Beachworthy LGBTQ books to read this summer

Lovers of queer books have a plethora of titles to choose from this summer — from page-turning romances to provocative anthologies and steamy thrillers.

With temperatures reaching record highs, there’s never been a better time to head to the beach, park or pool to escape the heat with a transporting book in hand. And this summer, lovers of queer books have a plethora of titles to choose from — from page-turning romances to provocative anthologies and steamy thrillers.

“A beach read is a mindset,” Nina Haines, the founder of the Sapph-Lit book club, told NBC News on a call from her parents’ beach house, where she was escaping one of New York’s recent heat waves. “Beach reads are books that make you giddy and excited — and a little horny.”

Ashley Herring Blake's "Delilah Green Doesn’t Care.”Courtesy Penguin Random HouseWhen the heat index goes up, Haines said, she tends to reach for her favorite authors, including “Red, White & Royal Blue” and “One Last Stop” scribe Casey McQuiston, and “steamroll” through series with interconnected characters and immersive worlds. On her list of go-to sapphic series writers are Ashley Herring Blake and Alexandria Bellefleur, whose books come in paperbacks bearing wholesome covers, exactly what the book club founder wants while lying in the sand.

“These are paperbacks that you can chuck in your beach bag. You can get them wet, you can dog-ear the pages, and then you can pass them off to your friend as soon as you’re done,” she said of her favorite summer books, joking that they often have “cutesy illustrated covers” to hide “the dirtiest smut you’ve ever encountered.”

“They’re compulsive, easy-to-read romances you gobble up in one sitting. It’s a short relationship, but it’s still very meaningful,” she added, as if referring to a whirlwind fling.

https://www.nbcnews.com/nbc-out/out-life-and-style/lgbtq-summer-beach-books-rcna162769

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