Showing posts with label Marshall Thornton. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Marshall Thornton. Show all posts

Thursday, January 1, 2015

LGBT: 2014 Favorite Books & Authors

Happy New Year everyone! I wish you all the best for the coming year -- health, love, happiness, and prosperity!

I am beginning my blogging year by posting a list of favorite LGBT books and authors of 2014. My reading was not as prolific in 2014 as in previous years. Fortunately, my reading experience was excellent and I recommended many wonderful books along the way. In the end, however, my choices came from the most memorable books read, reviewed, and graded A (5.0) and A-/B+ (4.75/4.5) throughout the year. Following, in no particular order, is my list of the talented authors or editors whose LGBT themed novels and short stories became my favorite reads of the year:

FAVORITE BOOKS & AUTHORS:


Scruffians! Stories of Better Sodomites by Hal Duncan
SFF Single Author Short Story Collection (2014, Lethe Press)
Hal Duncan is one of those authors whose short works always leave me craving one more story. In Scruffians!, a homoerotic collection of fantasy and mythology-based short stories with its fairies, pirates, and other adventures, Hal Duncan's writing skills, imagination and extraordinary capacity for weaving dreams can be really appreciated. I read this collection early in 2014 and needless to say, it continues to be a favorite.


Cub by Jeff Mann
YA Contemporary Romance Novel (2014, Bear Bones Books)
Jeff Mann! Now here is a favorite author whose talent seems to have no bounds. He just keeps on adding to his already magnificent backlist of winners. This, of course, is not surprising to readers familiar with Mann's works -- poetry, fiction, erotica, historical romance. With Cub, the ultimate outsider YA story, Mann adds to his already impressive repertoire by writing one of the most unique LGBT YA books I've read to date. I can't help but believe that it became a classic the moment Mann finished writing it.


Butcher's Road by Lee Thomas
Historical Thriller Novel (2014, Lethe Press)
Lee Thomas is a personal favorite and his works always seem to make it to my favorite list at the end of the year. In 2014 it was Butcher's Road, a historical, spec fic/mystery thriller that was so good it spoiled my reading momentum for a while. I just wanted more of that edge-of-my-seat, adrenaline high I get from reading Thomas's books. Butcher's Road is dark, violent, bloody, and filled with magnificent contrasts masterfully rendered by the author. A winner!


Wingmen by Ensan Case 
Historical Fiction / Romance (Reprint, 2014, Lethe Press)
Talk about a 2014 reading obsession! This World War II novel with its subtle, yearning romance, sexual tension, well-researched historical background, down-to-earth, sexy as hell fly boys and epic air battles, was it for me. I read, researched battles, read, research airplanes, read, and loved! What is there not to love about this epic historical fiction novel by Ensan Case? I gushed in my review, I'm gushing now, I know, but if you want to read a fantastic LGBT epic tale set in the Pacific during World War II, this is it.


The Unwanted by Jeffrey Ricker
YA Fantasy Novel (2014, Bold Strokes Books)
Jeffrey Ricker's mythology-based fantasy with a gay young adult as the central character is a book I would recommend to any young adult. And that's one of the many reasons it belongs right here on my list of favorites. The mythology is well integrated with family and young adult conflicts. Most importantly, young adults can relate and see themselves in Ricker's characters. I particularly love the end of this book where Ricker takes a huge risk and wins. I'm hoping for a sequel!


The Bears of Winter ed. Jerry L. Wheeler
Gay Erotic Fiction Anthology (2014, Bear Bones Books)
I adored this anthology! It is Bear erotic fiction and all of those factors are reflected in the stories. The eroticism is strong, but so is the "fiction" factor, which adds depth to the collection as a whole. Wheeler's introduction, editing, and choice of talented writers did it for me, making The Bears of Winter my favorite, most reread anthology of the year!


