30/08/2024
On our special two hour broadcast on August 29th, ShoutOut teamed up with News from Nowhere, the radical and progressive bookstore in Liverpool, to look at the top ten reads that are flying off the shelves as we move from summer into the bookish Autumn season. Here are the Top Ten Books (see below) with a precis of each, written by our friend Cate at NfN. If you are interested in any of these books, why not use a good LGBTQIA+ or radical bookstore near you. There are now networks of dozens of shops across the UK and other countries which can order any title in for you, plus they give the money back to the community with their principles of ethical and co-operative trading. Show them some love! www.radicalbooksellers.co.uk
1. 100 Queer Poems: An Anthology, by Andrew McMillan and Mary Jean Chan
Mary Jean Chan and Andrew McMillan's luminous anthology, 100 Queer Poems, is a celebration of
thrilling contemporary voices and visionary poets of the past. Featuring Elizabeth Bishop, Langston
Hughes, Ocean Vuong, Carol Ann Duffy, Kae Tempest and many more.
Encompassing both the flowering of queer poetry over the past few decades and the poets who came
before and broke new ground, 100 Queer Poems presents an electrifying range of writing from the
twentieth century to the present day.
£10.99, paperback
2. Whatever Happened To Queer Happiness? by Kevin Brazil
In this highly accessible, entertaining and provocative work of non-fiction Kevin Brazil combines essay
and memoir to ask one of the most pertinent questions of our current age: whatever happened to queer
happiness?
Exploring the lives of artists and writers from the past, current discourse around queerness and his own
experiences, Brazil argues that art and literature needs to move away from celebrating the pain of
queerness and embracing all the positive, ecstatic, collective joy that queer culture produces.
£9.99, paperback
3. The Knowing, by Emma Hinds
In the slums of 19th-century New York.
A tattooed mystic fights for her life.
Her survival hangs on the turn of a tarot card.
Powerful, intoxicating and full of suspense. The Knowing is a darkly spellbinding novel about a girl
fighting for her survival in the decaying criminal underworlds.
Whilst working as a living canvas for an abusive tattoo artist, Flora meets Minnie, an enigmatic circus
performer who offers her love and refuge in an opulent townhouse, home to the menacing Mr Chester
Merton. Flora earns her keep reading tarot cards for his guests whilst struggling to harness her gift, the
Knowing – an ability to summon the dead. Caught in a dark love triangle between Minnie and Chester,
Flora begins to unravel the secrets inside their house.
£16.99, hardback
4. How to Be Ace: A Memoir of Growing Up Asexual, by Rebecca Burgess
Growing up, Rebecca assumes sex is just a scary new thing they will 'grow into' as they get older, but
when they leave school, start working and do grow up, they start to wonder why they don't want to have
sex with other people.
In this brave, hilarious and empowering graphic memoir, we follow Rebecca as they navigate a culture
obsessed with sex - from being bullied at school and trying to fit in with friends, to forcing themself into
relationships and experiencing anxiety and OCD - before coming to understand and embrace their asexual
identity.
Giving unparalleled insight into asexuality and asexual relationships, How To Be Ace shows the
importance of learning to be happy and proud of who you are.
£12.99, paperback
5. Pageboy: A Memoir, by Elliot Page
Full of intimate stories, from chasing down secret love affairs to battling body image and struggling with
familial strife, Pageboy is a love letter to the power of being seen. With this evocative and lyrical debut,
Elliot Page captures the universal human experience of searching for ourselves and our place in this
complicated world.
The Oscar-nominated star who captivated the world with his performance in Juno finally shares his story
in a groundbreaking and inspiring memoir about love, family, fame - and stepping into who we truly are
with strength, joy and connection.
£10.99, paperback
6. When Katie Met Cassidy, by Camille Perri
When it comes to Cassidy, Katie can't think straight.
Katie Daniels, a twenty-eight-year-old Kentucky transplant with a strong set of traditional values, has just
been dumped by her fiancé when she finds herself seated across a negotiating table from native New
Yorker Cassidy Price, a sexy, self-assured woman wearing a man's suit. At first neither of them knows
what to make of the other, but soon their undeniable connection will bring into question everything each
of them thought they knew about sex and love.
When Katie Met Cassidy is a romantic comedy about gender and sexuality, and the importance of figuring
out who we are in order to go after what we truly want. It's also a portrait of a high-drama subculture
where bar rooms may as well be bedrooms, and loyal friends fill in the spaces absent families leave
behind. Katie's glimpse into this wild yet fiercely tight-knit community begins to alter not only how she
sees the larger world, but also where exactly she fits in.
£9.99, paperback
7. Hijab Butch Blues: A Memoir, by Lamya H
Written with deep intelligence and a fierce humour, Hijab Butch Blues follows Lamya as she travels to the
United States, as she comes out, and as she navigates the complexities of the immigration system - and the
queer dating scene. At each step, she turns to her faith to make sense of her life, weaving stories from the
Quran together with her own experiences: Musa leading his people to freedom; Allah, who is neither male
nor female; and Nuh, who built an ark, just as Lamya is finally able to become the architect of her own
story.
Raw and unflinching, Hijab Butch Blues heralds the arrival of a truly original voice, asking powerful
questions about gender and sexuality, relationships, identity and faith, and what it means to build a life of
one's own.
£10.99, paperback
8. First Time for Everything, by Henry Fry
Danny Scudd is absolutely fine. At twenty-seven his life isn't exactly awful - he's escaped his parents' tiny
fish and chip shop for a 'proper' writing job in London, his beloved collection of house plants are thriving
and he's just celebrated his first anniversary with his boyfriend Tobbs.
But Danny's life is thrown into chaos when he discovers at an STI clinic that Tobbs might be cheating on
him. And then he - and his plants - are unceremoniously evicted from his London flat. So, he's forced to
move in with his best friend Jacob, a flamboyant non-binary artiste who Danny's known since childhood,
and their eccentric group of friends in East London.
An honest, hilarious and wickedly smart drama comedy about a young, shy, gay man who's made it
through life by not really interacting with his sexuality.
£8.99, paperback
9. Gender Euphoria: Stories of Joy from Trans, Non-Binary and Intersex Writers, edited by Laura
Kate Dale
In this groundbreaking anthology, nineteen trans, non-binary, agender, gender-fluid and intersex writers
share their experiences of gender euphoria: an agender dominatrix being called 'Daddy', an Arab trans
man getting his first tattoos, a trans woman embracing her inner fighter. What they have in common are their feelings of elation, pride, confidence, freedom and ecstasy as a direct result of coming out as non-
cisgender, and how coming to terms with their gender has brought unimaginable joy into their lives.
£9.99, paperback
10. Gwen and Art Are Not in Love, by Lex Croucher
Gwen, the quick-witted Princess of England, and Arthur, future lord and general gadabout, have been
betrothed since birth.
Unfortunately, the only thing they can agree on is that they hate each other. When Gwen catches Art
kissing a boy and Art discovers where Gwen hides her diary (complete with racy entries about Bridget
Leclair, the kingdom's only female knight), they become reluctant allies. By pretending to fall for each
other, their mutual protection will be assured. But how long can they keep up the ruse? With Gwen
growing closer to Bridget, and Art becoming unaccountably fond of Gabriel, Gwen's infuriatingly serious,
bookish brother, the path to true love is looking far from straight...
£8.98, paperback
