Reviews (18)

Made a PROFOUND difference in my son's perception of himself
These are the exact words my gay son wrote to me after reading this book, The Velvet Rage:
Life Changing Book for Me
I had reviewed all the comments posted here before I purchased the book because I usually like to get some general ideas of books I am interested in. After receiving and reviewing my copy, I'd like to say this is a great book. This book is very valuable for me personally.
The Velvet Rage:Overcoming the pain of growing up gay in a straight man's world
Easy read.Go flow to it.Lot's of new thoughts on common but often overlooked symtoms.The many real world examples used helped keep thoughts clear. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Gay Studies    2. Gender Studies    3. General    4. Social Science    5. Sociology    6. Biography: general    7. Gay studies (Gay men)   

Reviews (13)

In Way Over Her Head
Cover Blurb:
Where have you been Ronica Black?
I'd never heard of her before?I took a chance on a new author because I wanted something new and different.The front and back covers hooked me and I wasn't disappointed.
Great Read!
This is the first book that I've read by Ronica Black and I hope it not to be the last. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Fiction    2. Fiction - General    3. Lesbian    4. Romance - General    5. Suspense    6. General & Literary Fiction    7. Literature of special Lesbian interest   

Reviews (9)

Disappointed
I purchased this because I really enjoyed Wild Rock.However, this isn't as good.I expected the first (cover) story to be funny and imaginative--it wasn't.Kuro is not some kind of shapechanger.He's really a dog who fell in love with a human.His thoughts and dialogue are PRIMITIVE, and there is almost no conversation between them.The relationship between the two characters is just sex.The art is lovely, but not enough to carry the "story."
A great collection.
Man's Best Friend is perfect for a quick yaoi fix. You can flick to any of the six short stories and find a simple, steamy read.
OMG I LOVE THIS ONE BUY IT!!!!!
I've read this manga a few years ago and fell in love with it. The characters are adorable and the art work I don't even have to comment on that Kazusa Takashima is the best!!! Takashima is my fffffffffaaaaaaavvvvvvv artist. The manga is also funny to boot. I also recommend you read Wild Rock or just anything by Takashima. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. American Light Romantic Fiction    2. Comics & Graphic Novels    3. Fiction    4. Fiction - Fantasy    5. Gay    6. Graphic Novels - Manga    7. Graphic Novels - Romance    8. Graphic Novels-Manga   

Reviews (5)

Vaughan's Political Sci-Fi Continues To Impress
In the next five issues of Ex Machina, Brian K. Vaughan's story of a superhero-turned-mayor of New York City, Mitchell Hundred's administration has to contend with more hotbed political issues as well as some "unnatural" occurreneces that are connected to the device that gave Hundred his powers.
More Vaughan please!
So I ventured into the second volume of the Ex Machina and, man, this book was good! Just alone Mr. Vaughan's views on politics and then add in some hints about where his powers came from and the crazed maniac killer butchering people in the subways, man, this book is good! Add on Harris' artwork, which is just getting even better, and his amazing attention to detail, and great capturing of people's expressions and reactions, man, this book is good! Vaughan's writing is tight and fun and revolting and inspiring and, man, this book is good!
Brian K. Vaughan Rocks!
I started reading Y: The Last Man about two years ago and have been hooked on this guy's writing since. I've been trying to pick up as much of his work as I can find and this is one of the most satisfying ones I've come across. It presents a fairly unique situation, as far as comics go at least, involving a superhero who decided to move into politics.
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Subjects:  1. Comics & Graphic Novels    2. Fantasy    3. Fiction - General    4. Gay    5. Graphic Novels    6. Graphic Novels - General    7. Graphic Novels - Science Fiction    8. Graphic Novels - Superheroes    9. Fiction / Graphic Novels   

Reviews (9)

Can you be all things to all people?
This book,part of the "Bella by Night" series (which means it rates high on the erotica scale), is a book of short series connected by an address: 18th and Castro. All the scenarios are different. I found some of the stories to be very good; others silly and the rest kinky.
Not What You'd Expect...
I wasn't exactly sure what I was getting into when I ordered this book.Some friends said it was great, others said it was terrible.In fact, I didn't even know it was a series of inter-related stories until I started reading.Not generally a fan of anthologies or short stories, I have to admit to thoroughly enjoying this newest offering from Kallmaker.
A good collection
It's Halloween night in San Francisco and the Castro area is rocking with celebrations.Outrageous costumes and noisy parties are the themes of the night as Suze and Amy sneak to the top of a building to observe the festivities.These two are used periodically to provide a weak story line that loosely ties the stories together as they peer into the lives of other people.The stories are set up so that each one takes place in each of the different apartments in the building at 18th & Castro.Something in the story from one apartment connects to the story in another apartment.The stories vary in their intensity and quality and not all of them are classically erotic.There are stories of lost love rediscovered, old friends who realize a new relationship, and lust in place of love.The most poignant story is about a woman who kissed her partner good-bye thinking she would see her in the evening, only to have the partner die during the day.This is a pleasant collection.It's perfect for reading at night before you go to bed or when you have a short period before you need to do something, although some of the stories are steamy and you might want to be careful where you read them.You can read a story, put it down and come back later not having to worry about previous plot points.If you're looking for erotica, some of the stories are heavy in it, but not all of them and this provides a good variety.Short story collections are not usually as appealing to this reviewer because it is more difficult to get involved in a story, but this one doesn't fit the usual mold and therefore was better to read.18th & Castro is recommended for those who like a good blush and some heat to a story.
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Subjects:  1. Erotica - General    2. Fiction    3. Fiction - General    4. Lesbian    5. Popular American Fiction    6. Romance - Adult    7. Literature of special Gay & Lesbian interest    8. Modern fiction   

