Simón fell in love the first night he stepped into the only gay club in his unnamed coastal hometown. Albi fell too, despite Simón’s quirks—the way he blinks to capture a memory, the way his hands fly when he talks, his inescapable toomuchness. Their first kiss comes on the beach, beneath mango trees. Blink. A season on their secret shore. Blink. The hidden garden Albi tends behind the rectory. Blink. Candles on a coconut cake for his twenty-sixth birthday. Blink. Blink. Blink.

But when Albi dies unexpectedly, Simón is left wandering in memories that feel more alive than the present. Friends and family—his Tía Cachita, best friend Lenita, and estranged mother—come to pull him back. He must choose: remain faithful to a love that haunts him, or rebuild a world without Albi.

Available from Bywater Books

Mario Elías is a multidisciplinary artist of Cuban and Syrian descent based in Chicago. His work spans fiction, nonfiction, photography, painting, and printmaking, often exploring themes of identity, memory, and cultural inheritance. His book Queering the Male Gaze reimagined masterpieces of the classical and modern canon through essays and self-portraiture, giving voice to the often-overlooked queer and female figures who shaped them. His visual work has been featured in Vogue, San Francisco Magazine, and Dazed, among others. His portrait collection, Perennial Beauty, was the inaugural show for Golden Gate University’s Social Impact Artist Series. He is the founder of The KindaSuper Project, a philanthropic initiative offering free photography and video services to underserved communities. The project has partnered with wildfire survivors, immigrant families, women-of-color-led small businesses, and wildlife rescue organizations.

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Intricately plotted and brilliantly layered, Cherry Beach is a gripping literary crime novel that examines class, race, and corruption in one the most multicultural city in the world, Toronto.

Available from Biblioasis

Don Gillmor is the author of To the River, which won the Governor General’s Award for nonfiction. He is the author of five novels, Cherry Beach, Breaking and Entering, Long Change, Mount Pleasant, and Kanata; a two-volume history of Canada, Canada: A People’s History; and nine books for children, two of which were nominated for the Governor General’s Award. He was a senior editor at The Walrus, and his journalism has appeared in Rolling Stone, GQ, Saturday Night, Toronto Life, the Globe and Mail, and the Toronto Star. He has won twelve National Magazine Awards and numerous other honours. He lives in Toronto.

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Ty Herndon may be most known for his beautiful country songs, but behind the music Herndon’s own life could be the subject of a classic country ballad. His career began as a member of the band The Tennessee River Boys—the band that would later become Diamond Rio. He found solo success after signing to Epic Records and releasing the number-one hit “What Mattered Most,” launching a decades-long career as one of country music’s leading legends.

But behind the fame, Herndon struggled with addiction, mental health issues, and his sexuality— the latter of which had no place in mainstream country in the 90’s, 2000’s and arguably through today. Facing a series of setbacks including an arrest, lawsuits and a drug relapse, all while struggling to maintain his secret, his spiral ultimately led to a suicide attempt. His subsequent successful stay in rehab led to the inspiration for his song “God or the Gun.”

Now, Herndon brings that song to life telling his full story for the first time. With profound introspection, brutal honesty, occasional humor and a lot of heart, Herndon shares how he fought against his demons and ultimately chose God over the gun.

Available from Harper Collins

Ty Herndon is an American country music artist with multiple chart-topping hits including number one singles “Living In a Moment,” “What Mattered Most,” and “It Must Be Love.” He made headlines in 2014 as the first mainstream male country music star to come out as gay. He lives in Nashville with his husband Alex Schwartz.

David Ritz is the author of the acclaimed novels The Man Who Brought the Dodgers Back to Brooklyn and Blue Notes Under a Green Felt Hat. He is the only four-time winner of the Gleason Book of the Year Award. He’s also cowritten the memoirs of many celebrities.

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Spanning from 1968 to 1978, it takes in the mythology surrounding Pink Floyd’s Syd Barrett (though it doesn’t name him) and hinges on Hitchcock’s teenage girlfriend (she isn’t named either). The book explores the way that Hitchcock, in his own head, linked these two figures to each other, although they never actually met.

On the way, the story mines the incremental hangover of the 1970s as Hitchcock begins to play live, teaches himself to write songs, and eventually forms the Soft Boys. There’s a side order of trolleybuses too! Hitchcock’s beautiful prose will resonate far beyond the fans of his music, and build on the literary following he established with his first book, 1967: How I Got There and Why I Never Left.

