Lesbian Summer Reading List 2010

It's hot outside, so why not read a book set in the coldest place on earth? Lucy Jane Bledsoe's latest novel, The Big Bang Symphony follows the lives of three women as they journey to Antarctica, each in search of some lost part of herself. Booklist review: "Bledsoe skillfully orchestrates the lives of an intriguing set of characters gathered at an outpost in Antarctica…[She] uses the locale’s incredible beauty and high potential for drama, danger, and self-discovery for insights small and great as the women react to the sun’s breathtaking glint on the ice and, conversely, to the power of an unmerciful environment that so quickly turns deadly.”

Read Review

Portland is known for three things: coffee, rain and books. There is a burgeoning literary scene in this Northwest city and plenty of LGBT writers occupying those dark coffee houses. You don't have to be from the Rose City to appreciate these short stories and essays all set in Portland, Oregon. As a matter of fact, Portland Queer won the Lambda Literay Award for best anthology 2010.

This young adult book will appeal to young and old lesbians. Ash is a modern take on Cinderella, with faries and magic and strong female characters. This is what the New York Times has to say about Ash: "Somber and lovely. ... Ash feels pulled between two worlds -- the fairy realm, where a haughty prince named Sidhean waits for permission to possess her, and the charmed hours she spends with Kaisa."

Who's Your Mama? is a collection of essays by unconventional mothers, some queer, some straight, but all with a unique view on motherhood. Check out the essay by Lesbian Life contributor Mary Foulk  about her experience as the non-birth mother to their first child.

I love author Monica Nolan. She writes campy lesbian novels in a 1950s pulp style including The Big Book of Lesbian Horse Stories. Bobby Blanchard Lesbian Gym Teacher is a fun and campy book about a professional hockey player who hired by an elite all girls boarding school. 

Sarah Waters fans will love this ghostly tale set in England post WWII.  The author of Affinity and Fingersmith does not disappoint in her latest mystery novel. From The Washington Post: "The supernatural creaks and groans that reverberate through this tale are accompanied by malignant strains of class envy and sexual repression that infect every perfectly reasonable explanation we hear. The result is a ghost story as intelligent as it is stylish. I'm not giving anything away by reminding you to keep your eyes on the narrator. "

Patricia Highsmith was a suspense novelist in the 1940s. She was a successful writer and member of an elite literary clique and a lover of women. Publisher's Weekly had this to say about Joan Schenkar's biography: "From her early years in Texas through her time soaking up Manhattan's literary life in the '40s to her self-exile in Europe, Highsmith kept diaries in which she meticulously detailed everything from her myriad female lovers to plot ideas. Pessimistic, alcoholic and chronically unhappy, Highsmith created some of the most chilling tales of psychological suspense and betrayal, including The Talented Mr. Ripley and its sequels, and Strangers on a Train."

From Alison Bechdel "This is not your mother’s triumph-of-the-human-spirit memoir. Yes, Terry Galloway is resilient. But she’s also caustic, depraved, utterly disinhibited, and somehow sweetly bubbly, a beguiling raconteuse who periodically leaps onto the dinner table and stabs you with her fork. Her story will fascinate, it will hurt, and you will like it."

Torn by Amber Lehman is called a bisexual coming-of-age novel.  This Lambda Award finalist tackles the very issue that many Lesbian Life reades seem to be struggling with. "Am I a Lesbian, straight or bisexual or just experimenting?" This is a book that will appeal to both teens and adults.

I don't think I'll take my Ellen DeGeneres comic book to the beach. I think it's going to be a collector's item one day. Bluewater Productions has been putting out comic books of famous women from Sarah Palin to Michelle Obama. Their latest is on lesbian talk show host Ellen DeGeneres.  They follow Ellen from her life growing up in Lousiana, through her stand-up comedy career, her famous coming out and her successful TV talk show. Best of all, all proceeds from purchase of the book will benefit animal welfare agencies.