Queereaders discussion

I use a desire to re-read a novel as part of my rating system. Re-readibility for me is for pure enjoyment or to more fully understand a complex novel. Following are some of those on my re-read list.

The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay: A Novel by Michael Chabon
Willy by Robert Dunbar
The Charioteer by Mary Renault
Kirith Kirin by Jim Grimsley
The Carnivorous Lamb by Agustin Gomez-Arcos
At Swim, Two Boys by Jamie O'Neill
Kelland by [Paul G. Bens]
Cyteen by C. j. Cherryh
The Wraeththu series by Storm Constantine
Dhalgren by Samuel R. Delany
The Persion Boy by Mary Renault
The Catch Trap by Marion Zimmer Bradley
The Einstein Intersection by Samuel R. Delany
Clicking Beat on the Brink of Nada by Keith Hale
Death in Venice by Thomas Mann
Maurice by E.M. Forester
Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh
Through the Valley of the Nest of Spiders by Samuel R. Delany

Some Hollinghurst and Isherwood

For starters. What books would you like to re-read? Remind me of some I've forgotten or have never read.

Kernos, I liked several of those quite a bit, particularly The Charioteer and Brideshead Revisited. Both of those were fantastic, and I've read them multiple times.

Also, I've liked practically everything I read by Mary Renault and E.M. Forster; so I have no doubt I will love Maurice and The Persian Boy when I get around to them (they're on my to-read list).

Isherwood is wonderful as well - I thought the odd but beautiful extended metaphor at the end of A Single Man was something gorgeous!

Some others:

I have read Orlando by Virginia Woolf more than once, a magnificent gender-bending romp with plenty of the soaring language that I like.

As far as lesbian poetry, I've re-read a few books by Adrienne Rich and Muriel Rukeyser. And as far gay poetry, I'm a big fan of the early poetry of Stephen Spender from the 30's. I enjoy Countee Cullen and Claude McKay from the Harlem Renaissance as well.

Greg, If you read The Persian Boy, I suggest reading the entire series about Alexander the Great. Amazing.


Kernos, The Wraeththu series was amazing! That is one I would reread.

I'm curious, is there a way to sort books here by "read" and "to read" when they are otherwise shelved as something else? I ask because I've marked/shelved 233 books as LGBT that I have read or that I want to read. It seems to run about 6 0-40 read to not read. I'd like to break out a list of the ones I have yet to read.

Any help?

Anne wrote: "I'm curious, is there a way to sort books here by "read" and "to read" when they are otherwise shelved as something else? I ask because I've marked/shelved 233 books as LGBT that I have read or tha..."

If you go into your bookshelf and click 'edit shelves' then go to the LGBT shelf and unclick the check mark for exclusive, you can then also shelf those books on your read or to read shelf. :)

Jason wrote: "If you go into your bookshelf and click 'edit shelves' then go to the LGBT shelf and unclick the check mark for exclusive, you can then also shelf those books on your read or to read shelf."

Thanks Jason but the books I've shelved as LGBT are also already marked 'read'or 'to read'. I guess what I'm asking is, is there a way to do a double sort to ferret out only the books marked as 'LGBT' and also as 'To Read'?

yes! On your bookshelf page, under the list of shelves is a link named select multiple. It will allow you to sort with both shelves.

Jason wrote: "Greg, If you read The Persian Boy, I suggest reading the entire series about Alexander the Great. Amazing."

Thanks Jason, I do plan to do that!

I have a copy of The King Must Die on my shelf waiting to be read as well.

Greg wrote: "Jason wrote: "Greg, If you read The Persian Boy, I suggest reading the entire series about Alexander the Great. Amazing."

Thanks Jason, I do plan to do that!

I have a copy of [book:..."

That's a good one.

I've read The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay, The Charioteer, Kirith Kirin, Cyteen, The Persion Boy, The Catch Trap, Maurice, The Line of Beauty and Christopher and His Kind.

I like the Kirith Kirin series the best. My most recent re-read of a book with LGBT characters is Ethan of Athos by Lois McMaster Bujold.

I want to revisit some novels I read more than 20 years ago.

Dancer from the Dance
A Boy's Own Story
The Front Runner
Rubyfruit Jungle
The Color Purple
P.S. Your Cat Is Dead
Good Times/Bad Times
A Separate Peace

Nancy, A Separate Peace is probably one of my favorites - beautiful and subtle .. as a character study, it's devastatingly fine.

The Color Purple was also great; I've read it at least twice.

Greg, A Separate Peace was required reading for me in high school. So was James Kirkwood's Good Times/Bad Times. Both these books had me wondering about my English teacher's sexuality.

Just learned that A Separate Peace was adapted to film, once in 1972 (starring Parker Stevenson) and again in 2004.