Available from Penguin Random House

Robyn Hitchcock is a rock ’n’ roll surrealist. Born in London in 1953, he describes his songs as “paintings you can listen to.” As much a child of Dalí, de Chirico, and J. G. Ballard as of his 1960s musical heroes, he is a master of the absurd, reveling in the beauty of the unexpected. His first band, the Soft Boys (1976–81), has remained an influential art-rock touchstone for generations of musicians. Hitchcock has floated at a tangent to the mainstream for five decades, and his songs have been performed by R.E.M., the Replacements, Neko Case, Gillian Welch & David Rawlings, Lou Barlow, Uncle Tupelo, Vic Chesnutt, Grant-Lee Phillips, Sparklehorse, and Suzanne Vega with the Grateful Dead, among others. He came of age in the 1960s while he attended Winchester College, an eccentric hothouse boarding school in the south of England. Hitchcock is the author of 1967: How I Got There and Why I Never Left, and lives in Nashville with his wife Emma Swift and their two cats, Ringo and Tubby.

The post Stranded in the Future – Robyn Hitchcock’s second memoir spans the years 1968 to 1978, and the formation of the Soft Boys appeared first on PinkPlayMags.

When a failing radio station’s morning show starts stealing, sampling and remixing ‘90s pop songs in a Hail Mary attempt at attracting an audience, virtuous virgin Japheth is forced to team up with Rino, a dangerously charming Italian car dealership heir with advertiser dollars to spend and maybe-mafia vibes, and their enemies-to-lovers romance threatens to become the station’s biggest scandal and its only salvation.

At WWJD Radio in Greater Napanee, salvation is off script. The phones are ringing off the hook, the fax machine is spitting out cease-and-desist letters from every boy band of the ’90s, and Trinity, the trio of accidental evangelists, are stealing pop songs “for the Lord.”

There’s Rebekkah; the breathless true believer who, though 30, still refers to herself as an ingénue. Her best friend Japheth; virtuous and still virginal. Ronald: poly, pan, and building an ark in his backyard.

Together they’re keeping WWJD barely afloat.

Until it burns down. Literally.

Their only shot at salvation comes from Rino Ferrari: a devastatingly charming Italian car-dealership heir with too much money, too many secrets, and maybe a little mafia energy. Unfortunately for Japheth (romantic mess and professional overthinker), Rino is also the last person he wants to need… and the first person he can’t stop thinking about.

As scandal, suspicion, and undeniable chemistry collide, Japheth and Rino tumble from enemies to lovers in a rom-com where faith is flexible, temptation is tailored, and the guy you’re supposed to hate is the one who makes you feel alive.

Outrageously funny, shockingly tender, and just heretical enough, Bless This Hot Mess will jump-start your heart.

Available from Border2Border

Bless This Hot Mess Book Release Party | September 3, 2026 at 7:30pm

Get your hardcover or paperback personally signed, listen to songs from the book’s original soundtrack, and strike a pose with our very special guest: Sexy Jesus. They’re also be free sodas and beer from Left Field Brewery, music, laughs, and plenty of fellow readers ready to bless this beautiful hot mess together. Pre-order your hardcover or paperback now at HopelessRomanticBooks.ca and have it waiting for you to be signed at the party. Bless This Hot Mess original soundtrack is available now on Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music and YouTube.

Hopeless Romantic Books, 1080 Queen Street West, Toronto

More Info and Tickets

Charlie David is the author of the novels Mulligans, Bless This Hot Mess, Fatal FX, Shadowlands, and Boy Midflight—works that blend heartfelt storytelling with wit, honesty, and emotional resonance.

Mulligans was adapted into a feature film distributed by Warner Bros., HBO Canada, Sundance Channel, Hollywood Suite, and MTV / LOGO, while Shadowlands became a TV miniseries now streaming on Amazon Prime in 14 languages worldwide.

Through these adaptations, Charlie’s fiction has reached a broad international audience, establishing him as a distinctive voice in books and screen storytelling.

Beyond his novels, Charlie has written, directed, and produced more than a hundred hours of television, earning twenty-two nominations for the Canadian Screen Awards and winning eleven Telly Awards for excellence in digital and broadcast media.

Whether on the page, screen, or digital platforms, Charlie’s work consistently champions stories of identity, love, and resilience with both humour and heart.

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Tapping directly into the popular blind box collectible trend, the limited-run collection features five vinyl figures celebrating signature elements of the Porter travel experience: from the founding Dash 8-400 and new E195-E2, to Mr. Porter (the raccoon brand mascot), and iconic onboard glassware.

This collection highlights how Porter’s brand loyalty has evolved alongside its network. Over its history, Porter has transformed from a regional operator into Canada’s third-largest airline, now operating a fleet of over 80 aircraft serving Canada, the U.S., Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central America.

Known for elevating the experience of economy air travel across North America, the airline has launched their limited-edition 20th birthday collection of five “little things” passengers love about Porter—including the aircraft, complimentary drinks in glassware, and Mr. Porter himself.

Porter Airlines revolutionized short-haul flying in 2006 with a commitment to effortless travel, genuine hospitality, and amenities that enhance the traveller’s journey, all delivered in style and comfort. In recent years, Porter has expanded its award-winning service to destinations throughout Canada, the U.S., Latin America, and the Caribbean.

