10 New LGBTQIA Books to Read This August: Survival Show, Natural Selection, and more

With only a few months left in 2026, you might be looking for new books to reach your reading goal. If you are looking for inspiration, we have some ideas of what you may like.

If you have read the books in our LGBTQIA picks for July, we have 10 new titles to add to your TBR list. Juno Dawson, De Elizabeth, and Dom&Ink are among the authors we highlight this month.

In order of release date, here are 10 LGBTQIA books we are looking forward to reading this August:

1. Survival Show by Juno Dawson – August 4

 

If you like reality TV shows where people sing and The Hunger Games, Survival Show is definitely for you.

This story takes place in a world after a war and flood where people do whatever it takes to survive. In Taryn’s case, that means joining the most popular reality show, only to realize nothing is what it seems.

Book Description: SING FOR YOUR LIFE!

Welcome to the New Alliance – a reimagined world after a war and a flood. Taryn Beck and her family don’t have much, and her younger brother needs vital medication to survive. Medication they can’t access or afford. Taryn secretly enters Network G’s reality show: Starmaker, the most watched TV show in the world.

The rules are simple; young women from all over the globe compete to join an all-singing, all-dancing pop outfit, DOLLHOU5E. If you win, a life of luxury, stardom and wealth awaits . . . But there’s a catch. Eliminated contestants are literally eliminated; “volunteered” to Project Population, an initiative designed to cull the community.

Sequestered in the sinister Dreamhouse, and filmed 24 hours-a-day, Taryn soon realises that reality TV is far from real. She and her fellow trainees are pitted against each other in cruel challenges. Working with gorgeous boyband mentor, Cade, Taryn covertly plots to expose this brutal regime and destroy Starmaker from the inside.

Get ready for the performance of Taryn’s life.

2. The Dream Thieves: The Graphic Novel by Sas Milledge and Maggie Stiefvater – August 4

If you like books that blur dreams with reality and where nightmares come to life, The Dream Thieves is probably your next read.

In this graphic novel, Ronan Lynch holds a secret close to his heart: he can pull things out of dreams. However, as amazing as this may sound, this ability has nearly gotten him killed more than once.

Book Description: The second book in Maggie Stiefvater’s #1 NYT bestselling series The Raven Cycle, now gorgeously illustrated as a graphic novel!

Ronan Lynch is made of secrets. His longest kept one? He can pull impossible things out of dreams. It’s a secret that’s nearly killed him more than once.
Waking the corpse road should have led Blue and the Raven Boys straight to Glendower, the Whelsh king rumored to be sleeping beneath the mountains of Henrietta.

But instead, the forest of Cabeswater has disappeared, energy hums and sputters beneath the town, and the Raven Boys’ search is at a dead end. Ronan’s dreams may be the key to finding Glendower, but none of the Raven Boys are prepared for what will be unleashed in Ronan’s desperate attempt to finally control his power.

Reimagined as a stunning full-color graphic novel adapted and illustrated by Sas Milledge, Dream Thieves blurs the line between reality and nightmare until they are one and the same.

3. Milton Makes a Move by Jonathan Graziano and Dan Tavis – August 4

Do you remember Noodles, the bones-or-no-bones dog? Well, buckle up because this might be the perfect book to read with your kids (or alone).

Jonathan Graziano takes the life os his newly adopted dog, Milton, and turns it into a fun and loving adventure. From traveling on a plane to hiding from storms, Jonathan and Milton share a life of good memories.

Book Description: From Jonathan Graziano, the creator of the viral “Bones or No Bones” TikTok videos and the instant #1 New York Times bestselling Noodle and the No Bones Day, comes a charming and heartfelt picture book following Milton the pug, Jonathan’s newly adopted dog, as he makes a brave move to his forever home!

Milton is a curious little pug who loves adventure—especially when it involves snacks, stinky smells, and playing with his dog friends. He’s heard that some dogs go off to live with forever families… but that kind of adventure feels a little too big for Milton.

So when Milton finds out he’s moving to a new home of his own, he packs his tiny suitcase (stuffed toy included) and does his best to be brave. He’s surprised to find that his new human friend, Jonathan, seems nervous too! But as Milton settles into his new home, he and Jonathan will learn that being brave means giving new things, and new friends, a chance.

4. She Haunts Me Still by De Elizabeth – August 11

If vampires, death, bloody hauntings, and mysteries are your thing, De Elizabeth’s new book might be your newest favorite story.

She Haunts Me Still follows Mallory as she joins her mother’s alma mater as a theater major. What is supposed to be a dream come true soon turns into a nightmare when the reason behind her mother’s death comes back to haunt her.

Book Description: These violent delights have violent ends.

