outinprint.net

December brings Santa, snow (well, it used to snow here before Global Climate Change), and the inevitable onslaught of “Best of” lists. Not one to buck a trend, we at Out in Print have reviewed our 2012 reviews and settled on 15 books that have stayed in our heads and hearts since we picked them up. We hope you’ll feel the same way. In no particular order, our recommendations for 2012 are: 

Fontana – Joshua Martino (Bold Strokes Books)

This fastpitch debut novel from Joshua Martino delivers the goods as we watch Major League baseball player Ricky Fontana come out publicly. At once hopeful and cynical, Fontana examines the issues and Fontana’s process in a reckless, threatening atmosphere that provides poignancy as well as drama.

The Survivors – Sean Eads (Lethe Press)

An alien invasion novel that throws more than a few curves, The Survivors morphs from mordantly funny to darkly philosophical with effortless ease. Eads’ writing is sharp and focused, and his gift for creating heartbreak from havoc keeps on giving throughout the book. This is speculative fiction you won’t soon forget.

Green Thumb – Tom Cardamone (BrazenHead)

Cardamone’s inexhaustible creativity drives this fantasy novella of a post-apocalyptic plant boy named Leaf and his friends as they explore a devastated Miami (renamed Canal City) and find civilization not what it’s cracked up to be. Cardamone’s astounding sense of place and inventiveness will leave you breathless, as will the depth of his characters. Not to be missed.

Chulito – Charles Rice-Gonzales (Magnus Books)

An amazing love story between two Latino hoodrats, Chulito is a well-crafted story with some interesting twists and turns and an ending that will bring tears to your eyes as it puts a smile on your face. Gritty, authentic, and involving, you’ll find it tough to put this one down.

Purgatory – Jeff Mann (Lethe Press)

Acclaimed poet, short story writer, and essayist Jeff Mann brings his skills to the long form, forging an intense Civil War love story from food, bondage and violence. Lovingly detailed, exhaustively researched and altogether captivating, this pushes buttons in unforgettable ways. 

Strange Bedfellows – Rob Byrnes (Bold Strokes Books)

Hapless criminals Grant Lambert and Chase LaMarca are back with yet another caper as only Rob Byrnes could write. Snappier-than-hell dialogue, a political plot that pokes sly fun at sexting, and a great supporting cast all combine to make this a laugh-out-loud read that’s as pointed as it is hilarious.

The Raven’s Heart – Jesse Blackadder (Bywater Books)

A re-telling of the story of Mary, Queen of Scots as seen through the eyes of the cross-dressing last of her family, Alison Blackadder, who tries to win back her ancestral home by getting close to the queen. Beautifully written, with marvelously complex characters and just enough court intrigue, The Raven’s Heart is historical fiction at its best.

The Heart’s History – Lewis DeSimone (Lethe Press) 

A quiet masterpiece, The Heart’s History examines aging, settling down, settling for, and being assimilated into straight society with depth and grace. DeSimone’s dialogue is awe-inspiring, giving us unsparing portraits of people we come to care about quickly. By turns comic and contemplative, this is a delicious read that will leave you perfectly satisfied.

Awake Unto Me – Kathleen Knowles (Bold Strokes Books)

Newcomer Kathleen Knowles brings turn of the century San Francisco to breathtaking life with her story of rough and tumble Barbary Coast born Kerry O’Shea and quiet shopkeeper’s daughter Beth Hammond. Their shy love grows to a passionate affair bold for their time, and Knowles captures this with solid assurance. A perfect time machine.

The City’s Gates – Peter Dubé (Comorant Books)

The ever-interesting Dubé uses his considerable gifts to conjure a tense, Orwellian atmosphere in which mysterious characters seek to undermine an economic conference. Dark, urbane and atmospheric, the long, slow build is as entertaining as the knockout climax. So real, you’ll swear you read about this in the papers.

Cowboys, Armageddon, and the Truth – Scott Terry (Lethe Press)

One man’s heartfelt story of growing up Jehovah’s Witness, told with aching sincerity and an unerring eye for detail. Terry pulls no punches and gives no quarter in recounting his abusive childhood and confused adulthood, and you’ll cheer as he pulls himself out of the clutches of the cult. Terry’s truth has nothing to do with religion but everything to do with his journey.

Songs for the New Depression – Kergan Edwards-Stout (Circumspect Press)

Brilliantly conceived and masterfully written, Edwards-Stout has fashioned a detailed examination of a truly detestable individual and actually made it work. Told in backwards chronology, its structure is nearly as interesting as the narrator. You’ll read this once for its emotional impact and again to see how the author achieves it. But no matter how many times you dive in, you’ll be impressed.

You Will Meet a Stranger Far From Home: Wonder Stories – Alex Jeffers (Lethe Press)

Imaginative, atmospheric and rare, this brace of short stories never fails to entertain. It bends reality into fantasy as often as it bends genders, folding back in on itself in a cultural Moebius strip that melds emotions and intellect. You’ll want to read them quickly, then go back to savor their exotic spice.

Split – Mel Bossa (Bold Strokes Books)

A stunning romance between childhood friends Derek and Nicolai that weaves a present day storyline around anecdotes from their past, Split is everything gay romance novels should hope to be: poignant, tragic, hopeful and heartening. This is the romance that should have won the Lammy in 2012.

The Dust of Wonderland – Lee Thomas (Lethe Press)

The only reprint on our list, it was so damn creepy and unforgettable I had to include it even though it wasn’t written in 2012. Thomas bends horror tropes into new, unrecognizable nightmares and tosses a few left-handed plot twists into the mix just to keep the reader off guard in this story of a man and the past he thinks he’s left behind. All this and New Orleans too.

That’s our list—fifteen wonderful books just ripe for holiday gifting. Buy one for someone you love and another for yourself.

Assuming they’re not the same person.