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Welcome to the summer of the apocalypse. One 12-year-old boy leads the charge against the forces of evil as he tries to stop the Four Horsemen from taking over the world in the start to a wildly funny and addictive fantasy series about accepting yourself and finding your inner hero.

Alex Wise feels like his world is ending. His best friend, Loren, is leaving town for the summer, his former friend and maybe sort of crush Sky hasn't spoken to him since he ditched Alex on first day of sixth grade, and now his mom is sending him and his annoying younger sister, Mags, on a cruise with the dad who abandoned them. And, as if things couldn't get worse, a creepy shadow monster may or may not be stalking him.

But none of this could prepare Alex for the actual end of the world. Too bad that is exactly what's coming, after the definitely-real Shadow Man kidnaps Mags and she is possessed by the ancient spirit of Death--one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. Luckily (depending on who you ask), Alex is possessed as well by a powerful god who imbues Alex with their powers in an effort to stop the Horsemen...if he can figure out how to use them. So begins an epic battle between good and evil: Alex, Loren, a grumpy demi-god, and Alex's fourth grade teacher vs. Death, Pestilence, Famine, War, and the waves of chaos and destruction they bring to LA and soon the rest of the globe. Just your average summer vacation.

Alex is more used to being left behind than leading the way, but now he's the only one who can save his sister--and the world. That is, if he can unlock his new powers and see himself as the hero he is.

"Never has the apocalypse been so fun!"
--Mark Oshiro, author of THE INSIDERS and co-author with Rick Riordan of THE SUN AND THE STAR: A NICO DI ANGELO ADVENTURE.

From the acclaimed author of Small Town Pride, Phil Stamper, comes a heartfelt coming-of-age middle grade novel about grief, love, loss, and finding your way forward in the vein of Kate Allen's The Line Tender and Jules Machias's Both Can Be True.

The last few months have been pretty tough for Eli. He moved to New York City and left his small town in Minnesota with his extended family and everyone he knows. He hasn't made any new friends. And his mom died unexpectedly, shattering his whole world. He misses Mom more and more every day, but Dad refuses to talk about her, leaving Eli alone in his grief.

Then Eli finds a stash of instructional cooking videos his mom made, revealing her dream of being a celebrity chef. With the help of the cute new neighbor boy, Mathias, Eli decides to follow his mother's recipes using her videos. If he can re-create his mom's special dishes, then maybe a part of her can stay with him forever. But what happens when the videos run out?

Brian and Ezra's story continues in the moving sequel to Thanks a Lot, Universe, which New York Times bestselling author Nic Stone called "a glorious ode to the beauty of preteen friendship."

Brian knows that anxiety and depression aren't things that are magically fixed overnight, but he still doesn't understand why it's all hitting him so hard right now. Sure, his dad is still in prison and middle school is still stressful, but he's seeing a therapist, he's got good friends, and he's doing really well on the basketball team. He should be fine, so why does he feel too tired to get out of bed some days? And why does he turn into "Cursed Monster Brian" and snap whenever someone asks him what's wrong?

Ezra is trying his best to look out for Brian, but he's not sure that he's actually helping. Sure, they're still best friends, but as Ezra starts preparing for the talent show, he also starts talking with Victor--the kid who relentlessly bullied Brian last year. It seems like Victor's changed, and whenever he and Ezra hang out and make music together, Ezra's stomach feels a little bit swoopy. But even if he likes making music and talking with Victor, he still feels like he's betraying his best friend whenever they're together. And he worries that he's falling for another boy who won't return his feelings . . .

Earnest, heartfelt, and full of humor, Chad Lucas's You Owe Me One, Universe explores the nuances and complications of middle school relationships--and shows how sometimes the smallest acts of caring can be the ones that matter most.

A trans man returns to his Florida hometown for Christmas after his career goes up in flames, only to cross paths with his high school ex in this charming rom-com about family and second chances from the author of the "delectable" (Time) Chef's Kiss.

Eli Ward hasn't been back to his suffocating hometown of New Port Stephen, Florida, in ages. Post-transition and sober, he's a completely different person from the one who left years ago. But when a scandal threatens his career as a TV writer and comedian, he has no choice but to return home for the holidays. He can only hope he'll survive his boisterous, loving, but often misguided family and hide the fact that his dream of comedy success has become a nightmare.