The Affair of the Porcelain Dog & Turnbull House by Jess Faraday
Historical Fiction/Mystery (2011/2014, Bold Strokes Books)
What a fantastic duology! I read a slew of LGBT historical mysteries this past summer and Jess Faraday's Porcelain Dog duology was a stand out. Its focus on mysteries set in London's gritty East End has a fabulous atmosphere. Combine that with Faraday's morally questionable characters and the historical facts she utilizes as background to build on the gay theme that gives depth to this duology, and you have a winner.


That Door is a Mischief by Alex Jeffers
Gay Fantasy Novel (2014, Lethe Press)
It just seems that I read this gay fantasy by Alex Jeffers at the right moment. I was struck by the beauty of his prose and imagination, yes. But, I believe that for me this story's beauty lies in Jeffers' ability to marry fantasy with reality, to let the reader see behind that magical door into life's truths. Life is beautiful and magical -- happiness and sorrow are just part of the magic. A gorgeous book!


My Favorite Uncle by Marshall Thornton
Gay Comedic Romantic Fiction Novel (2014, Wilde City Press)
I had such fun reading this book. My favorite aspect of My Favorite Uncle is the great combination of wit and depth Thornton uses to develop this generational tale. It clearly details how two different generations of gay men see, experience, and navigate the world. But, this is also a family story with all the dysfunctions that go along with that. Thornton integrates both threads with wit and a deft hand. This book is on my reread shelf!


Provoked, Beguiled, Enlightened (Enlightenment Trilogy) by Joanna Chambers
M/M Romance (2013/2014, Samhain)
The Enlightenment trilogy by Joanna Chambers is a late addition to my list of favorites as it was read in December, but it is a fabulous addition. The slow building romance filled with sexual tension, sensuality, and both inner and outer conflicts make the final outcome worth the journey. Additionally, the setting and atmosphere, as well as the well incorporated historical facts and details are a big plus to this beautiful m/m romance trilogy.

FAVORITE SHORT WORKS: My favorite short works are all chosen from single author collections and anthologies read and reviewed during 2014. All collections are highly recommended in their entirety. I have chosen 10 short stories and believe me, that was not an easy task this year! Here they are, in no particular order:

"Anthology of Spoon River AIDS Walk" & "One Hundred Kisses"
Naming Ceremony: Stories by Chip Livingston (2014, Lethe Press)

"Cruel Movember" & "Persimmon, Teeth, and Boys"
Red Caps: New Fairy Tales for Out of the Ordinary Readers by Steve Berman (2014, Lethe Press)

"The Water That Falls on You from Nowhere" by John Chu" (also reviewed Tor.com edition)*
"Caress" by Eli Easton
"57 Reasons for the Slate Quarry Suicides" by Sam J Miller
"Super Bass" by Kai Ashante Wilson
Wilde Stories 2014: The Year's Best Gay Speculative Fiction ed. Steve Berman (2014, Lethe Press)

"Werewolf" by Michael Carroll 
With: New Gay Fiction ed. Jameson Currier (2013, Chelsea Station)

"Ma tu sei pazzo?!" Tommi Avicolli Mecca

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2013 Favorite LGBT Books & Authors
2012 Favorite LGBT Books & Authors
2011 Favorite LGBT Books & Authors
2010 Favorite LGBT Books & Authors
2009 Top Reads

Tuesday, July 22, 2014

Summer Reading Update I: Featuring My Favorite Uncle by Marshall Thornton

My summer reading is going well, although it has taken me in a different direction than expected. I usually read contemporary romance during the summer, but this year I hit the list of great new LGBT releases I posted earlier in June and ran with those first! I've already reviewed a few of them: A Shiny Tin Star by Jon Wilson, Wingmen by Ensan Case, Butcher's Road by Lee Thomas, and Now and Yesterday by Stephen Greco. But, I also read The Filly by Mark R. Probst, and My Favorite Uncle by Marshall Thornton. So far, the books live up to the title of my post. There are two A reads in there, a couple of B+'s, and some pretty strong B's!

