Catch up on fresh queer memoirs and essays this season: lively new collections from David Sedaris and Ryan O’Connell, intimate family stories from Brad Gooch, a revelatory Liza Minnelli memoir, and a clutch of music- and bar-focused histories that matter to queer readers. Here’s what to pick up and why.

Essential Takeaways

  • Standout comic essays: David Sedaris’s new collection offers 28 sharply observed pieces that mix family, travel and domestic absurdities with a dry, amused voice.
  • Honest and spare: Ryan O’Connell’s essay collection tackles recovery, disability and representation with candour and wit; it reads intimate and unguarded.
  • Warm family memoir: Brad Gooch explores middle age, marriage and fatherhood in a reflective, literary memoir that feels personal and thoughtful.
  • Star-studded revelations: Liza Minnelli’s memoir delivers surprising stories and 32 pages of photos for people who love showbiz lore and family drama.
  • Cultural snapshots: New books about lesbian bars and No Wave music give historical texture and present-day urgency to queer places and scenes.

Why Sedaris’s new essays are the perfect summer companion

David Sedaris still has that crisp, conversational sting that makes you laugh and wince at once, and this collection lands when readers crave levity with bite. According to listings and excerpts, the book gathers short pieces on family life, travel mishaps and everyday irritations, small domestic scenes that reveal larger truths. If you like essays you can dip into between errands, this is the kind of collection that reads aloud well and survives re-reads. For parents, travellers or anyone who enjoys observational comedy, pick a short piece and savour the rhythm; Sedaris’s voice is like dry tea, invigorating and slightly bitter in the best way.

Ryan O’Connell’s essays: frank, particular and quietly funny

Ryan O’Connell writes with a voice that’s personal and unflashy, tracing recovery, queerness and life as a disabled gay man with honesty rather than spectacle. Coverage of the book highlights how he balances humour with serious topics, making the essays feel both intimate and pointed. If you’re choosing between hefty memoirs and shorter collections, O’Connell’s essays are a good in-between: substantial enough to linger on, but concise enough to finish in a few sittings. Read it when you want an emotional but wry perspective on modern queer life.

Brad Gooch’s family memoir gives grown-up queer life its due

Brad Gooch, who’s made a name in biography and memoir, turns his attention to middle age, marriage and fatherhood through surrogacy in this new title. The book is described as a snapshot of an American family, which suggests a gentle mixture of personal history and cultural observation. For readers curious about how queer family-making looks in practice, or those who appreciate literary memoir with warm detail, Gooch’s book promises thoughtful reflection and candid scenes. It’s the kind of book you lend to friends who ask what parenting looks like now.

Liza Minnelli’s memoir: showbiz glamour and private revelations

Liza Minnelli’s new memoir reads like a backstage pass, packed with showbiz anecdotes and family revelations that will make even long-time fans sit up. The collaboration with Michael Feinstein and others gives the book a panoramic feel, while the included photo section adds glossy, tactile amusement. If you love celebrity memoirs for the gossip and the human moments, this one delivers both; it’s also a reminder of how performance, family and identity intertwine over a lifetime in the public eye. Read it for the stories, stay for the images.

Books that document queer spaces and soundscapes

There’s been a recent surge in titles chronicling queer places and scenes, from lesbian bars to underground music movements. New entries focus on the history and future of lesbian bars and the No Wave scene’s women, offering both archival detail and contemporary urgency. These books are important beyond nostalgia: they map cultural memory, outline what’s been lost or saved, and suggest ways communities adapt. If you care about places that shaped queer life, or want context for how music and nightlife intersect with politics, these reads are compelling cultural primers.

How to choose what to read next

Ask yourself what you want from a book right now: a quick laugh, a slow reflection, a cultural deep dive or showbiz sparkle. For commute-friendly, funny essays pick Sedaris or O’Connell. If you want memoir with family texture, go for Gooch or Minnelli. If you’re researching queer history or looking for scene-based narratives, choose the bar histories or the No Wave memoir. And if you like to carry a book that gives both laughs and bite, Sedaris is a reliably pleasing choice.

It's a small stack of titles, each doing different emotional work, choose the one that fits your mood and settle in.

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