Today's guest post comes from Susan Deborah of Meanderings and Reflections. Thank you so much for being here at our blog, Susan!
***
The unique community system followed by transwomen in Tamil Nadu, Southern India
The transgenders in India most of the times live as a community which has a family set-up. One transgender adopts the other and becomes the mother. A sum of Rs. 5. 50/- is paid to the jamath to adopt him. The word ‘jamath’ comes from the Urdu word which means ‘community.’ The transgender community follow certain systems of the Muslim community as years ago they imbibed the customs and patterns of the ruling Muslims in the Mogul period. The older transgender who adopts another is called the guru, which in Hindi translates as teacher. The adopted children are known as chelas which is translated as disciples. Once an individual is adopted by a transgender there is a certain obligation on the part of the ‘child’ towards her ‘mother’ or guru. Part of the earnings through dance performances or any other means like begging goes to the mother. Apart from monetary aspects there are other things that also operate in the ‘mother-child’ relationship. The mother is responsible for taking care of the welfare of the child, taking on the role of a biological mother whenever required. In a way, the guru or the ‘mother’ performs the ‘mother-role’ by arranging money for the sex-change operation and taking care of the post-operative needs of the child. The mother also advises the ‘child’ on the vile ways of the world and against forming any deep bonds with their ‘husbands’ who is referred to as the panthi in the transgender community.
Despite the fact that many ‘children’ do not stay permanently with their ‘mothers,’ they will always be known as the children of X transgender in X village or place. The children migrate to bigger cities in search of better economic prospects or they like to discover new places instead of remaining in a small village. Even though they live in a different pace, they visit their guru once in six months often bringing presents and money.
If you are interested in knowing more about the kinship, family, customs and traditions of transwomen in India, these two books contain a vault of research and information.
Books (Non-Fiction):
1. Reddy, Gayathri. With Respect to Sex: Negotiating Hijra Identity in South India. New Delhi: Yoda Press, 2006.
This book by Gayathri Reddy talks about transwomen (known as hijras in Hindi and Urdu) in Hyderabad, a city in Southern India. A group of hijras living near the railway station are extensively researched by Gayathri Reddy, an anthropologist from University of Illinois, California. A detailed description of the community life of the hijras is provided by the writer.
2. Nanda, Serena. Neither Man nor Woman. 2nd Ed. Canada: Wadsworth Publishing Company, 1999.
This book by Serena Nanda, Professor Emeritus of Anthropology at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, is also quite similar to Reddy’s book but it talks about hijras from different parts of north India. An anthropological monograph, this book is an easy read which depicts the religion, rituals, biology and stories of hijras in India.
Documentaries:
K. P. Jayasankar and Anjali Monteiro: Our Family, a 56-minute Tamil (with English subtitles) documantary elucidates what it means to free oneself of the social construct of being male and explores life beyond a hetero-normative family.
Santhosh Sivan: Navarasa (Nine emotions) is a 2005 film. For more details you can visit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Navarasa_(film)
Susan Deborah: Pandiammal’s Illam (Pandiammal’s home) is a 29-minute 2010 documentary made by the researcher during the course of her research in T. Kallupatti, a village in Southern India. If interested you can email the writer for copies. The documentary is the partial story of two transwomen Pandiammal and Mahalakshmi who talk about their life and times as a transwoman.
Showing posts with label resources. Show all posts
Showing posts with label resources. Show all posts
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Friday, May 14, 2010
Guest Post: Transgender Non-Fiction
Today's guest post comes from Cass at Bonjour Cass! Thank you for being with us, Cass!
Make sure to check at the bottom of this post for giveaway information!
***
When I was in high school, my mother and I would frequently have dinner at a local sit-down restaurant. My mom, who at the time was undergoing chemotherapy and radiation treatment for breast cancer, had taken to wearing a cap to cover her baldness and wore sweat shirts and elastic waisted pants for comfort, but still had energy enough to go out for dinner. On our last visit to this particular restaurant, our waitress, a young, pleasant woman, seemed flustered after giving us our menus. Mom, who was quite shy herself, give her an encouraging smile, assuming the waitress was having a difficult evening. After a few endlessly awkward moments involving my mom trying to get the young woman to relax and the waitress staring blank-faced at her, the waitress asked, "Can I get you anything to drink, sir?"
This was my first (although certainly not my last) encounter with misgendering and incorrect pronouns. To be clear, my mother (who has since passed) was cisgender and did not identify as transgender, but due to her disease she was not immediately identifiable as a woman, at least to the waitress. She looked at my mother, saw a person with no hair and no breasts wearing an androgynous outfit and read my mother as being a man.
Each time we see someone, we read their appearance for gender cues, such as hair style and clothing; we then use these cues--consciously or subconsciously--to make an assumption about whether that person is a man or a woman. The hurt and pain my mother felt when the waitress used an incorrect pronoun is something that many trans men and women experience on a regular basis. (Note: A trans man is a person who was assigned female at birth but who identifies as a man, just as a trans woman is a person who was assigned male at birth but identifies as being a woman.)
I am a cisgender, queer-identified trans-ally; my boyfriend, Ethan, is a trans man (hi, love!) who is wonderful. I started reading about transgender identities and gender theory as a Women and Gender Studies major in college six years ago, and over that time I've amassed quite a collection and have read dozens of excellent, good, decent, and not-so-good books on the subject.
The following is a list of non-fiction books on transgender history, gender identity, and the transgender movement, all of which I own and highly recommend. They are all written by trans-identified folk. This list is by no means comprehensive.
Transgender History
Make sure to check at the bottom of this post for giveaway information!
***
When I was in high school, my mother and I would frequently have dinner at a local sit-down restaurant. My mom, who at the time was undergoing chemotherapy and radiation treatment for breast cancer, had taken to wearing a cap to cover her baldness and wore sweat shirts and elastic waisted pants for comfort, but still had energy enough to go out for dinner. On our last visit to this particular restaurant, our waitress, a young, pleasant woman, seemed flustered after giving us our menus. Mom, who was quite shy herself, give her an encouraging smile, assuming the waitress was having a difficult evening. After a few endlessly awkward moments involving my mom trying to get the young woman to relax and the waitress staring blank-faced at her, the waitress asked, "Can I get you anything to drink, sir?"
This was my first (although certainly not my last) encounter with misgendering and incorrect pronouns. To be clear, my mother (who has since passed) was cisgender and did not identify as transgender, but due to her disease she was not immediately identifiable as a woman, at least to the waitress. She looked at my mother, saw a person with no hair and no breasts wearing an androgynous outfit and read my mother as being a man.
Each time we see someone, we read their appearance for gender cues, such as hair style and clothing; we then use these cues--consciously or subconsciously--to make an assumption about whether that person is a man or a woman. The hurt and pain my mother felt when the waitress used an incorrect pronoun is something that many trans men and women experience on a regular basis. (Note: A trans man is a person who was assigned female at birth but who identifies as a man, just as a trans woman is a person who was assigned male at birth but identifies as being a woman.)
I am a cisgender, queer-identified trans-ally; my boyfriend, Ethan, is a trans man (hi, love!) who is wonderful. I started reading about transgender identities and gender theory as a Women and Gender Studies major in college six years ago, and over that time I've amassed quite a collection and have read dozens of excellent, good, decent, and not-so-good books on the subject.
The following is a list of non-fiction books on transgender history, gender identity, and the transgender movement, all of which I own and highly recommend. They are all written by trans-identified folk. This list is by no means comprehensive.
Transgender History
Susan Stryker
2008
An excellent introduction to trans history with a focus on trans women.
Why I Like It: It's very readable, and it comes with bonus discussion questions! I kind of have a weakness for discussion questions.
Best If: You prefer straightforward history and want something published more recently.
An excellent introduction to trans history with a focus on trans women.
Why I Like It: It's very readable, and it comes with bonus discussion questions! I kind of have a weakness for discussion questions.
Best If: You prefer straightforward history and want something published more recently.
Queer Theory, Gender Theory: An Instant Primer
Transgender Warriors: Making History From Joan of Arc to Dennis Rodman
Why I Like It: Seriously, did you read that quote?
Best If: You prefer a little narrative with THE HEART OF SOMEONE'S LIFE WORK.
Sex Changes: The Politics of Transgenderism
Best If: You enjoy excellent non-fiction. Also if you want to impress at parties.
Nobody Passes: Rejecting the Rule of Gender and Conformity
Genderqueer: Voices From Beyond the Sexual Binary
Best If: You are looking for more diversity of opinion and for a greater understanding of "genderqueer." Or if you just enjoy good writing. Or if you want to read the essays I mention and discuss them with me. Just sayin'.
(If you have any questions about gender identity or the books I've mentioned, or if you've read them and want to discuss them, or if you find something wonderful you'd like to share, please feel free to email me at bonjourcass AT gmail DOT com. Especially if you want to talk about books. :) )
***
Giveaway: Cass has generously agreed to donate a copy of Sex Changes by Patrick Califia (see above for description). In order to win the book, all you have to do is participate in May's Transgender mini-challenge.
Riki Wilchins
2004
The title kind of explains it all.
Why I Like It: This book starts out all "here is some basic information about the history of the women's movement and the gay movement and the transgender movement" and then Wilchins is all HEY! HOW ABOUT SOME THEORY! And then, you know, I went "OH WOW THAT IS SOME THEORY" and my brain hurt a little but in a good way.
Best If: You prefer a little theory with your history.
The title kind of explains it all.
Why I Like It: This book starts out all "here is some basic information about the history of the women's movement and the gay movement and the transgender movement" and then Wilchins is all HEY! HOW ABOUT SOME THEORY! And then, you know, I went "OH WOW THAT IS SOME THEORY" and my brain hurt a little but in a good way.
Best If: You prefer a little theory with your history.
Transgender Warriors: Making History From Joan of Arc to Dennis Rodman
Leslie Feinberg
1996
Feinberg is best known for hir excellent novel Stone Butch Blues, which I would beg you to read if this wasn't a list of non-fiction. In the preface of Transgender Warriors, ze describes the book as being "...the heart of my life's work. When I clenched my fists and shouted back at slurs aimed to strip me of my humanity, this was the certainty behind my anger. When I sputtered in pain at well-meaning individuals who told me, 'I just don't get what you are?' - this is what I meant. Today, Transgender Warriors is my answer. This is the core of my pride."Why I Like It: Seriously, did you read that quote?
Best If: You prefer a little narrative with THE HEART OF SOMEONE'S LIFE WORK.
Sex Changes: The Politics of Transgenderism
Patrick Calfia
1997
More opinion, analyzing, and criticism than plain history.
Why I Like It: Califia happens to be one of my very favorite authors and in my opinion this is his best non-fiction work. There's an excellent chapter on transphobia in the feminist community as well as a chapter comparing Stone Butch Blues by Feinberg to S/He by Minnie Bruce Pratt, who is Feinberg's partner and an amazing writer. My nerd-ar went through the roof when I read that chapter.More opinion, analyzing, and criticism than plain history.
