This novel would make an excellent film. It has all the elements of a box office smash or a highly streamed miniseries. Period drama. Likeable characters. Sneaky dealings. A love story. Two teenage boys meet one evening just before the second world war. James is Irish and from a very poor family. Otto is the …
Book Review – Giovanni’s Room by James Baldwin
This book is a time capsule. It is of an era when gay life wasn't part of the mainstream. The story is told by young American man, David, who is living in Paris during the 1950s, hanging around older homosexuals he criticises for being too effeminate. While his girlfriend is in Spain, he begins an …
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Book Review – The Uncensored Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
Most of us know this story. I've seen two movie versions and a stage play. These focussed on the horror elements as well as the philosophy Wilde weaves into the tale - the idea of whether our soul is tainted by our actions. This uncensored version restores gay content which the novel's first editor feared …
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Book Review – Mercedes General by Jerry L. Wheeler
This is a collection of short stories which reads like a novella. In the first tale, Kent meets Spencer when they are both kids in 1966. Spencer is the new boy in school and Kent is drawn to him. But Kent’s domineering sister, Suey, doesn’t like Spence because he stands up to her bullying. Each …
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Book Review – Tilda Is Visible by Jane Tara
Not long ago I had a conversation with a man in his seventies. He was one of the members of my writing group who asked if I'd mind getting a lift from him each week as he had a long drive to get to our meetings and would enjoy the company. During my first chat …
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Book Review – The Lodger, That Summer by Levi Huxton
I don't generally read erotic novellas. The few I have read I put down after a few chapters because the scenes were similar. But I caught up for coffee with author, Levi Huxton, to share marketing tips, and as a gift he gave me a copy of his popular debut. His success is something many …
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Book Review – The In-Between by Christos Tsiolkas
I read this straight after reading his previous novel, 7 1/2. These are the first Tsiolkas' books I've read (yes, I've waited that long) even though I'm familiar with his stories from various TV and film adaptations. 7 1/2 fascinated me with its stream of consciousness style, its raw sex scenes and fascinating prose, which …
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Book Review – Dark Mode by Ashley Kalagian Blunt
There are important themes in this book. And everyone who recommended it to me focussed on the main message rather than the serial killer aspect of the plot. Reagan lives offline, even using an old phone with no smart features to avoid having an online presence. In her teen years she had a dangerous stalker, …
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Book Review – Young Mungo by Douglas Stuart
Wow! I just finished this last night and wow! Glasgow. Late twentieth century. Toxic masculinity. Homophobia. And in the middle of this is Mungo, a gay teen believing his mother actually cares for him. Author, Douglas Stuart, begins this story closer to the dramatic end, then takes us back to show daily life in the …
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Book Review – Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro
I took a while, but I finally understood what this story was about. Or at least, I know what I took from this after the final scene. I loved Ishiguro's novel, Never Let Me Go. I read it after falling in love with the movie, and plan to read Remains of the Day at some …
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