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.
Books Men’s 1. “Jack Holmes and His Friend” by Edmund White (Bloomsbury, $26 hb, less 10 percent in the store). Jack Holmes and Will Wright arrive in New York City in the calm before the storm of the 1960s. Their friendship is complicated: Jack is in love with Will. 2. “Eminent Outlaws: The Gay Authors Who Changed the World” by Christopher Bram (Twelve, $27.99 hb, less 10 percent in the store). Beginning with the first wave of major gay literary figures — Williams, Vidal, Capote, Ginsberg and Baldwin — Bram shows how these pioneers set the stage for a new generation: Maupin, White, Kushner and Albee among them. 3. “Full Service: My Adventures in Hollywood and the Secret Sex Lives of the Stars” by Scotty Bowers (Grove, $25 hb, less 10 percent in the store). Newly discharged from the Marines after World War II, Scotty Bowers arrived in Hollywood in 1946. Young, charismatic and strikingly handsome, he quickly caught the eye of many of the town’s stars and starlets. He began sleeping with some himself and connecting others with his coterie of young, attractive and sexually free-spirited friends. His own alleged lovers included Edith Piaf, Spencer Tracy, Vivien Leigh, Cary Grant and the abdicated King of England Edward VIII. 4. “Sacred Monsters” by Edmund White (Magnus, $24.95 hb, less 10 percent in the store). White’s most recent writings on artists and authors, including John Cheever, Patti Smith, Henry James, Mary Cassatt, Paul Bowles, Andy Warhol, John Singer Sargent, Vladimir Nabokov, Auguste Rodin, Edith Wharton, Christopher Isherwood, Martin Amis, Allen Ginsberg, Marguerite Duras, John Rechy and Marcel Proust, among others. 5. “Why Are Faggots So Afraid of Faggots? Flaming Challenges to Masculinity, Objectification and the Desire to Conform” edited by Matilda Bernstein Sycamore (AK Press, $17.95 pb). Challenges not just the violence of straight homophobia but the hypocrisy of mainstream gay norms that say the only way to stay safe is to act straight: get married, join the military, adopt kids! This anthology rekindles the anger, flamboyance and subversion once thriving in gay subcultures in order to create something dangerous and lovely: an exploration of the perils of assimilation; a call for accountability; a vision for change. 6. “We the Animals” by Justin Torres (Mariner, $18 hb, less 10 percent in the store). A debut novel that is a brilliant exploration of a close, complicated family and the struggle between brotherhood and becoming an individual. 7. “Best Gay Erotica 2012” edited by Richard LaBonte (Cleis, $14.95 pb). Gathers the hottest, freshest and most literary fiction for the year. 8. “Chulito” by Charles Rice-Gonzalez (Magnus, $14.95 pb). Chulito is a coming-of-age, coming-out love story of a sexy, tough, hip-hop-loving, young Latino man in the Bronx. 9. “Other Poems” by Paul Legault (Fence, $15.95 pb). Winner of the Fence Modern Poets series, this is a collection of “talky sonnets” in the vein of John Berryman and Ted Berrigan, written on the poet’s lunch hour in the spirit of Frank O’Hara. Legault’s first book, “The Madeline Poems,” was published in 2010. Raised in Tennessee, Paul lives with his husband in Brooklyn, N.Y., where he works at the Academy of American Poets. 10. “Unnatural: Archangel Academy Novel 1” by Michael Griffo (Kensington, $9.95 pb). At an all-boys school in Eden, a rural town in northwestern England, two boys are outcasts and decried as unnatural: Michael because he’s gay and Ronan because he’s a hybrid vampire.
Women’s/Trans 1. “Wax” by Therese Ambrosi Smith (Blue Star, $13.95 pb). Inspired by the lives of actual “Rosies,” this novel follows three young women as they take industry jobs during WWII and as they break their mothers’ molds when the war is over. 2. “High Impact” by Kim Baldwin (Bold Strokes, $16.95 pb). Emery Lawson reinvents herself after another near-death experience prompts a thorough reevaluation of her priorities. Empowered to live a life of no regrets, she casts aside all that is familiar to face her fears and chase her dreams. But as she heads for the wilds of Alaska — convinced she’s incapable of falling in love — romance is definitely not on her agenda. 3. “Ethical Slut” revised edition, by Dossie Easton and Janet W. Hardy (Celestial Arts, $16.99 pb). For anyone who has ever dreamed of love, sex and companionship beyond the limits of traditional monogamy, this groundbreaking guide navigates the infinite possibilities that open relationships can offer. 4. “Sister Outsider: Essays and Speeches” by Audre Lorde (Crossing, $16.95 pb). The 14 essays and speeches collected in this work, several of them published for the first time, span almost a decade of this black lesbian feminist’s work. Lorde is unflinching in her observations and is lucid and clarifying in her coverage of a range of essential topics. 5. “Gravity,” by Leanne Lieberman (Orca, $12.95 pb). An Orthodox Jewish teenager comes to terms with her sexuality and her faith. 6. “Take Me There: Trans and Genderqueer Erotica” edited by Tristan Taormino (Cleis, $14.95 pb). The power of seeing and being seen is a central theme in the anthology. 7. “Gender Outlaws: The Next Generation” by Kate Bornstein and S. Bear Bernstein (Seal, $16.95 pb). Part coming-of-age story, part mind-altering manifesto on gender and sexuality.
