Queereaders discussion

Tell us what you are reading this month.

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I started Myths & Legends. I like reading mythological stories, but up until now I've mostly just stuck to the well-known Greek and Norse stuff, so I'm looking forward to broadening my horizons a little.

Eileen wrote: "I started Myths & Legends. I like reading mythological stories, but up until now I've mostly just stuck to the well-known Greek and Norse stuff, so I'm looking forward to broadening..."

Fun Eileen! I'm a big fan of myths in general too!

Just finished Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis which I can't recommend highly enough. It's a fast read, and I unfortunately finished it much earlier than anticipated whilst on a cross-country flight.

To occupy the final three hours, I found a book called Lanterne Rouge: The Last Man in the Tour de France already downloaded to my phone. I'm a big fan of The Tour and must have added this book in years past then forgotten about it. So far, so good.

Tim wrote: "Just finished Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis which I can't recommend highly enough. It's a fast read, and I unfortunately finished it much earlier than ..."

Looks fascinating Tim! - I actually lived in North Carolina for a few years, and I saw some of the grinding poverty in the Appalachians. Maybe I'll read this.

I just finished three books:

The Invisible Man by H.G. Wells (4 ★): a lot of fun to read with fast pacing as well as a few interesting intellectual ideas; almost doesn't feel like it was written in the late 1800's - the pacing is much more modern

Tarzan of the Apes by Edgar Rice Burroughs (2.5 ★): I was a bit disappointed in this one to be honest. The racism in the depiction of the Negress Esmerelda was grating, and much of the dialogue was extremely stilted. "Tut. Tut," a million times. Not much character depth either. Parts were fun to read but it just didn't feel at all like the classic I was expecting.

The Return of the Soldier by Rebecca West (4.5 ★): This 1918 novella about a soldier in WWI suffering from shell shock was absolutely brilliant! It's a meditation on so many things: psychiatry and mental "health" (I can see a germ of the themes in the much later Equus here) and what makes life meaningful. The characterizations of those back home are brilliant, very nuanced. Beautifully written too and a great read. I read the whole thing in two days - it was so good!

Greg wrote: "Tim wrote: "Just finished Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis which I can't recommend highly enough. It's a fast read, and I unfortunately finished it much e..."

Yeah, I lived in eastern Tennessee for several years as a child. Even looking back through a child's lens, this book was illuminating. I would guess you'd find it interesting! The author currently lives here in Silicon Valley.

I'm reading Rangers at Roadsend by Jane Fletcher (again, because I love all of her Calaeno books and I couldn't more highly recommend them for all those lesbian readers out there who also love fantasy) and will soon be starting Gifts by Ursula K. Le Guin, which was recommended to me by a friend and I have yet to pick up from Powell's.

I'm super psyched about both!

Kellie wrote: "I'm reading Rangers at Roadsend by Jane Fletcher (again, because I love all of her Calaeno books and I couldn't more highly recommend them for all those lesbian readers out there who also love fant..."

I very much enjoyed Gifts Kellie - a gripping read! I've liked most everything I've read by Le Guin though; so it wasn't a big surprise. :)

Greg wrote: "Kellie wrote: "I'm reading Rangers at Roadsend by Jane Fletcher (again, because I love all of her Calaeno books and I couldn't more highly recommend them for all those lesbian readers out there who..."

Oooh, yeah? I'm looking forward to reading it. I've heard nothing but good things! :)

I am now on Fortress of Eagles by CJ Cherryh. epic, political fanatsy

I think nest up will be Something Like Rain by Jay Bell his newest in the Something Like series.

If you're like me and like to break your heart and bust out bawling everytime you finish reading a book(I have a knack for that, apparently. I think it's damaging to my fragile human psyche.) you should read Willful Machines if you haven't already, though I warn you there is no way you can read this AND NOT HAVE ALL THE FEELS even if you are a machine...it's sci fi, and while the character's coming out as gay is a major subplot, the whole book just takes you on a roller coaster...the next books comes out this october but i don't think I can wait two months I'm still bawling (when really I should be sleeping, I have to be up in a coupla hours)...cuz this was just poor awesomesauce I can't even

~Nadia... wrote: "...the next books comes out this october but i don't think I can wait two months I'm still bawling..."

This sounds interesting. I've made a rule for myself not to start a series until it is all published. I mostly follow it. Still this sounds interesting ;-)

Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic just came into my local library's catalog, and I'm pretty early on the hold list, so I'm really hoping I can snag a copy before I head off to college (three weeks!), I've been dying to read it.

Abigail wrote: "Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic just came into my local library's catalog, and I'm pretty early on the hold list, so I'm really hoping I can snag a copy before I head off to college (..."

Oh, I love that book, and totally want to see the musical. And have you tried Bechdel's Dykes to Watch Out For series?

Alex wrote: "And have you tried Bechdel's Dykes to Watch Out For series?"
I've seen a few of the panels and pages, but never any of the books themselves. What I've seen though, I love, Bechdel has such a great since of humor, and I always feel a sense of camaraderie with her characters.