I don't often re-read things but I have re-read Jean Genet and William S Burroughs. I have also re-read Howl and Other Poems. I will always re visit poetry. I really need to get to reading (for the first time) some of the books that people have mentioned here. I finally read Orlando this year and I enjoyed it. It is definitely one I may have to re-visit at some point.

Nancy wrote: "Greg, A Separate Peace was required reading for me in high school. So was James Kirkwood's Good Times/Bad Times. Both these books had me wondering about my English teach..."

I read it in high school first, I think. But I re-read it as an adult five or so years ago, and it really held up. Just brilliant.

I remember the teacher in high school insisting it wasn't about what it was so obviously about. He had gone through wild contortions to try to understand it a different way, but for me it was so very obvious. There's a huge amount of psychological subtely and complexity in that little book, but the heart of it is so devastatingly clear.

Looking back, I remember some of my teachers and wonder what was going on with them too. I had a high school chemistry teacher who came to school with a black eye and his face messed up once, and the whole class brutally harassed him to his face about his having been beat up outside a gay bar. I think from his reactions it was actually true. The class was ruthlessly cruel. Inside, I was disgusted and horrified but too terrified to say anything. It was so bad that the teacher didn't come back for a few days. The next day, we had a substitute, and he let into the class over its apalling behavior. He told the class directly that by statistics, there was more than one gay kid in the room right then. He was indignant and furious! I remember my heart secretly swelling with happiness as the substitute spoke. It was really brave of him to speak as he did in that small town at that time - he was so fiercely angry that even that Lord-of-the-flies rag tag motley crew was shaken into silence. So weird to look back on things that happened and realize they would never happen now, at least where I currently live. It was such a different time.

As far as the movies, I didn't know about the 1972 one, but I recorded the 2004 one off cable. I haven't watched it yet, but just the little bit I saw while setting up the recording looked quite good. I'm looking forward to watching that one!

Mel wrote: "I don't often re-read things but I have re-read Jean Genet and William S Burroughs. I have also re-read Howl and Other Poems. I will always re visit poet..."

I thought Howl and Other Poems was great Mel - so much power in its angry, rolling currents of words!

As far an Jean Genet, the language is just gorgeous - even in translation, his talent shines though; such an amazingly vivid writer, a cascading of sharp, vibrant images. The actual story of the book I read by him (Our Lady of the Flowers) wasn't as appealing to me as the writing though. Do you have a favorite by him?

Jean Genet as mentioned. I read Miracle of the Rose over and over; the others didn't quite match up. Querelle seemed to have too much plot!

Bryn wrote: "Jean Genet as mentioned. I read Miracle of the Rose over and over"

Thanks for the tip Bryn! I added it to my to-read list.

Greg wrote: "Mel wrote: "I don't often re-read things but I have re-read Jean Genet and William S Burroughs. I have also re-read Howl and Other Poems. I will always r..."

I really loved Our Lady of the Flowers. I have not read everything by him. I also liked The Thief's Journal it has been a while since I read that one, so I am probably due for a re-read. I should re-read Miracle of the Rose because it has been a very long time since I read that one.

I also forgot to mention that Foxfire: Confessions of a Girl Gang is one of my favorite books (the movie with Angelina Jolie was just so bad) and I try to re-read that book every few years. In fact I am probably due for a re-read of that one.

Greg wrote: "Nancy wrote: "Greg, A Separate Peace was required reading for me in high school. So was James Kirkwood's Good Times/Bad Times. Both these books had me wondering about my..."

What a sad story, Greg. Kudos to your substitute teacher for speaking up on behalf of your chemistry teacher and the kids too frightened to speak up for themselves. Kids are horribly cruel and insensitive. My high school English teacher was on the heavy side with very thin legs. She always wore dark pantsuits that were unflattering and seemed to be impervious to the whispered insults about her "chicken legs". I'm sure she heard, because I swear on those days we would get bombarded with more essay questions about the novels we read. She was a hard taskmaster and tough grader, but I loved her.

I will probably look into the movies after I read the book a second time.

Mel wrote: "I also forgot to mention that Foxfire: Confessions of a Girl Gang is one of my favorite books (the movie with Angelina Jolie was just so bad) and I try to re-read that book every few years. In fact I am probably due for a re-read of that one..."

Thanks for this, Mel. I have no idea how long this book has been sitting on my shelf unread. I'll have to dust it off and read it soon.

Nancy wrote: "Mel wrote: "I also forgot to mention that Foxfire: Confessions of a Girl Gang is one of my favorite books (the movie with Angelina Jolie was just so bad) and I try to re-read that book every few ye..."