After surviving a shadowed childhood, Mallory Webb is ready to start fresh as a theater major at her mother’s alma mater, a sanitarium turned liberal arts university in Rhode Island. Landing the lead role in Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet feels like a dream—until the blood-soaked wraith that caused her mother’s death resurfaces after years of quiet. With nothing to go on but cryptic symbols in an old college notebook, Mallory hopes the reason behind her mother’s haunting lies somewhere on campus, and resolves to find answers before she meets the same fate.

She’s surprised to make an unexpected ally in Ezra Pierce, the magnetic fourth year directing the play, and takes solace in their undeniable chemistry. But Ezra is a master secret keeper, and it’s clear he knows more than he’s letting on about Saskia Garin, Mallory’s elusive understudy whose past eerily mirrors her own.

When an ancient, bloodthirsty evil calls to collect a bargain that dates back to the New England vampire panic, Mallory, Ezra, and Saskia will have to untangle the tragic ways in which their histories are linked—and face the devastating consequences of their own star-crossed love story.

5. Little Monsters by Máire Roche – August 18

Everyone loves an alternative universe or ending of Little Women. That’s why Little Monsters might be the perfect next read no matter your age.

Meg has sharp teeth, Jo turns with the full moon, Beth has wings to fly, and Amy turns into a mermaid. The March sisters do their best to keep their monstrous identity a secret, but things get more complicated when a beast in the woods threatens to expose their truth.

Book Description: In this modern supernatural middle grade retelling of the beloved classic Little Women, the March sisters have a monstrous secret Meg will do anything to protect—especially with another beast lurking in the woods threatening to expose them.

Meg March and her three sisters are monsters. No, really. Meg has teeth that are a little too sharp. Jo gets furry under the full moon. Beth goes night flying on wings that are impossible to hide under her sweaters. And Amy? Well, don’t let her near a body of water or she’ll start sprouting her mermaid’s tail.
Meg is sure their foster mom, Marmee, wouldn’t like any of this if she knew. And Jo’s best friend Laurie, the nice boy next door, would run screaming. To make matters worse, Meg’s small town outside of Salem is on edge. A vicious beast has been spotted in the forest, and Farmer Bhaer believes it’s responsible for his missing chickens. Meg is sure to be blamed if anyone realizes she’s a monster in disguise. And the closer it gets to Halloween, the surer the town is that something evil is hiding in the forest.

Meg doesn’t always remember what she gets up to at night, and sometimes, she wakes alone in a mossy part of the forest and has to find her way back. With John Brooke determined to find out just what Meg is hiding and locals working to uncover the monsters in their midst, Meg must find the culprit herself—or risk losing the little home she’s found with her sisters.

6. Queens of the Crypt by Dom&Ink – August 18

If horror and queer stories are your main thing, Queens of the Crypt is definitely for you.

The first volume in this story, set in Widow’s Creek, focuses on Barnaby Jones. Before falling as the next victim, Barnaby summons the Queens of the Crypt. Could they help him solve the mystery?

Book Description: A celebration of all things horror, queerness and figuring out who you want to be.

Teens are going missing in small town Widow’s Creek. When Barnaby Jones is about to become the next victim, they unwittingly summon the Queens of the Crypt, protectors of the world from unspeakable evil. Barnaby and the Queens must work together and unmask the monster behind the kidnappings.

7. The Divine Gardener’s Handbook: Or What To Do If Your Girlfriend Accidentally Turns Off the Sun by Eli Snow – August 18

Sapphic characters, dystopian universe, and fantasy sound good to you? Then you must get your hands on The Divine Gardener’s Handbook: Or What to Do If Your Girlfriend Accidentally Turns Off the Sun.

Cyprin’s only life goal has been to work in the Divine Gardens. She knows it’s a near-impossible task, but there is a chance if she can win the annual flower pageant. The only problem? The pageant is ruled by Purcell, the one person Cyprin can’t stop thinking about.

Book Description: WARNING: MAY CAUSE REBELLION, RADICAL GARDENING, AND ROMANCE.

“Pure chaotic good.” —Julie Leong, USA Today bestselling author of The Teller of Small Fortunes

The Divine Gardener’s Handbook is a sapphic dystopian fantasy of botanical sabotage, a questionable god named Saul, and a woman falling for the person most likely to ruin her life.

In a Jenga-stacked megacity where glowing blue flowers hum in the dark and palace doors open into secret worlds, getting a job in the Divine Gardens is almost impossible—like being plucked from obscurity by a carnival claw machine. But Cyprin has spent her whole life trying.

Her only chance is winning the annual flower pageant, dominated for five years by Purcell: brilliant head gardener, unbearable rival, and the one person Cyprin can’t stop thinking about. When Cyprin cheats her way to victory, she’s thrust into a world of sentient plants, ancient secrets, and a God who turns out to be just some exhausted man with a very good garden.

What begins as rivalry, heated glaring, and increasingly personal acts of warfare spirals into something much more dangerous. As rebellion spreads through the city and the truth beneath the Gardens begins to unravel, Cyprin and Purcell find themselves caught between ambition, obsession, and the terrifying possibility of understanding each other completely.