I need to clarify that My Favorite Uncle by Marshall Thornton (Wilde City Press, 2014) is a combination of gay comedic romantic fiction, instead of a straight up gay fiction story. It has a happy ending.

Take a single gay uncle used to privacy with little to no social life or contact with his closest family, throw in the unexpected arrival of a runaway nephew who on his 18th birthday signed himself out of a "gay rehabilitation" clinic where his religious parents sent him after finding him having gay sex, and there are going to be problems. Martin Dixon doesn't know anything about teenagers, he just wants peace and privacy, but going against his better judgment attempts to provide the kid with guidance. Carter wanted his uncle to be a buddy, not some old guy lecturing him about safety and a code of conduct. After feeling repressed by parents and environment, Carter ignores Martin's advice and goes wild on cruising escapades. They butt heads until each comes to the conclusion that if only the other had a boyfriend, all would be resolved. That's when the fun begins and real conflicts arise.

I first wrote some quick impressions for My Favorite Uncle at Goodreads immediately after finishing the book:
"I really liked this book and sincerely enjoyed the combination of humor and depth Thornton uses to engage the reader in this familial, generational tale of personal discovery and rediscovery."
I would like to add that Thornton has a knack for reeling the reader in with his characters' narrative, which becomes evident in this book soon after beginning the first chapter. Thornton utilizes two points of view that of the uncle and nephew, so the reader gains a full picture of events from both perspectives. Humorous scenes are driven by misunderstandings due to the generation gap between Uncle Martin and Carter as well as by the different lifestyles they've lead. However with the deeper, sensitive issues and resulting heartbreaking moments Thornton weaves with the humor, this novel becomes more than a cute comedic read. As Martin helps Carter navigate new waters, his own personal lifestyle comes into question and character growth (and I don’t just mean for the young nephew) becomes key to this novel’s successful conclusion. A B+ read for me, My Favorite Uncle by Marshall Thornton is a recommended read.

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Reading: Within this grouping of LGBT reads, I began reading Let Me See It: Stories by James McGruder but had to put it aside to read my TBR book of the month. It is a slow going type of read, but I hope to pick it up again and finish it before long because I have other books to get to. I'm in the process of finishing up The Full Ride: Bottom Boys Get Play by Gavin Atlas, I already have Little Reef by Michael Carroll in my Kindle, and there are some August releases that I don't want to miss.

Additionally, I began reading from my Summer Wish List: SFF/UF list and will be posting an update on those books soon, as well as on contemporary romances, rereads, and July 'must reads.'

Friday, June 20, 2014

LGBT: Great New Releases!

There are some fantastic new releases out there for those of us who love reading LGBT themed books. There's something for everyone, and of course lots for me. Following is a list of the latest or upcoming releases that caught my attention, from a few select publishers (listed in alphabetical order):

BOLD STROKES BOOKS:
Queerly Beloved: A Love Story Across Genders by Diane and Jacob Anderson-Minshall (Queer Memoir)

Imagine if, after fifteen years as a lesbian couple, your partner turned to you and said, "I think I'm really a man." What would you do? How would you respond? For Diane and Jacob (née Suzy) Anderson-Minshall this isn't a hypothetical question. It's what really happened. Eight years later, the couple not only remains together, they still identify as queer, still work in LGBT media, and remain part of the LGBT community. How did their relationship survive a gender transition? The authors explore this question and delve into their relationship to reveal the trials and tribulations they have faced along the way. In doing so, they paint a portrait of love, not only to each other, but to the San Francisco Bay Area, LGBT publishing, and the queer community. Queerly Beloved is a love story that flies in the face of expectations and raises questions about the true nature of identity, sexuality, and love.
There is a great review for this queer memoir at the Chelsea Station online magazine. After reading it, I immediately placed the book on my wish list.

