Cruising with my girlfriend through the massive St. Cloud Barnes & Noble, my girlfriend brought up gay people. Go figure. Apparently, in Colorado, where she grew up, the Barnes & Nobles have a “Gay Studies” section, filled with books like coming out stories, gay memories, and random gay fiction.
Yeah, Minnesota Barnes & Nobles don’t have a “Gay Studies” section. After much looking, we discovered a very small part of the “Woman’s Studies” section contained coming out stories, gay memories, and random gay fiction. Hmmm. Do I smell repression?
But it was better than nothing.
I discovered that Joel Derfner’s amazing book Swish: My Quest to Become the Gayest Person Ever, has gotten republished (or has a second edition? I guess I don’t care enough to look up what that’s called). The forward by Elton John was just as cute as the actual book, I didn’t like the new cover quite as much as the original, and the slightly different title (Swish: My Quest to Become the Gayest Person Ever and What Ended Up Happening Instead) is more informative but waaaay too long.
Still, if I had a job, I probably would have bought the new edition just because I’m so in love with the book. It’s ridiculously funny and cute and heart-wrenching. Wonderful read. I’m also hugely in awe of the author. Seriously, Derfner is smarter than just about every person I’ve ever met.
As someone who spent the last 4 years editing newspaper articles and tutoring poor football players who barely graduated high school, I am very firm when it comes to grammatical rules. I like those boundaries. And I still loved Swish, despite the fact that Derfner took my precious rules and shat on them. Heck, he taught me that a story can become more awesome by breaking the rules. I’d marry him if he wasn’t so weird. And if I didn’t think my girlfriend would hit me.
Go read Swish. Now. Ooh, and very cute video of him on Amazon. Follow the link!
But, nice little tangent aside, I actually meant to post about the book I did end up buying from the itty bitty “Women’s Studies” section in We-Don’t-Admit-to-Selling-Gay-Things, Minnesota.
I found this lesbian time travel romance called The Spanish Pearl, by Catherine Friend. Really hope that’s a pseudonym. Shit, and after looking at the “About the Author” page, apparently there’s a sequel. I’m always leery about sequels, especially when it comes to romance novels. . . .
The first hundred pages are under my belt, and I’m liking it. It’s less romance-centered (no sex yet), and more history lesson. Which is cool. Complicated and hard to follow, but I feel somewhat smarter for reading it. Yes, I am lame. And I would have taken more history classes in college if not for the main history professor killing my soul my first semester.
In any case, it all goes down in 1085 Spain. Lots of concubines and swords and Christians vs Moors. Like a hockey game, only with less blood.
Yay for books.
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