Reviews (58)

An excellent reading experience
Well written, thought provoking and entertaining.This book is all of these and more.The characters are elegantly drawn against the gritty realities of 1978 suburbia.To be a gay teenager in such an atmosphere makes you "different," and Soehnlein creates a sympathetic portrait of a teenager coming to realize the extent of his own worth.I look forward to Soehnlein's next book.

Not what I expected
I guess I am rather new to gay fiction and picked this one up before moving overseas for an assignment. I half expected it to be very stereotypical, campy and cheezy...in the end I ended up passing it along to someone else to read as I found it to really reach out and touch me on some deeper plane. I dont know why - just did.In any case really enjoyed the story and style in which it was written.Another book i had picked up in the same genre doesnt even compare to this one.

Not a single false note in coming-of-age novel
K.M. Soehnlein did not strike a single false note for me in his coming-of-age novel. The non-linear nature of many conversations (which still communicate much to both the listeners AND the speakers), the guilt and excitement that a person feels when he continues to experience life during tragic circumstances, the way a series of bold decisions suddenly add up to a life spinning wildly out of control: all of these ring true to me.
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Subjects:  1. Fiction    2. Fiction - General    3. General    4. Genre Fiction    5. Literature of special Gay interest    6. Modern fiction   

Subjects:  1. Comics & Graphic Novels    2. Fiction    3. Graphic Novels - General    4. Graphic Novels - Manga    5. Graphic Novels-Manga    6. Comics & Graphic Novels / Graphic Novels / Romance    7. Graphic novels    8. Literature of special Gay interest   

Editorial Review

We've all got our idiosyncrasies when it comes to writing--a special chair we have to sit in, a certain kind of yellow paper we absolutely must use. To create this tremendously affecting memoir, Jean-Dominique Bauby used the only tool available to him--his left eye--with which he blinked out its short chapters, letter by letter. Two years ago, Bauby, then the 43-year-old editor-in-chief of Read more

Reviews (92)

A book close to my heart
The book has been the best book I have ever read.
Where does one get the strenght to carry on?
A marvelous book in which a man tells his personal experiences and thoughts in dealing with a stroke that left him completely paralysed,speechless and able only to move one eyelid. It is amazing that he found a way to tell his story and it will show the reader what a slender thread it is by which we all cling on to life. It is a wonderful moving read and will surely leave one with much to think about. I also read many of the very personal reviews that customers have written.
Unbelievably beautiful
With every page, every sentence, every word....every letter....I try to put myself in Bauby's stiff-backed wheelchair and imagine the pain (physical, mental, spiritual and emotional) he was going through at the time. And you know what? I probably didn't even scratch the surface.
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Subjects:  1. 1952-    2. Bauby, Jean-Dominique,    3. Biography    4. Biography / Autobiography    5. Biography/Autobiography    6. Brain    7. Cerebrovascular Diseases    8. Cerebrovascular disease    9. Diseases    10. France    11. Gay Studies    12. Health    13. Patients    14. Personal narratives    15. Social Science    16. Specific Groups - General    17. Bauby, Jean-Dominique    18. Biography & Autobiography / General    19. Memoir/Autobiography   

Reviews (21)

An eye-opening journey down the rabbit hole!
Reading Alice in Genderland, one cannot help but be struck by the courage, intelligence, and generosity of its author. What a riveting tale! I could scarcely put it down. This is a memoir like no other.
a thinking t,girls book
When i first saw this book advertised on amazon,i thought it would be the nomal collections of anecdotes,photos, and tales of a t.girls relationship with her own world.
Simply Fantastic
I really could not put the book down.It was very informative and enlightening, and maybe helped me to understand myself a little bit more and put things into perspective.Alice's experiences have mirrored some of my own and my friend's in a way that is somewhat mind boggling. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography & Autobiography    2. Biography / Autobiography    3. Biography/Autobiography    4. Interpersonal Relations    5. Personal Memoirs    6. Biography & Autobiography / Personal Memoirs    7. Biography: general    8. Family & Relationships-Interpersonal Relations    9. Marriage & relationships    10. Transvestites    11. Gender Studies    12. Transvestism    13. Bisexuality   

Reviews (11)

Truly ONLY For Beginners
I was extremely disappointed when I purchased this title.While the book is indeed full of wonderful full-color photographs, the actual information in the book is useful only those who really need an introduction to gay life.Otherwise, the sex portion of this book, especially, has absolutely nothing in it that two teen boys with a tiny spark of imagination couldn't come up with.I would not recommend this book to anyone who has ever had sexbefore, since you've probably done everything that Ford discusses.