KENSINGTON PUBLISHING:
Now and Yesterday: A Novel by Stephen Greco (Contemporary Gay Fiction)
"An often poignant, and sometimes chilling, romance of the creative class." --Edmund White

In the three decades since Peter first moved into his Brooklyn apartment, almost every facet of his life has changed. Once a broke, ambitious poet, Peter is now a successful advertising executive. He's grateful for everything the years have given him--wealth, friends, security. But he's conscious too of what time has taken in return, and a busy stream of invitations doesn't dull the ache that remains since he lost the love of his life.

Will is a young, aspiring journalist hungry for everything New York has to offer--culture, sophistication, adventure. When he moonlights as a bartender at one of Peter's parties, the two strike up a tentative friendship that soon becomes more important than either expected. In Peter, Will sees the ease and confidence he strives for, while Peter is suddenly aware of just how lonely his life has become. But forging a connection means navigating very different sets of experience and expectations, as each decides how to make a place for himself in the world--and who to share it with.

Beautifully written, warm yet incisive, Now and Yesterday offers a fascinating exploration of two generations--and of the complex, irrefutable power of friendship--through the prism of an eternally changing city.
I love books that explore generational differences through intimate relationships and the effects those differences may or may not have on the individuals. A May release, Now and Yesterday is already available.

LETHE PRESS:
A Shiny Tin Star by Jon Wilson (Western Historical Romance)

On a scorching summer’s day in 1903 the sheriff of Creek County, Eugene Grey, unexpectedly finds himself partnered with feisty young Federal Marshal Forest O'Rourke. The marshal is hell-bent on capturing a wanted man—a man Eugene knows as nothing but an amiable old geezer living quietly in the hills.

But, of course, all is not as it seems. As the manhunt progresses, Eugene slowly works out the true nature of the marshal’s relationship to the old man. And something Eugene has long kept hidden begins to stir inside him. He finds it impossible to deny the desire he feels toward the determined young marshal.

Death and fiery destruction follow, but also passion and stolen moments of joy. Eugene’s journey takes him from his small town of Canyon Creek, Colorado, to the stately homes of Atlanta and Philadelphia. But it also pits him against the very laws he has sworn to uphold. He finds himself risking prison or even death—all in the name of love.
This is a classic western historical romance that was previously published but has been reprinted and released by Lethe. I received the ARC for this book and it is a gorgeous read. Upcoming review.
The Filly by Mark R. Probst (YA Western Historical) 

Escaping into the fantasy of his books when he's not working in the general store, Ethan Keller has lived a sheltered life in his mother's boarding house. One day, an enigmatic cowboy passing through the small Texas town takes an immediate liking to the shy seventeen-year-old. Ethan is intrigued by the attention, and the cowboy eventually charms him into signing on to a 900-mile cattle drive. Ethan soon finds that his feelings for this cowboy run deeper than just friendship. He never knew that this kind of love even existed; and now for the two of them to make a life together in the untamed west, they must face nearly insurmountable odds if they are to survive.
I've been in a western kick lately, and The Filly is a young adult western historical romance. As soon as I saw the book featured at Lethe's catalogue I bookmarked it and will be feeding my Kindle soon. :)

Wingmen by Ensan Case (Historical Fiction/Romance)

First published in 1979, this World War II novel, with overtones of From Here to Eternity, was a precursor to the gay romance genre. Jack Hardigan's Hellcat fighter squadron blew the Japanese Zekes out of the blazing Pacific skies. But a more subtle kind of hell was brewing in his feelings for rookie pilot Fred Trusteau. While a beautiful widow pursues Jack, and another pilot becomes suspicious of Jack and Fred's close friendship, the two heroes cut a fiery swath through the skies from Wake Island to Tarawa to Truk, there to keep a fateful rendezvous with love and death in the blood-clouded waters of the Pacific.
World War II flyboys, Hellcat fighters, and love. I just received the ARC for this classic and can't wait to read this vintage piece.

