As Pride season winds down and the days get longer, it’s a great time to relax with some new books. Some established lesbian authors and brilliant new ones made my list this year, and all meet my criteria for good beach reading: intelligent and original without being too heavy. In no particular order, here are my recommendations for the best lesbian books this summer:

1. Comfort Food for Breakups: The Memoir of a Hungry Girl, by Marusya Bociurkiw

Filmmaker and veteran author Marusya Bociurkiw earned a Lambda nomination for this memoir composed of recipes and food-centered vignettes exploring her family’s history and relationships. Bociurkiw is a Ukrainian Canadian lesbian whose family’s story includes her father’s stay in a Nazi concentration camp—so be prepared for some difficult moments framed by her expert storytelling.More »

2. Biting the Apple, by Lucy Jane Bledsoe

Bledsoe’s Lambda-nominated fourth novel tells of a delightfully original character exploring possibility, faith and sexuality amidst challenges and disappointments. After her Olympic aspirations don’t pan out, track star Marianne Wade transforms into a new woman under a new name, Eve Glass: a motivational speaker, self-help author and, ironically, kleptomaniac. With refreshing honesty and introspection and a truly awesome main character, this is one of the best lesbian novels of the past year.More »

3. Sex and Bacon: Why I Love Things That Are Very, Very Bad For Me

Though this one’s not an official lesbian book per se (Author Sarah Katherine Lewis identifies as “queer” and includes hetero escapades alongside the girl-girl ones), it’s a wickedly funny and thought-provoking celebration of hedonistic desire that I thought was way too good to leave off my list. A collection of essays, anecdotes and occasional recipes, Sex and Bacon is pretty much perfect for relaxing by the ocean: short individual pieces that are sexy, entertaining and easy to read, yet far from fluffy.More »

4. Heart of the Matter, by KI Thompson

What’s more classic summer reading than a hot romance novel? History professor Ellen Webster falls in love with her sexy next-door-neighbor, a TV newscaster who’s oblivious to Ellen’s existence. An accident brings them together; complications push them back apart. Realistic, flawed but loveable characters make this better than the average lesbian romance.More »

5. The Candidate, by Tracey Richardson

This one is a great escape from all the nerve-wracking election news, and the premise is totally hot (though questionably realistic): A presidential candidate falls madly in love with her Secret Service Agent. Just the thought of an out lesbian as a serious presidential candidate is enough to get me all hot and bothered.More »

6. My Miserable Lonely Lesbian Pregnancy, by Andrea Askowitz

Fearless, hilarious and brutally honest, this debut memoir tells of Askowitz’s pregnancy as a single woman, who recently left her long-term partner and got artificially inseminated to fulfill her dreams of motherhood. I expect this book to become a classic, both because of its bold confrontation of societal taboos and Aaskowitz’s natural gifts as a writer. She’s been compared to a female David Sedaris: sharp, funny and self-deprecating. You’ll get through this book in days.More »

7. Every Dark Desire, by Fiona Zedde

Who can resist a tale of lesbian vampire erotica? Protagonist Naomi McElroy lives a fairly prosaic life in Jamaica: mostly happy, but craving more. One evening, in a super-hot garden seduction scene, Naomi is transformed into Belle, the newest member of a hot Sapphic vampire clan. However, as she soon learns, bloodsucking is not all fun and games, and her glamorously savage new life comes at a price. If you like this one, also check out Zedde’s upcoming release Hungry For It.More »

8. The Kind of Girl I Am, by Julia Watts

This beloved and prolific lesbian author tells the story of Vestal Jenkins, a devastatingly gorgeous girl born into a Kentucky coal camp during the Great Depression. As she struggles to escape poverty, Vestal explores religion, an unsatisfying marriage and eventually a lucrative career working as a madam in a brothel. Fun, exciting and sexy, this is another book you’ll breeze through in days.More »

9. The IHOP Papers, by Ali Liebgott

Francesca, a 19-year-old recovering alcoholic and aspiring writer follows her beloved philosophy professor, Irene, to San Francisco in hopes of having a relationship with her. Once in San Francisco, she takes a job at IHOP, continues to write her memoir, falls in love with her new AA sponsor and loses her virginity to Irene’s lover. This is a great coming-of-age debut novel by a promising writer.More »

10. Ultimate Lesbian Erotica 2008, edited by Nicole Foster

The title pretty much says it all: 25 tales of lust and naughtiness. These stories could be the inspiration for your own summer romance, or if you’re not actually getting any, reading about it just might be the next best thing.More »