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.
Men’s Books 1. “The Testament of Mary” by Colm Tóibin (Scribner, $19.99 hb, less 10 percent in the store). A solitary older woman seeking to understand the events that others understand as divine. 2. “Outback Bushmen” with photos by Paul Freeman (self-published, $79.95 hb, less 10 percent in the store). Naked men in bushland and rural settings, photographed by one of our best. 3. “Cooper’s Promise” by Timothy J. Smith (Owl Canyon, $16.95 pb). A thriller featuring an American deserter/mercenary on the lam in a tortured West African country. 4. “For Colored Boys Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow Is Still Not Enough: Coming of Age, Coming Out and Coming Home” by Keith Boykin (Magnus, $15.95 pb). The new book addresses longstanding issues of sexual abuse, suicide, HIV/AIDS, racism and homophobia in the African-American and Latino communities. 5. “The Bible of Gay Sex” by Stephan Niederwieser (Bruno Gmuender, $39.99 hb, less 10 percent in the store). Everything you wanted to know and then some. 6. “New Ways to Kill Your Mother: Writers and Their Families” by Colm Tóibin (Scribner, $26 hb, less 10 percent in the store). A fascinating exploration of famous writers’ relationships to their families and their work. 7. “God Believes in Love: Straight Talk About Gay Marriage” by Bishop Gene Robinson (Knopf, $24 hb, less 10 percent in the store). Lovingly and persuasively makes the case for same-sex marriage.
Men’s DVDs 1. “The Skinny” directed by Patrik-Ian Polk (2011, $24.95). A sharply scripted comedy about a group of four young black gay men and their lesbian best friend. From the director of “Punks” and “Noah’s Arc.” 2. “Leave It on the Floor” directed by Sheldon Larry (2011, 107 min., $24.95). An ode to the wild, funky and heart-aching life of the “Paris Is Burning” subculture. 3. “Beauty” directed by Oliver Hermanus (2011, $19.99). Francois is a dutiful husband and father but finds himself going through the motions of a loveless marriage while harboring a life-long secret. 4. “Weekend” directed by Andrew Haigh (2011, 97 min., $29.95). A one-night stand that develops into a weekend-long idyll for two very different young men. 5. “Elliot Loves” directed by Terracino (2012, 92 min., $19.95). A wide-eyed and gay Elliot, at two different stages in life — an inquisitive 10-year-old boy and an idealistic 21-year-old–searching for love in all the wrong places. 6. “Eating Out 5: The Open Weekend” directed by Allan Brocka (2011, 82 min., $24.95). Serves up plenty of eye candy and raunchy fun along with the pursuit of finding true love. 7. “The History Boys” directed by Nicholas Hytner (2006, $19.95). The smartest gay movie in a decade.
Trans & Women’s Books 1. “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. 2. “Why Are Faggots So Afraid of Faggots? Flaming Challenges to Masculinity, Objectification and the Desire to Conform” by Mattilda Bernstein Sycamore (AK, $17.95 pb, $9.99 Google eBook). An exploration of the perils of assimilation, a call for accountability, a vision for change. A sassy and splintering emergency intervention. 3. “Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal?” by Jeanette Winterson (Grove, $25.26 hb, less 10 percent in the store). This memoir is often bleak, but also very funny and as beautifully crafted as any of her fiction. 4. “One in Every Crowd” by Ivan E. Coyote (Arsenal Pulp, $15.95 pb). Stories aimed at queer youth about being true to oneself. 5. “Tea Leaves” by Janet Mason (Bella, $15.95 pb). A memoir about the author’s factory-worker lives of her mother and grandmother in working-class Philadelphia while she copes with her mother’s final illness. 6. “Beautiful Music for Ugly Children” by Kirstin Cronn-Mills (Flux, $9.99 pb). With his new public-access radio show gaining in popularity, Gabe struggles with romance, friendships and parents while trying to come out as transgender. 7. “Israel/Palestine and the Queer International” by Sarah Schulman (Duke, $22.95 pb). Activist and novelist Schulman describes her dawning consciousness of the Palestinian liberation struggle. Trans & Women’s DVDs 1. “Pariah” directed by Dee Reese (2011, 87 min., $19.95). A 17-year-old African-American butch lesbian torn between the demands of her conservative family and the comfort of community among her friends in the outside world. 2. “The Lovers and Friends Show” season four, 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. “When Night Is Falling” ($19.95). A chance encounter with a beautiful, irresistibly sensuous young female circus performer is about to transform Camille’s predictable life into an electrifyingly erotic adventure. 4. “Off and Running” directed by Nicole Opper (2010, 76 min., $24.95). With white Jewish lesbians for parents and two adopted brothers, Brooklyn teen Avery, a high-school track star, grew up in a unique and loving household. But Avery is curious about her African-American roots. 5. “But I’m a Cheerleader” directed by Jamie Babbit (1999, 90 min., $14.95). 6. “Boys Don’t Cry” directed by Kimberly Pierce (1999, $14.95). The tremendously powerful portrait of the life and death of Brandon Teena.