What a delight that a new Tales of the City novel published this month. It’s been just over three years since Michael Tolliver Lives debuted and now Armistead Maupin brings us a Mary Ann centric story with Mary Ann in Autumn. I couldn’t put this book down, finishing it off within about 36 hours of starting it.
The book opens with Mary Ann arriving in San Francisco to see Michael. Two crises have driven her back to her old friend–the break up of her most recent marriage and a cancer diagnosis. Fifty-seven year old Mary Ann is a much different woman after all the years in Connecticut. She’s more timid, less self-assured… more like the person she was when she’d first arrived at the start of Tales of the City than the woman she became during the series.
Besides Mary Ann’s primary story line there two other stories in play as well. Jake, the transgender partner in Michael’s landscaping business, has some very interesting interactions with a young man who is struggling to find his way. Mary Ann’s daughter, Shawna, gets drawn into the orbit of a homeless woman who has a very intriguing past. Through the novel we get to check in with DeDe, Ben (Michael’s husband) and, of course, the beloved Anna.
There’s a stunning twist in the story too, one that flashes back to the first Tales book. I didn’t see it coming and was quite surprised. Maupin’s always been great with how he intertwines his characters and this ending is one of his most masterful turns yet.
I almost regret reading the book so fast because it means the visit with the Barbary Lane folks is already done. I certainly hope Maupin allows another trip to this magical place again soon.
Up Next: The stories Dreamspinner Press’ 2010 Advent Calendar Set – Naughty or Nice
18Mar10
Official NOH8 Photo
Posted by Jeff and Will in Current Events, LGBT Issues, New York | Tagged gay marriage, gay rights, NOH8 Campaign, prop 8
Our official photo from the NOH8 Campaign New York Photo Shoot got posted to the NOH8 website this morning. We’re honored to be part of this group of people standing up for gay rights.
The bad news came via email on February 3: the Oscar Wilde Bookstore on Christopher Street, after 41 years, set a closing date of March 29.
Yes, independent books stores have become an endangered species over the past several years between the rise of Amazon.com and the larger chain stores like Barnes & Nobel and Borders.
Even niche stores like Oscar Wilde, which carries a deep stock of LGBT books, have felt the pinch. B&N and Borders both of gay sections, although nothing like the selection you can find at Oscar Wilde. Amazon, of course, carries everything you could ever want and you don’t even have to leave your house (although finding things on Amazon isn’t always the easiest). The past five years or so have been rough for Oscar Wilde, but they hung on. Unfortunately, the current economic crisis is one they cannot survive.
We discovered Oscar Wilde shortly after we moved here in December 1998 and we were consistent customers, usually purchasing at least once a month. We made a point to buy our gay books there because we felt it was important to support the local, gay-owned business. This afternoon we made what was probably our last visit to the store. We picked up a few books and said goodbye to the Saturday staff that we’d usually see on our visits.
It was a bit frustrating to be there today too. The store was packed. It’s too bad it wasn’t normally packed like that. Usually when we were there, there might be two or three other people browsing. Sometimes it would just be us and the clerk.
We will miss dropping in on Saturday afternoons and checking out the latest books. Just recently, it was here that Jeff found the wonderful What they Always Tell Us. It’s very possible that would’ve been missed in B&N or not found on Amazon; so not having a table full of new LGBT releases is a major loss.
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25Dec08
Merry Christmas!
We wish you a very Merry Christmas… with a little help from the wonderful Audra McDonald!
18Dec08
NYC 10
Sometime within the next day or so, we celebrate our 10th Anniversary of arriving of New York City to live. It’s been a really amazing decade (both good and bad) and we still love living here. It’ll be interesting to see what the next decade brings…
