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Best books for your summer beach read

Check out these promising fiction, non-fiction selections

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'Hawk Mountain' book cover. (Image courtesy WW Norton)

Imagine yourself on the beach.

The sun’s at a just-right angle, so you’re not frying. The water, when you want to wade in it, is warm and refreshing. There’s a Cold One nestled in the sand by your side, and a great book next to it. Why not make it one of these books?

If it’s a novel you want for your summer reading, “Jobs for Girls With Artistic Flair: A Novel” by June Gervais (Pamela Dorman Books, June 21) might work. It’s the story of a young woman who passionately hopes to become a tattoo artist but it’s not going to be easy. That’s especially true when she falls in love with the assistant of a psychic who’s just moved into town.

When you fall in love with the person you’re destined to spend your life with, you want the whole world to celebrate with you. In “This Way Out” by Tufayel Ahmed (Lake Union Publishing, July 1), Amar is overjoyed to announce the news. Problem is, his beloved is a man. A white man, and his Muslim-Bangladeshi family isn’t going to be happy. Neither are the people in his neighborhood, and it shakes Amar to his core. Will true love prevail?

If you’re in the mood for something deep, try “Hawk Mountain” by Connor Habib (W.W. Norton, July 5), the a tight tale of bullying and deception. For something lighter, you won’t believe the array of manga being released this summer, and there are tons of Young Adult romances that might fit your beach-reading mood perfectly.

For non-fiction fans, “Gender Pioneers: A Celebration of Transgender, Non-Binary and Intersex Icons” by Philippa Punchard (Jessica Kingsley, Aug. 18) could be a great beach-towel companion. This book takes a dive back in history with profiles of influential people who forged trails and followed their own hearts. You’ll be pleased and surprised at who’s inside this book.

Lovers of intrigue, biographies, and history will devour “Agent Josephine: American Beauty, French Hero, British Spy” by Damien Lewis (PublicAffairs, July 12), the true story of the life of Josephine Baker and her actions against the Nazis during World War II. In her lifetime, her beauty was renowned, but she was controversial. Her bisexuality was scandalous then, as was her supposed promiscuity. Few, however, knew of her incredible bravery.

Science-minded readers will want to dive into “Bi: The Hidden Culture, History, and Science of Bisexuality” by Julia Shaw (Abrams Press, June 28). Find out what science knows about bisexuality, how bisexuals made and changed history, what the law has said about it through the years, and what else is being studied. This is a wide take on a little-explored subject, and is perfect for curious readers.

If you’re taking the kids to the beach this summer, you’ll find lots of great books for toddlers, grade-schoolers, and Young Adults ā€“ some of which you’ll enjoy, too. Ask your local librarian for great recommendations (and ways to keep sand out of your books). Throw yourself at the mercy of your favorite bookseller; seriously, they know books and they’ll help you find what you need for that beach.

Seasons readings!

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From genteel British wealth to trans biker

Memoir ā€˜Frighten the Horsesā€™ a long but essential read

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(Book cover image courtesy of Roxane Books/Grove Atlantic)

ā€˜Frighten the Horses: A Memoirā€™
By Oliver Radclyffe
c.2024, Roxane Books/Grove Atlantic
$28/352 pages

Finding your own way.

It’s a rite of passage for every young person, a necessity on the path toĀ adulthood. You might have had help with it. You might have listened to your heart alone on the quest to find your own way. And sometimes, as in the new memoir,Ā “Frighten the Horses” by Oliver Radclyffe,Ā you may have to findĀ yourselfĀ first.

If you had observed Oliver Radclyffe in a random diner a few years ago, you’d have seen a blonde, bubbly, but harried mother with four active children under age seven and a distracted husband. You probably wouldn’t have seen trouble, but it was there.

“Nicky,” as Radclyffe was known then, was simmering with something that was just coming to the forefront.

