Broadway and television star Andy Mientus evokes the spirits of 1991 for his queer supernatural novel, Fraternity, set in... a fraternity. This is dark academia with 90s nostalgia, filled with the demons that young men face. We meet Zachariah “Zooey” Orson as he transfers to the elite Blackfriars School for Boys after leaving his old... Continue Reading →
Book Review: The Boy Who Sat By The Window by David Hodge ★★★★
Artist David Hodge and his longterm drag persona The Very Miss Dusty O have a complex relationship, and that's even after killing her off...twice. In his new memoir, The Boy Who Sat by the Window, Hodge takes us from his queer childhood in the 70s and 80s, through London’s vibrant Soho in the 90s and... Continue Reading →
Book Review: Less is Lost by Andrew Sean Greer ★★★★
Arthur Less is back. The titular star of the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, Less, is being put through the emotional ringer once more by his author Andrew Sean Greer and the results are the same. But the same isn’t a bad thing when you’re talking about a bestselling, universally praised, gay comedy drama with a slew... Continue Reading →
Book Review: Rise of the Renegade Child by Robert Roth ★★★★
Robert Roth has taken his queer action sci-fi set up and layered multiversal political intrigue into the mix. Rise of the Renegade Child deepens and expands the world of The Gates Saga, without sacrificing its frenetic pace. Picking up right after the events of the previous book, Into the Lightning Gate, Cam Maddock is reeling... Continue Reading →
Book Review: The Secret Life of Albert Entwistle by Matt Cain ★★★1/2
Matt Cain’s The Secret Life of Albert Entwistle is a heartbreakingly sweet story about how times of crisis can trigger moments of rewarding growth. Melancholic and romantic, it charts one man’s realisation that it is never too late to live life to its fullest. Albert Entwistle is a postman in an English country village. A... Continue Reading →
Book Review: Out of the Blue by Jason June ★★★1/2
Nonbinary merpeople on a magical journey of self-discovery meets teen swim team relationship drama, Jason June (author of Jay’s Gay Agenda) has delivered a queer rom-com that’s, well, okay… silly and cheesy and a bit daft, but also adorable AF. Crest is about to start their Journey, a tradition for teen merfolk (mer are nonbinary,... Continue Reading →
Book Review: Heat Wave by TJ Klune ★★★
TJ Klune wraps up his YA superhero trilogy, The Extraordinaries, with Heat Wave which sees teenager Nick launching into his superhero career, as well as launching into his fully-fledged relationship with Seth. Quick note: being the last part of a trilogy, there’s no way to avoid spoilers for the previous books in this review. Nick... Continue Reading →
Book Review: Book Boyfriend by Kris Ripper ★★★★
If you’re looking for a cute, contemporary gay romance to snuggle up with then Kris Ripper’s Book Boyfriend is a good place to start. Behind it’s rom-com trappings, it has hidden depths and a beautifully flawed lead character in PK. Preston ‘PK’ Harrington is an editorial assistant (and wannabe author) working at a book publisher... Continue Reading →
Book Review: Armistead Maupin’s Tales of the City graphic novel by Isabelle Bauthian & Sandrine Revel ★★★
Armistead Maupin’s Tales of the City has had many lives. From serialized chapters in The San Francisco Chronicle, to a series of novels, TV and radio adaptations, and a stage musical by Jake Shears. Now it has been turned into a charming graphic novel by Isabelle Bauthian and Sandrine Revel, potentially the first of a... Continue Reading →
Book Review: The Whale Tattoo by Jon Ransom ★★★★1/2
Jon Ransom’s debut novel, The Whale Tattoo, is filled with prose that picks you up in its wake and takes you on a journey. Complex, fraught and violent, The Whale Tattoo reads like an early Tracy Lett’s play - a steaming mix of blue-collar rage and menace. Joe Gunner is working in a chip shop... Continue Reading →