Just when he thinks this trip couldn't get any worse, Eli bumps into his high school ex, Nick Wu, who's somehow hotter than ever. Divorced and in his forties, Nick's world revolves around his father, his daughter, and his job. But even a busy life can't keep him from being intrigued by the reappearance of Eli.

Against the backdrop of one weird Floridian Christmas, the two must decide whether to leave the past in the past...or move on together.

Winner of the Hurston/Wright Legacy Award

In this "dangerously hilarious" novel (Los Angeles Times), a trans woman reenters life on the outside after more than twenty years in a men's prison, over one consequential Fourth of July weekend--from the author of the PEN/Faulkner Award winner Delicious Foods.

Carlotta Mercedes has been misunderstood her entire life. When she was pulled into a robbery gone wrong, she still went by the name she'd grown up with in Fort Greene, Brooklyn--before it gentrified. But not long after her conviction, she took the name Carlotta and began to live as a woman, an embrace of selfhood that prison authorities rejected, keeping Carlotta trapped in an all-male cell block, abused by both inmates and guards, and often placed in solitary.

In her fifth appearance before the parole board, Carlotta is at last granted conditional freedom and returns to a much-changed New York City. Over a whirlwind Fourth of July weekend, she struggles to reconcile with the son she left behind, to reunite with a family reluctant to accept her true identity, and to avoid any minor parole infraction that might get her consigned back to lockup.

Written with the same astonishing verve of Delicious Foods, which dazzled critics and readers alike, Didn't Nobody Give a Shit What Happened to Carlotta sweeps the reader through seemingly every street of Brooklyn, much as Joyce's Ulysses does through Dublin. The novel sings with brio and ambition, delivering a fantastically entertaining read and a cast of unforgettable characters even as it challenges us to confront the glaring injustices of a prison system that continues to punish people long after their time has been served.

For readers concerned about LGBTQ rights and the history of U.S. citizenship policies, get the book that Booklist says is "insightful" and "an accessible human story with a happy ending."

The January 2018 headline story in the Los Angeles Times was riveting. Andrew from the United States and Elad Dvash-Banks from Israel married in Canada in 2010 when gay couples could not marry in these countries. The couple conceived fraternal twins, Aiden and Ethan, with a Canadian surrogate by means of egg and sperm donation. The two boys were born just four minutes apart. Aiden was conceived with a donated egg and Andrew's sperm cell, and Ethan was conceived with a donated egg (from the same woman) and Elad's sperm cell.

Andrew and Elad wished to raise their children in the United States, but when they arrived at the American Consulate in Toronto to apply for citizenship, a staff member fired off a series of "shocking" and humiliating questions, and informed the couple of her authority to require a DNA test to determine each parents' relatedness to each twin--she warned that without these tests neither twin would be granted US citizenship. Andrew and Elad knew which twin each had fathered and had planned on keeping this information confidential. They knew this because DNA analyses had already been performed, but the consulate insisted that these costly tests be repeated using their designated laboratory.

Having no alternative, DNA testing was arranged, and results submitted to the consulate. Soon, two envelopes arrived at their home, bearing both welcome and dreaded news: United States citizenship was offered to Aiden, whose father was a US citizen, but not to Ethan, whose father was Israeli. And, thus, their ground-breaking legal journey began. The couple's high-profile lawsuit nearly reached the US Supreme Court, capturing worldwide attention along the way.

Nancy Segal brings the story to life through firsthand accounts of each father's life history and analysis of the legal intricacies that threatened to deny US citizenship to one of their twin sons.

A compelling memoir that focuses on the intersectionality of race and sexuality experienced by a gay Asian man living in a white world.

Born to Chinese-Cambodian parents in France, Jean-Baptiste Phou has pursued a diverse artistic career since 2008. Through his public views and artistic works, he has focused mainly on the experiences of Asians in France. Up until now, he's always been careful not to raise issues of sexuality--in particular, his homosexuality.

In this searing memoir, Phou faces his fears and shame to examine the role his ethnic origin has played in the construction of his sexual identity and his romantic relationships in a predominantly white environment. An astute observer of the various ways in which his body has been perceived, Phou explores how these perceptions have shaped his relationship with himself and others. How does a marginalized person develop emotionally and build, reclaim, and express their sexuality? Drawing on various works of history, sociology, gender studies, literature, and popular culture, Phou sensitively examines various strategies developed in response to this question.

