Are you passionate about literature that celebrates and explores the LGBTQ+ community? Are you looking for a safe and welcoming space to discuss thought-provoking books while connecting with like-minded individuals? Look no further! We are thrilled to announce the launch of our LGBTQ+ Book Group at York Theatre Royal.

When and where will the LGBTQ+ Book Group take place?

The LGBTQ+ Book Group will meet monthly at the York Theatre Royal 7pm -8.30pm on the second Tuesday of each month. The theatre will provide an inviting atmosphere for open discussions and a cosy setting to delve into the captivating world of LGBTQ+ literature. We’ll meet by the downstairs bar to grab a drink, before heading next door for the discussion.

What types of books will we read?

Our book selections will be diverse, reflecting the wide spectrum of LGBTQ+ experiences. We believe in exploring contemporary fiction, queer classics, memoirs, and young adult novels. All of our selections will be written by Queer authors. By blending different genres, we aim to create a well-rounded reading experience that will engage, inspire, and challenge our members. See the upcoming books at the bottom of this page.

Is there a prerequisite for joining?

Absolutely not! We welcome all over 18s who shares an interest in LGBTQ+ literature, regardless of their background or previous knowledge. Whether you are an avid reader or new to LGBTQ+ books, our group is an inclusive space where everyone’s perspectives are valued and celebrated.

What can you expect from the LGBTQ+ Book Group?

Beyond reading and discussing exceptional books, our book group offers a unique opportunity to engage with the rich tapestry of the queer literary canon. You’ll have the chance to explore ground-breaking works, discover new authors, and expand your understanding of LGBTQ+ literature. Additionally, this group fosters a sense of community by providing a platform to form meaningful connections, create new friendships, and build relationships within York’s LGBTQ+ community.

How can you get involved?

Joining the LGBTQ+ Book Group is easy, just book for each session you plan to attend! We encourage early booking to secure your spot, as spaces may be limited. Once you’ve booked, you’ll receive updates on upcoming book selections, meeting dates, and any additional events or guest speakers we may have. It’s also completely free! You just need to read the book (you can purchase this from our local LGBTQ+ bookshop Portal, or borrow a copy from York Library)

Don’t miss out on this exciting opportunity to explore captivating LGBTQ+ literature and connect with like-minded individuals. Join us at York Theatre Royal’s LGBTQ+ Book Group and embark on a literary journey that celebrates the beauty and diversity of the LGBTQ+ community. We can’t wait to meet you!

OCTOBER – Kiss Of The Spider Woman by Manuel Puig

Valentin and Molina seemingly share little other than a cell in this queer classic ahead of its time.

Sometimes they talk all night long. In the still darkness of their Buenos Aires prison cell, Molina re-weaves the glittering and fragile stories of the film he loves, and the cynical Valentin listens. Valentin believes in the just cause that makes all suffering bearable; Molina believes in the magic of love that makes all else endurable.

Though they seemingly share little other than a cell, the two form a bond so intimate – and a relationship so profoundly affecting – that only the other could understand.

NOVEMBER – Hungerstone by Kat Dunn

Set against the violent wilderness of the Peak district, a compulsive sapphic reworking of original vampire novel Carmilla, the book that inspired Dracula: a captivating story of unstoppable hunger . . .

Lenore is the wife of steel magnate Henry, but ten years into their marriage the relationship has soured, and no child has arrived to fill the distance growing between them. Henry’s ambitions take them from London to the Peak District, to the remote, imposing Nethershaw estate, where he plans to host a hunting party. Lenore must work to restore the crumbling house and ready it for Henry’s guests – their future depends on it.

But as the couple travel through the bleak countryside, a shocking carriage accident brings the mysterious Carmilla into Lenore’s life. Carmilla, who is weak and pale during the day but vibrant at night, Carmilla who stirs up something deep within Lenore. And before long, girls from the local villages fall sick, consumed by a terrible hunger . . .

As the day of the hunt draws closer, Lenore begins to unravel, questioning the role she has been playing all these years. Torn between regaining her husband’s affection and the cravings Carmilla has awakened, soon Lenore will uncover a darkness in her household that will place her at terrible risk . . .