As a young child, Nicky’d been raised in comfort in a family steeped in genteel British wealth, attended a private all-girl’s school, and never wanted for anything. She left all that behind as a young adult, and embraced the biker lifestyle and everything it entailed. The problem now wasn’t that she missed her old ways; it was that she hated life as a wife and mother. Her dreams were filled with fantasies of “exactly who I was: a man on a motorbike, in love with a woman.”

But being a man? No, that wasn’t quite right.

It took every bit of courage she had to say she was gay, that she thought constantly about women, that she hated sex with men. When she told her husband, he was hurt but mostly unbothered, insisting that she tell absolutely no one. They could remain married and just go forward. Nothing had to change.

But everything had already changed for Nicky.

Once she decided finally to come out, she learned that friends had already suspected. Family was supportive. It would be OK. But as Nicky began to experiment with a newfound freedom to be with women, one thing became clear: having sex with a woman was better when she imagined doing it as a man.

In his opening chapter, author Oliver Radclyffe shares an anecdote about the confusion the father of Radclyffe’s son’s friend had when picking up the friend. Readers may feel the same sentiment.

Fortunately, “Frighten the Horses” gets better ā€” and it gets worse. Radclyffe’s story is riveting, told with a voice that’s distinct, sometimes poker-faced, but compelling; you’ll find yourself agreeing with every bit of his outrage and befuddlement with coming out in a way that feels right. When everything falls into place, it’s a relief for both author and reader.

And yet, it’s hard to get to this point because this memoir is just too long. It lags where you’ll wish it didnā€™t. It feels like being burrito-wrapped in a heavy-weighted blanket: You don’t necessarily want out, but you might get tired of being in it.

Still, it remains that this peek at transitioning, however painful, is essential reading for anyone who needs to understand how someone figures things out. If that’s you, then consider “Frighten the Horses” and find it.

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Books

ā€˜Radiantā€™ an illuminating biography of Keith Haring

Author captures artistā€™s complexities in sympathetic new book

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ā€˜Radiant: The Life and Line of Keith Haringā€™
By Brad Gooch
c.2024, Harper
$20/502 pages

ā€œRadiantā€ is an illuminating biography of the talented artist Keith Haring, who made his indelible mark during the 1980s before dying young of AIDS. Brad Gooch, biographer of poets Frank Oā€™Hara and Rumi, follows Haring from his childhood in Kutztown, Pa., to his early days in New York City painting artistic graffiti, to his worldwide fame and friendships with Andy Warhol and Jean-Michel Basquiat.

The eldest of three children and the only boy, Haring learned to draw early on from his father. Art quickly became a lasting obsession, which he pursued fiercely. Growing up in a small, conservative town, he was drawn to countercultural movements like hippies and religious ā€œJesus freaks,ā€ although he mostly found the imagery and symbols appealing.

He studied commercial art in Pittsburgh but later dropped out, spending several years working and learning at the Pittsburgh Arts and Crafts Center, before moving to New York City in 1978. Studying painting at the School for Visual Arts, he also learned about video and performance art, making interesting projects. He also began drawing images on subways and blank advertisement backboards. One of his most distinctive was the Radiant Baby, a crawling baby shooting rays of light. 

Gooch begins the biography with his own encounter with this public art, which felt colorful and ā€œextremely urgent.ā€ It had to be done guerilla-style, before the authorities could catch him, and they were frequently painted over. He was arrested a few times.

Ironically, a few years later Haring would be paid huge sums and flown around the world to create large-scale art on public property. People were amazed at how quickly he worked, even in terrible conditions. Sometimes at these events, while a crowd was gathered, he would draw and give away the artwork. Knowing that his art in galleries sold for incredible amounts, he enjoyed occasionally frustrating the art worldā€™s commercial desires.

His Pop Shops also revealed Haringā€™s competing impulses. Opened in 1986, first in New York and later in Tokyo, they put his art on all sorts of merchandise, including T-shirts and posters. On the one hand, they allowed ordinary people to buy his work at reasonable prices. However, they also earned him more money and increased his public image.

