Information is courtesy of Giovanni’s Room, 345 S. 12th St.; (215) 923-2960; www.giovannisroom.com. Ten-percent off most hardcover in-store sales.
DVDs
Women’s 1. “And Then Came Lola,” directed by Ellen Seidler and Megan Siler (2009, 70 min., $24.95). This wonderfully fun and sexy lesbian romp takes a tour through the streets of San Francisco as photographer Lola races to get to a crucial meeting on time. 2. “Wanda Sykes: I’ma Be Me,” starring Wanda Sykes (2009, 60 min., $19.95). Dominating everything from television sitcoms to feature films, this comedian extraordinaire has returned in her second solo comedy special. 3. “Murder.com,” directed by Rex Piano (85 min., $24.98). A thriller about a woman who learns about her sister’s secret life when she begins investigating her murder. 4. “I Can’t Think Straight,” directed by Shamin Sarif (2008, 80 min., $24.95). Two women who fall in love on the eve of one woman’s wedding. 5. “Tru Loved,” directed by Stewart Wade (2008, $24.95). When her lesbian moms decide to move the family to a conservative suburban town, Tru’s life becomes complicated by sexual politics, closed minds and closeted friends. 6. “Girl Seeks Girl/Chica Busca Chica,” directed by Sonia Sebastian (2007, 153 min., $24.95). This hot and hilarious soap opera follows the mixed-up love lives of a group of sexy Madrid lesbians.
Men’s 1. “BearCity,” directed by Doug Langway (2010, 99 min., $19.99). Follows a tight-knit pack of friends experiencing comical mishaps and emotionally sweet yet lusty romantic encounters. 2. “Plan B,” directed by Marco Berger (2009, 103 min., $19.95). Bruno is dumped by his girlfriend; behind a calm, indifferent expression, his mind plans a cold, sweet vengeance: He befriends her new boyfriend, Pablo. English subtitles. 3. “The String (Le Fil),” directed by Mehdi ben Atta (2010, 90 min., $19.95). Class, cultural and sexual differences are explored in this romantic gay drama set in sun-splashed Tunisia. 4. “Ice Blues: A Donald Strachey Mystery,” directed by Ron Oliver (2008, 84 min., $24.95). Our P.I. takes on the case of his life and gets caught in a high-stakes whirlwind of deceit and murder when his partner asks him to uncover the source of an anonymous multi-million-dollar donation to a youth center. 5. “Rag Tag,” directed by Adaora Nwandu (2009, 98 min., $29.95). A moving story of two childhood friends who, when they meet again as adults, realize that they feel more than friendship for each other. However, many obstacles challenge their deep love. 6. “Clapham Junction,” directed by Adrian Shergold (2007, 120 min., $24.95). After another man falls victim to a violent gay-bashing incident, the homosexual community of Clapham Junction comes together to bring the assailants to justice.
Books
Men’s 1. “Mary Ann in Autumn: A Tales of the City Novel,” by Armistead Maupin (Harper, 304 pp., $25.99 hb, less 10 percent in the store). Twenty years have passed since Mary Ann Singleton left her husband and child in San Francisco to pursue her dream of a television career in New York City. Now a pair of personal calamities have driven her back to the city of her youth and into the arms of her oldest friend, Michael “Mouse” Tolliver, a gardener happily ensconced with his much-younger husband. 2. “Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk: A Modest Bestiary,” by David Sedaris and illustrated by Ian Falconer (Little, Brown, 159 pp., $21.99, less 10 percent in the store). The characters may not be human, but the situations in these stories bear an uncanny resemblance to the insanity of everyday life. 3. “Into the Stars,” by Thomas James (Lulu, $15.99 pb). “Is it better to have loved and lost or to have never loved at all? Let me explain. I just moved to New York City with my daughter, Arianna, to direct a play I had written to get over my ex, Derek.” 4. “Me,” by Ricky Martin (Penguin, 292 pp., $26.95 hb, less 10 percent in the store). 5. “Murder on Camac,” by Joseph R. G. DeMarco (Lethe, 396 pp., $18 pb). Gunned down in the Center City street, author Helmut Brandt’s life ebbs away and puts P.I. Marco Fontana on a collision course with the church and local community. Dueling with the Catholic hierarchy and combing through seedy gay hangouts, Fontana encounters dangerous characters and powerful forces intent on stopping him. 6. “Role Models,” by John Waters (Farrar Straus Giroux, 304 pp., $25 hb, less 10 percent in the store). A self-portrait told through intimate literary profiles of the author’s favorite personalities — some famous, some unknown, some criminal, some surprisingly middle-of-the-road — who helped the author form his own brand of neurotic happiness. 7. “Secret Historian: The Life and Times of Samuel Steward, Professor, Tattoo Artist and Sexual Renegade,” by Justin Spring (Farrar Straus Grioux, 478 pp., $32.50 hb less 10 percent in the store). Drawn from the secret, never-before-seen diaries, journals and sexual records of the novelist, poet and university professor Samuel M. Steward, this work is a sensational reconstruction of one of the more extraordinary hidden lives of the 20th century.
