Spring is in the air, which means it’s time to start looking at new books for the upcoming spring and summer outdoor reading season. See below for three that piqued our interest here at theBUZZ.

Now That I See You

In those first moments, that admission felt precious to me: it was something that I alone had been deemed worthy enough to carry and I was grateful. I was grateful to finally know, but I still couldn’t speak. Something was wrong, she knew it, but she was entirely unprepared for what he would tell her.

Viewed through the lens of a relationship breakdown after one partner discloses to the other that they are transgender, this autofiction spans eighteen months: from the moments of first discovery, through the eventual disintegration of their partnership, to the new beginnings of independence.

In diaries and letters, Now That I See You unfolds a love story that, while often messy and uncomfortable, is a poignant and personal exploration of identity, gender, love and grief.

Emma Batchelor is a writer and author from Canberra, Australia. After completing a Bachelor of Medical Science (Hons) at the Australian National University and taking many gap years to work and travel, she eventually embraced her desire to write and created her own online publication. Emma lives part time with her partner Jesse and full time with her cat Luna. Now That I See You is her first novel.

Tim Te Maro and the Subterranean Heartsick Blues

What happens when your enemy becomes your friend … with benefits? Red, White and Royal Blue meets The Magicians in this surprising, wildly original and joyously funny LGBTQ YA novel set in a magical boarding school.

Tim Te Maro and Elliott Parker – classmates at Fox Glacier High School for the Magically Adept – have never gotten along. But when they both get dumped the day before the big egg-baby assignment, they reluctantly decide to ditch their exes and work together. When the two boys start to bond over their magically enchanted egg-baby, they realize that beneath their animosity is something like friendship … or physical attraction.

Soon, a no-strings-attached hook-up seems like a good idea. Just for the duration of the assignment. After all, they don’t have feelings for each other … so what could possibly go wrong?

H.S. Valley grew up on the Waitemata Harbour in Auckland, at the foot of Takarunga. She now lives near the Waitakere Ranges with her partner. She has a bachelor’s degree in design. She won the Ampersand Prize for her debut YA novel, Tim Te Maro and the Subterranean Heartsick Blues.

Screen Age

World of Wonder is the iconic Hollywood-based production company behind RuPaul’s Drag Race as well as other ballsy originals including The Eyes of Tammy Faye, Party Monster, Inside Deep Throat and Monica in Black and White. The production company, founded in 1991 by Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato, has been making must-see television for three decades, giving a voice to marginalized communities and society’s oddballs, all while entertaining audiences with its signature anarchic sense of humor.

Screen Age is written by co-founder and Emmy award-winning filmmaker Fenton Bailey, and tracks World of Wonder’s triumphs and struggles, from the pair’s humble beginnings as aspiring pop stars in 1980s New York, to managing Supermodel of the World, RuPaul. It’s [acked full of insider gossip featuring a star-studded litany of LGBTQ+ icons.

Fenton Bailey is an award-winning producer and director who has worked with the likes of RuPaul, Britney Spears and Monica Lewinsky. Born in Portsmouth, Fenton attended the University of Oxford and New York University, where he met filmmaking partner Randy Barbato. Together, they founded World of Wonder in 1991 and their documentaries have won acclaim for their focus on society#&39;s oddballs and outliers. Their show RuPaul’s Drag Race has won dozens of Emmy Awards and they were executive producers on the 2021 biopic The Eyes of Tammy Faye, which won two Oscars.

About the Author

Bryen Dunn is a freelance journalist based in Toronto with a focus on tourism, lifestyle, entertainment and community issues. He has written several travel articles and has an extensive portfolio of celebrity interviews with musicians, actors and other public personalities. He’s willing to take on any assignments of interest, attend parties with free booze, listen to rants, and travel the world in search of the great unknown. He’s eager to discover the new, remember the past, and look into the future.