Tales of the City book cover

If you are gay and have not read Armistead Maupin‘s Tales of the City books, you must do it right now. Go to Barnes & Noble on your lunch break and buy the whole series of six books, and read until you’re finished.

The characters of the books, including gay Michael Tolliver, naive Mary-Ann Singleton, and the wise Mrs. Madrigal have been beloved of gay Americans since the stories made their first appearance as a serial in two different San Francisco newspapers in the late 70s. Over the years they have crossed the pond and bewitched British readers as well, according to a new public poll that named Tales of the City as Britain’s favorite gay novel.

We also recommend the mini-series based on the books starring Olympia Dukakis and Laura Linney, who are both superb.

Tales of the City ‘best gay read’ [BBC]

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