Austin has five bookstores with queer owners or a queer focus, and several free LGBTQ+ book clubs that meet every month. If you want one shop that stocks only queer books, go to The Little Gay Shop on East 12th. BookWoman on North Lamar has been at it for 50 years. For a free book club with no purchase needed, the Austin Public Library runs two.
The Short List
| Where | What it is |
|---|---|
| The Little Gay Shop | Queer books and makers on East 12th, plus three free book clubs |
| BookWoman | Feminist and queer bookstore on North Lamar, 50 years running |
| Birdhouse Books | Queer-, woman- and veteran-owned shop on Burnet Road |
| Reverie Books | Small queer-owned shop on Menchaca Road |
| Finney’s Books | Queer- and woman-owned romance shop with a queer romance club |
| Austin Public Library | Two free LGBTQIA+ book clubs, north and south |
| Local Queer | A monthly book club for sapphic and trans readers |
Bookstores
The Little Gay Shop
The Little Gay Shop sells “books, magazines, art, apparel, pins, and more from hundreds of queer makers.” KUT reported in April 2026 that it “exclusively carries books by, for and about the queer community.” It also runs the book clubs listed below, and KUT says members get 15% off the club picks.
- Where: 1902 E 12th Street
- Hours, as posted: Sunday to Thursday 11 AM to 6 PM, Friday and Saturday to 7 PM
- Parking: the shop recommends free street parking and warns that the dirt lot at the end of the block tows without warning
- More: Visit The Little Gay Shop
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BookWoman
BookWoman calls itself “the oldest, queerest, feminist-est bookstore in Texas,” with 50 years behind it. It runs the BookWoman BookGroup and hosts author talks.
- Where: 5501 N Lamar Blvd, #A-105, Austin 78751
- Phone: 512-472-2785
- More: BookWoman
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Birdhouse Books
Birdhouse Books says it is “a queer- woman- veteran-owned independent book and gifts store serving Brentwood.” It runs a Queer Poetry Open Mic Night. The October 15, 2026, open mic asked for a $5 RSVP that becomes store credit. It also has a local author book club.
- Where: 5925 Burnet Rd
- Phone: 512-215-2539
- Hours, as posted: daily, 10 AM to 6 PM
- More: Birdhouse Books
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Reverie Books
KUT described Reverie Books in April 2026 as “the queer-owned shop” that “might be tiny.” The store says its online catalog doesn’t match what’s on its shelves, so call before you make the trip for one title.
- Where: 5330 Menchaca Rd, Suite D, Austin 78745
- Phone: 512-368-4455
- Hours, as posted: daily, 10 AM to 8 PM, “subject to change”
- More: Reverie Books
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Finney’s Books
Finney’s calls itself a “Queer and woman-owned romance bookstore.” KUT reported that it runs four book clubs, and one is for queer romance.
- Where: 3823 Airport Blvd, Suite D, Austin 78722
- Hours, as posted: Tuesday to Thursday noon to 6 PM, Friday noon to 7 PM, weekends 11 AM to 7 PM
- More: @finneysbooks on Instagram
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Book Clubs
The Little Gay Shop’s Book Clubs
The Little Gay Book Club is “an all-inclusive, queer-centric book club,” and “Membership is always free.” Sign up once, then come to as many meetings as you like. In October 2026 it met twice, once at the shop’s warehouse on Burleson Road and once at the Central Market cafe on North Lamar. The shop also runs the Reading Rainbow Club for queer genre fiction and a cookbook club.
- This month’s picks and places: The Little Gay Book Club
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Austin Public Library
The library’s Reading the Rainbow book club is free, for adults 18 and up, and meets in two places:
- South: Twin Oaks Branch, 1800 S. Fifth St. You can join in person or online. The next two are Wednesday, November 4, and Wednesday, December 2, 7 to 8 PM
- North: Yarborough Branch, 2200 Hancock Dr. The next two are Saturday, November 7, and Saturday, December 5, 3 to 4 PM
- Accessibility requests: 512-974-7400
- More: Reading the Rainbow
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Local Queer
Local Queer runs a monthly book club along with its walking club, game night and non-alcoholic happy hour. Its calendar is on Partiful. If you’re sapphic or trans and new in town, our lesbian bars guide has more of what Local Queer does.
- Calendar: Local Queer events
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Before You Go
- Check the month’s location. The Little Gay Book Club moves around, and the library’s two clubs meet at different branches
- You don’t have to finish the book. The library’s South club says so outright
- Register for the library’s online option. Virtual attendees sign up on Eventbrite to get the link
- Call a small shop before you drive across town for one title
What We Couldn’t Check
- Monkeywrench Books. Reviews mention it, but we didn’t find a statement from the store itself
- Whether bigger stores like BookPeople run an LGBTQ+ book club. We didn’t find one on the pages we read
- Hours for BookWoman. Its site links to a map and hours page we didn’t load
Last checked: October 2026. Read from each store’s or club’s own website, Finney’s Instagram, and KUT (April 24, 2026) on October 14, 2026. We haven’t been to these clubs. See how we choose what goes on a list.
Coming early 2027
Community Circles: six people, one weeknight, the same faces every week
Small, peer-led, free. A place where people remember what you said last week.