This memoir-style narrative is about a teen lesbian growing up in rural Montana in the 1990s. The story opens up with her first kiss, and then the shocking news that her parents have died in a car crash. Cameron feels guilty that the first thing she thinks when she hears the news is that they'll never find out she kissed a girl. Life gets even more complicated for twelve-year-old Cameron when her conservative Aunt Ruth steps in to be her guardian.

I read this book on a cross-continental flight on my vacation. You know how people make small talk on planes: "Whatcha readin'?"

At first I hesitated. Did I really want to know what the person sitting next to me on a six-hour flight felt about lesbians and gays? But I told them what it was about, and I was pleasantly surprised at the response. On the first leg of the flight I sat next to a mother and her son who was about ten. She told me how when her twelve-year-old daughter sat down in the cafeteria on her first day of school, the kids asked her if she was straight, bisexual or lesbian. We mused how times have changed since we were in school.

LGBTQ fiction for teens has also come a long way. Miseducation has a broad scope, starting when Cameron is twelve and goes until she graduates from high school. She has a few relationships with girls, all of them different, and she also meets other gay teens. The reader not only gets to read Cameron's story, but a handful of other teen narratives as a bonus. Passion and heartbreak, rebellion and rage, internal conflict and family tension: it's all here. The Miseducation of Cameron Post is time well spent. I first heard of it from NPR's book reviews.

Originally published as a newspaper serial, the chapters are usually short vignettes featuring different characters. In one, Mary Ann begins volunteering at a suicide hotline, where she meets a one-eared volunteer named Vincent. In another, Michael has a crisis on his hands when his parents pick the week of Halloween to come visit, possibly the hardest week of the year to keep up the appearance of a straight single guy from Orlando.

The book is perfect for lunch breaks or times when you just have a few minutes to read, or narrator Barbara Rosenblat gives all the different characters distinct voices and personalities on the audio CDs.

If you want to spend even more time with the characters from Barbary Lane, More Tales of the City picks up where the first book left off, concluding the mystery surrounding Anna Madrigal, and sending Mary Ann headlong into intrigue when she meets Burke, an amnesiac journalist with ties to San Francisco - he just can't remember what those ties are.

What followed was a debate between Dan and Terry about marriage and tattoos. Dan's mother weighed in from Illinois with mailed newspaper clippings, mostly on successful gay marriages or celebrities who later regretted celebrating a relationship with a tattoo. Eventually, Dan and Terry settled on a tenth anniversary party. The sort of party where formal invitations are sent, family flies in from out of town, and thousands of dollars are spent on custom-made cakes.

While Savage does jump on his political soapbox about social conservatives, the American family and the institution of marriage, the politics are overshadowed by Dan's stories about his family, from the time they braved the Seattle Wedding Expo (just to write about it, of course,) worrying that his son's choice of family dog - a toy poodle - will make their family look too gay, or Dan's paranoia about chainsaws when he attends the lumberjack contest at a local Oregon fair.

After all the reasons why marriage and tattoos are a bad idea, what do they finally end up doing? The surprise ending is heartfelt and hilarious. Will they succumb to Dan's mother's wishes and tie the knot? Will Terry get his way with the matching tattoos? Pick up The Commitment to find out.

Queen Of The Oddballs Hillary Carlip is the kind of author who feels like an instant friend. Her tone in this fabulous memoirandnbsp;is so self-deprecating, smart, funny, and engaging that you wind up feeling like you've known her all your life.andnbsp; Indeed, it's hard not to a love a quirky girl who appeared on Art Linkletter's House Party, won a trophy at the cotillion attended by a young Jamie Leeandnbsp;Curtis, became Carly Simon's number one fan, er, friend at age fourteen, and spent a summer wandering Laurel Canyon in the hopes of stumbling upon Carole King's house.andnbsp; Incidentally, she did find it, and yes, Carole totally invited her inside. Hillary then went on to become an accomplished juggler, appeared on The Gong Show, worked as a singing telegram, and performedandnbsp;as an extra in the classic Olivia Newton John vehicle, Xanadu.andnbsp; After that?andnbsp; She started a girl group and became a cult rock star.

What makes each of these adventures resonant is that Hillary always follows her heart and reaches for the stars.andnbsp; As is so often the case, the journey is every bit as important as the destination.andnbsp; After pursuing so many creative adventures, Carlip ultimately found herself through giving a voice to others.andnbsp; Her first book, Girl Power (a collection of essays by young women), landed her on the Oprah show, and her personal essay site freshyarn.com is going strong.andnbsp; Must be nice to be Queen Of The Oddballs...it seems as though they have all the fun.

Elio is a precocious narrator, well-schooled in classical studies but new at the workings of the human heart. The book's rich, evocative imagery does not overwhelm its underlying tenderness. Ultimately, it is Elio's father who offers him the best advice for surviving his heartbreak.

Pairing a gorgeous setting and smoldering love story, Call Me By Your Name will heat up the coldest winter day.

Skim is not. Skim that is. In Skim, a graphic novel by Mariko and Jillian Tamaki, Skim is Kimberly Keiko, a mixed-race, not-slim, Goth-girl and wannabe Wiccan searching for her own place in the private girls' school she attends with her best friend, Lisa. When the boyfriend of a classmate commits suicide, the place becomes downright oppressive as Skim's peers target her dark moods and darker wardrobe. Enter Ms. Archer, Skim's free-free-spirited drama teacher. Suddenly, Skim finds meaning in Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. The two begin a romantic relationship that leaves Skim questioning her sexuality and, when it ends, her self-worth. Ultimately, it is in reaching out to Katie, girlfriend of the boy who committed suicide, that Skim finds her voice again.

Through the lens of a few years, and the comfort of a grownup chair, the age of 16 is easier to bear. This graphic novel was published for a teen audience but adults will empathize with Skim's growing pains. The book is set in early 1990s Toronto and its panels feature details that will take adult readers back to their own school days. Adolescent anxiety may be a painful thing to remember, but here it is drawn in flowing black-and-white.  The novel's sharp dialogue and the school's reaction to the suicide are eerily reminiscent of the 1989 Christian Slater-Winona Ryder movie, Heathers.  

Pairing an elegant package and a winning voice,  Skim will resonate with teen and adult readers alike.