Likewise by Ariel Schrag

This is the final installment of Ariel Schrag's High School Comic Chronicles. Through her Grade 12 year, Ariel is unable to get over Sally, the lover who dumped her and who is now attending college and dating guys. Ariel makes her way through Sally's favourite book, Ulysses by James Joyce (which is pictured accompanied always by an annotated guide to Ulysses). Ariel also spends a lot of time trying to find a scientific answer for why people are gay. And she spends hours on her epic autobiographical multivolume comic project.

On Ariel's 18th birthday, her mother gives her some money and Ariel plans to spend it on a sex toy. Sally comes by for a visit with her college roommate, Alexis. The text boxes feature Joycean stream-of-consciousness: "let them morose and apathetic. Sally pats on head: 'what's wrong?' disinterested in imbecility. In room I shove paunch of money into my pocket. looks like an eager erection."

I found an online interview with Schrag that helped me understand why the final third of Likewise makes such radical style shifts. Schrag is brave, insightful and talented. The artwork includes realistic masterbation and sex scenes, so I don't recommend this for reading on public transit... otherwise, I recommend it to any adult who enjoys honest character portrayal.

The Wayfinders by Wade Davis

Wade Davis coined the term "ethnosphere" to describe the wide variety of cultures that span the planet. In the 2009 series of CBC Massey Lectures, he explains "why ancient wisdom matters in the modern world" and why even our concept of what is "modern" hinders our ability to see the benefit to our planet that would come from incorporating non-western cultural viewpoints. For the sake of all of us sharing living space on Earth, we need to open our eyes to better possibilities. The Wayfinders is an impassioned - and very readable - account of vibrant current cultures that are in danger of being lost.

At Least in the City Someone Would Hear Me Scream by Wade Rouse

One half of a gay couple recounts their "Misadventures in Search of the Simple Life" after they leave their city home in St. Louis for a cabin in the woods near Lake Michigan. Wade Rouse wants to follow in the footsteps of Henry David Thoreau. It's a stretch; he doesn't try to hide the fact that he can be shallow and silly. I found Wade's whining to be somewhat annoying. Mostly, however, his adventures amused and entertained me. Towards the end of this memoir, after the guys have weathered country living for the better part of a year, Wade has clearly learned many lessons and I found him more endearing. Recommended to readers who enjoy the neurotic and arch styles of Augusten Burroughs, David Sedaris and David Rakoff.

Ash by Malinda Lo

Aisling - Ash for short - grows up as a servant in her stepmother's household after her parents die. She spends whatever free time she has either reading fairytales or walking in the woods. Ash is attracted to two different people: Sidhean, a handsome and powerful fairy, and Kaisa, the King's Huntress. Where does her future lie?

It has been far too long since I've read a lesbian-themed retelling of a traditional story. This one is pitch-perfect. Even the design details of the book (published by Little, Brown, 2009) add to the atmosphere, with elaborate drop-capitals opening each chapter and judicious use of an elegant script font for the first line.

Any sexual references are oblique. For example, when Ash asks "Will I die?" the answer is "Only a little" and then the scene changes to the next morning. I am comfortable recommending this novel to Grade 6 and up. A shorter retelling of the Cinderella story can be found in Emma Donoghue's lesbian-feminist collection, Kissing the Witch.

Pink! by Lynne Rickards and Margaret Chamberlain

Patrick is a school-age penguin who turns pink overnight. He feels like he no longer fits in at school, so he journeys to the land of the flamingos. But he doesn't fit in there either, so he goes home. His friends all welcome him back and Patrick decides that being different isn't so bad after all.

This book is more about self-acceptance than being gay, but a hot pink colour for boys is associated with gays or sissies, plus Patrick's best friend, Arthur, seems to have an extra gleam in his eyes when Patrick returns. So I'll assign this one a GLBTQ tag. Preschool - Grade 3.

I Kill Giants by Joe Kelly and JM Ken Niimura

Barbara Thorson is not a typical Grade 5 student. She is tougher than Emily Strange and cares nothing about schoolwork, boys, dating, clothes - or anything that distracts her from her task, which is to be prepared to kill giants. She is fearless when faced with school bullies; her enemy is much greater than that. Over time, Barbara learns that she doesn't have to be alone in her struggles and that it is okay to accept help with life's demons. Ken Niimura's black and white inkwash art is a good pair with Joe Kelly's text. The atmosphere is of looming menace. At times, it isn't easy to discern what is happening - which is a reflection of the troubled workings in Barbara's mind. Grade 7 to adult.

The Lacuna by Barbara Kingsolver

People tend to believe whatever they read or hear in the media. That's one of the central themes of The Lacuna, Barbara Kingsolver's historical saga set in the 1930s and '40s. Frida Kahlo, Diego Rivera and their distinguished guest, Leon Trotsky, appear to be immune to the lies told about them. A young gay man who works for them, Harrison Shepherd, has a much harder time accepting this fault of the press - and the public. Shepherd had a lonely childhood as the son of a Mexican mother who left her gringo American husband and sought male company and financial support wherever she could. The story is told through Shepherd's journals, starting from about age 12. His voice is kind, diffident and witty and captured me from the moment I began reading his amazing life story.