Monday Moods is a weekly bookish meme created and hosted by Unwrapping Words (aka, me!). The premise is simple: every week, there’s a new ‘mood’, ranging from tropes to genres or actual moods (happy, sad, etc). On a Monday, feel free to post about books on your TBR, books you’d recommend, or a mix – whatever you like – that fits the ‘mood’ prompt. And of course, you can use your own if you’re not fussed on a particular one!
It is, of course, Pride Month, so I thought it would be good to shift the focus for Monday Moods to queer books. As always, if you have any recommendations feel free to share them in a comment, or drop a link to your post if you take part in this. Queer history can come to us in many ways – although I’m focusing on non-fiction for this week’s Monday Moods,. there is plenty of fiction out there that also deals with queer history, so feel free to suggest some of them, too!
This Week, I’m in the Mood For…
Queer History
Rainbow Wales
Emily Garside
Genre: Non-Fiction – Biography
Age: Adult
Format: Hardback
Published: 7th May, 2026
I Want to Read This Because this is the latest from Emily Garside – her work is always excellent and I’m especially excited to dig into this. Wales often gets overlooked, so it’s always great to see more books focusing specifically on Welsh queer history.
The Light of Day: The First Man to Come Out at the Day of Gay Liberation
Christopher Stephens & Louise Radnofsky
Genre: Non-Fiction – Biography
Age: Adult
Format: ebook
Published: 1st January, 2025
I Want to Read This Because there are many ‘forgotten’ names in queer history – forgotten, or erased, or were simply never able to live as themselves. In The Light of Day, the authors highlight the life of the first man to come out voluntarily, using his own name, to the entire British public – writing a letter to British newspapers in June 1960, seven years before the decriminalisation of homosexuality. These stories are so important and I truly look forward to reading about Roger Butler.
Monsters in the closet: Homosexuality and the Horror Film
Harry M. Benshoff
Genre: Non-Fiction – Film
Age: Adult
Format: Paperback
Published: 1st October, 1997
I Want to Read This Because entertainment is an important part of history – what we do, watch, and the way these things change is a reflection of society. And it’s important to understand where and how queerness fits in with this, too – the changing representation, coded representation, positive and negative portrayals. These are all so important and I think Benshoff’s work is going to be really intriguing.
Queer Disability through History: The Queer and Disabled Movements through their Personalities
Daisy Holder
Genre: Non-Fiction – History
Age: Adult
Format: ebook
Published: 19th December, 2024
I Want to Read This Because these kind of books which explored otherwise underrepresented groups – in this case both queer and disabled folks – are so, so important! I think everyone should strive to learn more about queer history but we need to make sure we don’t overlook people because of other factors (whether that’s race, gender, or disability). And, as a queer disabled person myself, I’m interested to find out more about the history I’m tied to!
Corpses, Fools and Monsters
Willow Catelyn Maclay, Caden Mark Gardner
Genre: Non-Fiction – Film
Age: Adult
Format: ebook
Published: 9th July, 2024
I Want to Read This Because this book is described as “A radical history of trans images in film, and an exploration of the political possibilities of the new trans cinema movement” and I find that completely fascinating! Similar to Monsters in the closet, it’s so crucial to be aware of the portrayal and representation of queer people in film, and what’s shaped that. I think this will give me a lot of new information to consider!
Throw your recommendations my way or let me know if you’re reading any queer history this month! Read one of these and want to share your review? Just drop a link in the comments and I’ll be sure to read it!
Unwrapping Words 