Gay's the Word

Gay's the Word has been gathering attention of late. The Times ran a feature a while back, and today the Guardian rallies to the cause - that cause being London's only gay and lesbian book shop, needing to come up with 20,000 pounds to stave off losses.

They ask customers to flood in and buy. I've done my bit this afternoon, coming away with three novels. Agustin Gomez-Arcos's The Carnivorous Lamb my most speculative buy in being wholly new to me as book and author, a French book set in Spain from 1975. Paul Russell wrote a favourite novel of mine, The Sea of Tranquillity, so I'm happy to have his new one War Against the Animals. And my most excited find was a new novel by Hugh Fleetwood. Twenty or so years ago he was one of my favourite writers, his book's suddenly taking a darker spin then disappearing, Heading for the bookstore his name came into my head as the author I would most like to find on the shelves - and there he duly was, a signed edition of a new novel from a new press, Big Fib - The Dark Paintings. It's rare for me to browse so heavily and come away with three books that are new to me - often I've tired of them before I make it to the counter - so let's hope 'Gay's the Word' prospers to show me the way to new reading next time I'm in.