He made art for everyone. His best-known pieces, featuring babies and dogs, are colorful and family friendly. Some even consider it ā€œlightweight.ā€ He eagerly created murals and artwork for elementary schools and neighborhoods. But he also made art with social and political commentary and sexual explicitness. ā€œMichael Stewart ā€“ USA for Africaā€ depicts a graffiti artistā€™s strangulation by New York City Transit Police officers. He painted ā€œOnce Upon a Timeā€¦ā€ for the menā€™s bathroom of New York Cityā€™s Lesbian & Gay Community Center.

Haring worked nearly right up to his death in 1990. The Keith Haring Foundation keeps his work in the public eye, while also funding nonprofits working with disadvantaged youth and AIDS education. Gooch captures Haringā€™s complexities; he befriended graffiti artists of color and dated working-class men, but was sometimes ignorant about how his wealth and fame affected these relationships. Well written and sympathetic, the book can sometimes overwhelm in detail about life in the 80ā€™s and Haringā€™s celebrity friends.

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Books

New book is a fun whodunit set in London drag world

ā€˜Murder in the Dressing Roomā€™ will keep readers guessing

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(Book cover image courtesy Berkeley)

ā€˜Murder in the Dressing Roomā€™
By Holly Stars
c.2025, Berkeley
$19/368 pages

Your alter ego, the other half of your double life, is a superhero.

When youā€™re quiet, sheā€™s boisterous. Your confidence is flat, hers soars. Sheā€™s a better dresser than you; sheā€™s more popular, and maybe even a little smarter. By day, you live a normal existence but by night, your other side roars and in the new mystery,Ā ā€œMurder in the Dressing Roomā€ by Holly Stars,Ā both of you solve crimes.

Lady Lady had been a little off all evening.

As owner of Londonā€™s most fabulous, elegant drag club, she was usually in command but her protegee, Misty Devine, could tell that something was wrong.

She discovered how wrong when she found Lady Lady on her dressing room floor, foaming at the mouth, dead, poisoned by a mysterious box of chocolates.

Hours later, Misty de-dragged, morphing from an elegant woman to an ordinary, binary hotel employee named Joe who was heartbroken by the tragedy. Only employees had access to Lady Ladyā€™s dressing room ā€“ ergo, someone they knew at the club had to be the killer.

Obviously, the London detectives assigned to the case had a suspect list, but Misty/Joe and their boyfriend Miles knew solving Lady Ladyā€™s murder was really up to them. They knew who the killer wasnā€™t, but who had reason to kill Mistyā€™s mentor?

Maybe Mandy, the clubā€™s co-owner. The clubā€™s bartender and bouncer were both sketchy. Lady Lady had spats with two employees and a former co-worker, but was that motive enough? When the dress Lady Lady was wearing that night proved to have been valuable stolen goods, Joeā€™s investigation list grew to include people who might have sneaked backstage when no one was paying attention, and a shady man who was suddenly following them around.

Then Misty learned that she was in Lady Ladyā€™s will, and she figured the inheritance would be minor but she got a huge surprise. Lady Ladyā€™s posthumous gift could make others think that Misty mightā€™ve had reason to kill her.

And just like that, the suspect list gained another entry.

When you first get ā€œMurder in the Dressing Roomā€ in your hands, hang onto it tight. Itā€™s fun, and so fluffy and light that it might float away if youā€™re not careful.

The storyā€™s a little too long, as well, but thereā€™s enjoyment to be had here, and authenticity enough to hold a readerā€™s attention. Author Holly Stars is a drag performer in London and somewhat of a murder maven there, which gives her insight into books of this genre and the ability to string readers along nicely with solid characters. If youā€™re unfamiliar with the world of drag youā€™ll also learn a thing or two while youā€™re sleuthing through the story; drag queens and kings will like the dual tale, and the settings that anchor it.

As a mystery, this is fun and different, exciting, but tame enough for any adult reader. If you love whodunits and you want something light, ā€œMurder in the Dressing Roomā€ is a double delight.

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