Butcher's Road by Lee Thomas (Speculative Fiction/Horror/Historical Fiction)

1932: Fortune and celebrity are years behind Butch Cardinal. Once a world-class wrestler, Cardinal now serves as hired muscle for a second-rate Chicago mobster. While collecting a parcel from a gangland lowlife, Cardinal witnesses the man's murder. Though wounded, he escapes the killers and flees into the night carrying the package. In it is a necklace with a metal pendant. Bent and scratched, the thing looks like a piece of junk, but the trinket is the reason a man died. It's the reason a lot of people will die. Finding shelter with another shamed wrestler in New Orleans, Cardinal embarks on search for answers that will reveal a world of metallic charms and weapons, all forged with unimaginable powers. Alone and outgunned, Cardinal must stand against the Chicago mobs, a brilliant and insane hitman, the police, and a mysterious order intent on retrieving their relic.
If you like a little horror with your historical fiction, you can't go wrong with the latest release by Lee Thomas. I already have it in my Kindle.

TRIQUARTERLY BOOKS:
Let Me See It: Stories by James Magruder (Gay Fiction)

James Magruder’s collection of linked stories follows two gay cousins, Tom and Elliott, from adolescence in the 1970s to adulthood in the early ’90s. With a rueful blend of comedy and tenderness, Magruder depicts their attempts to navigate the closet and the office and the lessons they learn about libidinous coworkers, résumé boosting, Italian suffixes, and frozen condoms. As Tom and Elliot search for trusting relationships while the AIDS crisis deepens, their paths diverge, leading Tom to a new sense of what matters most. Magruder is especially adept at rendering the moments that reveal unwritten codes of behavior to his characters, who have no way of learning them except through painful experience.

Loss is sudden, the fallout portrayed with a powerful economy. In Tom and Elliott, readers come to recognize themselves, driven by the same absurd desires and unconscious impulses, subjected to the same fates.
Going by the summary, I have a feeling that this gay fiction novel is going to make me laugh but that it will also break my heart. A must read!

UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN PRESS:
Little Reef and Other Stories by Michael Carroll (Collection)

Little Reef and Other Stories announces the arrival of an original voice in literature. From Key West to Maine, Michael Carroll’s debut collection of stories depicts the lives of characters who are no longer provincial but are not yet cosmopolitan. These women and their gay male friends are “B-listers” of a new, ironic, media-soaked culture. They live in a rich but increasingly divided America, a weirdly paradoxical country increasingly accepting of gay marriage but still marked by prejudice, religious strictures, and swaths of poverty and hopelessness. Carroll shows us people stunned by the shock of the now, who have forgotten their pasts and can’t envision a future.
I recently read a fantastic short story by Michael Carroll and of course began looking for more. Fortunately, I found this June release. This book is going on my wish list.

WILDE CITY PRESS:
My Favorite Uncle by Marshall Thornton (Gay Fiction)

Martin Dixon’s carefully constructed peaceful life is turned upside down when his super Christian eighteen year-old nephew Carter shows up unexpectedly on his doorstep and announces he’s gay, Martin’s first impulse is to send him back to his parents. But when he discovers that Carter has been in a mental hospital to cure his gay-ness he realizes he’s stuck with the boy. Unfortunately, the two get on each other’s nerves, each driving the other to distraction. Independently, they each arrive at the same conclusion. The other would be much less annoying if he only had…a boyfriend.
I love Marshall Thornton's writing style and his Boystown series. I love this book's summary and expect the story will be a good one. This is a definite read for me.


Wednesday, January 1, 2014

LGBT: 2013 Favorite Reads & Authors

Happy New Year everyone!! It's time to take a look back at the LGBT books that made the past year memorable. Overall, 2013 was a great reading year for me. As always, my list of favorite reads is based on books read and reviewed during the year, and graded A (5.0) or A-/B+ (4.5). This time around, however, I've included 2013 releases, as well as a few previously released books that are too good to ignore. These are the stories that spoke to me throughout the year.

