Welcome to 2026! Here at Turnaround we are starting the year strong with our LGBTQIA+ recommendations for the first 3 months of the new year. In this long list, you will find books to read while struggling through your Heated Rivalry obsession, a long-lost lesbian novel, the newest non-fiction in healing trauma, the hottest trans novels, and some beautifully illustrated graphic novels to kickstart the year with. So sit back, relax, and enjoy these tantalising new titles you won’t want to miss in the National Year of Reading!

What could possibly make Bob Dylan even better you ask? Being a queer woman of course! Set in late 60s London, A Jingle-Jangle Song follows folk star Sarah Kumar as she arrives to give a concert. She is hot stuff and a hot mess — androgynous, awkward and alluring. Kumar attends hip parties, sings to adoring fans and passes out wasted. She is a picture of consummate coolness, hidden nervously behind huge sunglasses. Kumar’s world is turned upside down when she meets an older woman, the intoxicating Mrs. Stankovich. This long-lost lesbian novel of the 60s will capture the hearts of many with its quirky, sweet, satirical and eccentric themes.

One for the film buffs and history nerds now… August 22, 1972: Two men attempt to rob a bank in Brooklyn. They fail miserably. Things really get crazy when reporters learn that one of the robbers is gay and married to a trans woman. The crowd of journalists and onlookers grows into the hundreds, desperate for a glimpse of this charismatic live-wire who’s robbing the bank not for greed or thrills, but to fund his partner’s sexual reassignment surgery. Sound familiar? This is the plot of Dog Day Afternoon, the 1975 film directed by Sidney Lumet and starring Al Pacino, John Cazale, and Chris Sarandon. The best acting talent of the day came together on a film that was truly exceptional. But equally exceptional was the fact that the film was based on a true-life incident. Drawing on extensive archival research, film historian Rachel Walther delves into the film’s backstory, tracing how an unbelievable true crime tale of love, bank robbery, and LGBTQIA+ activism became a box-office smash and catapulted a group of Brooklyn outsiders into the media spotlight.

There’s nothing queer people love more than a life-alternating road trip. Yet this road trip is more life-alternating than most. When their mother calls with news that their MAGA-pilled, conspiracy-theorist father has gone missing, the newly unemployed queer narrator of Make Sure You Die Screaming does what anyone would do: steals their ex-boyfriend’s BMW and races from Chicago to deep-red Arkansas on a mission to kidnap their estranged father and bring him home. Now, with a bottle of premixed margarita jiggling in the cupholder and the narrator’s brand-new garbage goth bestie, Yivi, screaming through night terrors in the passenger seat, our hero hurtles toward a family reunion from hell. Along the way, they experiment with Yivi’s mystery pills, elude a relentless stalker and outrun some cops who believe the narrator committed a tragic murder. This is set to be a huge hit!

Fairies should be pretty and sparkly and dainty… not chubby, not fluffy and not lured in by potato chips! But when Spencer catches a fairy in the park, he’s shocked to find that’s exactly what he’s got. The Bear Fairy is no delicate Tinkerbell: he hogs the remote, drops crumbs everywhere and snores like a truck. But he’s still a fairy, and when Spencer’s friend insults the Bear Fairy’s appearance and hurts his feelings, Spencer must step up to defend his new friend. With wit, charm and hilarity, author Paul Coccia and illustrator Fred Blunt have created a modern classic about being proud of who you are and fighting for the people you care about.

If you aren’t chronically online like me, then you might not be aware of a Canadian TV show called Heated Rivalry, based on the Games Changers series by Rachel Reid. It has taken the internet by storm, and for the people demanding more gay love stories in heavily masculine-dominated sports, you’re in luck!

