Welcome, the littlest Theban, my son (above) born via a surrogate. I'm taking the summer off. Check back after Labor Day to see if the blog will resume.
July Philip Hensher, The Emperor Waltz
July 29 Amy Bloom, Lucky Us: A Novel
July 31 Eve Fowler, Kevin Killian, Eve Fowler: Hustlers
Aug 1 Hoang Tan Nguyen, A View from the Bottom: Masculinity & Sexual Representation
Aug 10 Andre Gide, The Vatican Cellars (new translation)
Aug 10 Amin Ghaziani, There Goes the Gayborhood? (Princeton Cultural Sociology)
Sept 2 Victor Minichiello, Male Sex Work and Society
Sept 16 Sarah Waters, The Paying Guests
Congratulations! Hope to read you again in the Fall.
Posted by: bcarter3 | July 12, 2014 at 08:07 AM
Stephen, wishing you and your loved ones all the best!
Posted by: K.M. Soehnlein | July 12, 2014 at 10:38 AM
Stephen, congratulations to you! This is amazing. Thanks for your dedication to your blog and enjoy the time with your son!
Posted by: Chris | July 12, 2014 at 10:42 AM
Whoa! congrats man! I love this blog so much - the source of so much good reading material! I have appreciated all the hard work and dedication! Best of luck in this new step.
Posted by: Ben | July 12, 2014 at 12:59 PM
Congratulations. Enjoy your time with your son. I have greatly enjoyed reading your blog over the past few years. I hope you return. In the meantime, enjoy being a Dad. That is one lucky little boy and your are one lucky man.
Posted by: Thomas Condon | July 12, 2014 at 01:09 PM
Congratulations from a big fan of your blog. You've pointed me to a good number of great reads - thank you. I look forward to more when you can.
Brian
Posted by: Brian | July 12, 2014 at 06:34 PM
What great news! And how lucky he'll be, growing up surrounded by books!! Thank you for everything. (But I do hope you return! I'd miss too many books without your blog.)
Posted by: Christopher | July 12, 2014 at 10:35 PM
Come back!
Posted by: Steven Cordova | July 13, 2014 at 12:25 AM
Congrats, Stephen! Like everyone else, I'm so grateful for the blog, which has introduced me to so many books I love. I hope you enjoy your time away, and I hope very much you'll decide to come back in the fall!
Posted by: Garth Greenwell | July 13, 2014 at 04:54 AM
This is very good news. Wishing you and your family every good fortune in the years to come. Congratulations!
Posted by: Marvin Snow | July 13, 2014 at 06:48 AM
I finally registered just so I could say congratulations! What happy news! Enjoy the daddy time, but please do come back at some point even if it's later than September. I love this blog!
Posted by: Jackie | July 13, 2014 at 09:08 AM
Many congratulations Stephen ... enjoy being a dad to Theban - they're only young for such a short time! Like all your followers, I hope that you'll be back, so many good titles and introductions to new writers ... life would be so much poorer without the 'Band of Thebes'. Richard in the UK.
Posted by: Richard GRANT | July 13, 2014 at 11:39 AM
first, congratulations - what a lucky little man
this is my first comment after being a regular & devoted reader for years -
as others have written, I so appreciate and love this blog - so many terrific posts, the birthdays - the book recommendations! love it
please do come back -
james
Posted by: james | July 13, 2014 at 03:25 PM
First, congratulations to you and your family.
Second, I LOVE THIS BLOG!!!! Please consider returning.
Posted by: solitasolano | July 14, 2014 at 07:07 AM
Congratulations Dad, and thank you for all the fascinating posts on this important site!
Posted by: steffan endres | July 14, 2014 at 08:29 AM
I am thrilled for you all! As I write this I'm at our youngest's 12th birthday at SkyZone Trampoline Park. You're in for one hell of a ride! Best wishes, Kergan
Posted by: Kergan Edwards-Stout | July 14, 2014 at 12:03 PM
Wonderful news! Please come back.
Posted by: frank Regan | July 14, 2014 at 01:25 PM
Congratulations..
Selfishly I hope you come back...but I should say enjoy this experience...
The world just became a better place...
In Pride
Posted by: Tim que | July 14, 2014 at 04:58 PM
Thank you for your blog. All the best with being a new dad.
Posted by: Foster Corbin | July 15, 2014 at 02:40 PM
Band of Thebes is a great resource - even if you never post to it again.
Give the kid a kiss!
Posted by: Glenn I | July 26, 2014 at 04:27 PM
Congratulations. :-)
I will miss your blog if it ends, but a baby is a huge responsibility.
Posted by: Reader | July 31, 2014 at 05:33 PM
Congratulations! I am sure your son will fill your days, but I hope there is room in them for you to continue the blog. I just discovered it today and I am hooked!
Posted by: Lynn | August 25, 2014 at 05:04 PM
congratulations on the birth of your son. Parenting is a wonderful thing. Do keep the blog going if you can. You still need that intellectual outlet!
Posted by: Tom | August 30, 2014 at 11:11 AM
Congratulations! If you choose not to resume the blog, as it seems you have done, you've still done a lot of valuable work over the years, and that will still be here for people who will still need to see it. Thank you.
Posted by: Duncan | September 11, 2014 at 10:17 AM
Oh how I check every day to see if you're resuming this great work.
Posted by: John | September 11, 2014 at 01:19 PM