Devil Inside by Ali Vali
The Color Purple by Alice Walker
The Night Watch by Sarah Waters
Lonely Hearts Club by Radclyffe
Tristian Book 1 –The Clinic by Cate Culpepper
Hunters Way by Gerri Hill
Stir Fry – Emma Donoghue
Patience & Sarah by Isabel Miller
The Price of Salt by Patricia Highsmith
Fried Green Tomatoes At The Whistle Stop Café by Fannie Flagg
Essential Dykes to Watch Out For by Alison Bechdel
If you have a favourite lesbian novel that’s not mentioned then add a comment.
LIBRARIANS - take the challenge: how many of these are available in your area?
Next Blog Post- LGBT 3 - junior/teen/ya fiction -
Four of those available in our school library, but there are others on that list that we should have too. Will have to shop! Thanks, looking forward to the YA list!
ReplyDeleteWow. Thank you. A lot I haven't read. Will be checking on local public library stock and pointing them this way.
ReplyDeleteJust a tiny questiong - do you mean to have DTWOF and Essential DTWOF on there separately?
This has now become a list of books to read! Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteHi Katie,
ReplyDeleteYes, I did mean to put both books on the list - I tried where I could to put the first book in a series (if it were a series)but I couldn't see past adding the Essential DTWOF. I'm looking at adding more blog posts in the coming weeks on LGBT publishers, non-fiction titles, online resources, fan fiction and linking to the good work that other librarians/researchers are currently doing in the area of LGBT provision.
Reckless Librarian , great news that you have some of the titles on the shelf. Would you be willing to share the 4 titles you had in the library?
ReplyDeleteKristi, if you need any other titles or authors let me know and I'll send you a longer list. Thanks for replying.
ReplyDeleteBrilliant list! I haven't read most of them so I'll have to get myself down to the library.
ReplyDeleteI think you missed off my favourite, though, which is Fingersmith by Sarah Waters. Loved it. Read it straight after reading Collins' The Woman In White, though, which may have had something to do with it... :)
Great list! Just an addendum that Patricia Highsmith's Price of Salt was also published (in the UK?) under the title Carol.
ReplyDeleteThanks Sam - I understand now. :)
ReplyDeleteI thought I'd check the stock availability of the 20 books in the libraries of the local authority where I live, they have 7 of the books. This is a respectable number for any authority, however the majority of these books would fall under the old 'classics' or 'popular TV dramatization' category. I'll discuss why local authority libraries may not be supplying LGBT fiction in another post, coming soon.
ReplyDeleteAlison, sorry. You are right, I should have listed the book as 'Carol'...my mistake. Thanks for the comment.
ReplyDelete