When Asher Ross gets drafted to Global Elite Wrestling’s main roster, playing the role of Caleb Knights’s worst enemy—it should be easy. Stripping Caleb of his World Championship title should be even easier. But as the two men trade barbs and blows across arenas, they’re each surprised to find their chemistry is so sizzling, it can’t just be for the cameras. Through training sessions, rehearsals, and injuries, Caleb’s icy demeanor melts away, and Asher begins to see the real man behind the cruel persona GEW has molded Caleb into. An unlikely truce evolves into feelings neither want to deny, but the company won’t let them be seen as anything other than bitter rivals, both in and out of the ring. As Asher and Caleb grapple with what they truly want in an industry with a history of denying queerness, their forbidden romance comes crashing down on them, and both men are forced to decide if their relationship is real enough to last, and just how much they’re willing to fight for it.

If Heated Rivalry isn’t your thing, and you’re more into The Untamed (or Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation to some), then this manga is definitely for you.

In a war-torn era, a man devastated by the loss of his lover and fellow soldier discovers that his beloved may still be among the living! Uru and Tenyo are two elite soldiers with a bond that runs deeper than blood. Living together and fighting side by side has only heightened their affection for one another… but in a world ravaged by war, connections can be severed in an instant. When Uru loses his life, he leaves Tenyo behind with nothing but a final kiss goodbye. After two years of mourning, Tenyo sneaks into the enemy general Kakezuki’s territory with the intent of finishing him off, as promised to Uru. But when he gets there, he finds that the enemy looks exactly like his dearly departed brother-in-arms! There’s no way Uru is still among the living… or is there?

From love stories to a horror story about the modern internet, Persona is about to become a cult classic in trans literature. A feral shut-in discovers a disturbing internet porn video of what seems to be herself. A séance of coked-up artists summons unearthly forces in a studio apartment. The staircase of an exurban marketing company descends endlessly beneath the earth. In Aoife Josie Clements’ electric, nightmarish, intricately layered novel, the impossibility of goodness crowds in upon two young trans women barely surviving on sex work and zero-hours contracts. Below the familiar evils of capitalism and the bottomless depths of internet culture, a darker horror awaits. What curse follows these women? What are they escaping? What are they running towards?

If you’re new to the comics scene, you might not be aware of Roberta Gregory. Yet if there’s one thing you should take away from this post, it’s the influence Roberta has had in the industry for the last 50+ years. A pioneering underground cartoonist who has constantly tackled LGBTQIA+ rights and feminism in her comics, Roberta is amongst Robert Crumb and Trina Robbins who have inspired contemporary artists in the industry such as Chris Ware, Daniel Clowes, and Peter Bagge. This definitive collection includes all of Roberta Gregory’s riotous ‘Bitchy Bitch’ stories, presenting a life from childhood into middle age, following the character through multiple decades.

When I heard about this book, it immediately jumped to the top of my TBR list! For the past two years, Amie Teller has been stuck in a time loop. Each day, she wakes up and it’s September 17th. Same day, same weather, same people, same conversations. Until, one day, it’s September 18th, and Amie is free. Before she can celebrate, Amie learns her neighbour was murdered the day before — the day Amie has lived hundreds of times. Amie knows she has to help; nobody knows yesterday like she does. But acclimating to her new non-repeating life proves to be more difficult than expected. How does one resume their life after a time loop, anyway? Assisted by an ex-girlfriend who wants to make their friendship work, and a grumpy neighbour who spends his days building Rube Goldberg machines, Amie sets out to track down who killed (and killed and killed and killed) her neighbour.

Some of the greatest love stories come from band members being in relationships and evolving into music: ABBA, Fleetwood Mac, Paramore, and dare I mention One Direction? (Just kidding, but this one could be for the “larrie” and “gaylor” believers amongst you).

For Our Next Song follows Glitter Bats key player Jane Mercer and her bandmate and best friend Keeley, who Jane can’t pursue if she wants to keep her bisexuality out of the media. But when an incompetent percussionist quits mid-recording session on one of her major solo projects, there’s only one drummer to call to make the deadline. Keeley Cunningham is determined to do what’s best for the newly—reunited Glitter Bats—including conceal her incurable attraction to Jane by keeping her distance. Still, when Jane asks for her help in the studio, Keeley drops everything to fill in. They collaborate harmoniously… until their repressed feelings crescendo into a massive argument about the band’s future that leaves them barely speaking. As music forces Jane and Keeley into increasingly close proximity, the lingering tension finally ignites into the romance they’ve both been craving — and it’s hot, emotional, and fundamentally secret. But after an intimate moment is caught on camera, they’ll have to decide if their duet can survive its debut—both on and off stage.

