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 Heavens Rise” by Christopher Rice (Gallery, $26 hb, less 10 percent in the store; $12.99 ebook). New York Times-bestselling author Rice brilliantly conjures the shadowed terrors of the Louisiana Bayou — where three friends confront a deadly, ancient evil rising to the surface — in this intense and atmospheric new supernatural thriller. 2. “Giovanni’s Room” by James Baldwin (Delta, $14 pb). We think the resurgence of our eponymous book is due to the recent rebroadcast of the excellent documentary about Baldwin on PBS. The edition we have been selling for the past 13 years is suddenly out of print. A new edition is due this month. 3. “In Bed with Gore Vidal: Hustlers, Hollywood and the Private World of an American Master” by Tim Teeman (Riverdale Avenue, $19.99 pb). Edmund White says this biography “is the perfect combination of racy gossip — from steamy celebrity liaisons to hustlers in Rome — and penetrating analysis.” 4. “Baton Rouge Bingo” by Greg Herren (Bold Strokes, $16.95 pb, $9.99 ebook). Bomb threats, murder, a tiger, animal rights, missing money — all in a day’s work for Scotty Bradley, P.I.! Scott and his sexy boyfriends, Colin and Frank, are back, and this case is even more crazy and confusing than any of their previous ones! 5. “Sensual Travels: Gay Erotic Stories,” edited by Michael Luongo (Aladdin, $17.99 pb, $12.99 ebook). The best of gay travel erotica, whether traversing desert sands, steamy jungles or the urban playground, are told by men willing to roam. These stories pack a sexual punch, and carry with them the resonance and character of their locales.
Women’s and Trans Books
1. “Excluded: Making Feminist and Queer Movements More Inclusive” by Julia Serano (Seal, $17 pb). Among LGBTQ activists, there is a long history of lesbians and gay men dismissing bisexuals, transgender people and other gender and sexual minorities. In each case, exclusion is based on the premise that certain ways of being gendered or sexual are more legitimate, natural or righteous than others. 2. “What Makes a Baby” by Cory Silverberg (Triangle Square, $16.95, less 10 percent). The Atlantic calls it a “truly inclusive way to answer the question, ‘Where do babies comes from?’” 3. “The Daylight Gate” by Jeanette Winterson (Grove, $24 hb, less 10 percent in the store). Good Friday, 1612. Pendle Forest. A gathering of 13 is interrupted by local magistrate Roger Nowell. Is this a coven or a helpless group of women trying to save their family from the stake? 4. “Wolves of Midwinter: The Wolf Gift Chronicles” by Anne Rice (Knopf, $25.95 hb, less 10 percent in the store, $12.99 ebook). In her new novel, as lush and romantic in detail and atmosphere as it is sleek and steely in storytelling, Rice takes us once again to the rugged coastline of Northern California, to the grand mansion at Nideck Point, and further explores the unearthly education of her transformed Man Wolf. 5. “Orange Is the New Black: My Year in a Women’s Prison” by Piper Kerman (Spiegal & Grau, $16 pb, $11.99 ebook). The well-heeled Smith College alumna is now inmate #11187-424 — one of the millions of people who disappear “down the rabbit hole” of the American penal system.
Men’s DVDs 1. “Behind the Candelabra,” directed by Steven Soderbergh (2013, 118 min., $19.98). Oscar-winners Michael Douglas and Matt Damon star as the legendary Liberace and his young lover. 2. “Tumbledown,” directed by Todd Verow (2013, 80 min., $19.99). A complicated love triangle develops after hunky Jay meets bartender Nick and invites him to spend the weekend with him and his partner in their country cabin. 3. “I Do,” directed by Glenn Gaylord (2012, 91 min., $24.95). A gay Brit living in New York is deprived of his immigration status and risks losing his family and life in the U.S. 4. “Aleksandr’s Price,” directed by Pau Maso ($24.99). Aleksandr is an illegal Russian immigrant living alone in New York. Traumatized by the death of his mother, Aleksandr struggles to make ends meet and ultimately turns to escorting. As he descends into the dark world of the New York sex trade, he must also come to terms with who he is. 5. “Bottom: A Documentary Film,” directed by Todd Verow (2013, 76 min., $19.95). This film is based on a personal blog.
Women’s and Trans DVDs
1. “Margarita,” directed by Laurie Colbert and Dominique Cardona (2012, 91 min., $24.95). The tale of an undocumented Mexican nanny whose girlfriend is reluctant to commit and whose yuppie employers — a nice Toronto family, including a bi-curious mom — are about to let her go. 2. “Lovers & Friends Show, Season 5, The Final Season,” directed by Charmain Johnson (2012, 196 min., $19.95). The ever-popular lesbians-of-color series wraps up its fifth and final season with a bang as your favorite characters grapple with sex, love and friendships — and the usual wildly entertaining drama of lesbian life in Miami! 3. “Cloudburst,” directed by Thom Fitzgerald (2011, 93 min., $24.95). Co-stars Oscar-winning actors Brenda Fricker and Olympia Dukakis as Dot and Stella, a crackerjack lesbian couple on the run from a nursing home. 4. “Adored,” directed by Amarjeet Singh and Carl Medland (2012, 93 min., $24.95). Maia is a struggling model. After suffering a major loss, her relationship with her husband is thrown into turmoil. She holds high hopes that a session with the prolific celebrity photographer, Francesca Allman, will rejuvenate her career and bring her out of her depression.