Beach Books for Dykes Grab your girl, your favorite dyke drama, and listen to the tide roll in. What could be better? by Terry Loncaric

When I am this relaxed, the last thing I want to read is The Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire. You can bet your boots I am not exerting a single extra brain cell when my honey and I are cuddling, books in hand, on a sun-drenched, sandy beach.

Adventure awaits. Plenty of books provide that irresistible rush of fantasy, romance, and escape to color your beach idyll. Turn a few pages with me as we take in the surf, the sand, the sun, and travel to new places in lesbian time and space.

Sappho Goes to Hollywood‹The Girls, by Diana McLellan, St. Martin's Press, 2000

This book is a virtual "Who's Who" of Hollywood dykes that has just the right mixture of gossip, history, and lore. McLellan chronicles the parties, the steamy affairs, and social milieau of lesbians as they competed for movie roles and often one another's lovers. Garbo and Dietrich were the most notorious girlfriend stealers. Even though they did not speak to one another for years, they often tripped over one another's lovers on the way to the bedroom. McLellan vividly brings to life the exploits of the chic lesbian "sewing circle" and almost makes you wish you had been a dyke in the early days of Hollywood.

Curious Wine, by Kathryn Forrest, Naiad Press, 1983

A tale of first love's longing and passions is beautifully told by Kathryn Forrest, the grandmother of lesbian pulp fiction. This is the book nearly every lesbian will tell you she most enjoyed when she was coming out and looking for some validation. Forrest broke the mold by introducing older characters who lived straight lives and then blossomed when they discovered love with another woman. The long-awaited love scene is passionate and tender the way first love is supposed to be. The women are recognizable. Forrest writes from the heart, not from a political soapbox.

Rita Will, by Rita Mae Brown, Bantam Publishing, 1995

Saucy southern writer Rita Mae Brown tells all in her self-confessional autobiography. The first lesbian author to break into the mainstream writes her own life story in the same sassy and imaginative voice in which she has created her works of fiction. Torn between her genteel Southern upbringing and her rebellious manner of challenging social conventions, Rita proves she is much more than Martina's ex-girlfriend. This lesbian literary icon is a funny, smart, and truly engaging storyteller.

Tipping the Velvet, by Sarah Waters, Riverhead Books, 2000

This story about a love affair between a working-class English woman and a sophisticated showgirl explodes with surprising sweetness and eroticism. Waters takes us on a blazingly sensual journey in two women's lives and shows us the bawdy lesbian subculture of Victorian times.

Bushfire, edited by Karen Barber, Alyson Books, any edition.

These stories are fast and easy‹so are the women in these tantalizing tales of lesbian lust. Naughty, romantic, and imaginative, these vignettes are made for sharing on a sultry day at the beach. If you can make it to the end of each story without touching your girlfriend, then it is time to get your libido checked. My favorite story concerns a woman who goes to the deli just for a BLT and ends up having an encounter with a sexy stranger.

Lesbian Love Signs: An Astrological Guide to Women Loving Women, by Aurora, True Crossing Press, 1991

Had I read this book sooner, maybe I would not have pursued some of the disastrous relationships of my early lesbian years. This book has great descriptions of the zodiac and how to find your soul sister of the cosmos. Even though the writing is not very deep, Aurora has you thinking about the whole matter of compatibility and the intricate emotions shared by two women in a relationship. But if you discover you have coupled with the wrong sign, ignore everything Aurora says, and read the deli story [see Bushfire] all over again!

The Queen of Whale Cay, by Kate Summerscale, Viking, 1998

The story of a true lesbian eccentric. Joe Carstairs was an heiress, a speedboat champion in the 1920s, and owned her own island in the Bahamas. She also had a reputation for bedding beautiful women. On the one hand, Carstairs wore men's suits and considered herself a free spirit, but ran her island like a high priestess and treated the islanders almost like children. The author paints an intriguing picture of a woman full of contradictions, who was also refreshingly independent and ahead of her time.

Aquamarine, by Carol Anshaw, Houghton Mifflin, 1997

A supremely gifted storyteller, Anshaw examines an Olympic swimmer's destiny in three different stories. Not many writers would dare tackle such a tangled narrative and make this structure flow so smoothly. Each story is compelling because Anshaw's prose is crisp, yet packed with vivid imagery. Anshaw immerses you in the protagonist's struggles by revealing what makes her like us. She does all of this without taxing the reader's brain. That's not easy.

Dancing to the End of the Shining Bar, by Whitney Scott, Outrider Press, 1994

I have never seen a story written about a gay man and woman's friendship from the woman's point of view. This story of a lesbian comforting her friend as he deals with AIDS and family prejudice is life-affirming and sweet. Scott spins a heart-warming yarn with warm and funny characters and some moments in family life that will make you gasp with laughter as you remember your own weird relatives.

The Wild One, by Lyn Denison, Bella Books, 2000

This is a pretty common story in lesbian pulp‹and lesbian life, for that matter. Two women fight their attraction, then watch out! Fireworks! The characters‹a widow and an ex-convict‹whip up some mighty fine sparks in this tasty tale of women coming out and discovering passion for the first time.

We Came All the Way from Cuba So You Could Dress Like This?, by Achy Obejas, Cleis Press, 1994

Achy Obejas is the queen of the quirky short story. Her prose hits you with a swift blow while entertaining you with its razor-sharp wit and intelligence. The Cuban/American writer describes the immigrants, gays, and outsiders she knows so well, while reflecting on her own painful and extremely funny break-ups. She reminds me of a grown-up Cuban/lesbian Holden Caulfield. Obejas proves you can engage the brain of your readers and still entertain them with good stories.

Lost Daughters, by J.M. Redmann, Norton, 1999

The best mysteries are character-driven and still have great moments of atmosphere and a tightly wound plot. J.M. Redmann succeeds on all three counts in this story of a smart lesbian private eye who unravels the fascinating evidence in a string of bizarre cases, involving missing children, grisly mutilations, and a runaway teen‹driven from her own home because she is gay.

Leave a Light on for Me, by Jean Swallow, Alyson Books, 1999

The entertaining story of a circle of lesbian friends who deal with break-ups, new romances, and the changing cycles of their own friendship. Bubbling with secrets, true confessions, and all the stuff you would expect to see if you turned on the TV and watched a lesbian soap opera.

Crush, by Jane Futcher, Alyson Books, 1981

Two girls go to boarding school and end up becoming graduates in Lesbian Love 101. Who can possibly resist a story of baby dykes "crushing" each other's tender little hearts?

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