Help finding a book.

[asu1117]

I think this is the right forum for this.. Oh well.


I want to read a book by a gay author/with gay themes and I'm at a loss. Most of the ones I find seem to be borderline Erotica or very dated.


Does anyone have any suggestions of good ones to pick up? I'd really appreciate it.

 

[Rand]

ASU

Tempe? What kind of writing do you like? Are you wanting an autobiography - Ricky Martin or Richard Chamberlain? Mystery - books by Richard Stevenson or Greg Herren. Sci-Fi Tanya Huff; Historical Fiction - Diana Gabaldon's Lord John series.

Go to Barnes & Noble or Amazon and do a search with the genre and gay

enjoy and celebrate your life,

Rand

 

[asu1117]

ASU

Tempe? What kind of writing do you like? Are you wanting an autobiography - Ricky Martin or Richard Chamberlain? Mystery - books by Richard Stevenson or Greg Herren. Sci-Fi Tanya Huff; Historical Fiction - Diana Gabaldon's Lord John series.

Go to Barnes & Noble or Amazon and do a search with the genre and gay

enjoy and celebrate your life,

Rand

I'm mainly looking for fiction, maybe some historical, but mainly just regular modern fiction. Drama or a love story, etc. I'm not really into Fantasy/Sci-Fi. I mostly enjoy the more realistic end of the spectrum.


Thanks for the response. And no, not Tempe. The other ASU. (Ahem, the one that beat Michigan).

 

[braex27]

Consider Michael Thomas Ford.

[ame="http://www.amazon.com/Last-Summer-Michael-Thomas-Ford/dp/075820406X/ref=pd_sim_b_4"]Amazon.com: Last Summer (9780758204066): Michael Thomas Ford: Books[/ame]


Also, Stephen McCauley's "The Object of My Affection" is a very fun read.

 

[braex27]

Armistead Maupin's "Tales of the City" series is also phenomenal with some of the most memorable characters in LGBT fiction you'd find anywhere.

Also consider:

Michael Cunningham's "The Hours"

James Baldwin's "Giovanni's Room"

Andrew Holleran's "Dancer from the Dance"

And of course, one of my all time favourite books:

Timothy Conigrave's "Holding the Man" (this isn't fiction but it's wonderful).

 

[roadtripboy]

I like Jay Quinn.

I think The Beloved Son is his best book.

It's hard to find gay books that aren't borderline Erotica. I think the publishers think it's the only kind of book we'll buy.

 

[Mendax]

Armistead Maupin's "Tales of the City" series is also phenomenal with some of the most memorable characters in LGBT fiction you'd find anywhere.

I second anything by Maupin. Check out The Night Listener by him; wonderfully written and suspenseful with the added bonus of gay things! How could you go wrong ?

 

[pat grimshaw]

I second anything by Maupin. Check out The Night Listener…

I reckon that story is based on his real-life experiences of meeting some man he contacted on a gay chatroom

 

[asu1117]

Thank you all so much for the responses! I really appreciate it.


I looked in Barnes & Noble and Borders but had difficulties finding a lot of these books. Guess I'll just have to go with amazon for most when I get around to them. (Yes, I've added them to my list )

I did end up buying "The Persian Boy" by Mary Renault (added bonus that I love this kind of history) and "Tales of the City".










More recommendations are always welcome.

 

[maxpowr9]

If you want to ball your eyes out for a good hour after reading, I suggest "Holding the Man" by Timothy Conigrave. It is a post-humorous autobiography. I still think that book should be gay required reading.

 

[asu1117]

If you want to ball your eyes out for a good hour after reading, I suggest "Holding the Man" by Timothy Conigrave. It is a post-humorous autobiography. I still think that book should be gay required reading.

I actually did look for that book in Barnes & Noble and Borders. Neither had it in stock. I'll have to order it once I'm done reading the ones I just got.


"Call Me by Your Name" by Andre Aciman was a really good read. I won't say much else, to not give anything away.

 

[handyman76]

I was just about to post the same question! I'm glad to see all these suggestions and I'm looking forward to checking some of them out.

I recently read and liked "The Love Thing" by Chris Delyani. It's a gay Pride and Prejudice.

 

[neditesjamais]

Just finished Maupin's Michael Tolliver Lives last evening and was doing some browsing for other possibilities. Although it's not necessary to do so, I did read the Tales of the City series in order and really enjoyed it that way. I kept putting off picking up the next one as I wanted to "save" them and not use them up! Once I saw that there was another one from 2010, I went ahead and let myself have another. Yes, a serious guilty pleasure.

Also, I'm a big fan of used bookstores and libraries. I've found Maupin in great supply in both. He's definitely recognized as a a writer, not as a gay writer. And his TOTC series is cited as an influence on Alexander McCall Smith's 44 Scotland Street series, which I also recommend (although it does not have strong gay themes).

Jamie O'Neil's At Swim Two Boys is worth a try, although it might put off some readers at first. Yes, he does sometimes get a bit too Joycean and it helps to have a bit of Irish history (not to mention having visited Dublin). But it is extremely sensual (and sexual, at times) with a lot of heart.

I, too, would like to see this thread continue so that we can all find something to while away the long hot summer.

 

[pat grimshaw]

My favourite living gay authors are~

1. Philip Hensher is very clever handling characters and plot structure;
'Kitchen Venom' and 'The Fit' are short with gay elements

2. Colm Tóibín is a high-level emotive prose genius;
'The Story of the Night' has a gay 'hero' and is rich with emotion

 

[Efrackalecki]

Something Like Summer by Jay Bell is a story about a love triangle between three men. It was incredibly touching.

The Desire for Dearborne by V. B. Kildaire is a romance set in 19th century London.