The Third Rule by Andrew Barrett.
1971 - Never a Dull Moment: Rock's Golden Year by David Hepworth.

Both ace.

Abigail wrote: "Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic just came into my local library's catalog, and I'm pretty early on the hold list, so I'm really hoping I can snag a copy before I head off to college (..."

I'm looking forward to reading this one too! Alex, I've read some of the Dykes to Watch Out For cartoons - very enjoyable!

Right now I'm in the middle of A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara (our group read) and A Thousand Acres by Jane Smiley. Both are fantastic - quite a lot of character depth in both of them!

I have recently finished Mr. Splitfoot by Samantha Hunt for a RL library discussion and The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared by Jonas Jonasson for a RL book club discussion next week. I didn't care for either, the main characters in each, for different reasons, keep us at a remove. That's unsatisfying to me as a reader.

So I'm rereading/ reading the short stories in Shifting Shadows: Stories from the World of Mercy Thompson by Patricia Briggs, where I know the characters are worth reading.

Finished reading the brand-new memoir about a fifteen-year-old boy in 1950s Brooklyn who attempts suicide due to inner conflict about being gay and ends up going to an upscale mental hospital. Really quite good, well-written, and a fast read.

One of These Things First: A Memoir by Steven Gaines

Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Am finally reading Harry Potter and the Cursed Child .

Alex wrote: "Am finally reading Harry Potter and the Cursed Child."

How is it?

Bill wrote: "Alex wrote: "Am finally reading Harry Potter and the Cursed Child."

How is it?"

So far, so good. Malfoy is actually a caring father, surprise, surprise.

I finished a re-read of CJ Cherryh's Fortress series a great read. I started a YA coming out Sci-Fi, Willful Machines by Tim Floreen.

Just finished Age of Myth - nothing extraordinary in terms of plot intricacy or character depth but highly entertaining .. I really enjoyed it!

Now I'm finishing up A Thousand Acres by Jane Smiley.

Carry On and Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch have been my favorites so far this month.

Right now about halfway through Room, and barely got to start Mercy Thompson: Homecoming before my son snagged it from me.

Next up will be The Alloy of Law.

Whitney wrote: "Carry On and Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch have been my favorites so far this month..."

Oh, I love Good Omens, too. I'm rather partial to Crowley and Aziraphale.

Bill wrote: "I am now on Fortress of Eagles by CJ Cherryh. epic, political fanatsy..."

I've only read her Foreigner series. Lots of intrigue and politics, too.

Alex wrote: "Bill wrote: "I am now on Fortress of Eagles by CJ Cherryh. epic, political fanatsy..."

I've only read her Foreigner series. Lots of intrigue and politics, too."

I think I've read everything she's written. She's a favorite author and married to her illustrator, Jane Fancher. If you like Sci-Fi, Downbelow Station and Cyteen are must reads. The latter has Gay protagonists. Both won Hugos. Cyteen also won a Locus award.

I love Foreigner. I hope I live long enough to re-read the entire series all together.

Bill wrote: "I think I've read everything she's written. She's a favorite author and married to her illustrator, Jane Fancher. If you like Sci-Fi, Downbelow Station and Cyteen are must reads. The latter has Gay protagonists. Both won Hugos. Cyteen also won a Locus award.

I love Foreigner. I hope I live long enough to re-read the entire series all together...."

IIRC, Jane Fancher wrote a few novels herself, too.

Now that you've mentioned it, I read Cyteen and its sequel, too. I like the bits in which the first Ari talks to the second Ari. Which are far and few in between...

I love the Foreigner series, too, though Cherryh has this tendency of not resolving the main plot of the book and we have to wait for the next book to see what happens.

I'm reading Central Station by Lavie Tidhar and it's taking me forever, which often means I don't like it. I like the setting in a future Tel Aviv, where the Jews have disappeared, to where or why we do not know, but there is a space elevator thingee there, I liked it a lot at first. Now it's annoying me.

Julia wrote: "I'm reading Central Station by Lavie Tidhar and it's taking me forever, which often means I don't like it. I like the setting in a future Tel Aviv, where the Jews ha..."

That's too bad Julia - hope it gets better!

Killing Floor by Lee Child.

In the middle of The Way of Kings now. It's a long one.

Whitney wrote: "In the middle of The Way of Kings now. It's a long one."

Wow Whitney, that is a long one, practically as long as War and Peace! Is it good?

Natasha (Diarist) wrote: "Killing Floor by Lee Child."

And very good it is, too! Now on 14%.

I'm finishing up Carry On the YA, Gay Fantasy.

Greg wrote: "Whitney wrote: "In the middle of The Way of Kings now. It's a long one."

Wow Whitney, that is a long one, practically as long as War and Peace! Is it good?"

Yes, it is. The world-building is incredible!

Bill wrote: "I'm finishing up Carry On the YA, Gay Fantasy."

Such a fun one!

I finished Troll: a love story by Johanna Sinisalo. It was great. :)

Whitney wrote: "Bill wrote: "I'm finishing up Carry On the YA, Gay Fantasy."

Such a fun one!"

It is that. I love the characters!