Spirituality & Religion 1. “God vs. Gay? The Religious Case for Equality” by Jay Michaelson (Beacon, $25.95 hb, less 10 percent in the store). Michaelson shows that not only does the Bible not prohibit same-sex intimacy, but the vast majority of its teachings support the full equality and dignity of gay and lesbian people, from the first flaw it finds in creation (“It is not good for a person to be alone”) to the way religious communities grow through reflection and conscience. In short, Michaelson observes, religious people should support equality for gays and lesbians — not despite their religion, but because of it. 2. “Radical Love: An Introduction to Queer Theology” by Patrick S. Cheng (Seabury, $20 pb). The real enterprise for queer theology is challenging binary distinctions and erasing boundaries. This erasure is made possible — indeed demanded — by the radical love espoused by Christianity. Through this love, all boundaries (gay/straight, male/female, life/death, divine/human) are dissolved.
DVDs Men’s 1. “Harvest” directed by Benjamin Cantu (2011, 88 min., $19.99). Breathtaking in its subtle beauty, this is an achingly romantic tale of an innocent but ever-increasingly passionate affair. 2. “I Want to Get Married” directed by Billy Clift (2011, 115 min., $24.99). Sweet and geeky Paul attends a wedding and decides he wants to get married to the man of his dreams. 3. “Hold Your Peace” directed by Wade McDonald (2011, 97 min., $24.99). A gay romantic comedy that examines how we decide who we want to spend the rest of our lives with. 4. “Eating Out 4: Drama Camp” directed by Q. Allan Brocka (2011, 90 min., $24.95). An over-the-top raunchy comedy with the innocence of summer. 5. “The Love Patient” directed by Michael Simon (2011, 95 min., $24.99). How far would you go to win back the love of your life? 6. “Longhorns” directed by David Lewis (2011, 90 min., $24.99). The story of a “straight” Texas fratboy. 7. “Beginners” directed by Mike Mills (2010, 105 min., $29.95). When his father, Hal, comes out at 75, Oliver realizes just how much of a beginner he is when it comes to long-lasting romantic love. Christopher Plummer won an Oscar for his portrayal of Hal. 8. “From Beginning to End” directed by Aluizio Abranches (2009, 96 min., $19.99). A strikingly evocative romance of two men fighting against societal conventions. (Portuguese with English subtitles)
Women’s 1. “Circumstance” directed by Maryam Keshavarz (2011, 107 min., $24.95). Two teenage girls navigating the wild Iranian underground scene. 2. “The Lovers & Friends Show, Season 4” directed by Charmain Johnson (2011, 167 min., $19.95). Six minority lesbians navigate their way through life’s challenges with attitude and a fabulous sense of style! 3. “Big Lesbian Love Collector Set: The Four-Faced Liar, My Normal, And Then Came Lola, and Itty Bitty Titty Committee” various directors (321 minutes, $34.95). Four romances for the price of two! 4. “Bloomington” directed by Fernanda Cardoso (2010, 83 min., $24.95). Jackie is instantly attracted to Catherine, a young professor with a reputation. 5. “A Marine Story” directed by Ned Farr (93 min., $24.95). No-nonsense Alex is the authority figure Saffron needs, and inspires the young woman’s transition from slacker to boot-camp-ready Marine recruit. 6. “Elena Undone” directed by Nicole Conn (111 min., $24.95). A devoted wife and mother from India falls for a lesbian writer. 7. “Chloe” directed by Atom Egoyan (209, 99 min., $27.95). Catherine pays the mysterious Chloe, an escort, to seduce her husband. 8. “Hannah Free” directed by Wendy Jo Carlton (2009, 86 min., $14.95). The lifelong love affair between an independent spirit and the woman she calls home.