Porter built its reputation on the details; the quiet, personal, easy-to-miss moments that make economy flying feel considered rather than a compromise. Taking the tangible details—and shrinking them into a series of collectibles—The Little Things Blind Boxes marks the start of the airline’s 20th birthday celebrations.

“We’ve always believed care shows up in the little things, which for us are tangible and intangible details that make passengers feel welcome and cared for,” said Kevin Jackson, president, Porter Airlines. “As part of our 20th birthday celebration, we want to capture that feeling in something you can actually hold. These blind boxes are more than a travel souvenir, they’re little Porter moments, small enough to fit in your hand.”

The line-up:

Introducing little things from Porter that make flying economy enjoyable, now in mini form.

Each box contains one of The Little Things (Ratio 1:5):

• Mr. Porter: He’s Porter’s little raccoon superstar and a mini travel companion.
• De Havilland Dash 8-400: The iconic Dash 8 has been a member of the fleet since day one.
• Embraer E195-E2: A big little thing taking traveller’s to many new places.
• Little Drink: There’s nothing quite like a generous pour served in a real glass at cruising altitude. Cheers!
• Little Luggage: A little luggage that’s just the right size for a big trip.

One thousand of each item are available. With 20 chances to find an extra little secret (Ratio 1:500)*:

• Golden Porter Pass – This is unlike anything Porter has offered before. 20. Free. Flights. This is equivalent to 10 round trips to any Porter destination.

Blind boxes are sealed collectible packages, and the surprise reveal is a little moment of joy in itself. Per the cultural phenomenon, each The Little Things Blind Box — measuring 10.4 cm x 10.4 cm x 12.7 cm (4.1 in. x 4.1 in. x 5 in.) — contains a sealed foil bag to be opened after purchase to reveal the collectable item. Each blind box also includes a keychain to turn the little thing into an accessory.

This limited-edition collection is now available exclusively on porter20.com, while quantities last. Expected shipping begins late November.

The post Porter Airlines celebrates 20 years of taking over the skies with “The Little Things Blind Boxes”, a limited-edition collection of miniature souvenirs appeared first on PinkPlayMags.

With Malin as its streetwise narrator, the book has more in common with The Basketball Diaries or Just Kids than with a standard rock memoir. Although music is at the core of Malin’s soul, Almost Grown welcomes the reader into the tumultuous inner world of a boy from a broken home determined to create a life he could love.

In 2023, Malin was struck with a rare spinal stroke that paralyzed him from the waist down. The longtime runner and vegetarian went public with this news—and his fierce resolve to walk again—in an interview with Rolling Stone. The story was picked up by the New York Times, People, CNN, Variety, the Los Angeles Times, and other outlets worldwide. The massive outpouring of love and support culminated in the release of Silver Patron Saints: The Songs of Jesse Malin—with twenty-eight celebrated artists covering his songs to raise money for his recovery. On December 1 and 2, 2024, Malin gave his first public performances since his stroke, taking the stage for two sold-out concerts at New York’s Beacon Theatre.

Available from Penguin Random House

Jesse Malin is a “gritty troubadour of the streets” (Rolling Stone) who tours internationally and collaborates with artists like Bruce Springsteen, Green Day, Bob Weir from the Grateful Dead, and Lucinda Williams. Malin went from playing CBGB at age thirteen to Madison Square Garden in his early twenties; from crashing the stage with his friends during Fear’s infamous Saturday Night Live performance to playing his own songs on The Tonight Show and CBS Saturday Morning. His body of work has garnered praise from Rolling Stone, Uncut, Paste, American Songwriter, Spin, the Times (UK), Classic Rock Magazine, No Depression, Pitchfork, Brooklyn Vegan, and many more. His autobiographical play, Jesse Malin’s Silver Manhattan, debuted at the Gramercy Theatre in 2025.

The post Almost Grown: A New York Memoir – how a hyperactive kid from Queens made his dreams come true, and the hustlers, sweethearts, misfits, and lifelong friends he met along the way appeared first on PinkPlayMags.

In the windswept croft where he grew up, Cal begrudgingly resumes his old life, stuck between the two poles of his childhood: his father John, a sheep farmer, tweed weaver, and pillar of their local Presbyterian church, and his maternal grandmother Ella, a profanity-loving Glaswegian who has kept a faltering peace with her son-in-law for several decades. Cal wonders if any lonely men might be found on the barren hillsides of home, while John is dismayed by his son’s long hair and how he seems unwilling to be Saved. As lambing season turns to shearing season, everything seems poised to change as the threads holding together the fragile community become increasingly knotted.

John of John is a singular novel about duty and patience and the transformative power of the truth. It is a magnificent literary work that shows Douglas Stuart working at an even higher level of artistic creation.

