Book Soup to Book Fest

Happy Sunday, readers!

This past Friday I had the absolute pleasure of being in conversation with Seán Hewitt at Book Soup in Los Angeles for the final stop on his US book tour. Seán was, as expected, a complete delight—thoughtful, funny, and deeply engaging as we discussed OPEN, HEAVEN. Thanks to Dan and the folks at Book Soup!

Looking ahead, I'm thrilled to be participating in the LA Times Festival of Books next weekend! You can catch me on Saturday, April 26th at 4:30pm for the panel "Cult Classics in the Making: Humor, Pop Culture, and Identity in Contemporary Memoir" featuring Jean Grae, Andy Corren, Vera Blossom, and Manuel Betancourt. If you're attending the festival, please come say hello!

Books We're Excited About
Buzzing about Jon Hickey's gripping BIG CHIEF and Lynn Steger Strong's THE FLOAT TEST (particularly looking forward to this as I was a big fan of her previous novel, FLIGHT). Kevin Nguyen's MY DOCUMENTS, Heather McGowan's FRIENDS OF THE MUSEUM, which is giving museum-meets-White Lotus vibes, Eleanor Pilcher's witty THAT'S WHAT SHE SAID, and Denne Michele Norris's powerful WHEN THE HARVEST COMES are all making waves.

Denne Michele is Tuesday’s Gays Reading podcast guest, so make sure to tune in for that! (Featuring Guest Gay Reader Zee Carlstrom who talks about their book, MAKE SURE YOU DIE SCREAMING)

Looking Forward To
Eagerly awaiting Iryn Tushabe's debut, EVERYTHING IS FINE HERE—a coming of age novel set in Uganda in which a young woman grapples with the truth about her sister in a country that punishes gay people. I mean… c’mon! Also out this week is the newly translated edition of Pier Vittorio Tondelli's classic translated into English for the very first time, SEPARATE ROOMS. And finally, Jo Harkin's THE PRETENDER, which all my insider bookish friends are loving.

What are you reading? Let us know what's currently on your nightstand or what upcoming release has you counting down the days.

Happy reading,
Jason