Best If: You enjoy excellent non-fiction. Also if you want to impress at parties.
Nobody Passes: Rejecting the Rule of Gender and Conformity
edited by Matt Bernstein Sycamore
2006
All short, first-person narratives from a variety of people with different identities and their experience with passing--not limited to gender.
Why I Like It: When discussing a topic as personal as identity, I think it's much more effective to have multiple writers discussing a variety of experiences.
Best If: You are looking for more diversity of opinion.
All short, first-person narratives from a variety of people with different identities and their experience with passing--not limited to gender.
Why I Like It: When discussing a topic as personal as identity, I think it's much more effective to have multiple writers discussing a variety of experiences.
Best If: You are looking for more diversity of opinion.
Genderqueer: Voices From Beyond the Sexual Binary
edited by Joan Nestle, Riki Wilchins, and Clare Howell
2002
Why I Like It: Genderqueer is one of the few books on my shelf that has post it notes marking certain essays (fyi, they are "Loving Outside Simple Lines" by Sonya Bolus and "Fading to Pink" by Robin Maltz.Best If: You are looking for more diversity of opinion and for a greater understanding of "genderqueer." Or if you just enjoy good writing. Or if you want to read the essays I mention and discuss them with me. Just sayin'.
(If you have any questions about gender identity or the books I've mentioned, or if you've read them and want to discuss them, or if you find something wonderful you'd like to share, please feel free to email me at bonjourcass AT gmail DOT com. Especially if you want to talk about books. :) )
***
Giveaway: Cass has generously agreed to donate a copy of Sex Changes by Patrick Califia (see above for description). In order to win the book, all you have to do is participate in May's Transgender mini-challenge.
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Guest Post: Bi This Book!
Today's guest post comes from Lauren Bjorkman, author of My Invented Life. She's here to talk about the very underrepresented topic of bisexuality in YA lit, and to give suggestions on books to read. Welcome to our blog, Lauren!
***
Bisexual characters, especially bi protagonists are unusual in teen lit. A visit to Lee Wind’s website—I’m Here. I’m Queer. What the Hell Do I Read?—makes this clear. Only eight out of 200+ GLBT titles there have bisexual characters or themes. Until recently, the in-betweens hovered on the fringe of the literary rainbow world. For instance, the Lambda Literary Award only began recognizing bisexual lit in 2006, though the award started in 1988. Here are a few of the myths bis have had to overcome--
They go for everything that moves.
They’re not as committed to the gay movement “real” gays.
They prefer to date the opposite sex so they can “pass” as straight.
They’re going through a transition on their way to becoming gay.
They’re confused and indecisive.
Here’s the cool part! Two weeks ago, I bought a stack of bi teen novels and read them all from cover to cover. They were universally excellent, deep, and heart-warming. Some made me laugh aloud. Besides that, they blasted these stereotypes and crazy ideas right out of the water. Check out my book recommendations at the end of the post.
When I started writing My Invented Life, I knew little about bisexuality. In fact, I didn’t set out to write about bisexuality at all. My theme was sisters and the secrets that come between them. But in the midst of planning my novel, I went to my high school reunion. The drama around certain classmates that came out inspired me to use sexual orientation as the wedge between my fictional sisters. When I shared my premise with my critique group, one member dropped out. Which meant I was onto something.
As part of my research, I read a number of gay and lesbian novels, and discovered David Levithan’s Boy Meets Boy. Some call his setting gaytopia—a world where being queer is not an issue. I loved this! I wanted to write a fun and light-hearted book, too. So I made the main conflicts in My Invented Life about competition between the two sisters.
After I started writing, friends and acquaintances asked me about my WIP. When I told them about my queer characters, they surprised me with their personal stories. Women who where married to the opposite sex—some I’d known for years, some I barely knew at all—came out to me for the first time. I’m bisexual. I had a lesbian phase in college. I had a crush on a woman once. I find women attractive but it’s easier to be with a man.
Around then, I learned about the Kinsey scale. Kinsey considered sexual orientation a continuum rather than an either/or situation. This made so much sense to me! Of course, I had to have a character bring up his research. My characters uses the dashboard of a car instead of a scale, and places herself somewhere around the glove compartment. And so my story evolved. One blogger, Shelf Elf, reviewed My Invented Life as: funny + depth = reading bliss. I hope you agree.
Here are some other bi-books for your TBR pile!
The Bermudez Triangle by Maureen Johnson
Three girls—Nina, Avery, and Mel—have been best friends since childhood. Nina leaves town to attend a leadership program the summer before senior year. While she’s gone, Mel and Avery have a sleep over that leads to romance between them. Mel has always known she was a lesbian, but kept it to herself. Avery learns that she can be attracted to girls for the first time. When Nina returns, things go from complicated to VERY complicated. Despite the drama, the story stays sweet and funny. Nina, Mel, and Avery are wonderfully flawed, and yet likeable. I enjoyed the tender romance, as well as the friendship story.
“Hello,” I Lied by M.E. Kerr
This one hooked me from the first sentence. Lang is a gay teen in love with a twenty year-old actor, who loves him back. The story takes place during a summer when Lang lands a job helping his mother as an assistant to a fascinating and elusive rock star. The rock star insists on throwing Lang together with a mysterious daughter of another rock star. And though Lang is securely gay, he falls for her. The gay romance and bi romance are both beautiful and believable. And talk about lyrical and poignant writing! This one differs from the others because it focuses on a bi relationship that looks allegedly heterosexual to the outside world.
Attack of the Soul-Sucking Brain Zombies by Brent Hartinger
This sequel to Geography Club has a unique feature. In the first half, Hartinger tells the story from one character’s POV. When you finish, you flip the book over and read from a different POV. The feisty bisexual Min narrates the second half. She’s on a quest to find new romance, and succeeds while working as zombie extras on a movie set. But her new girlfriend won’t come out to her friends. Out-spoken Min has trouble accepting this. Hartinger’s style is funny and matter-of-fact. He creates adorable, good-hearted, and authentically teen characters.
Of All the Stupid Things by Alexandra Diaz
This debut novel has a lot going on. Like in The Bermudez Triangle, there are three friends who have been friends forever. Unlike Maureen Johnson, who writes in the third person, Diaz writes in the first person from each of their POVs. Tara, a hitherto straight girl, falls for a girl outside their triangle. The romance is sweet and wonderful. And Tara quickly accepts that she can have romantic feelings towards girls as well as boys. The other plotlines surround friendship, self-confidence, and abandonment. I especially loved how these three girls stand up for one another when the going gets tough.
Empress of the World by Sara Ryan
This book came out in 2001, breaking some serious ground. It is a quintessential coming of age story. Nic has always had crushes on boys until the summer she meets Battle at a summer school for gifted children. Battle is a beautiful Southern belle and daughter of a minister. Nic dissects these new feelings with the ardor of an archeologist—the profession she hopes to pursue as an adult. But when romance blooms, she doesn’t stop dissecting. This puts a strain on her new relationship. At the end of the story, Nic still hasn’t decided whether she is lesbian or bisexual, but feels okay not labeling herself. I really loved Nic’s observant “field notes” scattered throughout the story.
Love and Lies: Marisol’s Story by Ellen Wittlinger
Marisol defers her first year of college to write a novel. She moves into a cramped apartment with a friend who brings home strays, works in a rundown café on Harvard Square, and enrolls in a novel writing class. Right away, she falls for her stunning writing instructor, Olivia Frost. Their budding relationship starts of romantic, but quickly goes down hill when Olivia’s dark-side comes through.
I included this sequel to Hard Love because Ellen Wittlinger writes amazing novels. If you haven’t read Parrotfish yet, you should! But I hesitated. Because this was the only book in my stack where the bisexual character turned out to be an unsympathetic character. Perhaps she isn’t even bisexual. But I decided to leave it in so I could ask this question. Should authors only portray GLBT characters in a positive light? Or can they be messed up, or even villainous? Why or why not?
Here are some cool websites and a non-fiction book to check out--
I’m Here. I’m Queer. What The Hell Do I Read?
Alex Sanchez’s list of GLBT books
http://www.alexsanchez.com/gay_teen_books.htm
Bi Magazine
Bi any other name: bisexual people speak out
Monday, April 5, 2010
Guest Post: a survey of GLBT YA books
Today's guest post is from Andrea at The Little Bookworm. Thanks for your thoughts, Andrea!
***
Almost all of the books I read for the GLBT Challenge are young adult. It's what I read, my genre if you will. So I've put together a list of some great GLBT YA books written in the last decade. I've read almost all of them. Some I will admit I haven't gotten to yet, but they are the list. I will say that this genre of YA has grown considerably in the last decade with it becoming more acceptable for gay teens in books to have uncloseted relationships. It's a good thing that will hopefully get even better.
Rainbow Boys by Alex Sanchez (2001): I haven't actually read this one yet though I have skimmed though parts. Based on that, it's something that I want to read. An exploration of high school life through boys who are in different stages of coming out. There is the openly gay one, the closeted jock, and the one who is in the in-between stage of accepting his sexuality.
Boy Meets Boy by David Levithan (2003): An very idealistic work, where the town the main character lives in is openly accepting of gays and the characters are mostly crazy. It's a very sweet and hopeful book.
The Bermudez Triangle by Maureen Johnson (2004): Actually one of my favorite books period, this one by the always entertaining Johnson is about three friends, two of whom start dating each other and the havoc this bring to their childhood friendship. Less about a lesbian relationship and more about what happens when two out of three friends start dating.
Between Mom and Jo by Julie Ann Peters (2006): I'm pretty sure Amanda will back me up when I say this is one of the most moving books ever and if you haven't read it yet, get thee to the bookstore or local library. The main character is torn between his two moms when they split up and the thought provoking story of what happens to the kid in the middle of a lesbian divorce and parental rights in that case.
Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist by Rachel Cohn and David Leviathan (2006): A intriguing straight love story surrounded by the main guy's queercore band, one crazy night that all begins with the question "Will you be my girlfriend for the next 5 minutes?" and ends with something amazingly beautiful.
Another Kind of Cowboy by Susan Juby (2007): Alex is gay though no one knows yet. Cleo doesn't like riding dressage though she can't seem to get her mom to understand. But they are brought together by the horse show world and find something they were each missing in each other.
***
Almost all of the books I read for the GLBT Challenge are young adult. It's what I read, my genre if you will. So I've put together a list of some great GLBT YA books written in the last decade. I've read almost all of them. Some I will admit I haven't gotten to yet, but they are the list. I will say that this genre of YA has grown considerably in the last decade with it becoming more acceptable for gay teens in books to have uncloseted relationships. It's a good thing that will hopefully get even better.
Boy Meets Boy by David Levithan (2003): An very idealistic work, where the town the main character lives in is openly accepting of gays and the characters are mostly crazy. It's a very sweet and hopeful book.
