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. “The Owls,” directed by Cheryl Dunyé (2010, 94 min., $27.95). 2. “The Watermelon Woman,” directed by Cheryl Dunyé (1997, 90 min., $19.95). 3. “A Marine Story,” directed by Ned Farr (2010, 93 min., $24.95). 4. “Purple Sea,” directed by Donatella Maiorca (2009, 105 min., $24.95, in Italian with subtitles). Two women in 19th-century Sicily defy tradition. 5. “Lovers & Friends Show,” Season 3, directed by Charmain Johnson (2010, 217 min., $19.95). The ever-changing lives of your favorite women steam up as their worlds are turned upside-down. 6. “Edie & Thea: A Very Long Engagement,” directed by Greta Olafsdottir and Susan Muska (2009, 61 min., $24.99). 7. “The Real L Word,” Season 1 (2010, 530 min., $36.98). Three-disc set. 8. “Lovers & Friends Show,” Season 2, directed by Charmain Johnson (2009, 163 min., $19.95).
Men’s 1. “Howl,” directed by Jeffrey Friedman and Rob Epstein (2010, 90 min., $29.95). It’s San Francisco in 1957, and an American masterpiece, Allen Ginsberg’s “Howl,” is put on trial. 2. “Role Play,” directed by Robb Williams (2010, 85 min., $19.95). Love and trouble in Palm Springs. 3. “Sordid Lives: The Series,” directed by Del Shores (2009, 288 min., $35). 4. “Noah’s Arc,” Season 1, directed by Patrik-Ian Polk (2008, 101 min., $39.95). Three-disc set. 5. “Everything You Wanted to Know About Gay Porn Stars” (2010, 232 min., $24.98). Interviews. 6. “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. 7. “Boys Life 7,” directed by various (2010, 80 min., $24.95). Four short films.
BOOKS General Interest 1. “From Where We Sit: Black Writers Write Black Youth,” edited by Victoria Brownworth (Tiny Satchel, 350 pp., $16.95 pb). 2. “Great Speeches of Gay Rights,” edited by James Daley (Dover, 150 pp., $3.50 pb). 3. “Queer (In)Justice: The Criminalization of LGBT People in the United States,” edited by Joey L. Mogul, Andrea J. Ritchie and Kay Whitlock (Beacon, 216 pp., $27.95 less 10 percent in the store). 4. “Coming Out, Coming Home: Helping Families Adjust to a Gay or Lesbian Child” (Columbia, 300 pp., $27.50, pb).
Men’s 1. “Bob the Book,” by David Pratt (Chelsea Station, 202 pp., $16 pb). 2. “Black Fire: Gay African-American Erotica,” edited by Shane Allison (Bold Strokes, 288 pp., $16.95 pb). 3. “At Swim Two Boys,” by Jamie O’Neill (Scribner, 576 pp., $16 pb). 4. “True Stories: Portraits from My Past,” by Felice Picano (Chelsea Station, $16 pb). 5. “Man: Black: Images of Black Male Beauty,” photos by Michael-Christopher (Michael-Christopher, 100 pp., $22.99 pb). 6. “hidden,” by Tomas Mournian (Kensington, 387 pp., $15 pb). Gay Ahmed’s parents take him to a residential treatment center in Nevada, where he’s tortured, molested and put through a “straight” rehabilitation program. After 11 months, Ahmed manages to escape to a safe house for runaway gay teens in San Francisco.
Women’s 1. “The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks,” by Rebecca Skloot (Broadway, 400 pp., $16 pb). 2. “Missionary No More: Purple Panties 2,” by Zane (Strebor, 256 pp., $15 pb). 3. “Stone Butch Blues,” by Leslie Feinberg (Alyson, 320 pp., $14.95 pb). Now that Alyson has ceased publishing, we’ve bought all the copies we can find, but these may be the last copies available, at least for a while. 4. “For Frying Out Loud: Rehoboth Beach Diaries,” by Fay Jacobs (A & M, 233 pp., $17 pb). Wise and witty recollections about contemporary life in general and, more specifically, life in Rehoboth Beach. 5. “Annie on My Mind,” by Nancy Garden (Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 272 pp., $8.99 pb).