Next up, for The Wicked + The Divine fans, comes a new exciting graphic novel Bytchcraft. Adriyel of the All-Seeing Eye, a pretentious oracle who speaks with the gods. Michele of Mother Earth’s Flesh, a nature wytch with a tender heart. Em of the Living Hellfire, an emo necromancer with a sharp tongue. These three friends are bound together through magick and blood as a queer coven in New York, each following their own magickal path under the watchful eye of their spectral coven matriarch, MTHR. When the coven accidentally sends all of New York into a supernatural eclipse and sends the magick of the city into imbalance, their presence is revealed to a religious zealot and their angelic beast of retribution. Not only that, they soon discover they are at the centre of an ancient prophecy, and all of wytchkind hangs in the balance! Now, each of them must face the secrets of the past, present, and future in order to save the magick. Created by the late Aaron Reese, Bytchcraft is a love letter to queer friendship, Black Magick, and the found families that sustain us.

Another found family story? If you insist! This time we turn to a lesbian mother who feels out of place taking her daughter to a princess party; a gay couple turns to unconventional means to create their baby; a grieving man winds up on a date with a centaur; and an agoraphobic must make an impossible choice before time runs out. Darkly satirical and unflinchingly human, the short stories of Runs in the Blood unsettle our notions of family, whether biological or chosen. Careening through the space beyond nature versus nurture, its characters — betrayed, wounded, unequipped — wrangle with their own worst instincts and the grotesqueries of the modern world, attempting to create families worth holding on to and to protect the children they love.

You’re over halfway through this list, meaning that shopping basket you’ve got open on another tab is overflowing with new stories to read… don’t check out yet… we always save the best until last…

Queerphobic and transphobic messaging can arrive from nearly any direction, and once queer and trans people are exposed to the fear, disgust, and judgement people have for otherness, it can easily fester into internalised oppression. In a society that promotes the narrative of self-loathing queers, loving and accepting ourselves can be hard to imagine, let alone achieve. Author and activist Mx. Nillin Lore has first-hand insight into the complex inner journey of decluttering the guilt, shame and anxiety that can feed our inner discriminator and in Carry On, they provide a guided expedition through the source material of our own erasure. A self-reflective journey and a toolset for dismantling inflammatory inner frameworks, this is a practical and encouraging guide for those ready and willing to unpack their internalised baggage.

Cipher Press have some great new releases publishing this year and they are kicking 2026 off strong with a raw and profound novel. Following their discharge from hospital, Mirrorstage follows its narrator on a road trip through the grey, liminal landscapes of modern Britain. As they pass graffitied bus shelters, construction sites and flooded motorways, factories and high-rises, the narrator’s internal and external journeys begin to converge, leading them down paths they have been trying to avoid: the mental illness and substance use that led them to the inpatient ward, the uneasy balance of their own gender identity, their troubled relationship with their estranged father, the perils and pleasures of the queer scene, and the shame that has haunted them throughout their life. Woven around the psychoanalytic concept of its title, Mirrorstage is an experimental fable exploring the boundaries of selfhood and literary forms, told in fragments of prose and verse that are equal parts heart-breaking, sexy, and witty.

A new year means new hobbies and a new you! So follow your heart’s wisdom with these artfully crafted, gorgeous tarot cards. This unique deck features beautiful, original illustrations incorporating the shape of the human heart and elements of the natural world into each tarot archetype. Rendered in a striking block print style, with rich textures and a black and red colour palette, the powerful imagery of these cards will call forth your heart’s true interpretations. Illustrated by queer artist Nicole LaRue, this is the perfect deck for readings, divination, inspiration, or as part of a creative practice, to feel into the answers you seek and with your heart as your wise guide.

