Best Sellers
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DVDs GAY 1. “Noah’s Arc: Jumping the Broom,” directed by Patrick Ian Polik (2008, 101 min., $24.95 DVD). Noah’s Arc is back, and you’re invited to the big wedding! But can Noah and Wade really pull it off? Will Ricky’s sexcapades get the better of him? Can Chance and Eddie stay together? And can Alex stay sane? Get set for a wild wedding weekend of love, laughs, sex and some serious drama. 2. “Milk,” directed by Gus van Sant (2008, 129 min., $29.98 DVD). Based on the politically resonant and thoroughly timely screenplay by Dustin Lance Black, van Sant follows the arc of Milk’s political awakening, from closeted Brooklyn insurance executive to doyen of San Francisco’s Castro district’s burgeoning gay mecca in the 1970s. 3. “The Lair: Season 2,” directed by Fred Olen Ray (2007, 229 min., $29.95 DVD). A supernatural thriller with an eye for the erotic, season two boldly goes where few shows of its type have ever dared. 4. “On the Other Hand Death,” directed by Ron Oliver (2008, 85 min., $24.95 DVD). The newest suspenseful installment of gay private investigator Donald Strachey, based on the long-running series of mystery books by Richard Stevenson. 5. “Dieux du Stade 2009,” directed by Dieux du Stade (2009, 113 min., $26.95 DVD). This film shows the making of the 2009 Dieux du Stade calendar. 6. “The DL Chronicles,” directed by Quincey Lenear and Deondray Gossett (2007, 132 min., $24.95 DVD). Tells the stories of men of color who, by necessity and by choice, live sexually duplicitous and secret lifestyles. 7. “Rick & Steve: Season 2,” various directors (2008, 176 min., $19.95 DVD). Season 2 begins with pregnant lesbian Dana still in labor with Rick’s (or is it Steve’s?) baby, Dixie. During the eight hilarious and hectic episodes of Rick and Steve’s second season, you’ll see inside Steve’s Trick Box, tag along on a gay re-imagining of “Wicked” (is that redundant?), discover San Francisco’s secret Straight Underground and come face-to-face with the terror of Lesbian Bed Death.
LESBIAN 1. “Watermelon Woman,” directed by Cheryl Dunye (1997, 90 min., $19.95 DVD). Cheryl, a young black woman, is making a documentary about an obscure black actress from the 1930s. Just as she discovers that the actress had a white lesbian lover, Cheryl meets the girl of her own dreams. 2. “If These Walls Could Talk 2,” various directors (2000, 96 min., $9.95 DVD). A trio of stories about lesbian couples in three different decades. 3. “When Night is Falling,” directed by Patricia Rozema (1995, 94 min., $19.95 DVD). Camille looked forward to marrying her adoring, minister boyfriend and settling down; a chance encounter with a beautiful, irresistibly sensuous young female circus performer named Petra is about to transform Camille’s predictable life into an electrifyingly erotic adventure. 4. “She Likes Girls 3,” various directors (2008, 92 min., $24.95). The girls who like the girls are back in this jam-packed installment of the most popular lesbian shorts DVD series of all time. 5. “Four Minutes,” directed by Chris Klaus (2007, 112 min., $24.95). Jenny, a musical prodigy, finds herself behind bars for murder, but one person wants to help her out — Traude, the 80-year-old piano instructor who has taught at the prison for years. 6. “This Kiss,” directed by Kylie Eddy (2007, 73 min., $24.95 DVD). Follow what happens when two best friends from childhood reconnect after a decade, only to discover how different their lives have become. 7. “Spider Lilies,” directed by Zero Chou (2006, 98 min., $24.95 DVD). From Taiwan’s hottest female director, this youthful melodrama is a cinematic exploration of love and memory featuring an awesome soundtrack and a great cast.
Books LESBIAN 1. “Consequences” by Skyy (King’s Crossing, 304 pp., $15.95 pb). School’s back in session and there’s a lot of unfinished business to handle. This fast-paced sequel to “Choices” will leave you on an emotional roller coaster you won’t want to get off. 2. “Borderlands/La Frontera,” by Gloria Anzaldua (Aunt Lute, 288 pp., $16.95 pb). Rooted in Anzaldua’s experience as a Chicana, a lesbian, an activist and a writer, the groundbreaking essays and poems in this volume profoundly challenged how we think about identity. 3. “Transgender History,” by Susan Stryker (Seal Press, 190 pp., $12.95 pb). Covering American transgender history from the mid-20th century to today, “Transgender History” takes a chronological approach to the subject of transgender history, with each chapter covering major movements, writings and events. 4. “Best Lesbian Romance 2009,” edited by Radclyffe (Cleis Press, 230 pp., $14.95 pb). Who says romance is dead? Certainly not the authors of these powerful stories of lesbians in love — and sometimes in lust. 5. “Best Lesbian Erotica 2009,” edited by Tristan Taormino (Cleis Press, 286 pp., $15.95 pb). “Best Lesbian Erotica 2009” journeys into the world of hot women-on-women action with edgy, unusual stories that push lesbian lust and desire to new heights. 6. “Side Order of Love,” by Tracey Richardson (Bella, 251 pp., $14.95 pb). From the author of the runaway bestseller “The Candidate” comes the story of two women trying to find the right recipe for love. 7. “Choices,” by Skyy (Kings Crossing, 255 pp., $14.95 pb). With lots of lesbian drama, this sexy tale weaves together the lives of three out lesbians and their new friend, who never questioned her sexuality — until now.
GAY 1. “The Torturer’s Wife,” by Thomas Glave (City Lights, 261 pp., $15.95 pb). Glave, known for his stylistic brio, expands and deepens his lyrical experimentation in stories that focus — explicitly and allegorically — on the horrors of despotic dictatorships, terror, antigay violence, the weight of memory, secret fetishes, erotic longing, desire and intimacy. 2. “Blind Fall,” by Christopher Rice (Pocket Books, 302 pp., $15 pb). A story of honor and integrity, of turning failure into victory, “Blind Fall” is the story of two men, one a Marine, one gay, who must unite to avenge the death of the man they both loved — one as a brother-in-arms, one as a lover — and to survive. 3. “Fool for Love: New Gay Fiction,” edited by Timothy Lambert (Cleis Press, 268 pp., $14.95 pb). For all those who think love’s gone the way of the eight-track comes a collection of new gay fiction designed to reignite their belief in love and romance. 4. “Uncommon Reader,” by Alan Bennett (Picador, 120 pp., $12 pb). From one of England’s most celebrated writers, the author of the award-winning “The History Boys,” comes a mischievous novella about the Queen of England and the subversive power of reading. 5. “Basketball Jones,” by E. Lynn Harris (Doubleday, 256 pp., $22.95 hb). Harris returns to explore the down-low culture that made his first novel “Invisible Life” a groundbreaking phenomenon in his latest rip-roaring tale of sex, secrets and betrayal. 6. “Mayor of Castro Street,” by Randy Shilts (St. Martin’s Griffin, 388 pp., $16.95 pb). Known as “The Mayor of Castro Street” even before he was elected to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, Harvey Milk’s personal life, public career and assassination reflect the dramatic emergence of the gay community as a political power in America. 7. “Out of the Pocket,” by Bill Konigsberg (Dutton, 256 pp., $16.99 hb). Star quarterback Bobby Framingham knows he’s different from his teammates. They’re like brothers, but they don’t know that Bobby is gay. After he’s outed by a student reporter, Bobby must find a way to earn back his teammates’ trust.