Information is courtesy of Giovanni’s Room, 345 S. 12th St.; (215) 923-2960; www.queerbooks.com. Ten-percent off most hardcover in-store sales.
DVDs
Women’s 1. “Edie & Thea: A Very Long Engagement,” directed by Greta Olafsdottir and Susan Muska (61 min., $24.95). A lovingly crafted documentary in which Edie and Thea recount how their improbable romance ignited a lifelong journey around the world and through history. 2. “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. 3. “The Baby Formula,” directed by Alison Reid (2009, 81 min., $24.95). In this feisty, fun and fantastical comedy, two lesbians in love become pregnant at the same time (with sperm created from one another’s stem cells) and embark on a wild adventure. 4. “Truth Hall,” directed by Jade Janise Dixon (88 min., $14.98). Some dirty little secrets are about to come out! Riskier and more provocative than “Waiting to Exhale,” this film examines the bonds of friendship, linking a group of African-American women who were inseparable in college. 5. “Girl + Girl: Classic Lesbian Short Films” (2006, 90 min., $19.95). Showcases long unavailable film festival favorites and pioneering works, including the glossy British lesbian coming-out fantasy “Rosebud.”
Gay 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. “Strapped,” directed by Joseph Graham (2010, 95 min., $19.95). A routine trick at a man’s apartment propels a cynical hustler into a series of strange and life-changing encounters. 3. “The String” (“Le Fil”), directed by Mehdi ben Attia (2009, 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 PI 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. “Boy,” directed by Auraeus Solito (2009, 80 min., $19.95). A delightful, sexy, romantic coming-of-age story about a young poet in Manila who discovers his sexuality and falls for a macho dancer. 6. “Word Is Out,” directed by Peter Brown et al. (1977/2007, 132 min., $29.95). The first feature-length documentary about lesbian and gay identity made by gay filmmakers.
BOOKS
Gay 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. 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. “Me,” by Ricky Martin (Penguin, 292 pp., $26.95 hb, less 10 percent in the store). 3. “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. 4. “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. 5. “Roman,” by Dwayne Vernon (Norcarjo, 272 pp., $15 pb). Roman is a street hustler with an 11th-grade education running the streets of Washington, D.C. 6. “Best Gay Stories 2010,” edited by Steve Berman (Lethe, 252 pp., $18 pb). Confessions and stories that range from in scope from “S” — sensational — to “XL” — extra-liberating. 7. “Probation,” by Tom Mendicino (Kensington, 304 pp., $15 pb). How a closeted gay man’s decision to marry impacts his life and the people he loves, and what happens when the lies unravel. 8. “Great Speeches on Gay Rights,” edited by James Daley (Dover, 150 pp., $3.50 pb). Tracing the movement’s rhetoric from the late 1800s to the present, this anthology includes Ingersoll’s “Address at the Funeral of Walt Whitman,” Milk’s “Hope Speech” and Kameny’s “Civil Liberties: A Progress Report.”
Women’s 1. “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. 2. “Inferno: A Poet’s Novel,” by Eileen Myles (O/R, 256 pp., $16 pb). Myles attacks Patti Smith! In a novel! 3. “Ash,” by Malinda Lo (Little, Brown, 272 pp., $8.99 new in pb). Entrancing and romantic, “Ash” is an empowering retelling of Cinderella about the connection between life and love, and solitude and death, where transformation can come from even the deepest grief. An ALA Best Book for Young Adults and “Kirkus Reviews” Best YA Book of 2009. 4. “Tipping the Velvet,” by Sarah Waters (Riverhead, 472 pp., $16 pb). This stunning and steamy debut chronicles the adventures of Nan King, a small-town girl at the turn of the century whose life takes a wild turn when she follows a local music hall star to London. 5. “The Salt Roads,” by Nalo Hopkinson (Warner, 409 pp., $21.99 pb). A lyrical meditation on the lives of slaves and gods alike, a magical journey through a world unique to Hopkinson’s broad vision. 6. “Great Speeches on Gay Rights,” edited by James Daley (Dover, 150 pp., $3.50 pb). Tracing the movement’s rhetoric from the late 1800s to the present, this anthology includes Ingersoll’s “Address at the Funeral of Walt Whitman,” Milk’s “Hope Speech” and Kameny’s “Civil Liberties: A Progress Report.” 7. “All About Love: New Visions,” by bell hooks (Harper, 272 pp., $13.99 pb). In 13 concise chapters, hooks examines her own search for emotional connection and society’s failure to provide a model for learning to love. 8. “The Butterfly Moments,” by S. Renee Bess (Regal Crest, 208, $16.95 pb). After a 20-plus year career as a parole officer in Philadelphia, Alana Blue is ready to leave her job and move on to more rewarding work.