For all you poetry lovers out there, I haven’t forgotten you. Crohnic is a brilliant and moving collection of poems that asks; what is the landscape of a medicated life? From their recuperation in a room that overlooks the North Saskatchewan River, author Jason Purcell thinks ecologically with medical records, prescriptions, and dosages, staying attuned to place and to what it might mean to live a life relying on something — in this case, an interminable course of medication — that hurts you in some ways to help you in others. How does the terrain of life change? Crohnic charts two years of Purcell’s treatment for Crohn’s disease, journeying from hospital rooms to bogs and muskeg, places where life and death intermingle and create the conditions for one another’s flourishing.

In our last queer blogpost, we introduced you to the Outsider Classics series from Dead Ink. This series exhumes lost literary voices that were ahead of their time to restore them to the cult status they always deserved. A Visitation of Spirits is the powerful story of Horace Cross, a popular and high-achieving sixteen-year-old boy, who wrestles with the guilt of discovering who he is, a young man attracted to other men and yearning to escape the narrow confines of Tims Creek. Raised on stories of prophets, revelations, and dreams, his internal struggles take shape in his mind as demons and angels battling for his soul, culminating in one night of horrible and tragic transformation. Horace seeks help from his cousin, Reverend James ‘Jimmy’ Greene, but he finds himself ill-prepared to help the boy, plagued by demons of his own. And as Horace spirals out of control, Jimmy must ask himself what it says about him and his community that they cannot reconcile the spirits of the past with those of the future.

Before Alchemised, there was Carry On… Yes, acclaimed writer Rainbow Rowell is back, returning to Marvel’s best and scrappiest found family, Runaways, in a world under Doom! Nico Minoru has lost her girlfriend, her best friend and her magic. With Karolina, Chase and Alex all out of the picture, Gert’s doing her best to shake the remaining Runaways out of running on autopilot. But when Earth’s new emperor, Doctor Doom, tries to reclaim one of their own, it’s time to start running again. With perfect timing, Chase returns from the future — looking more dangerous and broodier than ever! But what happened there that’s got him so suspicious of Gert? And how long can even the Runaways evade the will of Doom?

This one is for your friend who refuses to stop mentioning Challengers, or enjoys the homoerotic subtexts in sports anime a little too much… American tennis star Leo Chambers is determined to win the US Open by 30, the age when many players feel retirement looming. He’s just a year away from that dreaded birthday, but he can’t find his focus—considering he hasn’t told anyone he’s gay, he’s clashing with his strict coach (who also happens to be his dad), and he still can’t figure out how to beat his long-time nemesis on tour, Gabe Montoya, who, well, hits different. Gabe is playing better than ever, and Leo can’t seem to escape him—and maybe he doesn’t want to escape him. Leo’s other obstacle is Sascha Volkov, a Russian legend who has such a powerful influence on the tennis world, he would destroy Leo’s career if he found out that he’s gay. No distractions, Leo reminds himself. But when Gabe makes a shocking announcement, Leo is thrown off his game—in more ways than one.

If you happened to miss James Tynion IV’s latest LGBTQIA+ adventure comic series, not to fret, there’s a beautiful library edition just waiting for you!

Meet teenage mad scientist Christopher Chaos. For all his life he knew he was different. His brilliant mind works in ways that defy logic and enable him to do things that push him beyond his peers. Unfortunately, these abilities have also caused great pain in his personal life — leading others to fear him and leaving Christopher with profound loneliness and guilt. Then one day something cracked. When the cute boy at high school turns out to be a deadly creature, Christopher finds himself in a world of monsters, heroes, and a cult of hunters out to kill them all. As Christopher discovers the history of Monsterkind, he learns he isn’t so alone in the world after all. The Library Edition collects the first two arcs of The Oddly Pedestrian Life of Christopher Chaos as well as the prologue.

