Tag: LGBT Fiction

Books

Book 952: My Love Mix-Up! (Vol. 1) – Wataru Hinekure & Aruko

Geoff W

I ended up with this one from the library after seeing My Love Mix-Up! (Vol. 4) on NetGalley. It wasn’t an immediate OMG I must read these, but more of an awww that looks cute, I haven’t read a good manga in a while I wonder what it’s about. And then when I found out it was a comedy of errors, so I checked to see if my local library had it, they did and I requested it.

Thankfully, it became available in between two books and I could do a slight schedule modification to squeeze it in and not miss any galley deadlines. We’ll see if the next volume does (my library does have through volume 4!).

Continue reading “Book 952: My Love Mix-Up! (Vol. 1) – Wataru Hinekure & Aruko” →

ARC, Books

Book 948: Patricia Wants to Cuddle – Samantha Allen

Geoff W

What a wonderfully weird novel. When this landed in my inbox from the publisher I first thought WTF is that because the cover art screams pulp fiction and as much as I find those hilarious I’m not usually drawn to them. However, I’d decided I wanted to expand my LGBT novel repertoire, and knowing this featured lesbian/bisexual female protagonists I said sure why not.*

Billed as a satire of The Bachelor, Patricia Wants to Cuddle takes place in the final two weeks of The Catch‘s season with four female finalists and the catch going to the San Juan islands off the coast of Washington state. While it is that, it’s also a final girl thriller novel with murder and mystery and urban legends aplenty to keep the reader engaged.

Continue reading “Book 948: Patricia Wants to Cuddle – Samantha Allen” →

ARC, Books

Book 946: Just by Looking at Him – Ryan O’Connell

Geoff W

If I’m 100% honest I first was drawn to this book because of the cover art, a cropped version of Henry Scott Tuke’s The Critics (Wikiart link). Tuke does water like no one else and they pumped up the blues and greens on the cover.

Then when you add the title of the painting to what the main character does for a living: mind blown. So THEN I realized this was the same Ryan O’Connell who created, wrote, and starred in Special on Netflix, and of course, I requested a copy.*

Continue reading “Book 946: Just by Looking at Him – Ryan O’Connell” →

ARC, Books

Book 944: The Kingdom of Sand – Andrew Holleran

Geoff W

I wanted to like this book so much like really wanted to, because Holleran is one of those early LGBT authors whose work has stood the test of time for decades. And that’s why I requested a copy from NetGalley.*

What I didn’t expect was how similar to Mrs. Dalloway and A Single Man this would be. I think that bodes well for the longevity of the novel, but unfortunately, for me, it wasn’t the time or place to read it to truly appreciate or enjoy it. While there were some incredibly beautiful passages throughout, I struggled to get into the book and (for the most part) identify with the nameless narrator.

Continue reading “Book 944: The Kingdom of Sand – Andrew Holleran” →

Books

Book 935: Dream Boy – Jim Grimsley

Geoff W

Bare with me for a moment as I go on a tangent. Recently, I’ve been obsessed with re-watching the Netflix adaptation of Alice Oseman’s Heartstopper series and I  couldn’t realize why other than it’s a fantastic series and adaptation, but then I read this book and it all clicked into place: queer joy.

Growing up in the 1990s/early-2000s I’d say 85%+ of all depictions of LGBT characters were tragic or left to interpretation and this is a prime example of that. Having the opportunity to watch Charlie and Nick in Heartstopper as they discover happiness and joy, even with setbacks, mental health issues, and added TV drama, is just such a wonderful feeling of relief and joy that I float along every time I watch it or listen to the soundtrack or think about it. And this is in stark contrast to Roy and Nathan, the protagonists of Grimsley’s second foray into the novel.

Continue reading “Book 935: Dream Boy – Jim Grimsley” →