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[Not so] Gay Books

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bxrbriefs87

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I'm looking for a few new books to add to my collection and I was wondering if anybody had any recommendations on gay-themed or at least gay-mentioned books that aren't just pornos on paper. (Yes I have read Brokeback).
 
Any of the Christopher Rice books. Or one called "the coming storm" I dont remember who wrote it but it is about teacher student relationship.
 
The Charioteer by Mary Renault from 1953 is a really interesting period book that takes place during WWII. Revolves strongly around 3 main gay characters, far from porn.

The Catch Trap by Marion Zimmer Bradley from 1984 is another historical book about a gay boy growing up in the circus in the 40's and 50's.

The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay by Michael Chabon won the Pulitzer prize in 2001. It is truly epic, (it better be at over 600 pages) and while not a "Gay" book per se, gay issues are central to the characters and story-line.

Actually, that's what I liked about all of these books, they are more about very compelling characters living their lives, they just happen to be gay as well.

There are loads more "modern" gay books - In Awe by Scott Heim, Blue Heaven by Joe Keenan - and if you want something so super-duper totally gay and about as far from porn as you can get, the Nancy Clue series by Mabel Maney is hysterical - "Nancy Clue and the Hardly Boys in the Case of the Ghost in the Closet" and there are 2 others as well - a total send up of the writing style of the boy's and girl's mysteries of the 50's but really well done.
 
prfplum said:
The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay by Michael Chabon won the Pulitzer prize in 2001. It is truly epic, (it better be at over 600 pages) and while not a "Gay" book per se, gay issues are central to the characters and story-line.
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Second this recommendation. It's a great book.

Also, a British author named Alan Hollinghurst wrote several excellent novels. The first is called The Swimming Pool Library, and while it is a gay novel, it's also quite well-written and literary.
 
Thanks for the recommendations! You all really hit the nail on the head!
 
Bart Yates' novels "The Brothers Bishop"and "Left Myself Behind" both reduced me to openly crying by the end.

Pat Barker's "Regeneration" trilogy is excellent.

David Leavitt's "The Indian Clerk" will be coming out soon in paperback... really first rate.
 
Rubyfruit Jungle - Classic Lesbian pulp novel
Memory Mambo - My favorite book after The House on Mango street, also about a lesbian...
 
prfplum said:
The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay by Michael Chabon won the Pulitzer prize in 2001. It is truly epic, (it better be at over 600 pages) and while not a "Gay" book per se, gay issues are central to the characters and story-line.
Click to expand...

It's an amazing book, as a book, and not simply as gay themed literature, and one of the main sublplots involves a gay relationship. I third that recommendation.
 
i think an important read for AIDS issues is 'And The Band Played On.'
i read Timothy Findley's 'The Wars' a long time ago, and that was alright. not super gay, if i remember correctly, just one sex scene.

for a fun read, 'My Undoing' by Aiden Shaw. a pornstar's story.

aaaand... his books are all quite gay, and all a little sex-filled, but look up John Rechy for more gay reading.
his first book 'City of Night' won lots of awards, but i also recommend 'The Miraculous Day of Amelie Gomez,' 'The Fourth Angel,' and 'The Life and Adventures of Lyle Clemens.'


enjoy :)
 
Ambidextrous by Felice Picano

Sea of Tranquility (author?)

And, it's pre-AIDS, but I think DANCER FROM THE DANCE (Andrew Holloran) is just required. Some things appear not to change.
 
Headed to BAM yesterday, and they didn't have The Coming Storm, so I had them store-order it, and came across Call Me By Your Name by Andre Aciman. I hardly can put it down. Such a great book. It's sad I'm already just over half way through with it (247 pages, so for those heavy readers, it's pretty short.....I rarely ever read, so I thought it would last longer but it has me so hooked I can't help but keep reading).

For those that haven't read it, it is narrated by Elio reminiscing about a summer at his hometown in Italy when he was 17. His family owns a mansion and every summer takes in scholars from overseas. The scholar for this particular summer is Oliver, the 24 year-old American university professor. The two have a hot-cold relationship outside their intellectual discussions that eventually turns to passion and obsession.

I was reluctant to pick it up, in fear that it would be far too wordy, and I would need a dictionary for every paragraph. While it does have some difficult words for me (what book doesn't?), it's pretty easy to understand.
 
Im so glad you ordered The Coming Storm let me know what you think. Try a density of souls by chris rice next.
 
nathan482 said:
Im so glad you ordered The Coming Storm let me know what you think. Try a density of souls by chris rice next.
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I'll definitely let you know what I think. *sigh* Just 30 more pages of my current book, and still a little over a week to go before it gets in.

Density of Souls sounds interesting. I love mysteries as much as I "gay like coming-of-age stories" (I know, it sounds self-absorbed, but I connect so well with the coming-of-age stories).

Hopefully they'll have it in stock, though I'm not expecting much.
 
Me too..the only reason I love DOS so much is because it was the first gay themed book I read and I love mysteries and it is about high school/ college students and set in New Orleans. At the same time Real World New Orleans was on MTV. I might start reading it again.
 
nathan482 said:
Me too..the only reason I love DOS so much is because it was the first gay themed book I read and I love mysteries and it is about high school/ college students and set in New Orleans. At the same time Real World New Orleans was on MTV. I might start reading it again.
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I'm going to borrow it from the local library.

I bought his Light Before Day (that was the only one of his that was for sale) which, in my opinion, sucks. I looked at the reviews after I bought it, and I wish I had checked them out before hand. So many were disappointed considering how great DoS was. LBD seemed very plastic, and typical. I suppose, to be fair, I should state that I'm only at page 43, but you normally can tell a books a stinker within the first 50 pages, and this one is a bomb.

I mean, come on! A gay reporter for a fashion magazine that only cares to do interviews about "hot guys" tumbles across a story from his porn star friend that a gay pimp that hosts underage streetwalkers had his hand in the murder of a bicuorious, hot-tempered marine?! (Wow, that was a runon, lol) That's got all the cliches/stereotypes of a gay movie/novel in one convenient package. Oh, and can't forget the drugs. Hustlers, drugs, hot muscular guys that want to fuck every one they can despite the consequences....yeah, disappointing.

Anyways, I'm returning it after work, in hopes to find a decent book.
 
prfplum said:
The Charioteer by Mary Renault from 1953 is a really interesting period book that takes place during WWII. Revolves strongly around 3 main gay characters, far from porn.

The Catch Trap by Marion Zimmer Bradley from 1984 is another historical book about a gay boy growing up in the circus in the 40's and 50's.

The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay by Michael Chabon won the Pulitzer prize in 2001. It is truly epic, (it better be at over 600 pages) and while not a "Gay" book per se, gay issues are central to the characters and story-line.
Click to expand...

all three of these look great. i wrote them down to buy when i see them. you seem to have good taste. ;)
 
I'm within the last forty pages or so of The Coming Storm, and it is brilliant! So glad I ordered it. I'm about to sign up for InsightOut LGBT book club. I get four books for a dollar (plus $11 shipping) my first purchase, and they have a great selection. Then after, I have to buy three books at book club price within two years (I believe), which won't be a problem!
 
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