Audible Book Review: Hi Honey, I'm Homo!: Sitcoms, Special, and the Queering of American Culture by Matt Baume

 

If you enjoy well-researched, engaging pop culture books as much as I do, Hi Honey, I'm Homo!: Sitcoms, Specials, and The Queering of American Culture, authored and narrated by Matt Baume, should be on your list. 

From Bewitched to Modern Family and everything in between, Baume guides readers on an engaging journey through television history and its evolving portrayals of the LGBTQ+ community, including how these characters have helped shape broader social understanding.

As a Gen Xer, I now realize how often television in my youth portrayed people who didn’t fit the perceived “norm” in ways that were unkind or limiting. Either that, or I was simply too young to recognize how groundbreaking and controversial sitcoms like Soap were when they first aired. I barely remembered characters like Beverly LaSalle on All in the Family or Officer Zatelli’s coming‑out moment on Barney Miller. I’d like to think that’s because I didn’t view them as anything other than part of the larger cast of characters simply existing within the story. Moments from The Golden Girls and Ellen were likely the first times I consciously recognized that a show was making a deliberate point about inclusion and representation.

Hi Honey, I'm Homo! is thought-provoking, and the research and commentary are placed alongside what was going on in the country at the time. Truly a great read!

Listening Length	6 hours and 41 minutes
Author	Matt Baume
Narrator	Matt Baume
Whispersync for Voice	Ready
Audible.com Release Date	May 23, 2023
Publisher	Dreamscape Media
Program Type	Audiobook
Version	Unabridged
Language	English
ASIN	B0BZ1GGJ4J

I purchased a copy of this book with an Audible credit. This review contains my honest opinions, which I have not been compensated for in any way.

Recent Reads/Listens on NetGalley and Audible

I had finished This is Not About Us by Allegra Goodman a few weeks ago. Liked this much better than I thought I would, but there are so many characters that it is easy to get lost. 

I started Co-Created: The Cultural Strategy That Redefined PacSun by Brieana Olseon, PACSUN CEO, a while ago. In fairness to the author, it's not that I'm uninterested. The story sounds fascinating. I just overloaded my spring reading calendar. I added this to Audible because I think my NetGalley time will run out before I read it. 

I have 22 days to finish The Ladies Hall by Vanessa Miller. I have loved what I have read so far. 

I didn't make it far into Jesus Listens for Lent & Easter: Prayers for the Season by Sarah Young, but that's because it has a narrator I don't connect with. I've read and enjoyed other devotionals by Young, so I will need to order a printed version to appreciate it. 

Last week, I finished listening to Hi Honey, I'm Homo: Sitcoms, Specials, and the Queering of American Culture by Matt Baume. This was a well-researched and engaging account of queer representation in sitcoms and how this representation transformed a genre once thought to be headed for the television graveyard. 

I downloaded The Rise of the Creative Class by Richard Florida after reading Jack Balderrama Morley's Dream Facades, in which he cited Florida's book. Not sure that it is what I expected, but I am intrigued so far. 

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? & Mailbox Monday - May 4

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is a place to meet up and share what you have been, are, and about to be reading over the week. It's a great post to organize yourself. It's an opportunity to visit, comment, and add to that ever-growing TBR pile! So welcome, everyone. This meme started with J Kaye's Blog and was then taken up by Sheila from Book Journey. Sheila then passed it on to Kathryn at the Book Date. 

Happy May, everyone! It arrived warm and partly sunny here, but the rest of the weekend has been a bit damp and windy. Hope you all had a nice week since we last visited. This will be my only post of the week, since we leave on Wednesday morning for North Carolina. I can't believe the Lil' Princess is already graduating. 

Other than preparing for the trip, I had two closings this week, and another one is happening on Wednesday. I have listings planned for my return. Lots of fun stuff is going on in our world. I hope life is blessing you, too. 

In my book world, I need to write my review of This is Not About Us by Allegra Goodman. 

I am almost done with Scrap: Salvaging a Family by Luann Castle. 

I continued The Ladies Hall by Vanessa Miller. 

I am listening to Hi Honey, I'm Homo: Sitcoms, Specials, and the Queering of American Culture by Matt Baume.

These are next:

The Ledger by Steven Manchester, which is a companion to his novel, The Menu

Staged by Caitlin Rother, which is the sequel to Hooked

Co-Created: The Cultural Strategy That Redefined Pacsun by Brieane Olson is also a NetGalley download.

The Ghost and the Key, the first book in Bill Cusano's The Old Cranberry Ladies Garden Club series. I am reading this series this summer. 

Photo credit: Freepik

Mailbox Monday is a gathering place for readers to share the books they added to their shelves the previous week. This weekly meme is now hosted by Vicki at I'd Rather Be At The Beach. 

One new arrival from Sheila Roberts in the mail this week. 

Love on the Shelf

Upcoming Events

A Change in Plans: A Sgt. Windflower Mystery by Mike Martin - May 13 (Guest Post)

Scrap: Salvaging a Family by Luanne Castle - May 21 (Review)

The Ledger by Steven Manchester - May (Review)

Fighter Pilot's Daughter by Mary Lawlor - June 10 (Guest Post)

Staged by Cailtin Rother - June (Review)

The Old Cranberry Ladies Garden Club: The Ghost and the Key by Bill Cusano - July 1 (Review)

The Old Cranberry Ladies Garden Club: The Widow Murderess by Bill Cusano - July 8 (Review)

The Old Cranberry Ladies Garden Club: The Sparrow and the Crow by Bill Cusano - July 10 (Review)

Massawa by Pam Weber - July (Review)

Love on the Shelf by Sheila Roberts - (Review)

Taking a break from posting on these blogs due to my work and travel schedule. 