The Bermudez Triangle by Maureen Johnson (2004): Actually one of my favorite books period, this one by the always entertaining Johnson is about three friends, two of whom start dating each other and the havoc this bring to their childhood friendship. Less about a lesbian relationship and more about what happens when two out of three friends start dating.
Between Mom and Jo by Julie Ann Peters (2006): I'm pretty sure Amanda will back me up when I say this is one of the most moving books ever and if you haven't read it yet, get thee to the bookstore or local library. The main character is torn between his two moms when they split up and the thought provoking story of what happens to the kid in the middle of a lesbian divorce and parental rights in that case.
Another Kind of Cowboy by Susan Juby (2007): Alex is gay though no one knows yet. Cleo doesn't like riding dressage though she can't seem to get her mom to understand. But they are brought together by the horse show world and find something they were each missing in each other.
Hero by Perry Moore (2007): One of the more interesting GLBT books I have read involves a gay teenage superhero and his ragtag group of superhero friends. He is trying to hide both his powers and his homosexuality from his disgraced father. But he finds that it's harder to hide yourself than he thinks.
Nothing Pink by Mark Hardy (2008): A sweet novella set in the 1970's about the son of a preacher who tries to hide his homosexuality from his parents, but finds himself fascinated by a new boy at church.
Twelve Long Months by Brian Malloy (2008): I actually own this one but haven't read it yet. It's the story of a girl hopelessly in crush with a guy in her high school. But when they graduate and move to the big city, she finds something out about him that throws her for a loop. He is just experiencing the freedom of being himself for the first time. Can they remain friends?
Ash by Malinda Lo (2009): Modern retelling of the Cinderellas story with a twist. Cinderellas falls in love with the King's Huntress and must figure out how to save herself from her wicked stepmother.
Of All the Stupid Things by Alexandra Diaz (2009): I haven't yet read this one, but it's high on my list. Tara is friends with Brent and Pinkie. But when Brent sleeps with one of the guy cheerleaders (so goes the rumor) it throws their friendship in chaos. But then a new girl arrives and Tara feels an attraction to her throwing Tara herself for a loop.
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Guest Post: GLBT Manga
Today we welcome Ninefly from Story on a Page to the GLBT Reading blog! She's here to talk about GLBT Manga, as a resource for this month's mini-challenge. Thanks Ninefly!
***
I'm sure many people have by now heard of the term "manga" or Japanese "comics". Series like Naruto, Bleach, and One Piece are the most popular, both in Japan and overseas. What many people may not be familiar with is the GIGANTIC (and flaunted) market for GLBTQ manga, made up of a combination of original series and pastiche/fan comics drawn for a particular pairing in an otherwise non-GLBTQ series (ex. Sasuke/Naruto). As a seasoned fan (lol) of such works, I would like to take the chance to introduce a variety of artists I've personally loved reading from. I will link to online reading sites for those who want to try things out first, as well as purchasing links so you can support the artists.
Basics
Manga are a little different from American comics in a few ways: they are mostly grayscale, feature rather intricate art, and are read from right to left. Manga are usually written and drawn by the same person, such that collaborations like Death Note are somewhat rare occurrences. Manga also feature a crapload more dialogue than the comics I've read before, maybe because Japanese characters are smaller/ more compact.
Now, a few terms to define; I won't elaborate on these terms much, but feel free to wiki them for details:
- manga = comic
- mangaka = comic artist
- doujinshi = fan comic
- yaoi / shonen-ai = boys love/gay romance
- yuri / shojo-ai = girls love/lesbian romance
Of course, I should also point out that manga feature prominently Japanese characters with Japanese customs, formalities, and complexions. Most good scanlators (fan scan-translators) offer "translator notes" for those less knowledgeable in the culture, but I'm not sure how official English publishers deal with the cultural differences.
Publishers
Original GLBTQ works have their own publishers in magazines like ZeroSum (for younger audiences) and Biblio (for a more adult audience). In North America, noticeable GLBTQ manga publishers include DMP (Digital Manga Publishing), DramaQueen, and TokyoPop's BLU imprint (more here).
There are conventions every year in Japan where "doujinshi" (or fan comics) gather to sell their self-published works, and these fan comics are so overwhelmingly full of GLBTQ content, that the two have become semi-synonymous. I'm not familiar with doujinshi redistribution in North America since the doujinshi artists are technically working with copyrighted material, but members-only forums like AarinFantasy have a wide collection of "free" English fan-translated doujinshi (careful not to sell or redistribute on public forums though since it's not entirely legit).
And finally, recommendations! I will list them with the proper warnings whenever possible, as a lot of them can be a bit smutty lol
YAOI/SHONEN-AI/GAY
I would like to point out that the majority of GLBTQ material is made up of gay themes, and written mostly by women. That may lend to the fact that a lot of the men in these series are rather feminine, but I've tried to include a few series with androgynous and masculine men as well.
mangaka: Sumomo Yumeka
specialty: gorgeous art, slice-of-life, fluffy, young adult
♥ Same Cell Organism - the love story between two high school friends, Nakagawa and Yokota, who try to sort out their feelings as graduation draws near. Also includes: The Letter in the Attic, To Make an Angel and We Selfish Two. (warnings: just kissing)
⇒ read online or buy at Amazon
♥ The Day I Became a Butterfly - the fluffy romance between two isolated teens, Uka who is suffering from disease, and Mimi a boy who claims to hear people's deaths. Also contains: You at the End, Tokyo Alien Ulala and Planet Yours. Blue Cat is an arguably lesbian story, and there are some hetero couples too. (warnings: mild sexual themes)
⇒ read online or buy at Amazon
mangaka: Shiho Sugiura
specialty: humor, fantasy, ensemble characters, intricate plot, young adult
♥ Silver Diamond - Rakan, an orphan with great affinity with plants, meets Chigusa, a mysterious warrior who falls wounded and unconscious in his garden; with shamelessness and borderline stalker-puppy behaviour, the man convinces Rakan to come with him to save his dying world (warnings: just kissing)
⇒ read online or buy at Amazon (vol1)
♥ The Ice-Cold Demon's Tale - an orphan boy with a fatal disease, Ishuca, meets the fearsome demon Blood in the cave where he had gone to die; Blood, waiting centuries for the person who can weep the purest tear, slowly falls in love with the fearless and gentle Ishuca (warnings: mild sexual themes)
⇒ read online (no English publisher yet)
mangaka: Saika Kunieda
specialty: humor, slice of life, social angst, adult
♥ Future Lovers - science teacher Kenta has just been dumped by his wife-to-be when he gets into a drunken one-night-stand with a beautiful man; the next morning, he finds out the man is Akira, the new art teacher at his school; smut, angst, and a heartwarming romance ensue (warnings: sexual themes)
⇒ vol 1: read online or buy at Amazon
⇒ vol 2: read online or buy at Amazon
mangaka: Kaori Yuki
specialty: gothic art, dark/craziness, tragedy, adult
♥ Boys Next Door - Adrian is a hallucinating serial killer, Lawrence is a prostitute for his brother's club, their love is twisted and heartwrenching (warnings: violence and sex)
⇒ read online or buy at Amazon
♥ Cain Saga+Godchild - the young Earl Cain is looking for answers to his family's dark past, and aided by his most trusted butler Riff, he takes on solving the most brutal and twisted crimes of London; Cain and Riff never kiss or have sex, but their love for each other is never questioned, even to the bittersweet end (warnings: violence and sexual themes)
⇒ Cain Saga: read online or buy at Amazon (vol1)
⇒ Godchild: read online or buy at Amazon (vol1)
For more yaoi series to read online, check out this link.
YURI/SHOJO-AI/LESBIAN
As I've said before, there's a very small market for lesbian themes compared to the gay themes, but I've found a few series here.
mangaka: Miyabi Fujieda
♥ The Caged Miko and the Whimsical Witch - Letty the witch casually frees Tsumugi the miko/priestess from a spell binding her to her temple, but she doesn't expect Tsumugi to want her to "take responsibility" (warnings: just kissing)
⇒ read online (no English publisher yet)
mangaka: Milk Morinaga
♥ Girl Friends - after the shy and bookish Mari is approached by popular Akko, they become best friends; but as they grow closer, Mari's feelings are becoming less than platonic (warnings: mild sexual themes)
⇒ read online (no English publisher yet)
For more yuri series to read online, check out this link.
BISEXUAL/TRANSGENDERED
There are quite a few gender-bending doujinshi (where one male character from an official series is turned into a girl, or vice versa), but less original series. These are the ones I've tried before:
mangaka: Mikiyo Tsuda
♥ The Day of Revolution - when Kei finds out that he is actually a girl, she "restarts" her life with a new identity as Megumi; but when her male friends find out, despite her trying to hide it, they all decide to start hitting on her! (warnings: just kissing)
⇒ read online or buy at Amazon (vol1)
mangaka: Setona Mizushiro
♥ After School Nightmare - Mashiro has been keeping a secret: he's neither fully male nor fully female; when his school enforces a new policy that mandates students to participate in "shared nightmare" therapy, Mashiro's secret is in danger of getting out, even as two classmates, a boy and a girl, start to show interest in him (warnings: sexual themes, craziness)
⇒ read online or buy at Amazon (vol1)
A note of warning for those who want to search for their own series: a lot of adult GLBTQ manga/doujinshi is rather smutty and borders on pr0n, so please heed any warnings you see. Usually you can judge the smut level by the covers though lol. Fell free to email me at ninefly(at)gmail(dot)com if you would like more specific recommendations =)
***
I'm sure many people have by now heard of the term "manga" or Japanese "comics". Series like Naruto, Bleach, and One Piece are the most popular, both in Japan and overseas. What many people may not be familiar with is the GIGANTIC (and flaunted) market for GLBTQ manga, made up of a combination of original series and pastiche/fan comics drawn for a particular pairing in an otherwise non-GLBTQ series (ex. Sasuke/Naruto). As a seasoned fan (lol) of such works, I would like to take the chance to introduce a variety of artists I've personally loved reading from. I will link to online reading sites for those who want to try things out first, as well as purchasing links so you can support the artists.
Basics
Manga are a little different from American comics in a few ways: they are mostly grayscale, feature rather intricate art, and are read from right to left. Manga are usually written and drawn by the same person, such that collaborations like Death Note are somewhat rare occurrences. Manga also feature a crapload more dialogue than the comics I've read before, maybe because Japanese characters are smaller/ more compact.
Now, a few terms to define; I won't elaborate on these terms much, but feel free to wiki them for details:
- manga = comic
- mangaka = comic artist
- doujinshi = fan comic
- yaoi / shonen-ai = boys love/gay romance
- yuri / shojo-ai = girls love/lesbian romance
Of course, I should also point out that manga feature prominently Japanese characters with Japanese customs, formalities, and complexions. Most good scanlators (fan scan-translators) offer "translator notes" for those less knowledgeable in the culture, but I'm not sure how official English publishers deal with the cultural differences.
