LGBT Books

There is a lesbian literature website called Sapphic Voices where aspiring authors have written some short stuff. I know this purely because I'd read and re-read the erotica when I was younger :redface:

 

I've read so many lgbt books I don't know where to start, haha. I'am not too fond of Julie Ann Peters books although there are the first I've ever read. I'll tell you my favorite books are by Radclyffe. She has a great medical romance series. The medical series aren't linked together but if you read them in order you will notice names from the other books.
- Passion's bright fury
- Fated Love
- Night Call
- Turn Back Time (haven't read yet)
If you're into weres/vampire stuff then read Radclyffe's paranormal series. In these series she goes under the name L.L. Raand.
- The Midnight Hunt
- Blood Hunt
- Night Hunt
Does anyone know if I can share my Goodreads account on here? lol

 

Would anyone recommend Jean Genet's work, particularly Notre Dame des Fleurs?

Found out about it several days ago and it sounded interesting, plus I've been curious about his work for awhile.

 

Call Me By Your Name

By André Aciman

That's probably my favorite gay themed book that I've read. I would highly recommend it. It's a sweet romantic story about a younger boy(17) and the relationship that develops between him and an older(24) guy that comes to visit for the summer to work on a book for a college residency at their home.

Also Thinking Straight by Robin Reardon is pretty good if you are a bit religious. It's about a boy that get's sent to an ex-gay institute and falls in love with one of the other members.

 

Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green and David Levithan is good, it's about two guys named Will Grayson who meet each other. One of them is gay, as are most of the others friends.

Fun Home by Alison Bechdel is excellent. She's a lesbian, and it's a autobiography about her relationship with her dad. He was a closeted gay man who slept around with the teenagers their small town and eventually killed himself when her mother divorced him. It's in a graphic novel format and it truly is brilliant.

 

It's good, although I would say that the novel isn't centred on lgbt themes per se. Also, although its a wildly interesting read it would seem a little dated, nonetheless a novel that gives a good impression of what being gay is like in post war Europe.


As for me, I would recommend:

- a single man by Chris Isherwood- the writing is beautiful and you'll be surprised by the "normalcy" that a gay relationship is portrayed.

- Goodbye to Berlin by Chris Isherwood - a beautiful and elegiac portrayal of the gay scene in 30s Europe

- crystal boys by Pai Hsien Yung- a interesting look at the gay scene in Taiwan during the 1960-70s, and the relationship/conflict between Chinese culture and the lgbt identity. I highly recommend it for those interested in lgbt culture outside of the western world.

- at swim, two boys by Jamie O'Neill- again, not a gay novel per se but the two main characters are gay, and the sweeping tempo of history IMO makes their love even more captivating.

- Maurice by EM Forster- I would disagree that it's dull. True it's dated and it's views on homosexuality is a little obsolete, but I would argue its one of the best and most artistic portrayal of the lgbt mind. It's sketch of a closeted gay mans' hopes/fears, anxiety, childhood experiences, and how we deal with love/jealousy is superb.

- kiss by Jacqueline Wilson- a children's novel, but a really fun read and effectively describes the uncertainty, and pain of first love for a gay boy. Recommend it as a relaxing read, but not sophisticated enough for analysis or whatnot.

Hope this helps :icon_bigg

 

Johnny Come Home: Amazon.co.uk: Jake Arnott: Books

 

I agree with these recommendations, Christopher Isherwood is an accomplished writer, much under-read.

Penguin do a book of collected short stories with gay theme. I found it useful because it gave me access to a number of writers I hadn't even realized had written gay-themed stories.

Faggots by Larry Kramer

Night Swimmer by Joseph Olshan

Other authors to consider - Sarah Waters (Tipping the Velvet) and Jeannette Winterson

 

Trumpet by Jackie Kay, it's about a woman pretending to be a man in a marriage with a wife and son.

Anabel by Kathleen Winter, it's about a girl born in a boys body.

 

Trumpet by Jackie Kay, it's about a woman pretending to be a man in a marriage with a wife and son.

Annabel by Kathleen Winter, it's about a hermaphrodite, forced to grow up as a boy, wanting to be a girl.

 

:bang:

Sorry, had no idea anyone responded to my comment 'til just now.

All the same, I believe I understand what you're saying and I don't mind if it doesn't deal with LGBT 'themes', in the way you're suggesting that is, since most of the books described as such seem to be of the young adult/heavy-handed message type reading.

Unfortunately it'll be some time before I can read Genet's novel as the only copy in our library system is in French. :bang: At least there are plenty of other books on my radar for the time being [including several of those you listed.]

 

This thread is awesome. Need to read some books myself
=P

 

Totally Joe- James Howe

The book that opened me up to the possibility of me being gay. I read it in fourth grade, then again in fifth grade. Such a great book.

 

Does anyone like books by Jay Bell?

I've read all of them over summer and got hooked. I love the Loka Legends (Cat in the Cradle, From Darkness to Darkness) cuz I'm a fantasy nerd and loved having a teen gay hero. His other books are great as well especially Something Like Summer, Kamikaze Boys and Hells Pawn. Definitely worse checking out!

I also really liked Geography Club by Brent Hartinger.

 

Ordered Thinking Straight and Annie on my mind. Looking forward to reading them.

 

There's Don't Let Me Go by J. H. Trumble. An excellent read.

There's also The Evolution of Ethan Poe by Robin Reardon. It isn't just about a gay person, though. It has some other stuff also. It has an interesting debate about ID (Intelligent Design).

 

Suzie Carr writes LGBT romance novels. That is lesbian and bi.

Her profile on amazon is here: Amazon.com: Suzie Carr: Books, Biography, Blog, Audiobooks, Kindle

I've read Two Feet of the Ground. I really liked it.
I'm currently reading Inner Secrets.

 

^It's funny how many of the used books on that link are somehow more expensive than the new ones. I just thought that was the weirdest thing.

I've noticed other sellers on amazon do that all the times. Makes me think they're really greedy or that we're too dense to notice.

 

A lot use automated pricing systems to set their price between £0.01 and £1.00 above their competitors (a lot of people don't trust the cheapest so will go for the second cheapest) and it seams so forget to compare against the "new" version - also if someone orders from them - they then order the book from the cheapest one and get it sent straight to the buyer (i.e. they are selling something they don't have) - hilarity can ensue when two companies are doing this!

 

Sometimes I can find books for 1 cent, but of course I always pay a lot more than that due to shipping and handling.

I wish we had used books stores with prices that genorous. Because if we did, I wouldn't have to pay for shipping and handling, thus saving me lots of money. Secondly, I wouldn't have to wait a week for my books to arrive.