Hello and welcome back to Diversishelf!
We are ONE WEEK AWAY from our 100th issue! 🥳 For the team, putting together this newsletter has become such a regular part of our week that it is now a quiet companion, a constant in our lives even when many other things change. With such an established routine, it is no surprise that the 100th issue kind of sneaked up on us!
I have TWO announcements for y’all today before we get to the books.
We are running a worldwide giveaway to celebrate issue 100! Tell us about a book you read because of this newsletter for the chance to win a $25 (or equivalent) voucher for bookshop.org. Head to this form for the full rules and to submit your entry!
Second, it’s time for another one of our Nonfiction Book Clubs! For June, we will be reading Before We Were Trans by Kit Heyam, a sweeping, deeply thoughtful exploration of gender nonconformity across centuries and cultures. As usual, find more information and join us on our Storygraph Book Club.
Before We Were Trans by Kit Heyam
And finally, to this week’s books!
Some of these books contain sensitive themes. Please check content warnings before purchasing and reading these titles.
We use affiliate links. This means that if you buy a book through a link we provide, we may earn a commission from Bookshop.org, whose fees support independent bookstores. This allows us to keep Diversishelf free at no cost to you, while still generating some revenue.
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At the World’s Mercy by Ning Yuan - Out 31 May 26 UK/31 Mar 26 US
Tags: Baihe, Sapphic representation, Chinese author, Chinese representation, Translated
Field Guide for the Formerly Villainous by Autumn K. England - Out 02 Jul 26 UK/26 May 26 US
Tags: Fantasy, Queer representation, agender author, nonbinary representation, disability representation
I Cannot Reach You, Vol. 9 by Mika - Out 11 Jun 26 UK/26 May 26 US
Tags: Manga, Achillean representation, Japanese author, Japanese representation, translated
The Lemon Twist by Élan Les Vies - Out 09 Jul 26 UK/26 May 26 US
Tags: Literary Fiction , Queer representation
The Lesbian Bar Chronicles: The Living History and Hopeful Future of America's Dyke Dives and Sapphic Spaces by Rachel Karp - Out 26 May 26
Tags: Politcal Nonfiction , Sapphic representation, sapphic author
Waiting on a Friend by Natalie Adler - Out 26 May 26
Tags: Literary Fiction , Queer representation, HIV/AIDS representation, queer author, debut author
The Rainshadow Orphans by Naomi Ishiguro - Out 26 May 26
Tags: Fantasy, Japanese-British author, Japanese representation
Ghalen: A Romance in Black by Walter Mosley - Out 16 Jul 26 UK/26 May 26 US
Tags: Literary Fiction, Black American author, Black American representation, neurodivergent representation, abolition themes
Babylon, South Dakota by Tom Lin - Out 11 Jun 26 UK/26 May 26 US
Tags: Science Fiction, Chinese American representation, Chinese American author, immigrant representation
House of Margins by Tlotlo Tsamaase - Out 26 May 26
Tags: Horror, Motswana author, nonbinary author, Black representation, anti-colonialism themes
Lake Life by Tanya Boteju - Out 16 Jul 26 UK/26 May 26 US
Tags: YA Romance, Queer author, sapphic representation
Good Morning, Salwa (Buuza!! Volume 1) by Shazleen Khan - Out 25 Jun 26 UK/26 May 26 US
Tags: YA Graphic Novel, Queer author, nonbinary author, Bangladeshi Muslim author, queer representation
Inspiration Porn: Essays by Ryan O'Connell - Out 26 May 26 US
Info & Order - US link
Tags: Memoir, Queer author, disabled author, anti-ableism themes, substance abuse representation
The Tuxedo Society by Paul Rudnick - Out 26 May 26 US
Info & Order - US link
Tags: Mystery, Queer author, queer representation
In the Arms of Mountains: A Memoir of Land, Love, and Queer Resistance in Red America by Cole Nicole LeFavour - Out 26 May 26
Tags: Memoir, Queer author, queer representation, nonbinary author
I'll Watch Your Baby by Neena Viel - Out 26 May 26
Tags: Horror, Black American author, Black American representation
A Queer History of the United States: Revised And Expanded by Michael Bronski - Out 26 May 26
Tags: Historical Nonfiction, Queer author, queer representation, transgender representation, anti-racism themes
