“You can’t erase history, or change it. It would be like destroying yourself.” At 36, Tsukuru Tazaki has settled into a determined rut. He has no close friends, no long-term relationships, and no pets. There is nothing tying him to anyone or anything else. His job is ostensibly what he has always been most passionate … More Book Review: Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage
“A body can’t prosper if a person don’t know who they are.” The Good Lord Bird is devilish entertainment. It’s a heady ride through a tumultuous time in American history that somehow manages the mean trick of making you laugh even as it deals with heavyweight subject matter. Its unique perspective is largely thanks to … More Book Review: The Good Lord Bird, by James McBride
Teju Cole has a novelistic style unlike many other fiction writers out there today. I guess whether or not you enjoy his work comes down to how you respond to that style. Because here’s the thing: nothing happens in terms of plot. That is true of both of Cole’s novels so far: Open City and … More Book Review: Every Day Is for the Thief, by Teju Cole
When I was in my early twenties and beginning to think about coming out, I just happened to have a conversation with a well-read gay man at a dinner party. Somehow Gore Vidal’s The City and the Pillar came up. The premise intrigued me, as did the morbid darkness the man described. Thus, this was … More Great LGBT Book Recommendations: The City and the Pillar, by Gore Vidal
In case you haven’t heard yet, Dexter Morgan is a Miami blood spatter analyst for the Homicide Department who moonlights as a serial killer. He channels his bloodthirsty urges by going after the people who, for whatever reason, slipped through the cracks of the regular justice system. You could call him a vigilante, but the … More The Dexter Books, by Jeff Lindsay (Part 3)
If you remember where we left off, intrepid M.E. Maura Isles went to a medical conference in Wyoming to escape her attraction to Father Brophy, only to get stranded in a blizzard and nearly killed by a religious cult. Because these things happen, right? She also met a boy nicknamed Rat who was orphaned by … More The Rizzoli and Isles Books, by Tess Gerritsen (Part 4)
Last time I told you about a book that my husband and I discovered in a bookstore together. Now I’d like to tell you about one of the first books he recommended to me when we first met and started dating. I’m always curious about the books people like enough to recommend to others. It’s … More Great LGBT Book Recommendations: Call Me By Your Name, by André Aciman
“There comes a time when you realize that everything is a dream, and only those things preserved in writing have any possibility of being real.” Hmmm. I’m of two minds on this one. On the one hand: WOW. James Salter is an incredible writer. His descriptive style is flawless: clear, concise, creative, and imparted with … More Book Review: All That Is, by James Salter
Two years ago, my husband and I were browsing the book section of a card store called Rainbows and Triangles in Chelsea. They used to have an amazing selection. We loved to go there to discover LGBT books you wouldn’t necessarily find on the shelves of more commercial stores like Barnes & Noble. They still … More Great LGBT Book Recommendations: Full Circle, by Michael Thomas Ford
Compelling drama, but oddly cold “There is a fort in the South where a few years ago a murder was committed. The participants of this tragedy were: two officers, a soldier, two women, a Filipino, and a horse.” With its short page count, Reflections in a Golden Eye is more of a novella than a … More Great LGBT Book Recommendations: Reflections in a Golden Eye, by Carson McCullers
Supposedly Fun 