frankie Posted August 24, 2010 Share Posted August 24, 2010 (edited) Yesterday I was looking for the thread CornflowerBlue had started on LGBT literature (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender). After an extensive search for it with cats and dogs, fellow members of BCF and the mods and admin, it was concluded that the thread has somehow gone missing. I wanted to start a new thread on the subject and eventhough I believe CornflowerBlue was focusing more on the YA novels, or at least novels that had young LGBT characters in them, I'd like to broaden the discussion to include any kind of LGBT literature. I would really appreciate it if everyone who contributed to the previous thread would jog their memory and remember the novels they recommended and would post about them again The reason why I was searching for the thread yesterday is that when I was doing some book hunting for my own thesis, I came across this new book in the uni library: The Heart Has Its Reasons: Young Adult Literature with Gay/Lesbian/Queer content, 1969-2004. It's by Michael Cart and Christine A. Jenkins and it seems really interesting and I figured I'd have loads of titles to throw in the mix on the thread. I was planning on browsing through the book yesterday but instead I spent loads of time looking for the actual thread in which to contribute. I'll get back to you when I've had time to look at the book more closely. My own LGBT recommendations would include Sarah Waters's Fingersmith, Stephen Chbosky's The Perks of Being a Wallflower and Michael Cunningham's A Home at the End of the World (which is actually on my top 5 novels, ever).A collected list of authors and books that are recommended/mentioned in this thread:Fingersmith by Sarah WatersThe Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen ChboskyA Home at the End of the World by Michael CunninghamEarthly Powers by Anthony BurgessOranges Are Not the Only Fruit by Jeanette Winterson Sarah SchulmanThe Bar Stories by Nisa Donnelly Sandra ScoppettoneThe Front Runner by Patricia Nell WarrenThe Bermudez Triangle by Maureen Johnson.Sucking Sherbet Lemons by Michael CarsonMiddlesex by Jeffery EugenidesMy Invented Life by Lauren BjorkmanA Love Story Starring My Dead Best Friend by Emily HornerTricks by Ellen HopkinsThe Vast Fields of Ordinary by Nick BurdThe House of Night series by P.C. + Kristin CastSay The Word by Jeannine GarseeAlmost Perfect by Brian KatcherTwelve Long Months by Brian MalloyAsh by Malinda LoBoy Meets Boy by David LevithanHero by Perry MooreWill Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green & David LevithanPages For You by Sylia Brownrig Ask the Passengers by A. S. King Running with Scissors by Augusten Burroughs A Queer and Pleasant Danger: The True Story of a Nice Jewish Boy Who Joins the Church of Scientology, and Leaves Twelve Years Later to Become the Lovely Lady She Is Today by Kate Bornstein Maurice by E.M. Forster Other Voices, Other Rooms by Truman Capote City of Night by John Rechy Skin Lane by Neil Bartlett Queer by William S. Burroughs The Passion by Jeanette Winterson Stripping Penguins Bare by Michael Carson Yanking up the Yoyo by Michael Carson Death in Venice by Thomas Mann The Nightrunner series by Lynn Flewelling The Line of Beauty by Alan Hollinghurst What Belongs to You by Garth Greenwell The Crime Writer by Jill Dawson (about Patricia Highsmith) The Boy in the Dress by David Walliams George by Alex Gino Simon vs. the Homosapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli The Upside of Unrequited by Becky Albertalli Aristotle And Dante Discover The Secrets Of The Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz The Before Now and After Then by Peter Monn Carry On by Rainbow Rowell 10 Things I Can See From Here by Carrie Mac We Are Okay by Nina LaCour You Know Me Well by Nina LaCour and David Levithan Two Boys Kissing by David Levithan More Happy Than Not by Adam Silvera History Is All You Left Me by Adam Silvera If I Was Your Girl by Meredith Russo Golden Boy by Abigail Tartellin The Art of Being Normal by Lisa WilliamsonNaomi & Ely's No Kiss List by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan What Belongs to You by Garth Greenwell The Spell by Alan Hollinghurst The Stranger's Child by Alan Hollinghurst Edited July 1, 2017 by frankie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrissy Posted August 24, 2010 Share Posted August 24, 2010 'Earthly Powers' by Anthony Burgess. A fabulous and epic read. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janet Posted August 24, 2010 Share Posted August 24, 2010 I'd like to add Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit by Jeanette Winterson into the mix. It's about a young girl growing up with a very religious mother in a very religious community and her exploration of her sexuality. I really enjoyed it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rijsel Posted August 24, 2010 Share Posted August 24, 2010 How about Sarah Schulman (for those interested in the post-Stonewall, AIDS era New York approach) or a lighter and less political Sandra Scoppettone (alos in New York, but set in detective plots). There's also one I really enjoyed millions of years ago, it sounded like THE BAR STORIES and I think it was by Donelly (Lisa or Nisa, I don't remember): it's set as a collection of short stories, but as you go along the pages, you realise that each short story is in fact the next chapter in the novel. And finally THE FRONT RUNNER by Patricia Nell Warren, in which the narrator is a gay man. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AbielleRose Posted August 24, 2010 Share Posted August 24, 2010 A good one that's had a fair bit of controversy lately is The Bermudez Triangle by Maureen Johnson. Its a YA and a lot of parents are banning it for the teenage lesbian relationships that it centers on (primarily in Florida). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesilbeach Posted August 24, 2010 Share Posted August 24, 2010 I read Sucking Sherbet Lemons by Michael Carson when it came about over 20 years ago, and it still sticks with me. It's really funny but honest, and I think it's being reprinted now as a 21 year anniversary print (or some such gimmick). It was the first of three books following a young man called Benson growing up in as a gay man in a Catholic household and community. There were two follow up books, but I didn't like the second book as much, and never bothered with the third. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nursenblack Posted August 26, 2010 Share Posted August 26, 2010 I thought Middlesex by Jeffery Eugenides was wonderful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lexiepiper Posted August 27, 2010 Share Posted August 27, 2010 A blog I follow recently held a 2 week spotlight on LGBT authors and books, so I went through all of her posts and noted down the books for this thread, you can see her original posts here, there are some interesting posts made by guest bloggers. I think the majority of these books are YA. My Invented Life by Lauren Bjorkman A Love Story Starring My Dead Best Friend by Emily Horner Tricks by Ellen Hopkins The Vast Fields of Ordinary by Nick Burd The House of Night series by P.C. + Kristin Cast Say The Word by Jeannine Garsee Almost Perfect by Brian Katcher Twelve Long Months by Brian Malloy Ash by Malinda Lo Boy Meets Boy by David Levithan Hero by Perry Moore Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green & David Levithan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vodkafan Posted September 25, 2010 Share Posted September 25, 2010 (edited) Hiya Frankie, I haven't read many but Pages For You by Sylia Brownrig was good. Edited September 25, 2010 by vodkafan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XanderRichards Posted April 2, 2012 Share Posted April 2, 2012 On this subject, I wonder whether anyone's read 'The Persian' by Gordon A. Watt? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kyra_Lyrical Posted June 14, 2012 Share Posted June 14, 2012 I must say that I don't always go for the most...well-liked of things. That being said, I must admit that some of the LGBT novels I read have originally been Japanese manga-novels. My personal favourites would be: Passion ~ Forbidden Lovers~ - written by Shinobu Gotoh and illustrated by Shoko Takaku. Sleeping with Money - written by Barbara Katagiri and illustrated by Sakuya Fujii. Dark Walker - written by Hikaru Yura and illustrated by Hirotaka Kisaragi. I'm not sure if self-published e-books count? If they do, I wrote a novella called Despair & Decision. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Inordeng Posted June 29, 2012 Share Posted June 29, 2012 Running with Scissors is a good book. Not specifically about the main characters sexuality but it does become a main theme. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted July 21, 2013 Author Share Posted July 21, 2013 I was watching a documentary on Brandon Teena and there was a short clip on Kate Bornstein and her thoughts on the case, and I added her memoirs to my wishlist but forgot to mention the book in this thread. A Queer and Pleasant Danger: The True Story of a Nice Jewish Boy Who Joins the Church of Scientology, and Leaves Twelve Years Later to Become the Lovely Lady She Is Today by Kate Bornstein The title basically says what the book is about I checked it on Amazon and it had received some pretty good ratings, 4,5 out of 5 stars, 31 ratings. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted October 17, 2014 Share Posted October 17, 2014 I'd like to add Ask the Passengers by A. S. King. It's a story about a girl who discovers she's gay. I just finished this book and really enjoyed it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted October 17, 2014 Author Share Posted October 17, 2014 Sounds like a good book! I should edit the first post to include the ones that haven't been listed there yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted October 17, 2014 Share Posted October 17, 2014 I think you would enjoy it . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Onion Budgie Posted December 14, 2015 Share Posted December 14, 2015 Hope it's ok to bump this thread, after such a long interval! Here are a few personal favourites, that have variously inspired, delighted, and amused me: Maurice by E.M. Forster Other Voices, Other Rooms by Truman Capote City of Night by John Rechy Skin Lane by Neil Bartlett Queer by William S. Burroughs The Passion by Jeanette Winterson Sucking Sherbet Lemons / Stripping Penguins Bare / Yanking up the Yoyo -- all by Michael Carson Death in Venice by Thomas Mann Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vodkafan Posted December 16, 2015 Share Posted December 16, 2015 (edited) Hope it's ok to bump this thread, after such a long interval! Here are a few personal favourites, that have variously inspired, delighted, and amused me: Maurice by E.M. Forster Other Voices, Other Rooms by Truman Capote City of Night by John Rechy Skin Lane by Neil Bartlett Queer by William S. Burroughs The Passion by Jeanette Winterson Sucking Sherbet Lemons / Stripping Penguins Bare / Yanking up the Yoyo -- all by Michael Carson Death in Venice by Thomas Mann I like Jeanette Winterson's writing so I will look out for The Passion thanks. Is Maurice set pre WW1 by any chance? Edited December 16, 2015 by vodkafan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Onion Budgie Posted December 16, 2015 Share Posted December 16, 2015 I like Jeanette Winterson's writing so I will look out for The Passion thanks. Is Maurice set pre WW1 by any chance? Hope you enjoy it! Yes, Maurice is set between 1909 and 1912. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted December 17, 2015 Share Posted December 17, 2015 Hope it's ok to bump this thread, after such a long interval! On most forums it's frowned upon, but there's also the rule to usually "don't start a new thread if there is an existing one" (this excludes the monthly and yearly threads we make here on this forum). This thread is not related to news items or any sort of subject related to its date. So by all means it's fine to bump this thread ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michelle Posted December 17, 2015 Share Posted December 17, 2015 I'm quite happy for old threads to be bumped. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Onion Budgie Posted December 17, 2015 Share Posted December 17, 2015 Thanks for the clarification! I saw older threads on other topics elsewhere that had been recently bumped, but just wanted to be sure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vodkafan Posted December 17, 2015 Share Posted December 17, 2015 Thanks for the clarification! I saw older threads on other topics elsewhere that had been recently bumped, but just wanted to be sure. We should perhaps call you Onion Bumpy...OK that was poor I know.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Onion Budgie Posted December 17, 2015 Share Posted December 17, 2015 We should perhaps call you Onion Bumpy...OK that was poor I know.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anisia Posted December 30, 2015 Share Posted December 30, 2015 I don't think it's in the thread - The Nightrunner series by Lynn Flewelling (it's a fantasy series) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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