Publishers
Original GLBTQ works have their own publishers in magazines like ZeroSum (for younger audiences) and Biblio (for a more adult audience). In North America, noticeable GLBTQ manga publishers include DMP (Digital Manga Publishing), DramaQueen, and TokyoPop's BLU imprint (more here).
There are conventions every year in Japan where "doujinshi" (or fan comics) gather to sell their self-published works, and these fan comics are so overwhelmingly full of GLBTQ content, that the two have become semi-synonymous. I'm not familiar with doujinshi redistribution in North America since the doujinshi artists are technically working with copyrighted material, but members-only forums like AarinFantasy have a wide collection of "free" English fan-translated doujinshi (careful not to sell or redistribute on public forums though since it's not entirely legit).
And finally, recommendations! I will list them with the proper warnings whenever possible, as a lot of them can be a bit smutty lol
YAOI/SHONEN-AI/GAY
I would like to point out that the majority of GLBTQ material is made up of gay themes, and written mostly by women. That may lend to the fact that a lot of the men in these series are rather feminine, but I've tried to include a few series with androgynous and masculine men as well.
mangaka: Sumomo Yumeka
specialty: gorgeous art, slice-of-life, fluffy, young adult
♥ Same Cell Organism - the love story between two high school friends, Nakagawa and Yokota, who try to sort out their feelings as graduation draws near. Also includes: The Letter in the Attic, To Make an Angel and We Selfish Two. (warnings: just kissing)
⇒ read online or buy at Amazon
♥ The Day I Became a Butterfly - the fluffy romance between two isolated teens, Uka who is suffering from disease, and Mimi a boy who claims to hear people's deaths. Also contains: You at the End, Tokyo Alien Ulala and Planet Yours. Blue Cat is an arguably lesbian story, and there are some hetero couples too. (warnings: mild sexual themes)
⇒ read online or buy at Amazon
mangaka: Shiho Sugiura
specialty: humor, fantasy, ensemble characters, intricate plot, young adult
♥ Silver Diamond - Rakan, an orphan with great affinity with plants, meets Chigusa, a mysterious warrior who falls wounded and unconscious in his garden; with shamelessness and borderline stalker-puppy behaviour, the man convinces Rakan to come with him to save his dying world (warnings: just kissing)
⇒ read online or buy at Amazon (vol1)
♥ The Ice-Cold Demon's Tale - an orphan boy with a fatal disease, Ishuca, meets the fearsome demon Blood in the cave where he had gone to die; Blood, waiting centuries for the person who can weep the purest tear, slowly falls in love with the fearless and gentle Ishuca (warnings: mild sexual themes)
⇒ read online (no English publisher yet)
mangaka: Saika Kunieda
specialty: humor, slice of life, social angst, adult
♥ Future Lovers - science teacher Kenta has just been dumped by his wife-to-be when he gets into a drunken one-night-stand with a beautiful man; the next morning, he finds out the man is Akira, the new art teacher at his school; smut, angst, and a heartwarming romance ensue (warnings: sexual themes)
⇒ vol 1: read online or buy at Amazon
⇒ vol 2: read online or buy at Amazon
mangaka: Kaori Yuki
specialty: gothic art, dark/craziness, tragedy, adult
♥ Boys Next Door - Adrian is a hallucinating serial killer, Lawrence is a prostitute for his brother's club, their love is twisted and heartwrenching (warnings: violence and sex)
⇒ read online or buy at Amazon
♥ Cain Saga+Godchild - the young Earl Cain is looking for answers to his family's dark past, and aided by his most trusted butler Riff, he takes on solving the most brutal and twisted crimes of London; Cain and Riff never kiss or have sex, but their love for each other is never questioned, even to the bittersweet end (warnings: violence and sexual themes)
⇒ Cain Saga: read online or buy at Amazon (vol1)
⇒ Godchild: read online or buy at Amazon (vol1)
For more yaoi series to read online, check out this link.
YURI/SHOJO-AI/LESBIAN
As I've said before, there's a very small market for lesbian themes compared to the gay themes, but I've found a few series here.
mangaka: Miyabi Fujieda
♥ The Caged Miko and the Whimsical Witch - Letty the witch casually frees Tsumugi the miko/priestess from a spell binding her to her temple, but she doesn't expect Tsumugi to want her to "take responsibility" (warnings: just kissing)
⇒ read online (no English publisher yet)
mangaka: Milk Morinaga
♥ Girl Friends - after the shy and bookish Mari is approached by popular Akko, they become best friends; but as they grow closer, Mari's feelings are becoming less than platonic (warnings: mild sexual themes)
⇒ read online (no English publisher yet)
For more yuri series to read online, check out this link.
BISEXUAL/TRANSGENDERED
There are quite a few gender-bending doujinshi (where one male character from an official series is turned into a girl, or vice versa), but less original series. These are the ones I've tried before:
mangaka: Mikiyo Tsuda
♥ The Day of Revolution - when Kei finds out that he is actually a girl, she "restarts" her life with a new identity as Megumi; but when her male friends find out, despite her trying to hide it, they all decide to start hitting on her! (warnings: just kissing)
⇒ read online or buy at Amazon (vol1)
mangaka: Setona Mizushiro
♥ After School Nightmare - Mashiro has been keeping a secret: he's neither fully male nor fully female; when his school enforces a new policy that mandates students to participate in "shared nightmare" therapy, Mashiro's secret is in danger of getting out, even as two classmates, a boy and a girl, start to show interest in him (warnings: sexual themes, craziness)
⇒ read online or buy at Amazon (vol1)
A note of warning for those who want to search for their own series: a lot of adult GLBTQ manga/doujinshi is rather smutty and borders on pr0n, so please heed any warnings you see. Usually you can judge the smut level by the covers though lol. Fell free to email me at ninefly(at)gmail(dot)com if you would like more specific recommendations =)
Monday, March 8, 2010
Guest Post: LGBTQ Graphic Novels
Today's guest post is from Nymeth at Things Mean a Lot. Welcome, Nymeth, and thank you so much for your thoughts!
*****
I'm a fan of comics and graphic novels, and I also have an interest in LGBTQ literature. But when Amanda asked me to write a guest post with suggestions of books that fit both categories, I drew a blank. The reason is probably the same reasons why the average reader will have trouble coming up with a list of LGBTQ titles when asked: in a heteranormative world, these books just aren't as visible.
Thanks goodness for google. I did some research, and here's a list of what I came up with. Most of these are books I've yet to read myself, but at least that means I'm doing damage to my own wishlist along with yours.
*****
I'm a fan of comics and graphic novels, and I also have an interest in LGBTQ literature. But when Amanda asked me to write a guest post with suggestions of books that fit both categories, I drew a blank. The reason is probably the same reasons why the average reader will have trouble coming up with a list of LGBTQ titles when asked: in a heteranormative world, these books just aren't as visible.
Thanks goodness for google. I did some research, and here's a list of what I came up with. Most of these are books I've yet to read myself, but at least that means I'm doing damage to my own wishlist along with yours.
- Fun Home by Alison Bechdel - this one I have read, as have most of you, I'll bet. But I didn't want to leave it out just because it's an obvious choice. Fun Home is a darkly humorous memoir about Bechdel's childhood and young adulthood, and about her conflicted relationship with her father. Like Bechdel herself, her father was gay, but the only way they ever talked about it was indirectly, through the books they both loved.
- The Essential Dykes to Watch Out For, also by Alison Bechdel - a "best of" of Bechdel's ongoing comic strip about a group of friends, many of whom fit the GLBTQ category.
- Skim by Mariko and Jillian Tamaki - another well-known title, I know, but I thought I'd get those out of the way first. Skim is the story of a teen who comes to terms with her own sexuality - among, of course, many other things.
- Tough Love by Abby Denson - a manga-style comic about Brian, a shy gay teen who is beginning to discover love.
- Stuck Rubber Baby by Howard Cruse - set during the Civil Rights Movement, this is a story about the consequences of racism and homophobia in a Southern community.
- Death: The Time of Your Life by Neil Gaiman - this is one of my all-time favourite graphic novels. It's a Sandman spin-off, but you certainly don't need to have read the main series to enjoy it. The main characters, Foxglove and Hazel, are a lesbian couple who have to face a difficult choice. And more than that I cannot say.
- 12 Days by June Kim - This book sounds absolutely beautiful and very touching. I really need to get my hands on it soon. The protagonist, Jackie, is trying to deal with her ex-lover's death, and decides to consume her ashes over a period of twelve-days. That sounds a little odd, I know, but something about it strikes me as so very human. Perhaps it's how well it conveys the irrationality of grief.
- Pedro and Me by Judd Winnick - Another well-known title in the blogosphere, but I still thought it was worth drawing attention to. It's the true story of the friendship between Judd and Pedro Zamora, a HIV-positive and gay young man who devoted the final years of his life to battling stereotypes about both gay people and people with AIDS.
- Locas by Jaime Hernandez - I adore Gilbert Hernandez, but have yet to read his brother's work. Both Hernandez brothers have been praised for the depth of their characterization, and I look forward to getting my hands on this book about two young lesbian Latina punk-rockers.
- Awkward and Definition: The High School Comic Chronicles by Ariel Schrag - A high-school memoir by a lesbian teen, covering the many familiar coming-of-age themes, as well as her struggle with her sexual orientation.
- Jane's World by Paige Braddock - An ongoing series that sounds a little bit like Bechdel's Dykes to Watch Out For - not that it's not very much its own thing. The world needs more comics about the lives of lesbian women, not fewer. And when more of them exist and get mainstream attention, perhaps we'll stop comparing them.
- The Runaways by Brian K. Vaughan - a series about six teens who discover their parents are super-villains and decide to run away from home, which includes GLBTQ main characters (which are NOT the aforementioned super-villains, by the way).
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Resource list for GLBT Graphic Novels
Andrea from The Little Bookworm brought this link to my attention and I thought I'd put it up for all of you since our mini-challenge this month deals with GLBT Graphic Novels. I also added this link to our Resources page.
19 GLBT-related Graphic Novels
I hope this helps! Thanks again, Andrea!
19 GLBT-related Graphic Novels
I hope this helps! Thanks again, Andrea!
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Homosexuality in the Harlem Renaissance
Trisha from Eclectic/Eccentric has kindly consented for me to link to her post for the Classic Circuit today which discusses Gay Rebel of the Harlem Renaissance: Selections from the Work of Richard Bruce Nugent, as well as homosexuality in the Harlem Renaissance in general. She has a lot of good information there as well as a list of many homosexual writers from that time period. I hope this might provide a couple ideas for our February Mini-Challenge!
Sunday, November 1, 2009
Resources
Below are a few resources for GLBT literature. If you have further suggestions, please feel free to contact me, or leave a comment!
College reading list
Jeanne from Necromancy Never Pays provides her sophomore-level university class with the following list of GLBT literature. She is sharing it here as an additional resource for those looking for books.