Desire: Tales of New Orleans by William Sterling Walker
Gay Fiction: (2012, Chelsea Station Editions)
William Sterling Walker's collection of short stories set in a pre-Katrina New Orleans is one of those books where everything, from the characters to the setting and from the writing to the subject matter, comes together perfectly into one unforgettable package. Walker's ability to make time, place, and characters come alive is uncanny. I've re-read passages, single, and various stories from this collection repeatedly after my first go round -- Desire, Aubade, Menuetto, Fin de Siècle -- and keep the book handy. I cannot recommend this collection enough.

Red-Inked Retablos by Rigoberto Gonzalez
Creative Non-Fiction: (2013, The University of Arizona Press)
In Red-Inked Retablos, Rigoberto Gonzalez invites readers to contemplation and activism. He speaks with authority and passion from the many viewpoints that make up his life experiences -- the Latino, the gay man, the writer, the teacher, the activist -- but, most importantly he speaks from the heart. I read this book in February 2013 and referred to it several times throughout the year. A memorable and highly recommended read.

In His Secret Life by Mel Bossa 
Bisexual/Gay Romance: (2013, Bold Strokes Books)
Mel Bossa writes beautiful romances filled with conflicted gay and bisexual males in pursuit of understanding, self-awareness, and love. I love her LGBT romances, and in 2013 she did it again with In His Secret Life where Bossa again displays her talents for creating three dimensional characters and a complex, memorable romance by tackling a controversial love affair between a married bisexual man and single gay man further complicated by family ties.

Boystown #5: Murder Book by Marshall Thornton
Mystery: (2013, MLR Press)
Set in Chicago at the beginning of the 1980's, the Nick Nowack Mystery series by Marshall Thornton is gritty and makes an impact on the reader with more than just the great mysteries. Throughout the series, it is Nick's personal life -- sexual exploits and romantic interests -- that slowly become the ongoing source of tension for the reader. Thornton takes the readers back to the 80's and keeps them there with his no nonsense writing style and magnificent central character. Time for Secrets #4 (2012, MLR Press) and Murder Book #5 are both favorite reads, but I highly recommend the entire series!

Death by Silver by Melissa Scott & Amy Griswold
Fantasy: (2013, Lethe Press)
Scott & Griswold's world-building is a combination of high magic and Victorian morals in a quasi-recognizable London. Death by Silver is an excellent blend of fantasy and mystery with steampunk elements. The romance in the making between the two main characters and their inner conflicts, however, give this novel a perfect emotional touch, as do the secondary characters and gray areas that these two authors explore throughout the story.

Dust Devil on a Quiet Street by Richard Bowes 
Fantasy/Speculative Fiction: (2013, Lethe Press)
In 2013, I read three books by Richard Bowes including his collection of fairy tales The Queen, The Cambion and Seven Others (2013, Aqueduct Press) and When Angels Fight (2013, Fairwood Press). I reviewed two of the three books, but enjoyed and recommend them all. Dust Devil on a Quiet Street is a fantastic compilation of short stories that are organically blended into one book or one story. Bowes' knowledge and love of New York City and the intimacy of thought found in his narrative are fantastic. This book is categorized as a fantasy, yet I am still fascinated by the fact that at times it is impossible to tell where truth ends and fiction begins. Richard Bowes is that talented.

Light by 'Nathan Burgoine
SFF/Romance/Suspense: (2013, Bold Strokes Books)
We all need heroes in our lives, even reluctant heroes who hide their light are welcome! Burgoine is a multi-talented author who successfully creates short stories within different LGBT sub-genres such as speculative fiction, romance and gay fiction. His debut full-length novel Light makes it to my list of favorite reads as one of the most enjoyable books read in 2013. This action/adventure, superhero, romance suspense yarn is tough to place into one of those little boxes or categories, what is not difficult to do is love it. It is fun, entertaining, and absorbing with a memorable central character and a grounded, focused central gay theme. Light now resides on my "reread" shelf.

