Well it’s 2022 I guess – anyone else feel like they aged 10 years last year? Only a couple reviews since I only managed to squeeze a few reads in the last few weeks, but I do have some exciting updates and a recap of our January Writer’s Workshop below.
Pop-up Announcement! Come to Milk SF on Saturday, Jan. 22 from 2-close and pick up some comics/graphic novels/books etc. I will be selling the following as well as a lot more stuff – especially trades. I still have some bundles left too I’d be willing to extend those holiday deals for people.
Stone Fruit
Oh MAN this one is GOOD!!!! Please seriously pick one of these up. This graphic novel is about a lesbian couple and the young niece of one of them (our main character, Ray). It’s literally so good??? It’s slice of life, a little sad, a little heartwrenching, a little bit of a gut punch, but also like.. it’s realistic, it approaches hard subjects in a very beautiful, whimsical and thoughtful way. I would say this is easily in my top 5 for what I’ve read this year, could be the best thing I’ve read that was written this year.
Celestia
This one I got from Fantagraphics because in looking at this cover, I thought it was two women? So I thought it was kinda gay. Turns out, it’s not. The person in beige is definitely a dude. Anyways, besides that it is a sci-fi sort of dystopian story with a lot of open-ends and mysteries so okay, checks some boxes there. I did like it, I will say that. Plot-wise, it was interesting, and juuuuust cohesive enough to form an intriguing story. I would read more from this universe, though I am not deluded enough to think that will happen.
Ash by Malinda Lo
I absolutely adored this book. It’s sort of like a lesbian Cinderella tale with fairies. And it is set in a world where she doesn’t have to go through the groaning pains of “coming out” either and same-sex attraction is just as average or normal as anything else. Or at least it certainly isn’t something that needed to be “overcome” and we didn’t have to sludge through that being part of the narrative. It was a quick read and one of my preferred genres so I finished it in a few days. I am looking forward to picking up the other books Malinda Lo has written in this setting. I do wish there were more interactions between the two women – it was primarily a story about the main character and almost a coming-of-age fairy tale more than a love story. But there is a little bit of a romance there and I really did enjoy that.
Wide Open Town: a history of Queer San Francisco by nan alamilla boyd
This is the book of the month for Fabulosa Books’ monthly gay book club so I picked it up from Fabulosa and… well. It’s fact-packed, that’s for sure. I do like reading about queer history and the history of queer SF is literally soooooo interesting. For a history book, I am finding it enjoyable. That said it is still a history book that is full to the brim with footnotes and facts. It’s tough for me though because it’s definitely not my preferred genre. But I also have to finish it by book club in a week so. I’m working on it. Great info here though! Could have also digested this in 10-12 medium articles over a longer period of time. But that’s okay. For non-fiction lovers, this is your book!
Writer’s Workshop Jan. 2 recap:
The last writer’s workshop was super chill – only 3 of us total – but I honestly felt that was what I needed, personally. It was nice because we got to spend a little more time talking about our work and our intentions for writing this year and the coming months. I am really looking forward to our stories and our creative endeavors! The next one will be at Silver Sprocket, on Sunday, February 6th starting at 7:00 PM. All ages, anyone can join.
Store updates:
I’m a little excited but trying not to get ahead of myself here with this one. While my original pick for location seems to be fizzling out (the owners have yet to get back to me about my proposal) – I have been pursuing a different spot that, while not directly across the street from my favorite queer cafe Milk SF, it is actually still close! Anyways, I am hopefully meeting with an architect next week to see if the space is even a good investment. But the owners have accepted my proposal and I’m prepared to move forward with them barring any major issues.
Alright, that’s all for now – see you at the pop-up at Milk SF in a few weeks!