Bromantasy by Máire Roche - Out 26 May 26
Tags: Romantasy, Sapphic author, queer representation
Being Aro: A Collection of Aromantic Fiction About Love, Connection, and Empowerment by Madeline Dyer and Rosiee Thor - Out 22 Jun 26 UK/26 May 26 US
Tags: YA Short Stories, Aromantic authors, aromantic representation
Every Exquisite Thing by Laura Steven - Out 14 Sep 23 UK/26 May 26 US
Tags: YA Thriller, Bisexual author, queer representation
The City by Lara Moreno - Out 26 May 26 US
Info & Order - US link
Tags: Literary Fiction, Translated, Spanish author
When We Are Kin: The History and Future of Afro-Indigenous Solidarity by Kyle T. Mays - Out 26 May 26
Tags: Political Nonfiction, Afro-Indigenous author, anti-racism themes, anti-capitalism themes, decolonialism themes
The Apple of Their Throat by Kevin T. Norman - Out 16 Jul 26 UK/26 May 26 US
Tags: Poetry, Queer author, debut author, Latin American author
This Must Be The Place by Kelly Quindlen - Out 11 Jun 26 UK/26 May 26 US
Tags: Young Adult, Queer author, queer representation
Pretend You're Dead and I Carry You by Julián Delgado Lopera - Out 26 May 26 US
Info & Order - US link
Tags: Literary Fiction, Queer representation, trans representation, Colombian author, queer author, nonbinary author
Spawning Season: An Experiment in Queer Parenthood by Joseph Osmundson - Out 26 May 26 US
Info & Order - US link
Tags: Memoir, Queer author, queer representation
Bone of My Bone by Johanna Van Veen - Out 26 May 26
Tags: Horror, Sapphic author, sapphic representation
Meet Me at the Picket Line by Jasper Sanchez - Out 13 Aug 26 UK/26 May 26 US
Tags: YA Romance, Transmasculine author, bisexual author, Jewish author, neurodivergent author, transmasculine representation, anti-capitalism themes, queer representation
Flamboyance: The Power of Living Boldly by Jack Parlett - Out 04 Jun 26 UK/26 May 26 US
Tags: Historical Nonfiction, Queer author, queer representation
My Bad: A Personal History of the Queer Nineties and Beyond by Hugh Ryan - Out 11 Jun 26 UK/26 May 26 US
Tags: Political Nonfiction, Queer author, queer representation
Dead Weight by Hildur Knútsdóttir - Out 06 Aug 26 UK/26 May 26 US
Tags: Horror, Translated, Icelandic author
The Last Best Quest Ever by F.T. Lukens - Out 04 Jun 26 UK/26 May 26 US
Tags: YA Romantasy, Nonbinary author
Teddy Bears Never Die by Cho Yeeun - Out 21 May 26 UK/26 May 26 US
Tags: Horror, Translated, Korean author
No God But Us by Bobuq Sayed - Out 26 May 26 US
Info & Order - US link
Tags: Literary Fiction, Afghan representation, gay representation, nonbinary author, Afghan Australian author, debut author, immigrant representation, nonbinary author
The Maidenheads by Benny B. Peterson - Out 27 Aug 26 UK/26 May 26 US
Tags: Literary Fiction, Nonbinary author, bisexual representation, debut author
A Kiss of Crimson Ash by Anuja Varghese - Out 26 May 26
Tags: Romantasy, Bisexual author, South Asian author, queer representation
We Could Be Anyone by Anna-Marie McLemore - Out 26 May 26 US
Info & Order - US link
Tags: YA Thriller, Nonbinary author, Mexican American author, queer representation
By the Bootstraps by Alexa Martin - Out 26 May 26
Tags: Romance, Black American author
In the Country I Love by Alaa Al-Barkawi - Out 26 May 26 US
Info & Order - US link
Tags: Young Adult, Iraqi American representation, debut author, Iraqi American author, Muslim author
Before I Knew I Loved You by Toshikazu Kawaguchi - Out 21 May 26 UK/26 May 26 US
Tags: Literary Fiction, Translated, Japanese author, Japanese representation
Sámi Folktales from the Near and Far Worlds by Just Knud Qvigstad and Isak Saba - Out 31 May 26 UK/26 May 26 US
Tags: Short Stories, Indigenous Sámi author, translated
Cathedrals by Claudia Piñeiro - Out 26 May 26 UK/09 Jun 26 US
Tags: Literary Fiction, Translated, Argentine author
Thank you for reading all the way to the end of the issue! Thoughts? Comments? Or simply want to keep in touch? Email us at [email protected], or find us at @diversishelf on Instagram. The next issue will be out on Monday, June 1. In the meantime, why not reach out with a comment, or share this with your friends?