Best Gay Stories 2013 ed. Steve Berman
Anthology--Fiction, Creative Non-Fiction: (2013, Lethe Press)
Best Gay Stories 2013 is undoubtedly my favorite anthology of the year. Steve Berman compiled 20 amazing fiction and creative non-fiction pieces by 20 equally fantastic authors, some already well known to me and others not at all. I read many collections and anthologies during a single year and was greatly surprised to read one excellent piece after another in this anthology, each with a different theme highly relevant to today's gay man -- young and not so young -- some embracing recent history and others dealing with the here and now.

Favorite Short Stories: I chose the following short stories from favorite single author collections and anthologies rated A (5.0) and A-/B+ (4.5).  I'm sort of cheating since the books, as well as the short stories, are highly recommended in their entirety.


"Things I Can't Tell My Father"
"Ice Water"
The Silent Hustler by Sean Meriwether (2009, Lethe Press)

"Boy"
"Between Us"
The Rest of Us: Stories by Guy Mark Foster (2013, Lethe Press)



"Light and Dark" by Damon Shaw
"The Third State" by Lee Thomas
"The Origin of the Fiend" by Hal Duncan
The Lavender Menace: Tales of Queer Villainy! ed. by Tom Cardamone (2013, Northwest Press) 

"Sic Him Hellhound! Kill! Kill!" by Hal Duncan
"A Strange Form of Life" by Laird Barron
Wilde Stories 2013: The Year's Best Gay Speculative Fiction ed. Steve Berman (2013, Lethe Press)

Monday, October 21, 2013

Reading Habits: Moments, Blood & Guts, Cowboys & PI's

I had this post almost ready before the dreaded flu hit me over a week ago now, but it still holds since I've read very little since then. It's a little update on my reading habits, books I'm reading, and books read.
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Reading Habits:
Sometimes my reading habits get the best of me and other times they work like clockwork. I read different books at different times during the day. I use my Kindle and iPhone during my commutes to and from work and at lunch time, and read print books at home during the evening and weekends. That means that I'm usually reading multiple books at the same time. It gets crazy sometimes! For example, at the same time I went nuts reading gay cowboy romances and an entire mystery series, in print and in my Kindle I was reading contemporary fiction, literary fiction and other books that I don't often review here.

Moments:
In a previous post, I mentioned that I am reading Dear Life, the last collection of short stories by Alice Munro. In this book, Munro captures what seem like ordinary moments that change people's (mostly women's) lives. Sometimes the decisions that lead to those changes seem... mundane, but turn out to be life altering. Not all the stories are working for me on the same level, but one thing I can say about Munro, with few words she can pack a lifetime of information in a short story.

Blood & Guts:
I am also in the process of reading Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy, one of the most gruesomely violent books I've ever read. The writing is fantastic -- sparse, tight, yet so freaking descriptive. It's like he punches you with words one minute and just lulls you with beauty the next. The worse part of it, and the most effective, is when the beauty of his words calmly and nonchalantly describe the horror and violence that humans achieve without even trying. Mr. McCarthy's perspective of the human condition and the lack of humanity in his portrayal of the historical American West is turning out to be rather daunting.