Available from Penguin Random House

Douglas Stuart is a Scottish-American author. His New York Times-bestselling debut novel Shuggie Bain won the 2020 Booker Prize and the Sue Kaufman Prize from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. It was the winner of two British Book Awards, including Book of the Year, and was a finalist for the National Book Award, PEN/Hemingway Award, National Book Critics Circle John Leonard Prize, Kirkus Prize, as well as several other literary awards. Stuart’s writing has appeared in the New Yorker and Literary Hub.

The post John of John – down on his luck man returns to his hometown to discover nothing has changed but himself appeared first on PinkPlayMags.

For the last decade, as she’s spent countless hours in doctor’s waiting rooms searching for diagnoses, treatments, and relief, being the owner and operator of Lena Dunham’s body has felt, as she puts it, “like towing a wrecked car across town at midnight.” It’s not easy dragging a wrecked car anywhere, much less to the Met Gala while sewn into a gold lamé corset. Or to the set of the hit show that you—as a twenty-five-year-old—are writing, directing, producing, and starring in. Or to a Vogue cover shoot, the Golden Globes, or your publicist’s office to discuss the latest internet disaster. But Dunham does it, even if it means interminable hospital stays, vomiting in the bathroom when she’s meant to be meeting Oprah, or terrifying those closest to her because she can no longer tell the difference between fighting to do what she loves and being a servant to her own ambition.

As Dunham takes us through her journey, tracking her rise to fame from selling the pilot of Girls to the present. Told in three acts, it becomes clear that the spotlight casts long shadows, distorting the relationships she once held dear and isolating everyone in its glare. And when an endless supply of drugs can’t protect you from pain, and begins to control your every move, being famous doesn’t stand a chance against the darker corners of the human experience.

In Famesick, Dunham asks herself what the cost of fulfilling her dreams has really been, and whether it was worth it. What she finds is deeper than physical relief, and more lasting.

Available from Penguin Random House

Lena Dunham is the creator of the critically acclaimed HBO series Girls, for which she also serves as executive producer, writer, and director. She has been nominated for eight Emmy awards and has won two Golden Globes, including Best Actress, for her work on Girls. She was the first woman to win the Directors Guild of America award for directorial achievement in comedy. Dunham has also written and directed two feature-length films (including Tiny Furniture in 2010) and is a frequent contributor to The New Yorker. She lives and works in Brooklyn, New York.

The post Famesick – Lena Dunham’s memoir reflects on her life since “Girls”, and whether she chose the right career path appeared first on PinkPlayMags.

Few musical artists have had the lasting impact and relevance of Talking Heads, with well-known tracks such as, “Psycho Killer” “Take Me to the River” and “Road to Nowhere.” One of the foundational bands of New York’s downtown 1970s music scene, the band has endured as a musical and cultural force for decades. Their unique brand of transcendent, experimental rock remains a lingering influence on popular music—despite their having disbanded over thirty years ago.

Gould offers an authoritative, deeply researched account of a band whose sound, fame, and legacy forever connected rock music to the cultural avant-garde. From their art school origins to the enigmatic charisma of David Byrne and the internal tensions that ultimately broke them apart, Gould tells the story of a group that emerged when rock music was still young and went on to redefine the prevailing expectations of how a band could sound, look, and act. At a time when guitar solos, lead-singer swagger, and sweaty stadium tours reigned supreme, Talking Heads were precocious, awkward, quirky, and utterly distinctive when they first appeared on the ragged stages of the East Village. Yet they would soon mature into one of the most accomplished and uncompromising recording and performing acts of their era.

More than just a biography of a band, Gould masterfully captures the singular time and place that incubated and nurtured this original music: downtown New York in the 1970s, that much romanticized, little understood milieu where art, music, and commerce collided in the urban dystopia of Lower Manhattan. What emerges is an expansive portrait of a unique cultural moment and an iconoclastic band that shifted the paradigm of popular music by burning down the house of mainstream rock.

Available from Harper Collins

Jonathan Gould is a writer and a former professional musician. Born and raised in New York City, he began playing drums in high school and became serious about it while attending Cornell University, which led him to move to Boston in 1975 to study with the eminent jazz drummer Alan Dawson. He went on to spend many years working in bands and recording studios in Boston, Woodstock, and New York City before turning his full attention to writing about music in the early 1990s under the mentorship of the retired New Yorker editor William Shawn. In addition to his playing and writing about music, Jonathan also raised a family, served in local politics, and took an active role in the life of the upstate New York community where he lived for twenty-five years. He currently divides his time between Williamsburg, Brooklyn, and Livingston, NY. He is a contributing writer for The New Yorker, he is the author of Can’t Buy Me Love: The Beatles, Britain, and America and Otis Redding: An Unfinished Life.

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