Even if they burn the whole world down in the process.

The Divine Gardener’s Handbook is perfect for readers who like their fantasy weird, heartfelt, and a little unhinged.

8. Bite Me by Jennifer Dugan and Kit Seaton – August 25

Did you love watching Netflix’s First Kill and mourn its cancellation? Well, you might have a chance of reviving that feeling by reading Bite Me.

Poe is turned into a vampire in her senior year of high school. What she never expected was to find out her crush is a vampire slayer. After an act of betrayal that nearly ends Poe’s life, she must find a way to claim her revenge.

Book Description: A sapphic supernatural YA graphic novel featuring a vampire crushing on the girl hunting her, from the author of Some Girls Do and the illustrator of Wonder Woman: Warbringer.

Poe never imagined that during her senior year of high school she would be attacked by a pair of vampires and turned into one herself. And she never dreamed her longtime crush, Jolie—who seemed to maybe actually like Poe back—would turn out to be a slayer.

When Jolie drives a wooden stake into her chest, Poe’s heart is broken at the betrayal. But somehow she survives the slaying, and when she awakens, it’s unclear which is stronger inside her: the thirst for blood, or the thirst for revenge on Jolie.

Now the hunter has become the hunted. But, when the girls come face to face again, Jolie seems overjoyed that Poe is still alive. And beneath Poe’s rage remains a burning passion of a different sort. But can a vampire and a slayer ever be more to each other than predator and prey?

9. Natural Selection by Clare Edge – August 25

If you ever wondered “man or bear?” Natural Selection might help you answer that question.

Three Megans become tired of what’s happening in Riverside. Kevin, one of the Megans’ boyfriend, has only been afraid of the dark and bears, but now three new things might start to scare him.

Book Description: Three girls bond in unsettling ways when a grizzly starts picking off known abusers in their secluded mountain town in this darkly funny, deeply feminist novel for fans of books like The Honeys and Wilder Girls.

When it comes to boys and bears, always choose the bear.

The girls of Riverside are raised to grin and bear it. Until three of them can’t anymore.

Megan Lawless (aka Outlaw): Riverside born and raised. Lettered in volleyball, basketball, and track. HATES Kevin Johnson, but tolerates him for her best friend, Megan.

Megan Deloria: Outlaw’s ride or die. Riverside royalty and soon to be valedictorian. Shoo-in for the homecoming crown alongside her boyfriend, Kevin.

Meghan Bach (aka Bee): Moved to Riverside last year. Still the “new girl.” Pulls tarot cards daily. Just wants to forget what happened last summer at that party with Kevin.

And then there’s Kevin Johnson: Riverside’s Golden Boy. Only scared of two things—the dark and bears. Soon, he’ll be scared of three more.

Because Megan, Megan, and Meghan are done with Kevin, and they’re about to teach everyone in their tiny rural town the new natural order: Predator, meet prey.

10. The Travelers by Greg Howard – August 25

If you enjoyed Greg Howard’s The Whispers, his new story might be for you.

The Travelers tells the story of 12-year-old Ben after the unexpected death of his mother. When he moves in with his grandmother, Ben must follow two rules: do not touch the clocks and do not visit the third floor. But what happens when Ben hears noises on the third floor?

Book Description: From Edgar nominee and author of critically acclaimed The Whispers comes a tale of friendship, found family, and the knowledge that even in death, those we love never really leave us.

When twelve-year-old Ben Turner’s mom unexpectedly passes away, he’s forced into the care of the only living relative he has left—a grandmother he’s never met who lives in a place he’s never been. Rutledge, South Carolina is worlds from bustling Nashville.

Upon arriving at his grandmother’s house, Ben is dumbfounded by the large, stone and brick building that greets him. Clifton House appears far more haunted mansion than house and Ben can’t get over the fact that this is where his mom grew up. Inside, Ben is surprised to see clocks—clocks of all shapes and sizes on the walls, mantels and tables. What’s even more surprising, is that none of the clocks tell the correct time and some even seem to be moving backwards.

Before Ben can ask too many questions, his stern grandmother tells him there are two rules that must be followed at Clifton  never touch the clocks and never go up to the third floor. But on his very first night, Ben hears footsteps and hushed whispers—all seeming to come from the third floor.

Soon Ben begins to suspect there’s something more to Clifton House than broken clocks and dusty old furniture. Is it poltergeists? Hidden passageways? Or something to do with the very fabric of time itself? With the help of two new friends, Ollie and Ash, Ben embarks on a quest to solve the mystery of Clifton

House and quickly finds himself in a race against time to save his family and possibly even himself.

Edgar-nominated Greg Howard returns with a heartening, twisty mystery that is also a profound journey of loss and healing.

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What will you be reading in August? Share your picks in the comments below!

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