SF and Fantasy:
Isaac Asimov, The Gods Themselves
Octavia Butler, Xenogenesis (Dawn, Adulthood Rites, Imago)
Arthur C. Clarke, The Songs of Distant Earth
Samuel R. Delany, Trouble on Triton
Ursula K. LeGuin, The Left Hand of Darkness
Terry Pratchett, Monstrous Regiment
Joan Slonczewski, A Door Into Ocean
Theodore Sturgeon, Venus Plus X
Young Adult:
Francesca Lia Block, Dangerous Angels
Jeffrey Eugenides, Middlesex
David Levithan, Boy Meets Boy
Lauren McLaughlin, Cycler, Re-Cycler
Classic Novels:
Nick Alexander, Fifty Reasons to Say Goodbye
James Baldwin, Giovanni’s Room
E.M. Forster, Maurice
L.P. Hartley, The Go-Between
Andrew Holleran, Dancer from the Dance
Alan Hollinghurt, The Swimming-Pool Library, The Line of Beauty
David Leavitt, The Lost Language of Cranes
Thomas Mann, Death in Venice
Manuel Puig, Kiss of the Spider-Woman
Edmund White, A Boy’s Own Story
Virginia Woolf, Orlando
Plays:
Moises Kaufman, The Laramie Project
Tony Kushner, Angels in America
Martin Sherman, Bent
Peter Gill, Mean Tears
Poets:
Walt Whitman
Audre Lord
Frank O'Hara
SF and Fantasy:
Isaac Asimov, The Gods Themselves
Octavia Butler, Xenogenesis (Dawn, Adulthood Rites, Imago)
Arthur C. Clarke, The Songs of Distant Earth
Samuel R. Delany, Trouble on Triton
Ursula K. LeGuin, The Left Hand of Darkness
Terry Pratchett, Monstrous Regiment
Joan Slonczewski, A Door Into Ocean
Theodore Sturgeon, Venus Plus X
Young Adult:
Francesca Lia Block, Dangerous Angels
Jeffrey Eugenides, Middlesex
David Levithan, Boy Meets Boy
Lauren McLaughlin, Cycler, Re-Cycler
Classic Novels:
Nick Alexander, Fifty Reasons to Say Goodbye
James Baldwin, Giovanni’s Room
E.M. Forster, Maurice
L.P. Hartley, The Go-Between
Andrew Holleran, Dancer from the Dance
Alan Hollinghurt, The Swimming-Pool Library, The Line of Beauty
David Leavitt, The Lost Language of Cranes
Thomas Mann, Death in Venice
Manuel Puig, Kiss of the Spider-Woman
Edmund White, A Boy’s Own Story
Virginia Woolf, Orlando
Plays:
Moises Kaufman, The Laramie Project
Tony Kushner, Angels in America
Martin Sherman, Bent
Peter Gill, Mean Tears
Poets:
Walt Whitman
Audre Lord
Frank O'Hara
GLBT Reviews
Below is a collection of books that were reviewed during Amanda's previous GLBT challenge. You'll find that I've tried to include something of a description of the books with a link back to the source and also links to those who reviewed the books. If you've reviewed any of these books and would like your link included please email me at jensfgeek[at]gmail[dot]com.
Boy Meets Boy, by David Levithan (Young Adult)
Synopsis from the author's web site:
This is the story of Paul, a sophomore at a high school like no other: The cheerleaders ride Harleys, the homecoming queen used to be a guy named Daryl (she now prefers Infinite Darlene and is also the star quarterback), and the gay-straight alliance was formed to help the straight kids learn how to dance.
When Paul meets Noah, he thinks he?s found the one his heart is made for. Until he blows it. The school bookie says the odds are 12-to-1 against him getting Noah back, but Paul?s not giving up without playing his love really loud. His best friend Joni might be drifting away, his other best friend Tony might be dealing with ultra-religious parents, and his ex-boyfriend Kyle might not be going away anytime soon, but sometimes everything needs to fall apart before it can really fit together right.
This is a happy-meaningful romantic comedy about finding love, losing love, and doing what it takes to get love back in a crazy-wonderful world.
Reviewed By:
Amanda @ The Zen Leaf
Andrea @ The Little Bookworm
The Sky Always Hears Me, by Kirstin Cronn-Mills (Young Adult)
Synopsis from the author's web site:
Morgan wants out of her life in Central Nowhere. Period. Nobody's listening, nobody cares. Even though life sucks (of course), her sane-and-urbane grandmother helps her cope with her crazy family, and her crush on co-worker Rob helps her cope with high school. Then sometimes-friend Tessa kisses her, and the world shifts. As she solves the Tessa riddle, her grandma's health collapses, and family secrets emerge before Morgan's ready for them. But, as her life transforms, Morgan discovers people *are* listening to her. She'd better start listening, too.
Reviewed By:
Amanda @ The Zen Leaf
Kristin @ The Book Book
Kissing Kate by Lauren Myracle (Young Adult)
Synopsis from the author's web site:
Lissa thought that she and Kate, her beautiful and charismatic best friend, would always be close. Then one summer night Kate kissed Lissa-and Lissa kissed her back. Now Kate acts as if nothing happened and as if Lissa doesn't exist. Suddenly forced to navigate her feelings and her classes without the protection of her more confident friend, Lissa feels truly alone. But with a keen sense of humor, a flaky new friend, and a book on lucid dreams, Lissa finds the bravery to examine her own desires and discovers that falling in love with the wrong person can be one way of finding your footing.
Reviewed By:
Amanda @ The Zen Leaf
Andrea @ The Little Bookworm
A Room of One's Own, by Virginia Woolf (Literary Criticism/Essay)
From Wikipedia:
A Room of One's Own is an extended essay by Virginia Woolf. First published during 24 October 1929,[1] it was based on a series of lectures she delivered at Newnham College and Girton College, two women's colleges at Cambridge University in October 1928. While this extended essay is on women as both writers of fiction and as characters in fiction, the manuscript for the delivery of the series of lectures, titled "Women and Fiction", and hence the essay, are considered non-fiction.
Reviewed By:
Amanda @ The Zen Leaf
Jason @ 5-Squared
Carlton @ Fifty Books Project
Stella Matutina
And Tango Makes Three by Peter Parnell and Justin Richardson, and illustrated by Henry Cole (Children's Picture Book)
From Wikipedia:
The book is based on the true story of Roy and Silo, two male Chinstrap Penguins in New York's Central Park Zoo. For six years they formed a couple and were given an egg to raise. The book follows part of this time in the penguins' lives, but not subsequent events.
Reviewed By:
Amanda @ The Zen Leaf
Pedro and Me, by Judd Winick (Graphic Novel/Young Adult)
From Wikipedia:
An autobiographical graphic novel by Judd Winick regarding his friendship with AIDS educator Pedro Zamora after the two met while on the reality television series, The Real World: San Francisco. It was published in September 2000.
Reviewed By:
Amanda @ The Zen Leaf
Debi @ Nothing of Importance
Out of the Pocket by Bill Konigsberg (Young Adult)
From Barnes & Noble:
Star quarterback Bobby Framingham, one of the most talented high school football players in California, knows he's different from his teammates. They're like brothers, but they don't know one essential thing: Bobby is gay. Can he still be one of the guys and be honest about who he is? When he's outed against his will by a student reporter, Bobby must find a way to earn back his teammates' trust and accept that his path to success might be more public, and more difficult, than he'd hoped. An affecting novel about identity that also delivers great sportswriting.
Reviewed By:
C.B. James @ Ready When You Are C.B.
The Center of the World by Andreas Steinhofel (Young Adult)
From Pinkbooks:
Seventeen-year-old Phil has felt like an outsider as long as he can remember. All Phil has ever known about his father is that he was Number Three on his mother's long list-third in a series of affairs that have set Phil's family even further apart from the critical townspeople across the river. As for his own sexuality, Phil doesn't care what the neighbors will think; he's just waiting for the right guy to come along.
Reviewed By:
C.B. James @ Ready When You Are C.B.
Absolute Brightness by James Lecesne (Young Adult)
From Barnes & Noble:
Darkness: Where light is not.
Light: Brightness or illumination from a particular source.
Absolute brightness: The mystery of Leonard Pelkey.
This is the story of a luminous force of nature: a boy who encounters evil and whose magic isn't truly felt until he disappears.
Reviewed By:
C.B. James @ Ready When You Are C.B.
Jen @ Multi-Genre Fan
Skin Lane by Neil Bartlett (Mystery/Thriler)
From Barnes & Noble:
At forty-seven, Mr. F's working life on London's Skin Lane is one governed by calm, precision, and routine. So when he starts to have recurring nightmares, he does his best to ignore them. The images that appear in his dreams are disturbing-Mr. F can't think of where they have come from. After all, he's an ordinary middle-aged man.
Reviewed By:
C.B. James @ Ready When You Are C.B.
The House You Pass on the Way by Jacqueline Woodson (Young Adult)
From the author's web site:
Evangeline (nickname Staggerlee) meets her adopted cousin Trout for the first time the summer they are both thirteen. The two girls form a strong friendship and learn a lot from each other about what it means to be the children of heroes and what it means to grow up in a world that isn't tolerant.
Reviewed by:
Eva @ A Striped Armchair
Claudine at School by Colette (Romance)
From Wikipedia:
The novel recounts the final year of secondary school of 15-year-old Claudine, her brazen confrontations with her headmistress, Mlle Sergent, and her fellow students. The work is assumed to be highly autobiographical, and includes lovely descriptions of the Burgundian countryside, where Colette grew up.
Reviewed By:
Eva @ A Striped Armchair
Hard Love by Ellen Wittlinger (Young Adult)
From the author's web site:
John, untouchable since his parents' divorce six years ago, and Marisol, who's recently come out as a lesbian, meet through their interest in writing zines, personal homemade magazines into which they pour their life stories.
Reviewed By:
Eva @ A Striped Armchair
The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde (Gothic Fiction)
From Wikipedia:
The novel tells of a young man named Dorian Gray, the subject of a painting by artist Basil Hallward. Basil is impressed by Dorian's beauty and becomes infatuated with him, believing his beauty is responsible for a new mode in his art...
Reviewed By:
Eva @ A Striped Armchair
I'm Looking Through You: Growing Up Haunted: A Memoir by Jennifer Finney Boylan (Memoir)
From the author's web site:
I'm Looking Through You: Growing Up Haunted is a memoir about growing up in a haunted house, and an exploration of what it means to be "haunted." It was published by Doubleday/Broadway in January 2008, and was released as a paperback in October of that same year.
In this follow-up to She's Not There, I tried to show how love, forgiveness, and humor help us find peace with our ghosts, with our loved ones, and with the uncanny boundaries, real and imagined, between men and women.
Reviewed By:
Eva @ A Striped Armchair
Jen @ Multi-Genre Fan
Normal by Amy Bloom (Short Story Collection)
From the author's web site:
Normal explores sex and gender through portraits of people who are widely considered not normal.
