Dr. Feelgood

I'm going with "no."

Triple T(h)reat

THIS makes me smile -- both guys are pals of mine! 

Baby It's Cold Inside

I was at work yesterday when I noticed my pal Frank Spinelli, an internist at Chelsea Village Medical, on the boob tube in the newsroom. At first I thought he was pitching his book, but then I got closer and saw he was discussing how to reduce the risk of getting a cold, which left me with one sinking thought: Now I have to go to medical school if I ever want to get on television.

I'm a Pepper, Too?

If you've read my new book then you know that people are CONSTANTLY telling me I remind them of someebody else -- Chapter 11: DEAD RINGERS SOCIETY -- but Dr. Frank Spinelli's latest doppleganger caught even me off-guard! 

New and Noteworthy Books

I haven't read any of these yet, but each caught my eye for one reason or another:

"Boystown" by Jake Biondi

Description:

One of the most diverse and lively neighborhoods in the country, Chicago's Boystown has something for everyone. So it's no wonder that Jesse Morgan and Cole O'Brien chose to live there upon graduating from college. Ready go begin the next phase of their lives in an exciting new city, Jesse and Cole quickly find themselves at the center of a new group of friends. Joyelle and Derek Mancini have been happily married for years, but Derek is harboring a secret that could tear them apart. Derek's brother Emmett is about to discover that his boyfriend Keith Colgan has a past that will haunt them both. Long time couple Logan Pryce and Max Taylor must face a crisis that neither of them expected. And, before they realize it, Jesse and Cole find themselves at the center of it all in the adult playground known as Boystown.

The author sent me a somewhat confusing message about this one -- it sounds like it was a Web series that was turned into a book (that has Season One in its title?) about which he boasts there is "talk about turning into a series" (again?) -- confidently telling me that he thinks it would be a "great topic" for my blog. I'm not a fiction guy, but I know a lot of you are. And Boystown has always been good to me in real life, so why not have a look?

Order HERE.

"Cat Sense: How the New Feline Science Can Make You a Better Friend to Your Pet" by John Bradshaw

Description:

Cats have been popular household pets for thousands of years, and their numbers only continue to rise. Today there are three cats for every dog on the planet, and yet cats remain more mysterious, even to their most adoring owners. Unlike dogs, cats evolved as solitary hunters, and, while many have learned to live alongside humans and even feel affection for us, they still don’t quite “get us” the way dogs do, and perhaps they never will. But cats have rich emotional lives that we need to respect and understand if they are to thrive in our company. A must-read for any cat lover, Cat Sense offers humane, penetrating insights about the domestic cat that challenge our most basic assumptions and promise to dramatically improve our pets’ lives—and ours. 

The New York Times review sounds pretty great. And any book that tells me that cats view their owners as "a combination of mother-substitutes and larger, nonhostile cats" is high on my reading list.

Order HERE.

"Little Failure: A Memoir" by Gary Shteyngart

Description:

After three acclaimed novels, Gary Shteyngart turns to memoir in a candid, witty, deeply poignant account of his life so far. Shteyngart shares his American immigrant experience, moving back and forth through time and memory with self-deprecating humor, moving insights, and literary bravado. The result is a resonant story of family and belonging that feels epic and intimate and distinctly his own. Born Igor Shteyngart in Leningrad during the twilight of the Soviet Union, the curious, diminutive, asthmatic boy grew up with a persistent sense of yearning—for food, for acceptance, for words—desires that would follow him into adulthood. Swinging between a Soviet home life and American aspirations, Shteyngart found himself living in two contradictory worlds, all the while wishing that he could find a real home in one.

Another NYT discovery, completely hooked by this revelation: “My parents don’t spend money,” he observes, “because they live with the idea that disaster is close at hand, that a liver-function test will come back marked with a doctor’s urgent scrawl, that they will be fired from their jobs because their English does not suffice.” On a car trip, they take their own food (soft-boiled eggs wrapped in tin foil, Russian beet salad, cold chicken) into a McDonald’s; they help themselves to the free napkins and straws while spurning the 69 cent hamburgers as an unnecessary extravagance.

Order HERE.

"The Invincible Eagle" by Perto Herrera

Description:

Few stories touch the soul as profoundly as this young boy's bone-chilling escape from his molester. Perto Herrera's compelling memoir, "The Invincible Flying Eagle" (printed in English and Spanish), tells the chilling account of sexual abuse he was forced to endure by 11 adults as a child. At age 7, after Perto was raped yet again by his mother's boyfriend, the man pulled a knife and was about to kill the boy when suddenly a massive eagle swooped down and attacked him. As he fell to the ground, using Perto's battered body as a shield, the eagle relentlessly attacked the man from all sides until the boy could escape. The eagle then guided Perto to safety in a cave. This miracle changed his life forever.

I found out about this one at work and my only question for the publicist was how do I set up an interview with that eagle???

Order HERE.

"Young and Horny: 10 Gay Erotic Short Stories" by Matthew Rettenmund

The title tells you everything you need to know, but I'm curious about just one thing: How does someone as prolific as Matt Rettenmund write a "short" story?!

Order HERE.

"The Days of Anna Madrigal" by Armistead Maupin

Description: 

The suspenseful, comic, and touching ninth novel in Armistead Maupin’s bestselling “Tales of the City” series, follows one of modern literature’s most unforgettable and enduring characters—Anna Madrigal, the legendary transgender landlady of 28 Barbary Lane—as she embarks on a road trip that will take her deep into her past. Now ninety-two, and committed to the notion of “leaving like a lady,” Mrs. Madrigal has seemingly found peace with her “logical family” in San Francisco: her devoted young caretaker Jake Greenleaf; her former tenant Brian Hawkins and his daughter Shawna; and Michael Tolliver and Mary Ann Singleton, who have known and loved Anna for nearly four decades. Some members of Anna’s family are bound for the otherworldly landscape of Burning Man, the art community in Nevada’s Black Rock Desert where 60,000 revelers gather to construct a city designed to last only one week. Anna herself has another destination in mind: a lonely stretch of road outside of Winnemucca where the 16-year-old boy she once was ran away from the whorehouse he called home. With Brian and his beat-up RV, she journeys into the dusty troubled heart of her Depression childhood to unearth a lifetime of secrets and dreams and attend to unfinished business she has long avoided. 

This one doesn't come out until Jan. 21, but you can pre-order it now HERE.

"Pee-Shy" by Frank Spinelli

ALSO: Just a reminder, Dr. Frank Spinelli's compelling memoir about coming to terms with his childhood sexual abuse -- and then tracking down his molester when he realizes the man is still a threat to boys -- is now out. 

Order HERE.

The People in Your Neighborhood

Halfway through my advance copy of Frank Spinelli's new memoir, "Pee-Shy." It's getting creeepy!!!! Order yours HERE.

Dr. Frank Spinelli Is 'Pee-Shy'

Started my review copy of Dr. Frank Spinelli's new memoir about childhood sexual abuse, "Pee-Shy," last night in bed. For those who aren't familiar with the story, check out the spooky new trailer below. The book is available for pre-order now HERE.

WATCH: Dr. Frank Spinelli Talks Bears With a Muppet

Was just pointed to this "Sesame Street" clip featuring Dr. Frank Spinelli, who I have been Facebook friends with for a while but actually met in person recently, along with his sweet hubby, Chad. Frank's memoir, "Pee Shy," is slated for release in late December. You can read about it HERE. 

Pre-order "Pee-Shy" HERE.

Kensington Books: "Pee-Shy" is a remarkable story of overcoming the unimaginable to choose resilience over darkness, and love over loss.