Being gay in a largely straight world is difficult but being Asian within this sexual minority can be a doubly oppressive experience. Coming Out of My Skin deftly tackles this challenge and aspires for a reconciliation that can empower people of sexual and racial minorities to joyfully inhabit their bodies.

A fascinating memoir from the Bake Off Winner, BBC's Strictly Come Dancing Runner Up and popular TV Baker

Well-known as the third-series winner of The Great British Bake Off and runner up of Strictly in 2021 with his same-sex dancing partner Johannes Radebe, John Whaite's personal story is a complicated narrative that embraces coming out on Bake Off, his ongoing body dysmorphia and bulimia as well as mental health challenges and a changing relationship with his mother, particularly after the break-up of his parents marriage.

Each chapter takes an element of food or culture and loops it back to John's northern upbringing above a fish and chip shop which instilled a strong a work ethic, as well as using baking as a form of meditation. He also talks about how gay people in the 1990s had to choreograph their every move depending on the people they were surrounded by to ensure they were protected - the dance on eggshells - and how Strictly changed his life and relationship with his long-term partner, Paul, for the good.

How Hard Would YOU Fight for True Love?

Fourteen-year-old Aiden Rothe's life is full of secrets, and his sexuality is only the tip of the iceberg. While his high school wrestling team views gay and strong as mutually exclusive, Aiden is determined to prove them wrong. It's time for a gay athlete to take top prize... if only he wasn't crushing hard on Mateo Hernandez, captain of the JV wrestling team and a major heartthrob.

Locked out of the wrestling scene, Aiden finds an unlikely mentor in his English teacher, Lloyd Samuels, who introduces him to karate. When Aiden's honesty about his sexuality backfires with some homophobic fellow students, Mr. S even steps in to protect him, creating a school martial arts club in the process. Once word gets around, there's an exciting new challenge on campus-the championship wrestling team against a bunch of outsiders and underdogs. It's the ultimate battle between the cool kids and the rebels. And for the main event? A showdown between Aiden versus Mateo. But can Aiden fight his first love and prove himself at the same time?

Dripping with raw emotion, unexpected twists, and more than a dash of hope, Singlets and Secrets isn't just more high school drama. It's a deep dive into figuring out who you are and accepting it no matter what someone else may think-a heroic journey that speaks to the struggling teenager in us all.

Nicolas "Nico" Hall is sixteen when he escapes from Dr. H's religious gay reprogramming institute in California. On his own, he assumes one identity after another to avoid recapture as he flees south to Peru and then to Mexico.

Seven days older than Nico, Samuel "Sam" Jonas Solomon is a privileged Upper West Side only child who idolizes James Bond. When his heart is broken, he vows that, like Bond, he's never going to trust in love again. Then he meets Nico, and his heart won't listen to any logic.

Nico's survived by living only for himself--until his love for Sam has him risking his freedom for others. And as much as Sam wants to be like 007, he discovers that James Bond is a terrible role model.

Together, Nico and Sam set out to free the other teens trapped in Dr. H's Institute, plunging readers into perils, drama, and a long-shot chance at love. To succeed, they'll both have to be A Different Kind of Brave.

In PORN AGAIN: A MEMOIR, Josh Sabarra throws open the proverbial closet -- and bedroom --doors, taking readers on a Hollywood thrill-ride through growing up, coming out, coming of age and finally finding himself at 40. Despite being a high-level entertainment executive, Josh was still a virgin at 31. Uncomfortable in his own skin, haunted by painful childhood memories, he kept laser-focused on building an unparalleled career trajectory at the expense of his personal life.

Tormented by schoolmates for being "different," Josh clung to his aberrantly close relationships with a small circle of adult females. But, even with that support, the shame and contempt that grew from his sexuality locked him in a prison of self-hate that robbed him of an emotional and sexual identity for more than three decades. Movie studio jobs, through which he met celebrity idols, led to friendships and relationships with some of the industry's most notable characters. Those intimacies created a false sense of acceptance and approval, requiring that he continue to up the stakes - celebrity lovers, the crazy world of online dating, sexual fetishists and porn stars-for-hire.