Trans 1. “Butch Is a Noun,” by S. Bear Bergman (Arsenal Pulp, 192 pp., $18.95 pb). On what it means to be butch. Second edition. 2. “Gender Outlaws: The Next Generation,” edited by Kate Bornstein and S. Bear Bergman (Seal, 302 pp., $16.95 pb). Part coming-of-age story, part mind-altering manifesto on gender and sexuality, coming directly to you from the life experiences of a transsexual woman. 3. “From the Inside Out: Radical Gender Transformation, FTM and Beyond,” by Morty Diamond (Manic D, 168 pp., $13.95 pb). Born female yet little identified with that gender, these transgender, genderqueer, third gender and gender-variant writers offer personal insights into changing gender identity, dating, workplace issues and more. 4. “Feeling Wrong in Your Own Body: Understanding What It Means to Be Transgender,” by Jaime A. Seba (Mason Crest, 64 pp., $9.95 pb). Based on the personal experiences of the men and women who’ve taken steps to transition.
Women’s 1. “iWant: My Journey from Addiction and Overconsumption to a Simpler, Honest Life,” by Jane Velez-Mitchell (Health Communications, 288 pp., $14.95 new in pb). Investigative journalist and author Velez-Mitchell traces her unique quest for an addiction-free life over the course of many years, detailing her struggles to stop drinking, smoking, overeating and overworking. Coming out helped a lot. 2. “Missed Her,” by Ivan E. Coyote (Arsenal Pulp, 142 pp., $16.95 pb). Beautiful, funny stories about growing up a lesbian butch in the Canadian north have attracted big audiences whether gay, straight or otherwise. Coyote’s fifth story collection. 3. “Hitching to Nirvana: A Novel, “ by Janet Mason (Createspace, 298 pp., $11.95 pb). When Adrianne hits turbulence in midlife — her long-term relationship hanging by a thread, a new love interest beckoning, her job soon to be nonexistent — she finds that she must return to the past before she can go on. 4. “The Butterfly Moments,” by S. Renee Bess (Regal Crest, 208 pp., $16.95 pb). After a 20-plus year career as a parole officer in Philadelphia, Alana Blue is more than ready to leave her job and move on to more rewarding work. 5. “Swan: Poems and Prose Poems,” by Mary Oliver (Beacon, 96 pp., $23 hb, less 10 percent in the store). “Joy is not made to be a crumb,” writes Mary Oliver, and certainly joy abounds in her new book of verse. 6. “Staying in the Game,” by Nann Dunne (Blue Feather, 196 pp., $14.50 pb). A serial killer has every college in the area on tenterhooks. When Shelley Brinton switches to Spofford College and acts mysteriously, her softball teammates jump to unnerving conclusions. 7. “Desire by Starlight,” by Radclyffe (Bold Strokes, 261 pp., $16.95 pb). Best-selling romance author Jenna Hardy, aka Cassandra Hart, sprints through life from one appearance to the next, always on deadline, always in demand, always on the arm of a different beautiful woman.