There are many books on trauma healing that have helped change people’s lives. Yet when queer people, people of colour, and all of us living at the margins, look for books that reflect our own experiences and that specifically name the oppression we experience as trauma, we’re left empty-handed. We deserve to have ourselves reflected and considered in the world of trauma recovery. In Healing the Oppressed Body, somatic therapist Andrea Gutierrez-Glik provides the best tools and approaches to healing trauma and filters them through an anti-oppression lens, making sure they’re uniquely impactful for all of us at the margins. In these pages, you’ll learn how trauma is stored and processed by our minds and bodies and how we can work with our amazingly flexible brains and nervous systems to create pathways to healing. Along the way, you’ll discover tools and techniques for emotional regulation and therapeutic modalities to heal from oppression-based trauma.

A classic, coming-of-age novel in line with the likes of Douglas Stewart, Édouard Louis, and Garth Greenwell. Cornwall, 2018: In the quiet fishing village of Portscatho, sixteen-year-old Daniel and seventeen-year-old Jago form an unexpected connection — something neither of them can name. What unfolds is transformative, particularly for Daniel, who for the first time feels truly seen. East London, 2023: Daniel has rewritten himself: sharper, louder, queer in a way the city understands. But a visit from Jago stirs up a reckoning with his former life, forcing them both to question how much change their bond can withstand. Orange examines how we reconcile our past selves with the people we become, those we bring with us, and those we leave behind.

It’s important for the LGBTQIA+ community to celebrate its past along with the present, making this book an essential read for claiming back lost queer history, as well as lost black history. Reed Peggram arrived in Paris on the eve of World War II and spent the rest of it sitting for portraits, charming minor royalty, befriending famed researcher and writer Jay Gay, and flirting with Leonard Bernstein. He ignored the increasingly alarmed calls to return home to a repressive, segregated America and a constrained life as a second class citizen. And as tensions grew and gas masks were distributed in the City of Lights, Reed turned instead to the new life he’d made. Award-winning historian Ethelene Whitmire unearthed a trove of Reed’s letters when she met one of his descendants at a lecture, awed that she’d heard so little of this charismatic man and his fascinating true story of love and war. She introduces us to an unforgettable character who fled from country to country as fighting advanced, was captured by Nazis and outwitted them in a daring escape, and risked it all in a personal fight for a life of love, freedom, beauty and dignity in a world set against him.

Our penultimate recommendation is a gorgeous debut, for readers of Torrey Peters, Imogen Binnie, and Alana S. Portero. lo moves to New York for whatever reason… Then she starts hormones and steps out at night. Everything else falls away. How had it never not been this? Quickly, Io — freshly feminised and hardly clothed — is yanked into the glamour and vagaries of her times by her obsessive parasocial relationship with a fellow trans woman and renowned DJ. In nightlife she quickly discovers the stakes of living so close to cultural production — fashion, art, literature, it all flashes and dies as her bank account stays empty and her health waxes and wanes. The lines between transition and cultural capital begin to blur and the currency of femininity demands to sell or be sold. Io must decide how far she will go to attain the dreams of upward mobility free-wheeling through the ‘cloaca’ of the City.

Last, but no means least, we have a new collection from Jaime Hernandez featuring three brand-new stories from Love & Rockets! Locas tells the story of Maggie Chascarrillo, a bisexual, Mexican-American woman attempting to define herself in a community rife with class, race, and gender issues. Maggie’s story begins in the early-1980s Southern California rock scene, when it was shifting from the excesses of the 1970s to the gritty basics of punk and new wave. Hardcore punk rock came to the fore, and the teenage Maggie finds herself drawn to the anarchy, energy, and diversity of the scene. She quickly befriends Hopey Glass, a feisty anti-authoritarian punkette, who quickly becomes Maggie’s on-and-off lover and a constant presence in her life as they navigate a devastatingly naturalistic world.

You can find all these titles and more via our Bookshop.org page!