Blood & Guts - A Legal Battle: 
I also just began reading Gilbert King's Devil in the Grove: Thurgood Marshall, the Groveland Boys, and the Dawn of a New America, the 2013 Pulitzer Prize winner for general nonfiction. I am not too far into this book yet, but I can relate a little bit of information on it. So far I'm struck by Gilbert King's excellent creative nonfiction style of writing -- this book reads more like a novel, and it is not a dry accounting of events. The book begins with a brief accounting of landmark cases that Thurgood Marshall argued in Southern Courts and before the U.S. Supreme Court beginning and after the mid-1940's when he served as counsel for the NAACP during the Jim Crow South era. He is best known for his 1951 win Brown v. Board of Education, which brought about the desegregation of public schools, and for serving as Justice of the Supreme Court, the first black man to do so. However, this book specifically focuses on one of Marshall's less known cases, the 1949 Florida case known as the Groveland Boys.
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Cowboys:
Anyway, before the flu got me, I was reading like a machine. For example, this month I finished a crazy reading spree of contemporary western M/M romances. Don't ask me why, except that I love westerns and while reading one book something began to bug me, so I decided to do some comparison reading and went on an unexpected marathon.

As I moved along from one book to another, I realized that what was bugging me was that the core of these westerns all seem to have "required" points. There is the closeted cowboy or rancher who struggles to make the tough decision to come out of the closet when that one man shows up in their lives, the requisite homophobes, and the other closeted gay cowboys who pop out of the woodwork and are always lying in wait to give support and advice when needed. This sounds cynical, I know, but as a reader, this trend just hit me as a "truly tired" plot device. I read five books in a row and all hit the above mentioned points, as have many other contemporary western M/M romances I've read before. After a while I stopped making notes and just wrote a few lines about what was different. There is always the matter of different writing styles, and a different angle thrown here and there.

In Heart of a Cowboy by Z.A. Maxfield, I enjoyed the writing and the fact that the main character is honest with himself, his lover, and those around him. In Long Tall Drink by L.C. Chase, story trumps sex and both main characters are given backgrounds that are explored and used to develop the overall story and romantic conflict. In Pickup Men by L.C. Chase, a frustrating read, the fact that the story begins with the couple breaking up is rather unique. But the most interesting aspect of this piece is that Chase incorporates two different perspectives dealing with the consequences that arise from sending young gay men to "rehabilitation camps." And, in No Going Home and Duncan's World, T.A. Chase focuses his novels on fathers who physically abuse their sons, and psychologically lost young men who need and look for "daddies" in their lovers and require their support in order to come out of the closet.

A PI:
On my iPhone, I read the first book of Marshall Thornton's Nick Nowack Mystery series, Boystown: Three Nick Nowack Mysteries. This is a series that my friend Indigene highly recommended to me because she knows how much I love good LGBT mysteries. I fell in love with the gritty central character Nick, the 1980's Chicago setting, Mr. Thornton's pared down writing, and the book format. The book is separated into three sections with titles (novellas), each with a mystery solved by Nick, but the overall storyarc focuses on Nick's personal life and the recurring characters give the book (and overall series) continuity.

This is a great first book with wonderful mysteries that hooked me and a fantastic, rather captivating, ex-cop turned PI whose prolific sexual escapades mask the heartbreak of losing the ex-lover who shoved him out of the closet resulting in the loss of both his family and job with the Chicago PD. I liked the first book so much that I ended up reading the entire Nick Nowack Mystery series up to the latest release, including Little Boy Dead: A Boystown Prequel, Boystown 2: Three Nick Nowak Mysteries, Boystown 3: Two Nick Nowak Mysteries, Boystown 4: Time for Secrets, and Boystown 5: Murder Book. I became so invested in Nick that frankly, I can't wait to find out where Thornton takes this character as well as some secondary characters I've become attached to -- particularly since we know some of what is coming and after the heartbreaking events in Murder Book.
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What Else?:
I've finished a few books since I began writing this post, The Tilted World by Tom Franklin and Beth Ann Fennelly, a historical fiction/romance book set in 1927 during the Mississippi Flood (Kindle ed.), The Padișah's Son and the Fox by Alex Jeffers, a Turkish erotic fairy tale (Print ed.), and 'Nathan Burgoine's debut full-length novel Light, a combination superhero action/adventure romance, with strong spec-fic elements (Kindle ed.).