I hope you like it as much as I do. I hated the movie (a lot) but the book I just loved and continue to enjoy. I have read it maybe three or four times now. Legs is one of my favorite characters from a book. I used to give a copy of this book to people who I just met (and really liked) and tell them to read it when I was younger. I would never ever loan my copy out. LOL I hope it lives up to my gushing over it. It just spoke to me when I read it the first time and continues to do so every time I read it.

The movie has low ratings and I'm not a Jolie fan, so I'll give it a pass. The book appeals to me, and I love that you read it more than once.

Nancy wrote: "I want to revisit some novels I read more than 20 years ago.

Dancer from the Dance
A Boy's Own Story
The Front Runner
Rubyfruit Jungle
[b..."

Loved the first four books you mentioned. I've re-read The Front Runner so many times...

Mel, the movie was fairly atrocious! Good to hear the book is better! I was unfairly prejudiced against it because of the movie. Now that I know, I'll read it sometime.

Nancy, good teachers do make a difference, don't they! I was lucky enough to have some great ones, both in high school and in college.

Alex wrote: "I've re-read The Front Runner so many times..."

I read it twice and I bawled my eyes out both times.

Greg wrote: "Nancy, good teachers do make a difference, don't they! I was lucky enough to have some great ones, both in high school and in college..."

They certainly do, Greg! I remember the good ones as well as the bad. Teachers have an incredible impact on young people's lives. It's amazing they are not valued as highly as other professions.

Jason wrote: "yes! On your bookshelf page, under the list of shelves is a link named select multiple. It will allow you to sort with both shelves."

Many thanks Jason!That was very helpful. Out of 234 books of interest to me that I've marked as LGBT, I have yet to read 107 of them. I won't be listing them all here but I will get cracking on them!

Thank you for this topic, I've added quite a few of your recommendations to my shelf :)

I don't usually reread books either, but if I were to pick a few:
China Mountain Zhang
Maurice
More Than This
The Song of Achilles
Vaslav
The Vintner's Luck

American Dreams. In my mind, the short story There is a Window still gets me. The idea of the stud and the white bra will forever stick with me.I re-read RubyFruit Jungle/Bastard out of Carolina at least every five years it seems. Just the power of the writing grips me each time.

LaToya wrote: "American Dreams. In my mind, the short story There is a Window still gets me. The idea of the stud and the white bra will forever stick with me.I re-read RubyFruit Jungle/Bastard out ..."

@LaToya, thanks! I added American Dreams to my to-read list.

The other two have been on my to-read list for a while. I own both of them; they're already sitting on my small bookshelf upstairs of books I've bought that I want to read soon!

@Carola, I've been hearing a lot of good stuff about The Song of Achilles lately. That's on my my small bookshelf upstairs too. Some of the others look interesting as well.

I couldn't find a version of Vaslav in English on Goodreads. Do you know if it's translated? The only book I see by him translated into English is In Lucia's Eyes. Was that one good too?

Carola wrote: "Thank you for this topic, I've added quite a few of your recommendations to my shelf :)

I don't usually reread books either, but if I were to pick a few:
China Mountain Zhang
[book:M..."

I've read China Mountain Zhang, Maurice, and The Vintner's Luck. I liked all three, but liked the movie better than the book with Maurice.

I agree - the movie adaption of Maurice was excellent! Many of those Merchant Ivory productions were quite good.

Funny, by some odd coincidence I've read nearly everything else by E.M. Forster, but I haven't gotten to Maurice yet. No idea why. I definitely want to read it though.

Greg wrote: "I couldn't find a version of Vaslav in English on Goodreads. Do you know if it's translated? The only book I see by him translated into English is In Lucia's Eyes. Was that one good too? "

Unfortunately it seems there's still no English translation for Vaslav, which is a huge disappointment (and I have been dropping hints to author and publisher ;-) ).

I really enjoyed In Lucia's Eyes (but I read it in Dutch so I can't vouch for the translation) This book isn't LGBT+ btw :)

I didn't know there was a movie for Maurice! I'll definitely give it a try :)

Thanks Carola! - I added In Lucia's Eyes to my to-read list.

This is the movie adaption of Maurice we're talking about (a superb adaption): http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mauric...

Greg wrote: "Funny, by some odd coincidence I've read nearly everything else by E.M. Forster, but I haven't gotten to Maurice yet. No idea why. I definitely want to read it though. ..."

Coincidentally, Maurice is the only E.M. Forster novel that I've read (I've also read a collection of his short stories). I read somewhere that it is considered one of his lesser works?

Carola wrote: "I didn't know there was a movie for Maurice! I'll definitely give it a try :) ..."

It was made during the mid to late 1980s. Got a young Hugh Grant (and an even younger Rupert Graves), but James Wilby carried the film.

Alex, I think that's somewhat true, though since I haven't read Maurice yet I couldn't say why. I certainly want to read it!

