December is historically a pretty quiet month in terms of book publishing in general. But this month is bringing some great LGBTQ+ books to our shelves, including a lot of history and nonfiction titles under the broad umbrella of queer studies. Our top six picks for the month represent a wide range: speculative stories and essays, YA romance, compelling literary fiction, a book on queer parenting, poetry, and dark academia horror. Revisit our lists from throughout the year to pick a queer book to gift to someone this holiday season, and stay tuned for our Best Queer Books of 2025 list, publishing soon.

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Autostraddle’s Top Most Anticipated LGBTQ Books for December 2025

We Will Rise Again: Speculative Stories and Essays on Protest, Resistance, and Hope, edited by Malka Older, Annalee Newitz and Karen Lord (December 2, Anthology)

Featuring fiction as well as creative nonfiction, this anthology looks at progressive social change through the lens of speculative storytelling and worldbuilding. It features the work of Charlie Jane Anders, NK Jemisin, adrienne maree brown, and more. The anthology imagines new worlds and possibilities for organizing, coalition building, and survival.

There’s Always Next Year, by Leah Johnson and George M. Johnson (December 2, YA)

Queer cousins Andy and Dominique each get their own queer romance plotlines in this LGBTQ+ Black YA novel from Autostraddle fav Leah Johnson and nonbinary co-author George M. Johnson. It’s a holiday rom-com, so it’d make a perfect holiday gift or just a cozy read during this time of year. Leah writes my favorite queer YA of recent years, and I can’t wait to get my hands on this one!

Casanova 20: Or, Hot World, by Davey Davis (December 2, Literary Fiction)

From the author of X comes this novel about desire, beauty, violence, and intimacy. It is a pandemic novel that grapples with the ways Covid impacted our relationships to loss, sex, and our ability to connect with others. It sounds complex and captivating, as much of Davis’s work is. I’ll be devouring this one in the coming weeks.

A Short History of Queer Parenting, by Kirsty Loehr (December 2, Nonfiction)

A funny and candid look at queer parenting through the ages, this book brings humor and heart to the subject. Rather than over-intellectualizing, this book is cheeky in its approach to chronicling and investigating queer parenting and the many forms it can take.

Southwest Reconstruction, by Raquel Gutiérrez (December 2, Poetry)

Divided into three sections, this debut poetry collection comes from the author of the brilliant Brown Neon and similarly looks at queer, brown, butch identity in its explorations. It was written over the course of a decade in Southern Arizona.

An Arcane Inheritance, by Kamilah Cole (December 30, Horror)

YA author Kamilah Cole makes her adult debut with a dark academia fantasy horror novel from the perspective of a first generation Jamaican American immigrant and featuring a queer cast against its college backdrop. It’s set at elite school Warren University, whose origins are rooted in the occult and secrecy.

And now enjoy the rest of our most anticipated LGBTQ books for December 2025!

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December 2

Sparks Fly by Zakiya N. Jamal (Romance)

Featuring two bisexual Black protagonists, this romance follows Stella Renee Johnson as she contends with her fledgling sex life and the fact that her job at a digital media company has been threatened by AI. It’s an enemies-to-lovers tale, so if that floats your boat, get on it.

The Curse of the Cole Women, by Marielle Thompson (Literary Fiction)

As the title suggests, this gothic novel features many generations of women —the titular Cole women —who are cursed. They birth a daughter, lose their love, and then take their own life by drowning at sea. The novel is told in three interwoven timelines in the late twentieth century and features queer romance throughout.

Galapagos: A Novel, by Fátima Vélez and translated by Hannah Kauders (Literary Fiction)

This novel follows a group of artists dying of AIDS as they sail from Colombia to Paris, from Paris to the French countryside, and embark on a final journey to the Galápagos Archipelago. It’s described as a contemporary plague novel, and it contends with illness, sex and sexuality, friendship, and art. Read more queer works in translation!

