Roughly fifteen years ago, I discovered Mahu by Neil Plakcy. I was lucky in those days. I was able to wander into my local Barnes and Noble and they had a huge assortment of LGBTQ novels and nonfiction books segregated in their own section. It was in that section that I found books by Michael Nava, Richard Zubro, Joseph Hansen, and Neil Plakcy.
I began teaching at Broward College in Pembroke Pines, Florida (a suburb of Fort Lauderdale), in 2002. Because two of my graduate school classmates were on the hiring committee for my job, there was no need for me to hide my orientation. Once I was hired as a full-time, tenure-track member of the English department, I decided that I was going to be out in the classroom, even though I worried about exposing myself to rancor and hatred.
Another year has ended and once again we take a look back at just a few of the many books that were reviewed in KRL and KRL News and Reviews in 2021. While 2021 was another difficult year, a lot of wonderful books came out! All but one of our main reviewers share in this post their top 5-10ish favorite books they reviewed in 2021. Katherine Costa wanted to include favorite authors and TV shows that she has reviewed, so hers is going up in a separate post next week!
I can’t believe that summer is already half over. It only seems like it just began. At the academic library where I work, we are getting ready for fall classes to begin. This year is especially busy as all of the furniture that has been in storage over the span of the pandemic have to be put back out as social distancing guidelines have expired. It is a thrilling time as we are seeing the library come back to be seen as a place for the students to collaborate and congregate. It’s starting to feel like home again.
Here is your weekly reminder that there are also new articles up on our other website KRL News & Reviews! Every week there will be book reviews and giveaways, plus sometimes pet articles, theatre articles, and more! And listen to our new podcast!
Here is your weekly reminder that there are also new articles up on our other website KRL News & Reviews! Every week there will be book reviews and giveaways, plus sometimes pet articles, theatre articles, and more! And listen to our new podcast!
Top 5 Mysteries I Have Read During the Pandemic is a brand new midweek column we are starting this week. As we continue to spend most of our time at home, we are all looking for book suggestions so we asked mystery authors and reviewers to share the top 5 mysteries they have read during this pandemic. This week mystery authors Neil Plakcy and Merrilee Robson share theirs!
In honor of Pride this year we thought we would do something a little different—we reached out to several of the LGBTQ+ mystery authors that we have covered in the past and asked them to share their favorite LGBTQ+ mysteries.
In honor of Pride, this month we are featuring several LGBTQ+ authors and characters. When I was looking around for books to include, I stumbled upon Neil S. Plakcy’s series featuring Special Agent Angus Green and noticed that his latest book, Survival is A Dying Art, was a finalist for the 2019 Lambda Literary Award for Best Gay Mystery. I decided that this was the perfect choice and I am very glad that I did!
For those who don't subscribe to our podcast newsletter, I wanted to share about our new podcast episode that went up this week! This one features the mystery short story "Doggy DNA" by Neil Plakcy and is read by local actor Thomas Nance.