I think A Passage to India is generally considered his best. I like that one, but honestly I enjoyed A Room with a View the most. It's a fairly light read but highly enjoyable (for me anyway). I also liked Where Angels Fear to Tread. Forster wrote quite a lot though, even a sci-fi story The Machine Stops (perhaps that one was in the collection of stories you read?).

Alex wrote: "Carola wrote: "I didn't know there was a movie for Maurice! I'll definitely give it a try :) ..."

It was made during the mid to late 1980s. Got a young Hugh Grant (and an even younger Rupert Grave..."

James Wilby was amazing in it! He won some awards for his performance I believe.

I recently re-read Where You Are and plan on re-reading both Don't Let Me Go and Just Between Us.

Alex wrote: "Coincidentally, Maurice is the only E.M. Forster novel that I've read (I've also read a collection of his short stories). I read somewhere that it is considered one of his lesser works?"

I have read that also and have wondered how much the subject matter had to do with critics' opinions. It is a favorite book of mine. I identify so strongly with Maurice and have been in love with Scudder to the point of dreaming of him. (view spoiler)[Having a hunky gamekeeper climb into my window and seduce me is an ultimate fantasy. (hide spoiler)] The movie follows the book very closely. Only Merchant-Ivory could have done it justice, IMO.

Greg wrote: "...Forster wrote quite a lot though, even a sci-fi story The Machine Stops (perhaps that one was in the collection of stories you read?). "

I clicked the Kindle link for this story just now and it was on sale for 99¢ for me anyway. Normally $4.99.

Thanks Kernos - a great price! I'll check it when I get off work.

Greg wrote: "Forster wrote quite a lot though, even a sci-fi story The Machine Stops (perhaps that one was in the collection of stories you read?)."

Nah, it was the The Life to Come. And I just finished The Machine Stops. Don't quite know how I feel about it. But it was indeed very sci-fi.

When I think of At Swim, Two Boys, even though I love that book, I would find it too painful to read again. That book broke my heart.

I have read The Song of Achilles again. Indeed I already have read it twice.

Flute by Shona Ramaya I have lost count of how many times I have read it. (Now I feel like reading it again!)

Another one I will definitely read again is An Arrow's Flight by Mark Merlis. The story dovetails into Song of Achilles (being about Achilles' son), but they as vastly different books.

Thanks Mark - some new ones for me! I hadn't heard of An Arrow's Flight or Flute before.

I've been searching for An Arrow's Flight for along time but I can't seem to obtain it (for a reasonable price..) anywhere... But thanks for reminding me of it!

Mark wrote: "When I think of At Swim, Two Boys, even though I love that book, I would find it too painful to read again. That book broke my heart..."

Indeed, but the journey is so gorgeous. IMO, it's one of best literary Gay novels I have read.

I have Arrow's Flight, but have not read it. I'm in an historical/mythic fiction mood, so will if I can find it. Thanks for the reminder.

Alex wrote: "Carola wrote: "I didn't know there was a movie for Maurice! I'll definitely give it a try :) ..."

It was made during the mid to late 1980s. Got a young Hugh Grant (and an even younger Rupert Graves), but James Wilby carried the film."

I just finished watching the movie. Loved it :)

I'm primarily a reader of audiobooks, so for me this question is also about performances. It's terrible for me when I look around at titles that others recommend, go to Audible to make my search and find nothing. I may take some of the titles here and make requests of Audible. Members can do that and sometimes the requests even bear fruit. The other tragedy of my addiction / poor eyesight is that there are so many good audiobooks out there that I'm never at loss, even if it do mourn the availability of certain books.

At the top of my list of awesome performances are two books by Caitlín R. Kiernan: The Drowning Girl and The Red Tree. Both fall into the horror genre and both are deeply psychological thrillers. The performance in The Drowning Girl is simply stunning. It's a part of the Neil Gaiman Presents series of Audible audiobooks and one of my favorite productions ever. The story involves a blending of the fairytales Little Red Riding Hood and The Little Mermaid. These two stories are researched to madness by a young schizophrenic woman named India Morgan Phelps or 'Imp.' Through her research we learn that she might not be schizophrenic at all. She may have driven herself to madness, or been driven. The Red Tree is the perfect bookend for The Drowning Girl. The protagonist in it, Sarah Crowe, is like an older, wiser sibling to Imp. She too is haunted by the Cthulhu-esque forces that inhabit Caitlín R. Kiernan's mythology.

I want to revisit the world of Riverside again this year. The Ellen Kushner series is another of my favorite listens, primarily Swordspoint and The Privilege of the Sword. They were both wonderful.

Sarah Waters is another author who's work has been made into very satisfying audiobooks. I've listened to Fingersmith, Affinity and The Night Watch multiple times.

There are many more. I revisit the stories I enjoy as a matter of course. The investment is a bit different when you like to listen.