Christmas Year Round

The Children's and Teens' Book Connection

Laura's Little Houses

Posting early because I will be on the road most of the day. Hope you enjoy your time here. Looking forward to visiting your blogs.

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? & Mailbox Monday - Feb 16

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is a place to meet up and share what you have been, are, and about to be reading over the week. It's a great post to organize yourself. It's an opportunity to visit, comment, and add to that ever-growing TBR pile! So welcome, everyone. This meme started with J Kaye's Blog and was then taken up by Sheila from Book Journey. Sheila then passed it on to Kathryn at the Book Date. 

Here we are on Monday again. Hope you had a nice week. I had meetings, appointments, and events last week, but I should be catching up with all of you today. The highlight of my week is that our Modern Prairie group sent Valentine's Day cards to each other, so I've had lovely thoughts throughout the week from online friends. And, for the first time in 37 years, the husband and I went out to dinner on Valentine's Day. 

Here are photos from last week:

Theo got a new headband

Real estate awards night

Homemade no churn vanilla ice cream and chocolate sauce

My dinner on Valentine's Day

Switching to reading, I still need to write my review of Chapters and Second Chances by Evelyn Grace Berry. 

Also need to write my review of I Heard the Bells. 

I left Before Dorothy by Hazel Gaynor on my virtual bookshelf this week. Instead, I continued listening to 100 Rules for Living to 100: An Optimist's Guide to a Happy Life by Dick Van Dyke. I like him more the longer I listen. 

I am reading Creepy Kid by Caleb Roehrig. Love it! 

I need to start Dream Facades: The Cruel Architecture of Reality TV by Jack Balderrama Morley soon. I only have it on NetGalley for 34  more days. It sounds fascinating! 

Mailbox Monday is a gathering place for readers to share the books they added to their shelves the previous week. This weekly meme is now hosted by Vicki at I'd Rather Be At The Beach. 

These two came from the author for review.

Agatha Christie, She Watched and International Agatha Christie, She Watched by Teresa Peschel

Upcoming Events

I Heard the Bells by Darlene L. Turner et al - February (Review)

Chapters and Second Chances by Evelyn Grace Berry - February (Review)

Hook, Line, and Murder by GG Calpo - Mar 2 (Interview)

Agatha Christie, She Watched by Teresa Peschel - Apr 15 (Review)

Christmas Year Round

Christmas Year Round's latest "Journey through Christmases Past" shares the toys of my childhood, one of which is now banned in the United States and Canada. You can find that post here. 

The Children's and Teens' Book Connection

Nothing new at my kid's book blog. 

Laura's Little Houses

Nothing new at Laura's Little Houses. 

Signing out for a couple of hours to visit with a friend. Check in with you this afternoon. 

Book Review: Little House Life Hacks by Angie Baily & Susie Shubert

 

Who knew Little House on the Prairie and the books by Laura Ingalls Wilder held so much wisdom for today's world?

If we look around us, there is a whole movement to get back to the simpler things and ways of living. Trad wives are trending on social media. Some national retailers plan to close on Easter Sunday so their employees can spend time with family and friends. While the quest for work-life balance has been with us since the 70s, the pandemic made us rethink what was important to us, and there has been a post-pandemic push to implement a four-day work week and a renewed focus on health and well-being.

As the blurb for Angie Bailey and Susie Shubert's book Little House Life Hacks states, the authors have compiled "the most crucial takeaways from that world, practical enough to work for pioneering stock and updated for today’s evolving world." With a good dose of humor, historical tidbits, and cherished moments from the Little House on the Prairie television show, Bailey and Shubert share timeless teachings that offer sage advice to modern families. 

There is so much to love and enjoy in Little House Life Hacks. The entire book design is a testament to the pioneering world. From the artwork by Lauren Mortimer to the carefully selected quotes from the show and books to the color scheme. Even the hardcover book's size is a mere 1/4" shy of my Harper & Row Little House books. 

After the authors' note, which talks about how the pandemic found them streaming episodes of Little House on the Prairie and how it led to this joint project, you'll find the authors' goals and hopes for readers of their book, followed by an introduction to the Ingalls family and their neighbors. The book is then broken down into nine separate hacks, with multiple sub-hacks that tie into the subject of the main one. Each sub-hack ends with an "Unpack the Hack" discussion to give the reader an action step or steps.

Little House Life Hacks is an engaging and funny read. The authors did a fine job of accomplishing their goals. I look forward to implementing some of their suggestions and found how they incorporated moments from the show endearing. Fans of Wilder, her work, and the shows based on them, are going to enjoy adding this book to their collection.

• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Running Press Adult (August 22, 2023)
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 256 pages
• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0762481994
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0762481996

I bought this book from Barnes and Noble with a gift card. This review contains my honest opinions, which I have not been compensated for in any way.

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Most Recent Additions to My Bookshelf

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.    

Welcome to the last Tuesday of 2023! How is that even possible? Do you have any plans for New Year's Eve? I'm sure we will be staying home. I have plenty to read. :) 

This week's Top Ten Tuesday is all about the latest additions to our bookshelves. Some of you might even have received new books yesterday. So, here are my...

Top Ten Most Recent Additions to My Bookshelf

From Top Ten Tuesday's Bookish Wishes

Christmas haul

Christmas haul

Christmas haul

Christmas haul

Author for review

Audible credit

Audible credit

Netgalley

Netgalley

Did you receive any books this holiday season? What are you looking forward to reading soon?