Reviewed by:
Eva @ A Striped Armchair
Debi @ Nothing of Importance
Chris @ Stuff as Dreams are Made On
Another Kind of Cowboy by Susan Juby (Young Adult)
From the author's web site:
For Alex Ford, dressage is an oasis. In the stable, he can slip into his riding pants, shed the macho cowboy image, and feel like himself for a change. For Cleo O'Shea dressage is a fresh start. She's got a new boarding school, absentee parents, and best of all: no one to remember her past... They're an unlikely pair, but sometimes the last person you'd ever think of as a friend ends up being the one you need the most. Susan Juby's trademark humor brings life and laughter to this remarkable story of relationships, mixed signals, and the soul-searching that sometimes takes two.
Reviewed By:
Andrea @ The Little Bookworm
Between Mom and Jo by Julie Anne Peters (Young Adult)
From the author's web site:
Jo promised Nick they'd always be together. So did Mom. When you're a stupid little kid you believe what your parents tell you. You want to believe that your life will be good and nothing will change and everything-everyone-goes on forever. It's not until later you find out people are liars, forever is a myth, and a kid with two moms should never be put in the position of having to choose between them.
Reviewed by:
Amanda @ The Zen Leaf
Andrea @ The Little Bookworm
Chris @ Stuff as Dreams are Made On
The Straight Road To Kylie by Nico Medina (Young Adult)
From the author's web site:
Life is fabulous for Jonathan Parish. He's seventeen, out and proud, and ready to party through his senior year with his posse of best girlfriends. But the year starts off with the wrong kind of bang when Jonathan-in an inebriated lapse of judgment-sleeps with a friend of his . . . a girlfriend!
Reviewed by:
Andrea @ The Little Bookworm
Ash by Malinda Lo (Young Adult)
From the authors web site:
In the wake of her father's death, Ash is left at the mercy of her cruel stepmother. Consumed with grief, her only joy comes by the light of the dying hearth fire, re-reading the fairy tales her mother once told her. In her dreams, someday the fairies will steal her away, as they are said to do. When she meets the dark and dangerous fairy Sidhean, she believes that her wish may be granted.
Reviewed by:
Andrea @ The Little Bookworm
Lady Windermere's Fan by Oscar Wilde (Play)
From Wikipedia:
is a four act comedy, first produced 22 February 1892 at the St James Theatre in London. The play was first published in 1893. Like many of Wilde's comedies, it is a biting satire on the morals of Victorian society, particularly marriage.
Reviewed by:
Mish @ Stage and Canvas
Salome by by Oscar Wilde (Play)
From Wikipedia:
The play tells in one act the Biblical story of Salome, stepdaughter of the tetrarch Herod Antipas, who, to her stepfather's dismay but to the delight of her mother Herodias, requests the head of Jokanaan (John the Baptist) on a silver platter as a reward for dancing the Dance of the Seven Veils.
Reviewed By:
Mish @ Stage and Canvas
Split-Level Dykes to Watch Out For by Alison Bechdel (Cartoon Collection)
From Barnes & Noble:
In her eighth smart and hilarious cartoon collection, big changes are in store for everyone as Bechdel's beloved gals are moving out. Still the best lesbian cartooning going.
Reviewed by:
Mish @ Stage and Canvas
The Essential Dykes to Watch Out For by Alison Bechdel
From the author's web site:
At last—almost all the episodes of Dykes To Watch Out For trapped between two covers!
Reviewed by:
Debi @ Nothing of Importance
Angels in America by Tony Kushner (Play)
From Wikipedia :
Set in New York City in the mid-1980s, Act One of Millennium Approaches introduces us to the central characters.
Part 1 - Millennium Approaches - Reviewed by:
Mish @ Stage and Canvas
Part 2 - Perestroika - Reviewed by:
Mish @ Stage and Canvas
Fingersmith by Sarah Waters (Historical Fiction/Gothic Fiction)
From the author's web site:
London 1862. Sue Trinder, orphaned at birth, grows up among petty thieves - fingersmiths - under the rough but loving care of Mrs Sucksby and her 'family'. But from the moment she draws breath, Sue's fate is linked to that of another orphan growing up in a gloomy mansion not too many miles away.
Reviewed by:
Jason @ 5-Squared
Nymeth @ Things Mean a Lot
Trish @ Trish's Reading Nook
Chris @ Stuff as Dreams are Made On
If Not, Winter by Sappho (translated by Anne Carson)
From Jason's review:
a collection of all of the known works of Sappho - almost entirely fragments.
Jason @ 5-Squared
Naomi and Ely's No Kiss List by David Levithan and Rachel Cohn (Young Adult)
From the authors' web site:
Naomi and Ely have been inseparable since childhood - partially because they've grown up across the hall from each other in the same Manhattan apartment building, and also because they're best friends. Soul mates. Or are they?
Reviewed by:
Jason @ 5-Squared and Amanda @ The Zen Leaf
Patience and Sarah, by Isabel Miller (Historical Fiction)
From Wikipedia:
Based on a real-life painter named Mary Ann Willson who lived with her companion Miss Brundage as a "farmerette" in the early 19th century in Greene County, New York. Routsong said she came upon Willson's work in a folk art museum in Cooperstown and was inspired to write the story after reading the description of Willson and Brundage.[
Reviewed by:
Jason @ 5-Squared
Selected Poems by Marina Tsvetaeva
From Jason's review:
The first part of the 20th century was the Silver Age of Russian Poetry, the time of many of Russia's greatest poets both inside and outside the Soviet system: Anna Akhmatova, Boris Pasternak, Aleksandr Blok, and lots of other folks that we, as Americans have never heard of (except for Pasternak, and that's for his novel, after all).
Reviewed by:
Jason @ 5-Squared
Last Herald-Mage Trilogy by Mercedes Lackey (Fantasy)
From Wikipedia:
These occur some centuries before the Heralds of Valdemar books, telling the life story of Vanyel Ashkevron; by the time of the "later" books he has become legend, thus explaining some of the small inconsistencies. This series was also consistently nominated for the Lambda Literary Prize, with Magic's Price winning in 1990.
Part 1 - Magic's Pawn - Reviewed by
Witch Baby's Journey
Part 2 - Magic's Promise - Reviewed by
Witch Baby's Journey
Part 3 - Magic's Price - Reviewed by
Witch Baby's Journey
Hotel World by Ali Smith (Literature)
From Wikipedia:
A postmodern novel with influences from modernist novel, portraying the stages of grief in relation to the passage of time.
Reviewed by:
Rhinoa @ Rhinoa's Ramblings
Little Stranger by Sarah Waters (Gothic Fiction)
From the author's web site:
In a dusty post-war summer in rural Warwickshire, a doctor is called to a patient at lonely Hundreds Hall. Home to the Ayres family for over two centuries, the Georgian house, once grand and handsome, is now in decline, its masonry crumbling, its gardens choked with weeds, the clock in its stable yard permanently fixed at twenty to nine. Its owners - mother, son and daughter - are struggling to keep pace with a changing society, as well as with conflicts of their own.
Reviewed by:
Rhinoa @ Rhinoa's Ramblings
Incubus volumes 1, 2 & 3 by Yayoi Neko (Paranormal Romance / Manga)
From Barnes & Noble:
Can a demon find love on Earth? The painful relationship between the demon Lenniel and the human Judas continues despite all the odds stacked against them. They will endure tribulations as pressures from Hell and Earth seek to split them apart. How can they overcome such epic obstacles?
Reviewed by:
Rhinoa @ Rhinoa's Ramblings
Hero by Perry Moore (Young Adult)
From the author's web site:
The last thing in the world Thom would ever want is to disappoint his father. So Thom keeps two secrets from him: First is that he's gay. The second is that he has the power to heal people. Initially, Thom had trouble controlling his powers. But with trail and error he improves, until he gets so good that he catches the attention of the League and is asked to join.
Reviewed by:
Jen @ Multi-Genre Fan
Nymeth @ Things Mean a Lot
Skin Folk by Nalo Hopkinson (Fantasy)
From the author's web site:
The title "Skin Folk" comes from folkore. Throughout the Caribbean there are stories about people who aren't what they seem. Skin gives these folk their human shape. Peel it off, and their true selves emerge. They take on the shapes of animals, of fantastical creatures. They may be dangerous, or just eldritch. And whatever burdens their skins had borne, once they remove them, they can fly.
Reviewed by:
Jen @ Multi-Genre Fan
Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt (Non-Fiction / True Crime)
From Wikipedia:
Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil is atmospheric and Southern Gothic in tone, depicting a wide range of eccentric Savannah personalities.
Reviewed by:
Trish @ Trish's Reading Nook
Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury (Fantasy / Horror)
From Wikipedia:
Two 13-year-old boys, Jim Nightshade and William Halloway, have a harrowing experience with a nightmarish traveling carnival that comes to their Midwestern town one October.
Reviewed By:
Shellie @ Layers of Thought
Jen @ Multi-Genre Fan
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley (Gothic Horror)
From Wikipedia:
Scientist, Victor Frankenstein, learns how to create life and creates a being in the likeness of man, but larger than average and more powerful.
Reviewed by:
Shellie @ Layers of Thought
Bend, Don't Shatter (edited) by T. Cole RAchel & Rita D. Costello (Poetry)
From Pink Books:
This new poetry anthology navigates the rocky waters of teenage sexuality and confusion with insight, clarity, and understanding. The poems were written by adults who keenly remember the turmoil and excitement of their own adolescent sexual explorations but now have the perspective and sense of self that come with growing up.
Reviewed by:
Christina @ Reading Thru The Night
Affinity by Sarah Waters (Historical Fiction)
From the author's web site:
From the dark heart of a Victorian prison, disgraced spiritualist Selina Dawes weaves an enigmatic spell. Is she a fraud, or a prodigy? By the time it all begins to matter, you'll find yourself desperately wanting to believe in magic.
Reviewed by:
Aimee @ My Fluttering Heart
Nymeth @ Things Mean a Lot
The Color Purple by Alice Walker (Novel)
From Wikipedia:
Taking place mostly in rural Georgia, the story focuses on female black life during the 1930s in the Southern United States, addressing the numerous issues including their exceedingly low position in American social culture.
Reviewed By:
Ceri @ Not in the Pink
The Night Watch by Sarah Waters
From the author's web site:
Tender and tragic, set against the turbulent backdrop of wartime Britain, The Night Watch is the extraordinary story of four Londoners: Kay, who wanders the streets in mannish clothes, restless and searching . . . Helen, who harbours a troubling secret . . . Viv, glamour girl, recklessly loyal to her soldier lover . . . and Duncan, an apparent innocent, struggling with demons of his own.