DECEMBER – The Price of Salt /Carol by Patricia Highsmith

Patricia Highsmith’s story of romantic obsession may be one of the most important, but still largely unrecognized, novels of the twentieth century. First published in 1952 and touted as “the novel of a love that society forbids,” the book soon became a cult classic.

Based on a true story plucked from Highsmith’s own life, The Price of Salt (or Carol) tells the riveting drama of Therese Belivet, a stage designer trapped in a department-store day job, whose routine is forever shattered by a gorgeous epiphany–the appearance of Carol Aird, a customer who comes in to buy her daughter a Christmas toy. Therese begins to gravitate toward the alluring suburban housewife, who is trapped in a marriage as stultifying as Therese’s job. They fall in love and set out across the United States, ensnared by society’s confines and the imminent disapproval of others, yet propelled by their infatuation. The Price of Salt is a brilliantly written story that may surprise Highsmith fans and will delight those discovering her work.

JANUARY – A Language of Limbs by Dylan Hardcastle

A love story about the almost crossovers of our lives…

1972. On a quiet summer night in Newcastle, Australia, two teenage girls must each make a choice: to act upon their desires or suppress them? To live an openly queer life or to try desperately not to?

Over the following three decades, these girls grow into women and live out their decisions, always almost crossing paths at pivotal moments. In an era that spans Australia’s first Mardi Gras and the AIDS pandemic, there is joy and grief and loss and desire for each of them – but will their lives ever collide?

A Language of Limbs is about love and how it’s policed, friendship and how it transcends, and hilarity in the face of heartbreak. A celebration of queer life in all its vibrancy and colour, this story finds the humanity in all of us and demands we claim our futures for ourselves.

Invasion of the Bodysnatchers meets Tell Me I’m Worthless in this relentless and visceral horror about a group of queer kids trying to survive the conversion camp from hell, from the author of the critically-acclaimed Manhunt

Something evil is buried deep in the desert.

It wants your body.

It wears your skin.

In the summer of 1995, seven queer kids abandoned by their parents at a remote conversion camp came face to face with it. They survived―but at Camp Resolution, everybody leaves a different person.

Sixteen years later, only the scarred and broken survivors of that terrible summer can put an end to the horror before it’s too late. The fate of the world depends on it.

MARCH – The South by Tash Aw

A radiant novel of the longing that blooms between two boys over the course of one summer – about family, desire, and what we inherit – from celebrated author Tash Aw.When his grandfather dies, a boy named Jay travels south with his family to the property he left them, a once flourishing farm that has fallen into disrepair. The trees are diseased, the fields parched from months of drought.

Still, Jay’s father, Jack, sends him out to work the land, or whatever land is left. Over the course of these hot, dense days, Jay finds himself drawn to Chuan, the son of the farm’s manager, different from him in every way except for one. Out in the fields, and on the streets into town, the charge between the boys intensifies. Inside the house, the other family members confront their own regrets, and begin to drift apart. Like the land around them, they are powerless to resist the global forces that threaten to render their lives obsolete.

At once sweeping and intimate, The South is a story of what happens when private and public lives collide. It is the first in a quartet of novels that form Tash Aw’s masterful portrait of a family navigating a period of great change – a reimagined epic for our times.

Eat Pray Love encouraged us to live authentically. Big Magic taught us how to trust our creative instincts. All the Way to the River shows us how creativity can remake a life.

Elizabeth Gilbert’s journey has inspired millions. Let it inspire you.

In her most intimate memoir yet, Gilbert shows how the love that shatters you can also awaken you – and lead you to the most peaceful, creative and spiritually rich season of life yet.

MAY – Taiwan Travelogue by Yang Shuang-zi

Winner of the International Booker Prize 2026.

Disguised as a translation of a rediscovered text by a Japanese writer, Taiwan Travelogue is a bittersweet story of love between two women, nested in an artful exploration of language, history and power. Set in May 1938, the young novelist Aoyama Chizuko sails from Japan to Taiwan where her interpreter helps her experience real island life and taste as much of its authentic cuisine as her famously monstrous appetite can bear.