The gay best friend you always wanted, Josh Sabarra delivers a whip-smart, poignant memoir set against a glittering backdrop that is at once heartbreaking, glamorous, sexy and hilariously honest.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Josh Sabarra is a veteran marketing executive and television producer who has held positions at The Walt Disney Company, Warner Bros. Studios, Miramax Films, New Line Cinema and Lifetime Networks. He resides in Los Angeles, California, where he is the president and CEO of his own public relations firm, Breaking News PR. This is his first book.

Featuring cultural figures like Lana del Rey, Sally Mann, David Lynch, Lorna Simpson, and Kirsten Dunst, Queer Formalism: The Return is a new kind of queer art writing that considers love and regret in their many forms.

Two men in love. A world ready for change.

THE WAY FROM ME TO US is the story of two pioneers. It's the true account of a love that began nearly 50 years ago in a Nashville gay bar called The Other Side. It was 1977, when coming out could mean you lost everything. Your job. Your friends. Your family.

Mike and Ted were all too aware of the risks at the bar that night. It was literally a step to the other side for Mike, who was nowhere near as accepting of his true self as Ted was of his. "I like being gay," Ted told him. "I'd like to find somebody who likes being gay with me."

Mike accepted the challenge. With no instruction manual, the two of them staked out a life together at a time when such things "just weren't done." Theirs is a story of two men battling the toughest challenges, some external, some that sprang from within. It's the story of the triumph of an undeniable love that has lasted nearly half a century.

This uplifting memoir will move and inspire you. It's living proof that, no matter how vehemently the world works against it, love wins.

"Honest, vulnerable, delightful and disturbing." -David Hayward, NakedPastor

If you doubt and you're angry, if you're confused and hurting, if Sundays feel weird and you want something more, this book is for you.

As millions exit the church due to its politics and treatment of LGBTQ people, Brandon Flanery brings us Stumbling: A Sassy Memoir about Coming Out of Evangelicalism, an LGBTQ memoir that gives us a glimpse into why he and others are leaving and to show us the hope he's found on the other side.

Flanery drank deep of the evangelical waters: growing up in a megachurch, working as a missionary and pastor, all while wearing a purity ring and Relient K t-shirt. Flanery gave his life to the church, but everything changed once he came out. Using moving and candid anecdotes, Flanery shares stories of hitchhiking and sex, betrayal and forgiveness, despair and hope, all with a sarcastic-yet-sincere humor that brings refreshing levity to pain.

Stumbling is a story of rediscovery and forging oneself after Christian deconstruction, inviting you to find your own way, a way that's absolutely not perfect but definitely good. Happy stumbling.

My hope for this book is that people will educate themselves and young LGBT people will

Realize that they are not alone, especially in the mountains of southeastern Kentucky or any

area of this small planet. Hopefully there will be an awakening in part all over the world about

equality and human rights. The heinous murders of people like Allen Schindler in Sasebo,

Japanese Navy man who gave his life to be who he was, forever changed me. I plead that you

read this book with an open heart and mind! People around the world face violence and

inequality" and sometimes torture, even execution because of who they love, how they

look or who they are. Sexual orientation and identity of gender are integral aspects of ourselves and should never lead to discrimination or abuse against anyone.

Lies with a Straight Face tells the fascinating story of the precipitous rise and fall of the "ex-gay" conversion industry in a manner that is both enlightening and entertaining. This fast-moving, fact-based book is perfect or those who enjoy the marriage of politics, history and current events.

The book features the riveting story of the 1998 Truth in Love ad campaign, where the Religious Right's most prominent organizations joined forces to prove that LGBTQ people could be converted to heterosexuality through prayer and therapy. Their provocative national ad campaign created saturation media coverage, turned "ex-gay" into a household term and sparked innumerable water cooler conversations.

In this book, you'll find out the shocking results of the Truth in Love campaign and learn about what happened to their outspoken "ex-gay" poster boys and girls. Lies with a Straight Face also discusses the contemporary con artists in the "ex-gay" industry and offers tangible ways for today's leaders to fight back.

Lies with a Straight Face is a sequel published on the twenty-year anniversary of Anything But Straight: Unmasking the Scandals and Lies Behind the Ex-Gay Myth. Nominated for two Lambda Literary Awards, Besen's original book documents the history of conversion "cure" programs from the early 20th Century to 2002. His new book discusses what happened from 2003 up to the present day.

"To prevail in our present-day battles, we must learn from our past," said Besen. "Ex-gay conversion programs are a farce that wreck families and destroy lives."