Reviewed by:
Nymeth @ Things Mean a Lot
My Most Excellent Year by Steve Kluger (Young Adult)
From Barnes & Nobel:
Best friends and unofficial brothers since they were six, ninth-graders T.C. and Augie have got the world figured out. But that all changes when both friends fall in love for the first time. Enter Ale. She's pretty, sassy, and on her way to Harvard. T.C. falls hard, but Ale is playing hard to get. Meanwhile, Augie realizes that he's got a crush on a boy. It's not so clear to him, but to his family and friends, it's totally obvious! Told in alternating perspectives, this is the hilarious and touching story of their most excellent year, where these three friends discover love, themselves, and how a little magic and Mary Poppins can go a long way.
Reviewed by:
Chris @ Stuff as Dreams are Made On
Empress of the World by Sara Ryan (Young Adult)
From the author's web site:
Nicola Lancaster comes to the Siegel Summer Institute for Gifted Youth to decide whether or not she wants to be an archaeologist. She doesn't expect to make the best friends she's ever had, and she especially doesn't expect to fall in love with another girl.
Reviewed by:
Marineko @ Dreaming Out Loud
Rules For Hearts by Sara Ryan (Young Adult) - Sequel to Empress of the World
From the author's web site:
Battle Hall Davies is sure of some things: she's going to Reed; she loves girls; and her older brother, Nick, is cooler than she could ever be. Nick ran away when Battle was in high school, and four years later, he's tracked her down. Now she's spending her summer before college in "Forest House", the co-op where he lives in Portland.
Reviewed by:
Marineko @ Dreaming Out Loud
Sweet Lovin' Baby by Yamaji Ebine (Short Stories/Manga)
From Marineko's review:
A collection of short stories (in manga format) by Yamaji Ebine. Most of the stories contain GLBT themes...
Reviewed by:
Marineko @ Dreaming Out Loud
Boy Meets Boy, by David Levithan (Young Adult)
Synopsis from the author's web site:
This is the story of Paul, a sophomore at a high school like no other: The cheerleaders ride Harleys, the homecoming queen used to be a guy named Daryl (she now prefers Infinite Darlene and is also the star quarterback), and the gay-straight alliance was formed to help the straight kids learn how to dance.
When Paul meets Noah, he thinks he?s found the one his heart is made for. Until he blows it. The school bookie says the odds are 12-to-1 against him getting Noah back, but Paul?s not giving up without playing his love really loud. His best friend Joni might be drifting away, his other best friend Tony might be dealing with ultra-religious parents, and his ex-boyfriend Kyle might not be going away anytime soon, but sometimes everything needs to fall apart before it can really fit together right.
This is a happy-meaningful romantic comedy about finding love, losing love, and doing what it takes to get love back in a crazy-wonderful world.
Reviewed By:
Amanda @ The Zen Leaf
Andrea @ The Little Bookworm
The Sky Always Hears Me, by Kirstin Cronn-Mills (Young Adult)
Synopsis from the author's web site:
Morgan wants out of her life in Central Nowhere. Period. Nobody's listening, nobody cares. Even though life sucks (of course), her sane-and-urbane grandmother helps her cope with her crazy family, and her crush on co-worker Rob helps her cope with high school. Then sometimes-friend Tessa kisses her, and the world shifts. As she solves the Tessa riddle, her grandma's health collapses, and family secrets emerge before Morgan's ready for them. But, as her life transforms, Morgan discovers people *are* listening to her. She'd better start listening, too.
Reviewed By:
Amanda @ The Zen Leaf
Kristin @ The Book Book
Kissing Kate by Lauren Myracle (Young Adult)
Synopsis from the author's web site:
Lissa thought that she and Kate, her beautiful and charismatic best friend, would always be close. Then one summer night Kate kissed Lissa-and Lissa kissed her back. Now Kate acts as if nothing happened and as if Lissa doesn't exist. Suddenly forced to navigate her feelings and her classes without the protection of her more confident friend, Lissa feels truly alone. But with a keen sense of humor, a flaky new friend, and a book on lucid dreams, Lissa finds the bravery to examine her own desires and discovers that falling in love with the wrong person can be one way of finding your footing.
Reviewed By:
Amanda @ The Zen Leaf
Andrea @ The Little Bookworm
A Room of One's Own, by Virginia Woolf (Literary Criticism/Essay)
From Wikipedia:
A Room of One's Own is an extended essay by Virginia Woolf. First published during 24 October 1929,[1] it was based on a series of lectures she delivered at Newnham College and Girton College, two women's colleges at Cambridge University in October 1928. While this extended essay is on women as both writers of fiction and as characters in fiction, the manuscript for the delivery of the series of lectures, titled "Women and Fiction", and hence the essay, are considered non-fiction.
Reviewed By:
Amanda @ The Zen Leaf
Jason @ 5-Squared
Carlton @ Fifty Books Project
Stella Matutina
And Tango Makes Three by Peter Parnell and Justin Richardson, and illustrated by Henry Cole (Children's Picture Book)
From Wikipedia:
The book is based on the true story of Roy and Silo, two male Chinstrap Penguins in New York's Central Park Zoo. For six years they formed a couple and were given an egg to raise. The book follows part of this time in the penguins' lives, but not subsequent events.
Reviewed By:
Amanda @ The Zen Leaf
Pedro and Me, by Judd Winick (Graphic Novel/Young Adult)
From Wikipedia:
An autobiographical graphic novel by Judd Winick regarding his friendship with AIDS educator Pedro Zamora after the two met while on the reality television series, The Real World: San Francisco. It was published in September 2000.
Reviewed By:
Amanda @ The Zen Leaf
Debi @ Nothing of Importance
Out of the Pocket by Bill Konigsberg (Young Adult)
From Barnes & Noble:
Star quarterback Bobby Framingham, one of the most talented high school football players in California, knows he's different from his teammates. They're like brothers, but they don't know one essential thing: Bobby is gay. Can he still be one of the guys and be honest about who he is? When he's outed against his will by a student reporter, Bobby must find a way to earn back his teammates' trust and accept that his path to success might be more public, and more difficult, than he'd hoped. An affecting novel about identity that also delivers great sportswriting.
Reviewed By:
C.B. James @ Ready When You Are C.B.
The Center of the World by Andreas Steinhofel (Young Adult)
From Pinkbooks:
Seventeen-year-old Phil has felt like an outsider as long as he can remember. All Phil has ever known about his father is that he was Number Three on his mother's long list-third in a series of affairs that have set Phil's family even further apart from the critical townspeople across the river. As for his own sexuality, Phil doesn't care what the neighbors will think; he's just waiting for the right guy to come along.
Reviewed By:
C.B. James @ Ready When You Are C.B.
Absolute Brightness by James Lecesne (Young Adult)
From Barnes & Noble:
Darkness: Where light is not.
Light: Brightness or illumination from a particular source.
Absolute brightness: The mystery of Leonard Pelkey.
This is the story of a luminous force of nature: a boy who encounters evil and whose magic isn't truly felt until he disappears.
Reviewed By:
C.B. James @ Ready When You Are C.B.
Jen @ Multi-Genre Fan
Skin Lane by Neil Bartlett (Mystery/Thriler)
From Barnes & Noble:
At forty-seven, Mr. F's working life on London's Skin Lane is one governed by calm, precision, and routine. So when he starts to have recurring nightmares, he does his best to ignore them. The images that appear in his dreams are disturbing-Mr. F can't think of where they have come from. After all, he's an ordinary middle-aged man.
Reviewed By:
C.B. James @ Ready When You Are C.B.
The House You Pass on the Way by Jacqueline Woodson (Young Adult)
From the author's web site:
Evangeline (nickname Staggerlee) meets her adopted cousin Trout for the first time the summer they are both thirteen. The two girls form a strong friendship and learn a lot from each other about what it means to be the children of heroes and what it means to grow up in a world that isn't tolerant.
Reviewed by:
Eva @ A Striped Armchair
Claudine at School by Colette (Romance)
From Wikipedia:
The novel recounts the final year of secondary school of 15-year-old Claudine, her brazen confrontations with her headmistress, Mlle Sergent, and her fellow students. The work is assumed to be highly autobiographical, and includes lovely descriptions of the Burgundian countryside, where Colette grew up.
Reviewed By:
Eva @ A Striped Armchair
Hard Love by Ellen Wittlinger (Young Adult)
From the author's web site:
John, untouchable since his parents' divorce six years ago, and Marisol, who's recently come out as a lesbian, meet through their interest in writing zines, personal homemade magazines into which they pour their life stories.
Reviewed By:
Eva @ A Striped Armchair
The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde (Gothic Fiction)
From Wikipedia:
The novel tells of a young man named Dorian Gray, the subject of a painting by artist Basil Hallward. Basil is impressed by Dorian's beauty and becomes infatuated with him, believing his beauty is responsible for a new mode in his art...
Reviewed By:
Eva @ A Striped Armchair
I'm Looking Through You: Growing Up Haunted: A Memoir by Jennifer Finney Boylan (Memoir)
From the author's web site:
I'm Looking Through You: Growing Up Haunted is a memoir about growing up in a haunted house, and an exploration of what it means to be "haunted." It was published by Doubleday/Broadway in January 2008, and was released as a paperback in October of that same year.
In this follow-up to She's Not There, I tried to show how love, forgiveness, and humor help us find peace with our ghosts, with our loved ones, and with the uncanny boundaries, real and imagined, between men and women.
Reviewed By:
Eva @ A Striped Armchair
Jen @ Multi-Genre Fan
Normal by Amy Bloom (Short Story Collection)
From the author's web site:
Normal explores sex and gender through portraits of people who are widely considered not normal.
Reviewed by:
Eva @ A Striped Armchair
Debi @ Nothing of Importance
Chris @ Stuff as Dreams are Made On
Another Kind of Cowboy by Susan Juby (Young Adult)
From the author's web site:
For Alex Ford, dressage is an oasis. In the stable, he can slip into his riding pants, shed the macho cowboy image, and feel like himself for a change. For Cleo O'Shea dressage is a fresh start. She's got a new boarding school, absentee parents, and best of all: no one to remember her past... They're an unlikely pair, but sometimes the last person you'd ever think of as a friend ends up being the one you need the most. Susan Juby's trademark humor brings life and laughter to this remarkable story of relationships, mixed signals, and the soul-searching that sometimes takes two.
Reviewed By:
Andrea @ The Little Bookworm
Between Mom and Jo by Julie Anne Peters (Young Adult)
From the author's web site:
Jo promised Nick they'd always be together. So did Mom. When you're a stupid little kid you believe what your parents tell you. You want to believe that your life will be good and nothing will change and everything-everyone-goes on forever. It's not until later you find out people are liars, forever is a myth, and a kid with two moms should never be put in the position of having to choose between them.
Reviewed by:
Amanda @ The Zen Leaf
Andrea @ The Little Bookworm
Chris @ Stuff as Dreams are Made On
The Straight Road To Kylie by Nico Medina (Young Adult)
From the author's web site:
Life is fabulous for Jonathan Parish. He's seventeen, out and proud, and ready to party through his senior year with his posse of best girlfriends. But the year starts off with the wrong kind of bang when Jonathan-in an inebriated lapse of judgment-sleeps with a friend of his . . . a girlfriend!
