Summer reading lists usually contain a lot of fiction, but this year, there's been so many good lesbian memoirs published, that we couldn't leave them off.

1. Are You My Mother: A Comic Drama by Alison Bechdel

Alison Bechdel's last book, Fun Home, chronicled her relationship with her closeted gay father. It only makes sense then, that her latest graphic memoir, would take on her relationship with her mother. Bechedel is beloved by many as the author and artist who for years created the lesbian comic series Dykes to Watch Out For. Despite the graphic drawings, Are You My Mother? is not a light read. In fact, it's quite an intellectual as well as artistic feat, citing, among others Virginia Woolf and on the psychologist Donald Winnicott. For those looking to delve into something with a bit of depth, Are You My Mother? is just the book for you.More »

2. The Girls Club by Sally Bellerose

This Lambda Award finalist tells the story of Cora Rose, who struggles with a family that doesn't quite get her, her chronic illness and emerging sexuality. Publisher's Weekly says, "Characters all the more appealing and realistic for their lack of perfection. The portrayal of a lesbian struggling to deny her realities to everyone including herself, is riveting and at times heartbreaking. A fast-paced, well-written tale with characters who will linger in the reader's memory long after the final page is turned."More »

3. My Two Moms: Lessons of Love, Strength, and What Makes a Family by Zach Wahls

You watched his YouTube video go viral as he spoke so eloquently about how being raised by lesbian moms turned him into the compassionate human being that he is. Now read the book about this young man's life story. This book is especially great for gay and lesbian parents. When you're finished, pass it on to your kids to read.More »

4. Happy Accidents by Jane Lynch

You know her as Sue Sylvester from TV's gayest show Glee, but did you know that Jane Lynch struggled with her sexuality as a young adult in a way that had her drinking and acting like meany Sue Sylvester herself. Jane's autobiography is a great summer read. If you're one of those who believes in fate, then you'll love reading about the "happy accidents" that led Jane Lynch to meet the right people at the right time to launch her acting career and how getting lost in a hotel led her to meet the love of her life.More »

5. When We Were Outlaws by Jeanne Cordova

Jeanne Cordova was a radical activist back in 1970s Los Angeles at the very birth of the US gay rights movement. Her memoir is a great read; a peak into a the drive and passion of an early civil rights movement. When We Were Outlaws is also a love story, albeit, an unconventional one. Like several of the books on this list, it's also the winner of the Lambda Literary Award for Lesbian Memoir.More »

6. Untied: A Memoir of Family, Fame, and Floundering by Meredith Baxter

We loved her as the mom on Family Ties. We cheered when she came out as a lesbian in 2009. Now we can read her story and experience all the highs (working with Robert Redford and Lana Turner) and the lows (her abusive marriage and struggle with alcohol) of her Hollywood life.More »

7. Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal? by Jeanette Winterson

Jeanette Winterson is the beloved author of the best-selling Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit, the story of a young girl raised by Pentecostal parents. In reading her memoir, you can see the real-life situations that inspired her creative work. Amazon.com says, "Witty, acute, fierce, and celebratory, Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal? is a tough-minded search for belonging—for love, identity, home, and a mother."More »

8. The Evil Friendship by Vin Packer

If you liked the movie Heavenly Creatures, then you'll love the novel, The Evil Friendship, written in 1958 and based on the true story of Pauline Parker and Juliet Hulme, two teenagers, who in 1953 were convicted of killing Pauline's mother after they decide she is a barrier to them being together. Vin Packer is also the author of many lesbian pulp novels from the 1950s and this one is being re-released in ebook format.Buy from Amazon »

9. Zipper Mouth by Laurie Weeks

This Lambda Literary Award winning novel for debut lesbian fiction is just 158 pages long, so even the slowest of readers can polish it off at at week's vacation at the beach. Set in New York in the mid 90s, Zipper Mouth explores the harsh reality of a young girl's life on the beautiful and dangerous New York Streets, pining for the love of a straight woman.More »

10. Taken by Surprise by Kenna White

Of course any summer reading list needs to include a romance novel. Kenna White's award winning lesbian romance novel is set in a the snowy Colorado ski town, sure to cool you off on the hot summer days as the love story heats up.More »