mermaidyke:

welcome!!!!!! this is long overdue. i’ve been promising myself i’d made this forever. so here it is – the ultimate masterpost of wlw (women loving women) books. not all characters are lesbians, some are bi or pan, though all books feature f/f relationships and/or themes. there are 150+ recommendations, so enjoy!

YOUNG ADULT CONTEMPORARY:

• the miseducation of cameron post by emily m. danforth
• keeping you a secret by julie anne peters
• grl2grl by julie anne peters
• lies my girlfriend told me by julie anne peters
• far from xanadu by julie anne peters
• rubyfruit jungle by rita mae brown
• annie on my mind by nancy garden
• kissing kate by lauren myracle
• everything leads to you by nina lacour
• dare truth or promise by paula boock
• gravel queen by tea benduhn
• her name in the sky by kelly quindlen
• tell me again how a crush should feel by sara farizan
• no one needs to know by amanda grace
• my best friend, maybe by caela carter
• dirty london by kelley york
• ask the passengers by a.s. king
• empress of the world by sara ryan
• pages for you by sylvia brownrigg
• waiting in the wings by melissa brayden
• breathing underwater by lu vickers
• hood by emma donoghue
• between you & me by marisa calin
• starting from here by lisa jenn bigelow
• about a girl by sarah mccarry
• the flywheel by erin gough
• the necessary hunger by nina revoyr
• the house you pass on the way by jacqueline woodson
• about a girl by joanne horniman
• gravity by leanne lieberman
• another life altogether by elaine beale
• great by sara benincasa
• the gravity between us by kristen zimmer
• taking flight by siera maley
• the road to her by k.e. payne
• the summer i wasn’t me by jessica verdi
• unspeakabe by abbie rushton
• beauty of the broken by tawni waters
• read me like a book by liz kessler
• starring kitty by keris stainton
• holding back by mila kerr
• cam girl by leah raeder
• not otherwise specified by hannah moskowitz
• an unstill life by kate larkindale
• look both ways by alison cherry
• a story of now by emily o’beirne
• my summer of love by helen cross
• marionette by t.b. markinson
• the difference between you and me by madeleine george
• the bermudez triangle by maureen johnson
• girl walking backwards by bett williams

FANTASY/PARANORMAL/SCIENCE FICTION:

• the dark wife by sarah diemer
• twixt by sarah diemer
• the witch sea by sarah diemer
• sugar moon by sarah diemer
• far by sarah diemer
• carmilla by joseph sheridan le fanu
• ash by malinda lo
• huntress by malinda lo
• adaption by malinda lo
• the traitor baru cormorant by seth dickinson
• karen memory by elizabeth bear
• bleeding earth by kaitlin ward
• lady knight by l.j. baker
• the second sister by rae d. magdon
• wild by meghan o’brien
• santa olivia by jacqueline carey
• everafter by nell stark
• iron & velvet by alexis hall
• silver kiss by naomi clark
• with her body by nicola griffith
• ammonite by nicole griffith
• the windup girl by paolo bacigalupi
• a harvest of ripe figs by shira glassman
• seven by jennifer diemer
• braided by elora bishop
• crumbs by elora bishop
• labyrinth by pearl north
• the drowning girl by caitlin r. kiernan
• the red tree by caitlin r. kiernan
• the big lie by julie mayhew
• the first twenty by jennifer lavoie
• the girl in the road by monica byrne
• every dark desire by fiona zedde

CRIME/MYSTERY/THRILLER:

• black iris by leah raeder
• dangerous girls by abigail haas
• far from you by tess sharpe
• slow river by nicola griffith
• the blue place by nicola griffith
• stay by nicola griffith
• vanished by e.e. cooper
• keepers of the cave by gerri hill
• hunter’s way by gerri hill
• child of doors by j.s. little
• scars by cheryl rainfield
• trust me, i’m trouble by mary elizabeth summer
• out of order by casey lawrence
• reconstructing amelia by kimberly mccreight
• vicious little darlings by katherine easer

HISTORICAL:

• the paying guests by sarah waters
• tipping the velvet by sarah waters
• affinity by sarah waters
• the night watch by sarah waters
• fingersmith by sarah waters
• the price of salt by patricia highsmith (also known as carol)
• wildthorn by jane eagland
• silhouette of a sparrow by molly beth griffin
• lies we tell ourselves by robin talley
• patience & sarah by isabel miller
• the hours by michael cunningham
• the well of loneliness by radclyffe hall
• mrs dalloway by virginia woolf
• the world unseen by shamam sarif
• map of ireland by stephanie grant
• hild by nicole griffith
• honey girl by lisa freeman
• letters never sent by sandra moran
• fall on your knees by ann-marie macdonald
• the last nude by ellis avery
• the teahouse fire by ellis avery
• olivia by dorothy strachey
• the friendly young ladies by mary renault
• moon at nine by deborah ellis
• the marriage recital by katharine grant
• the crimson ribbon by katherine clements
• the other typist by suzanne rindell
• days of grace by catherine hall
• desert of the heart by jane rule

ADULT FICTION:

• sing you home by jodi picoult
• and playing the role of herself by k.e. lane
• i can’t think straight by shamim sarif
• stone butch blues by leslie feinberg
• curious wine by katherine v. forrest
• the color purple by alice walker
• jericho by ann mcman
• oranges are not the only fruit by jeanette winterson
• gut symmetries by jeanette winterson
• why be happy when you could be normal? by jeanette winterson
• written on the body by jeanette winterson
• where we belong by catherine ryan hyde
• at the water’s edge by harper bliss
• behind the green curtain by riley lashea
• 96 hours by georgia beers
• all that matters by susan x. meagher
• give me a reason by lyn gardner
• ice by lyn gardner
• my last season with you by s.v.c. ricketts
• taking the long way by lily r. mason
• nightwood by djuna barnes
• living at night by mariana romo-carmona
• choices by nancy toder
• cassandra at the wedding by dorothy baker
• landing by emma donoghue
• stir-fry by emma donoghue
• pitifully ugly by robin alexander

COMICS BOOKS/GRAPHIC NOVELS:

• blue is the warmest colour by julie maroh
• fun home by alison bechdel
• dykes to watch out for by alison bechdel
• honor girl by maggie trash
• skim by mariko tamaki
• potential by ariel shrag
• strangers in paradise by terry moore

NON-FICTION:

• odd girls and twilight lovers by lillian faderman
• surpassing the love of men by lillian faderman
• chloe plus olivia by lillian faderman
• to believe in women by lillian faderman
• sapphistries by leila j. rupp
• inseparable by emma donoghue
• passions between women by emma donoghue
• dear john, i love jane by candace walsh
• a woman like that by joan larkin
• aimee & jaguar by erica fischer
• the femme mystique by leslea newman
• boots of leather, slippers of gold by elizabeth lapovsky kennedy
• different daughters by marcia m. gallo
• between women by sharon marcus
• charity and sylvia by rachel hope cleves
• lesbian culture: an anthology by julia penelope
• alice + freda forever by alexis coe
• behind the mask by matthew dennison