The House of Impossible Beauties by Joseph Cassara

Dancing through the New York drag ball scene of the 1980s, this is a heartbreaking, fantastic story of love and friendship.

A young queen in love begins the first Latino house on the circuit. But we know gay love stories of the 80s usually end badly, so she must rely on friends to be her real family. There is music and fashion, there are drugs and there are tears. There is money to be made the hard way, because there is always rent to be paid.

But don't let me depress you out of reading this, because it's wonderful. Angel and Venus and Hector and Daniel and all the rest are friends you'll be glad to have met.

Also, the 80s weren't so long ago, and we should not forget.

Lettin It All Hang Out: An Autobiography by RuPaul

Ever wonder about the behind-the-scenes stage prep of a glamour diva cross-dresser? Love celebrity bio? This one's a keeper, despite its vintage.

I picked this up because somewhere recently I read good things about this 1995 memoir. And while many of the pop culture references RuPaul makes are now dated, this book holds up incredibly well. He talks about his childhood, his family and his career trajectory. It was a long road to celebrity, and RuPaul talks about his overall positive message of love and acceptance - he was never your traditional bitchy queen, more a sassy fun diva. How he came upon that message is really the story of his life.

It's a light read and full of the oft-heard struggling artist storyline, presented here from a slightly different angle. Not a trashy tell-all, RuPaul makes it clear he does not kiss and tell. There is one chapter about his loves and sexuality, but it's not explicit or sensational. 

Since the book's publication, RuPaul's career has continued to blossom with the hit TV show RuPaul's Drag Race. I appreciate that success all the more after having seen the back-story and the man behind the woman.