Queer Allusion: Poetic Connections from Wilde to Ginsberg, by Florian Gargaillo (Nonfiction)

Florian Gargaillo looks at how LGBTQ+ poets and writers have used allusion as a tool, lens, and mode of expression from Oscar Wilde in 1895 to the Stonewall Riots of 1969.

Queer Callings: Untimely Notes on Names and Desires, by Mark D. Jordan (Nonfiction)

If you’re looking for an expansive and incisive read on gender and sexuality studies, take a closer look at this new book, which attempts to understand the shifts in how we talk about sexual identity through analysis of a range of texts from the literary to political to religious to autobiographical.

Abolition and Queer Justice, edited by Allyn Walker and Aimee Wodda (Nonfiction)

Tis the season for queer nonfiction it seems! Here’s another release this month that goes deep on a serious subject with a queer lens. In this case, we’re tackling queer justice and the abolition of the prison industrial complex through personal narratives as well as historical, empirical, and pedagogical work.

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December 9

A Danger to the Minds of Young Girls: Margaret C. Anderson, Book Bans, and the Fight to Modernize Literature, by Adam Morgan (Nonfiction)

Yes yes yes, to understand the current affairs of book banning, censorship, and stifling of queer public life, we must go back and look at where we’ve been and where we come from!!! Margaret C. Anderson was at the forefront of the progressive publishing movement in the early 20th century, and the government in turn tried to paint her as a threat, particularly to young girls. This is a history book that’ll likely sound eerily relevant to today. Who wants to book club it with me?

Audrey Lane Stirs the Pot, by Alexis Hall (Romance)

There has seemingly been a spate of sapphic baking rom-coms in recent years, and here is another one! It’s about a protagonist who shrinks down her life, leaving a fancy journalism job and her high-powered ex-girlfriend behind. On a whim, she applies to be on Bake Expectations, where she meets a foul-mouthed, off-limits producer.

Reclamation, by Kristen Zimmer (Thriller)

The U.S. is long gone and has been replaced by the Unified American Territories, a nation divided by class and by a literal steel wall. Recent college grad joins a resistance group of young people and falls for another member of the group, Sparrow. Dystopia gays, this one is for you!

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Dec 16

The Great Popcorn Romance, by Georgia Beers (Romance)

We begin with teens Riley and Hannah who meet via their jobs at a gourmet popcorn shop. Later, Riley is a high-powered consultant and traveling businesswoman. When the popcorn shop is in trouble, Riley gets a call and has to return to her hometown and to her teenage feelings for Hannah.

Intersex: A Manifesto Against Medicalization, by Iain Morland (Nonfiction)

Intersex scholar and advocate Iain Morland complicates the area of intersex medicine, making a case against medicalization and invasive surgery and opening up new possibilities for intersex theory, identity, and life.

The Making of Americans, by Gertrude Stein (Literary Fiction)

Here we have a notable re-release, Stein’s novel back in print a century after it was initially published.

The Queen of Ieflaria (Tales of Inthya: Book One), by Effie Calvin (Romantasy)

Princess Esofi of Rhodia’s lifelong betrothal to the Crown Prince Albion of Ieflaria becomes complicated when Esofi arrives to Ieflaria and learns the prince has died. So the royal family suggests she marry Albion’s younger sister Adale instead.

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December 23

The Guy She Was Interested In Wasn’t a Guy At All, Vol 3, by Sumiko Arai and translated by Ajani Oloye (Manga)

I’m obsessed with this title! So to the point! The story follows Aya, who at Mitsuki’s encouragement pursues her innate talent for music. When a video of her singing goes viral, she becomes a celebrity at their school, complicating the dynamic between Aya and Mitsuki.

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December 30

Money Proud: The Queer Guide to Generate Wealth, Slay Debt, and Build Good Habits to Secure Your Future, by Nick Wolny (Nonfiction)

Featuring financial advice and guidance cushioned in humor and personal writing, this book is intended to help queer people navigate financial choices and independence while unlearning queerphobic money advice.