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. “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.” 2. “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. 3. “Love Lost in Translation: Homosexuality and the Bible” by T. Renato Lings (Trafford, $28.44 pb, $3.49 ebook). Systematically examines the biblical stories and passages that are generally assumed to deal with, or comment on, homoerotic relationships to convincingly demonstrate that mistranslations of these texts into Greek, Latin and other languages occurred early, and that serious errors continue to be committed by translators today. 4. “The End of San Francisco” by Mattilda Bernstein Sycamore (City Lights, $15.95 pb, $10.69 ebook). An elegy for the dream of a radical queer community and the mythical city that was supposed to nurture it. 5. “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.! 6. “Giovanni’s Room” by James Baldwin (Delta, $14 pb). We think the resurgence of our eponymous book is due to the rebroadcast of the excellent documentary about Baldwin on PBS this fall. 7. “Two Boys Kissing” by David Levithan (Knopf, $16.99 hb, less 10 percent in the store; $9.99 ebook). Tells the based-on-true-events story of Harry and Craig, two 17-year-olds who are about to take part in a 32-hour marathon of kissing to set a new Guinness World Record — all of which is narrated by a Greek Chorus of the generation of gay men lost to AIDS.
Women’s and Trans Books 1. “The End of San Francisco” by Mattilda Bernstein Sycamore (City Lights, $15.95 pb, $10.69 ebook). An elegy for the dream of a radical queer community, and the mythical city that was supposed to nurture it. 2. “Excluded: Making Feminist and Queer Movements More Inclusive” by Julia Serano (Seal, $17 pb). Explores the notion that, while many feminist and queer movements are designed to challenge sexism, they often simultaneously police gender and sexuality — sometimes just as fiercely as the straight, male-centric mainstream does. 3. “Are You My Mother? A Comic Drama” by Alison Bechdel (Mariner, $15.95 pb). A poignant and hilarious graphic memoir of Bechdel’s becoming the artist her gifted mother always wanted to be. 4. “Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic” by Alison Bechdel (Mariner, $14.95 pb). Through narrative that is alternately heartbreaking and fiercely funny, we are drawn into a daughter’s complex yearning for her father. 5. “Blue is the Warmest Color” by Julie Marot (Arsenal Pulp, $19.95 pb). In this tender, bittersweet, full-color graphic novel, a young woman named Clementine discovers herself and the elusive magic of love when she meets a confident blue-haired girl named Emma. 6. “Silhouette of a Sparrow” by Molly Beth Griffin (Milkweed, $8 pb, $6.59 ebook). In the summer of 1926, 16-year-old Garnet Richardson is sent to a lake resort to escape the polio epidemic in the city but finds herself under the supervision of equally oppressive guardians — her father’s wealthy cousin and the matron’s stuck-up daughter. Only a liberating job in a hat shop, an intense, secret relationship with a daring and beautiful flapper, and a deep faith in her own fierce heart can save her from the suffocating boredom of traditional femininity. 7. “A Little Gay History: Desire and Diversity Across the World” by R.B. Parkinson, Kate Smith and Max Carocci (Columbia, $19.95 pb). When was the first chat line between men established? Who was the first “lesbian”? Were ancient Greek men who had sex with each other necessarily “gay,” and what did Shakespeare think about crossdressing? “A Little Gay History” answers these questions and more.
Men’s DVDs 1. “Elliot Loves,” directed by Terracino (2012, 92 min., $19.95). A charming and wildly entertaining tale of wide-eyed gay Elliot at two different stages in life — as an inquisitive 10-year-old boy and an idealistic 21-year-old searching for love in all the wrong places. 2. “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. 3. “Leave Blank,” directed by Todd Verow (2010, 77 min., $12.95). A lonely middle-aged man, Todd, hires a hustler named Paul to spend the weekend with him in New York City to help him experience everything he has never done before — unsafe sex, drugs, anonymous sex with multiple partners, etc. Both of their lives are forever changed after that weekend. 4. “Sagat,” directed by Jerome M. Oliveira and Pascal Roche (2011, 50 min., $19.95). Follows Francois Sagat — gay-porn legend and sexual icon — from the set to his home. The provocative documentary sees Sagat opening up about topics from hyper-masculinity to his personal fetishes and the politics of the porn industry. French with subtitles. 5. “Out in the Dark,” directed by Michael Mayer (2013, 96 min., $24.95). One fateful night in Tel Aviv, Nimer, an ambitious Palestinian student in the West Bank who dreams of a better life abroad, meets Roy, an Israeli lawyer, and the two fall in love. As their relationship deepens, they are confronted with the harsh realities of a Palestinian society that refuses to accept Nimer for his sexual identity, and an Israeli society that rejects him for his nationality. 6. “Triple Crossed,” directed by Sean Paul Lockhart (2013, 90 min., $24.95). With a tour in Afghanistan behind him, war-addled Chris Jensen (Jack Brockett) struggles to assimilate back to life in California. Drifting and living out of his car, he soon discovers that few are willing to deal with the remnants of a damaged military career. 7. “Aleksandr’s Price,” directed by Pau Masó ($24.99). Traumatized by the death of his mother, Aleksandr, an illegal Russian immigrant living alone in New York, 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. But will his search for himself and a stable home come at a price?
Women’s and Trans DVDs 1. “Gun Hill Road,” directed by Rashaad Ernesto Green (2011, 88 min., $19.95). After three years in prison, macho Enrique returns to the Bronx to find the world he once knew has turned upside down. His wife struggles to hide an emotional affair, and his teenage son explores a sexual transformation well beyond Enrique’s grasp. 2. “Boys Don’t Cry,” directed by Kimberly Peirce (1999, $14.95). Hilary Swank won her first Oscar for Best Actress in this riveting film based on the life and death of Brandon Teena. 3. “RuPaul’s Drag Race, Season 4” (2012, $57.95). Thirteen new queens begin their quests for the title of “America’s Next Drag Superstar,” but first must survive drag zombies and the end of the world. 4. “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. 5. “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.