Reviewed by:
Andrea @ The Little Bookworm
Ash by Malinda Lo (Young Adult)
From the authors web site:
In the wake of her father's death, Ash is left at the mercy of her cruel stepmother. Consumed with grief, her only joy comes by the light of the dying hearth fire, re-reading the fairy tales her mother once told her. In her dreams, someday the fairies will steal her away, as they are said to do. When she meets the dark and dangerous fairy Sidhean, she believes that her wish may be granted.
Reviewed by:
Andrea @ The Little Bookworm
Lady Windermere's Fan by Oscar Wilde (Play)
From Wikipedia:
is a four act comedy, first produced 22 February 1892 at the St James Theatre in London. The play was first published in 1893. Like many of Wilde's comedies, it is a biting satire on the morals of Victorian society, particularly marriage.
Reviewed by:
Mish @ Stage and Canvas
Salome by by Oscar Wilde (Play)
From Wikipedia:
The play tells in one act the Biblical story of Salome, stepdaughter of the tetrarch Herod Antipas, who, to her stepfather's dismay but to the delight of her mother Herodias, requests the head of Jokanaan (John the Baptist) on a silver platter as a reward for dancing the Dance of the Seven Veils.
Reviewed By:
Mish @ Stage and Canvas
Split-Level Dykes to Watch Out For by Alison Bechdel (Cartoon Collection)
From Barnes & Noble:
In her eighth smart and hilarious cartoon collection, big changes are in store for everyone as Bechdel's beloved gals are moving out. Still the best lesbian cartooning going.
Reviewed by:
Mish @ Stage and Canvas
The Essential Dykes to Watch Out For by Alison Bechdel
From the author's web site:
At last—almost all the episodes of Dykes To Watch Out For trapped between two covers!
Reviewed by:
Debi @ Nothing of Importance
Angels in America by Tony Kushner (Play)
From Wikipedia :
Set in New York City in the mid-1980s, Act One of Millennium Approaches introduces us to the central characters.
Part 1 - Millennium Approaches - Reviewed by:
Mish @ Stage and Canvas
Part 2 - Perestroika - Reviewed by:
Mish @ Stage and Canvas
Fingersmith by Sarah Waters (Historical Fiction/Gothic Fiction)
From the author's web site:
London 1862. Sue Trinder, orphaned at birth, grows up among petty thieves - fingersmiths - under the rough but loving care of Mrs Sucksby and her 'family'. But from the moment she draws breath, Sue's fate is linked to that of another orphan growing up in a gloomy mansion not too many miles away.
Reviewed by:
Jason @ 5-Squared
Nymeth @ Things Mean a Lot
Trish @ Trish's Reading Nook
Chris @ Stuff as Dreams are Made On
If Not, Winter by Sappho (translated by Anne Carson)
From Jason's review:
a collection of all of the known works of Sappho - almost entirely fragments.
Jason @ 5-Squared
Naomi and Ely's No Kiss List by David Levithan and Rachel Cohn (Young Adult)
From the authors' web site:
Naomi and Ely have been inseparable since childhood - partially because they've grown up across the hall from each other in the same Manhattan apartment building, and also because they're best friends. Soul mates. Or are they?
Reviewed by:
Jason @ 5-Squared and Amanda @ The Zen Leaf
Patience and Sarah, by Isabel Miller (Historical Fiction)
From Wikipedia:
Based on a real-life painter named Mary Ann Willson who lived with her companion Miss Brundage as a "farmerette" in the early 19th century in Greene County, New York. Routsong said she came upon Willson's work in a folk art museum in Cooperstown and was inspired to write the story after reading the description of Willson and Brundage.[
Reviewed by:
Jason @ 5-Squared
Selected Poems by Marina Tsvetaeva
From Jason's review:
The first part of the 20th century was the Silver Age of Russian Poetry, the time of many of Russia's greatest poets both inside and outside the Soviet system: Anna Akhmatova, Boris Pasternak, Aleksandr Blok, and lots of other folks that we, as Americans have never heard of (except for Pasternak, and that's for his novel, after all).
Reviewed by:
Jason @ 5-Squared
Last Herald-Mage Trilogy by Mercedes Lackey (Fantasy)
From Wikipedia:
These occur some centuries before the Heralds of Valdemar books, telling the life story of Vanyel Ashkevron; by the time of the "later" books he has become legend, thus explaining some of the small inconsistencies. This series was also consistently nominated for the Lambda Literary Prize, with Magic's Price winning in 1990.
Part 1 - Magic's Pawn - Reviewed by
Witch Baby's Journey
Part 2 - Magic's Promise - Reviewed by
Witch Baby's Journey
Part 3 - Magic's Price - Reviewed by
Witch Baby's Journey
Hotel World by Ali Smith (Literature)
From Wikipedia:
A postmodern novel with influences from modernist novel, portraying the stages of grief in relation to the passage of time.
Reviewed by:
Rhinoa @ Rhinoa's Ramblings
Little Stranger by Sarah Waters (Gothic Fiction)
From the author's web site:
In a dusty post-war summer in rural Warwickshire, a doctor is called to a patient at lonely Hundreds Hall. Home to the Ayres family for over two centuries, the Georgian house, once grand and handsome, is now in decline, its masonry crumbling, its gardens choked with weeds, the clock in its stable yard permanently fixed at twenty to nine. Its owners - mother, son and daughter - are struggling to keep pace with a changing society, as well as with conflicts of their own.
Reviewed by:
Rhinoa @ Rhinoa's Ramblings
Incubus volumes 1, 2 & 3 by Yayoi Neko (Paranormal Romance / Manga)
From Barnes & Noble:
Can a demon find love on Earth? The painful relationship between the demon Lenniel and the human Judas continues despite all the odds stacked against them. They will endure tribulations as pressures from Hell and Earth seek to split them apart. How can they overcome such epic obstacles?
Reviewed by:
Rhinoa @ Rhinoa's Ramblings
Hero by Perry Moore (Young Adult)
From the author's web site:
The last thing in the world Thom would ever want is to disappoint his father. So Thom keeps two secrets from him: First is that he's gay. The second is that he has the power to heal people. Initially, Thom had trouble controlling his powers. But with trail and error he improves, until he gets so good that he catches the attention of the League and is asked to join.
Reviewed by:
Jen @ Multi-Genre Fan
Nymeth @ Things Mean a Lot
Skin Folk by Nalo Hopkinson (Fantasy)
From the author's web site:
The title "Skin Folk" comes from folkore. Throughout the Caribbean there are stories about people who aren't what they seem. Skin gives these folk their human shape. Peel it off, and their true selves emerge. They take on the shapes of animals, of fantastical creatures. They may be dangerous, or just eldritch. And whatever burdens their skins had borne, once they remove them, they can fly.
Reviewed by:
Jen @ Multi-Genre Fan
Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt (Non-Fiction / True Crime)
From Wikipedia:
Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil is atmospheric and Southern Gothic in tone, depicting a wide range of eccentric Savannah personalities.
Reviewed by:
Trish @ Trish's Reading Nook
Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury (Fantasy / Horror)
From Wikipedia:
Two 13-year-old boys, Jim Nightshade and William Halloway, have a harrowing experience with a nightmarish traveling carnival that comes to their Midwestern town one October.
Reviewed By:
Shellie @ Layers of Thought
Jen @ Multi-Genre Fan
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley (Gothic Horror)
From Wikipedia:
Scientist, Victor Frankenstein, learns how to create life and creates a being in the likeness of man, but larger than average and more powerful.
Reviewed by:
Shellie @ Layers of Thought
Bend, Don't Shatter (edited) by T. Cole RAchel & Rita D. Costello (Poetry)
From Pink Books:
This new poetry anthology navigates the rocky waters of teenage sexuality and confusion with insight, clarity, and understanding. The poems were written by adults who keenly remember the turmoil and excitement of their own adolescent sexual explorations but now have the perspective and sense of self that come with growing up.
Reviewed by:
Christina @ Reading Thru The Night
Affinity by Sarah Waters (Historical Fiction)
From the author's web site:
From the dark heart of a Victorian prison, disgraced spiritualist Selina Dawes weaves an enigmatic spell. Is she a fraud, or a prodigy? By the time it all begins to matter, you'll find yourself desperately wanting to believe in magic.
Reviewed by:
Aimee @ My Fluttering Heart
Nymeth @ Things Mean a Lot
The Color Purple by Alice Walker (Novel)
From Wikipedia:
Taking place mostly in rural Georgia, the story focuses on female black life during the 1930s in the Southern United States, addressing the numerous issues including their exceedingly low position in American social culture.
Reviewed By:
Ceri @ Not in the Pink
The Night Watch by Sarah Waters
From the author's web site:
Tender and tragic, set against the turbulent backdrop of wartime Britain, The Night Watch is the extraordinary story of four Londoners: Kay, who wanders the streets in mannish clothes, restless and searching . . . Helen, who harbours a troubling secret . . . Viv, glamour girl, recklessly loyal to her soldier lover . . . and Duncan, an apparent innocent, struggling with demons of his own.
Reviewed by:
Nymeth @ Things Mean a Lot
My Most Excellent Year by Steve Kluger (Young Adult)
From Barnes & Nobel:
Best friends and unofficial brothers since they were six, ninth-graders T.C. and Augie have got the world figured out. But that all changes when both friends fall in love for the first time. Enter Ale. She's pretty, sassy, and on her way to Harvard. T.C. falls hard, but Ale is playing hard to get. Meanwhile, Augie realizes that he's got a crush on a boy. It's not so clear to him, but to his family and friends, it's totally obvious! Told in alternating perspectives, this is the hilarious and touching story of their most excellent year, where these three friends discover love, themselves, and how a little magic and Mary Poppins can go a long way.
Reviewed by:
Chris @ Stuff as Dreams are Made On
Empress of the World by Sara Ryan (Young Adult)
From the author's web site:
Nicola Lancaster comes to the Siegel Summer Institute for Gifted Youth to decide whether or not she wants to be an archaeologist. She doesn't expect to make the best friends she's ever had, and she especially doesn't expect to fall in love with another girl.
Reviewed by:
Marineko @ Dreaming Out Loud
Rules For Hearts by Sara Ryan (Young Adult) - Sequel to Empress of the World
From the author's web site:
Battle Hall Davies is sure of some things: she's going to Reed; she loves girls; and her older brother, Nick, is cooler than she could ever be. Nick ran away when Battle was in high school, and four years later, he's tracked her down. Now she's spending her summer before college in "Forest House", the co-op where he lives in Portland.
Reviewed by:
Marineko @ Dreaming Out Loud
Sweet Lovin' Baby by Yamaji Ebine (Short Stories/Manga)
From Marineko's review:
A collection of short stories (in manga format) by Yamaji Ebine. Most of the stories contain GLBT themes...
Reviewed by:
Marineko @ Dreaming Out Loud
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