Arts & Culture :: Books

'Radiant' - Brad Gooch's expansive biography of artist Keith Haring

'Radiant' - Brad Gooch's expansive biography of artist Keith Haring

  • by Brian Bromberger
  • Mar 17, 2024

Visionary pop artist Keith Haring's short, meteoric, glamorous life and career is the subject of a new biography, "Radiant: The Life and Line of Keith Haring," by Brad Gooch.

Spring books 2024 roundup, part 3 Diverse memoirs, fiction and a Liz Taylor biography

Spring books 2024 roundup, part 3 Diverse memoirs, fiction and a Liz Taylor biography

  • by Jim Piechota
  • Mar 11, 2024

The third installment of our Spring 2024 books roundup includes novels about being queer and sex-positive within a Syrian culture, a few engrossing young adult novels, and an impressive nonfiction title about the life and film legacy of Elizabeth Taylor.

Spring books 2024 roundup, part 2

Spring books 2024 roundup, part 2

  • by Jim Piechota
  • Mar 5, 2024

In the second of our Spring books series, we present several fiction titles by a memoirist and a trans woman that are set to make a splash in the literary world, plus new memoirs, biographies and fiction.

Stephen McCauley's 'You Only Call When You're in Trouble'

Stephen McCauley's 'You Only Call When You're in Trouble'

  • by Brian Bromberger
  • Mar 2, 2024

Stephen McCauley is a master of the comedy of manners genre. His eighth book, "You Only Call When You're In Trouble," follows a similar template, but is not formulaic, with new shibboleths to slay.

'Baldwin and Buckley at Cambridge' in Berkeley

'Baldwin and Buckley at Cambridge' in Berkeley

  • by Jim Gladstone
  • Feb 27, 2024

"I have a lot in common with James Baldwin," says Greig Sargeant, who portrays the author and activist in "Baldwin and Buckley at Cambridge," a work he conceived and will perform as part of the Cal Performances series in Berkeley.

Words: J. M. Redmann and Terry Wolverton: authors discuss lesbian mysteries and thrillers

Words: J. M. Redmann and Terry Wolverton: authors discuss lesbian mysteries and thrillers

  • by Michele Karlsberg
  • Feb 27, 2024

Lesbian mystery and thriller authors have carved out a unique niche within the genre. Authors J.M. Redmann and Terry Wolverton discuss their writing in and outside genre expectations.

Spring books 2024 roundup, part 1

Spring books 2024 roundup, part 1

  • by Jim Piechota
  • Feb 27, 2024

For the first part of our Spring books roundup, we've got an amazing debut by a Southern writer, a welcome return to the "Tales of the City," a drag icon's life story, and a poetically written memoir by a celebrated Black writer.

Maurice Vellekoop: graphic memoirist's 'I'm So Glad We Had This Time Together'

Maurice Vellekoop: graphic memoirist's 'I'm So Glad We Had This Time Together'

  • by Gregg Shapiro
  • Feb 20, 2024

Maurice Vellekoop's marvelous graphic memoir "I'm So Glad We Had This Time Together," out this month, is a perfect addition to the genre of illustrated books about queer lives.

Josh Fernandez's 'The Hands that Crafted the Bomb'

Josh Fernandez's 'The Hands that Crafted the Bomb'

  • by Laura Moreno
  • Feb 20, 2024

Josh Fernandez is a multi-talented man with an artist's eye. His first book, "The Hands That Crafted the Bomb," released this week by PM Press, is a fascinating memoir.

'Capote vs. The Swans' Truman's deadly crash landing from high society

'Capote vs. The Swans' Truman's deadly crash landing from high society

  • by Brian Bromberger
  • Feb 13, 2024

"Capote's Women: A True Story of Love, Betrayal and the Swan Song of an Era" by Lawrence Leamer, is the basis for the Ryan Murphy anthology series "Feud: Capote vs. The Swans," which premiered on FX and is now streaming on Hulu.

Turned-on town: Damon Scott's 'The City Aroused: Queer Places and Urban Development in Postwar San Francisco'

Turned-on town: Damon Scott's 'The City Aroused: Queer Places and Urban Development in Postwar San Francisco'

  • by Michael Flanagan
  • Feb 13, 2024

"The City Aroused: Queer Places and Urban Development in Postwar San Francisco" is the perfect introduction to a tale of maritime workers, labor unions and the building of a sexual subculture that has its roots in the city before World War II.

'Rescuing Morgan' — true tale of a gay couple and their dog

'Rescuing Morgan' — true tale of a gay couple and their dog

  • by David-Elijah Nahmod
  • Feb 13, 2024

"Rescuing Morgan," the new self-published book by Dan Perdios, is short and sweet. Clocking in at 155 pages, it tells the story of Perdios and his husband's relationship with Morgan, an abused golden retriever they rescued.

Pride in Panels: queer comic books to be celebrated at SF's main library

Pride in Panels: queer comic books to be celebrated at SF's main library

  • by David-Elijah Nahmod
  • Feb 6, 2024

On Sunday February 18 San Francisco's main library will celebrate queer comic books with an exhibition to remember. Titled "Pride in Panels: SF Queer Comics Fest," the afternoon will bring together scores of queer comic book creators.

A.C. Burch's 'The Distance Between Us' — a murder mystery in Provincetown

A.C. Burch's 'The Distance Between Us' — a murder mystery in Provincetown

  • by Laura Moreno
  • Feb 6, 2024

Written with great creativity and passion, "The Distance Between Us" by A. C. Burch is a fun page-turner with echoes of "Murder She Wrote," Miss Marple, and at times Jane Austen.