Informative, light and recommended!
This is one of the 2 books which are very good compared to the rest. I like Ford's light, informative and slightly humoristic style of writing. The photos in the book are good quality although an experienced gay may not become very excited. The author himself does not find it necessary to provide great details. However, there is a broad spectrum of information which can be very useful for beginners and gays with limited experience. Overall it is worth being recommended. Additional book which I found very valuable is "Scientifically guaranteed male multiple orgasms and ultimate sex". I am sure that you will like both of them.

Great for introduction!
This book is great!Especially if you're just coming out.It gives you a great introduction to the gay culture, as well as information that would otherwise be akward to talk about.Sure it is the parents job to do that, but sometimes the parents don't even know what to say, especially if you're parents are religious, and do not agree with the gay lifestyle! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Gay Studies    2. Handbooks & Manuals    3. Homosexuality, Male    4. Human Sexuality    5. Love / Sex / Marriage    6. Reference    7. Sex instruction for gay men    8. Sexual Instruction    9. Family & Relationships / Sexuality    10. Self-Help   

Reviews (11)

Double romance
Ohhhh...Kallmaker does it again.A 5 star awesome novel.
This One is to Savor
This the 17th outing for Kallmaker, and she brings us something new.This is the story of Syrah, born with grapes in her DNA.And Toni, a businesswoman who works for stockholders and courts and essentially tells companies how to restructure their businesses and then walks away.When Toni is asked to look at Syrah's family vineyard, she discovers that while she likes Syrah's father, he is a poor businessman.What will Toni find when she goes through the books?
Love at Second Sight
A thoughtful friend gave me this latest Karin Kallmaker novel for Christmas - signed no less! - and it was a true delight to read. Pride & Prejudice is one of those books I know I *ought* to have read, but I haven't. Since it's apparently the birthplace of the romance novel - and the blueprint from which Just Like That was developed - I think I have to read it.
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Subjects:  1. Fiction    2. Fiction - General    3. Lesbian    4. Popular American Fiction    5. Modern fiction   

Reviews (23)

Not bad but i wouldn't recommend it
Primarily and most improtantly, homophobia wasn't not the true reason behind shaping my ture opinion about this book which i coudn't bear readingtill the end. Although Alex Sanchez does a great job in revealing an introspection of the three protagonists Nelson, Jason, and Kyle including their feelings about their homosexuality and their caring about the view from which society would regard them. Instead of bringing forth the disliked subject of homophobia in American society, Sanchez unreasonably talks sublty about this important issues by narrating the story of Jason's coming out. It is surprrising and hardly believable to accept the courtesy by which Jason's schoolmates regarded his coming out and that their role-model is homosexual. In actual life, it's rarely if never oucurring that a large amount of people would easily accept among them someone who according to religion and common rule, is somehow different. In addition to the unusal attitude of the town people, Jason't being interviewed and acclaimed by many for having the courage of coming out is an extreme prasing of being homosexual. Again, i am not a homophobe and i can prove this by expressing how much i liked Rainbow Boys in talking about a negative thing (homophobia) in American history and in it's valuale message to encourage youth in general and homosexuals in particular to accept their fauts and face society.

There Are No Surprises Here
Nelson, Kyle and Jason whom we met in RAINBOW BOYS are back again, pretty much as we knew them. Well, Nelson has gone from dying his hair lemon-lime to "flame-blue," an appropriate color since he is certainly the flamer of these three. He is the outrageous one who never had a chance of being in anybody's closet, even if he had wanted to. Kyle is still the shy one on the swim team who can "pass" if left alone. Jason, of course, is the high school jock equally attractive to both young men and women.
Could have been better......
Rainbow Boys is a waaaay better book than this.I think the thing that hit me the most was how different this book was from the first book.It had almost no cussing or sexual jokes which were abundant in the first one.That small detail was important because it made it realistic.To have highschool kids not cussing or making the crude jokes was lame because all kids do. In Rainbow Boys Nelson made some of the funniest jokes and said the best lines in this book he comes off as dumb and whiney instead of whiney but cute.It makes no sense why he would want to have sex so badly with Jeremy and that shouldnt have taken up the whole book.Nelson could obviously get another guy and especially after he was afraid he had got HIV.The way he didn't take getting it seriously was dumb too.He was funny and interesting in the first book what happened??
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Subjects:  1. Children's 12-Up - Fiction - General    2. Children: Young Adult (Gr. 7-9)    3. Coming out (Sexual orientation)    4. Fiction    5. High schools    6. Homosexuality    7. Juvenile Fiction    8. Social Issues - Dating & Sex    9. Social Issues - Homosexuality    10. Social Situations - Dating & Sex    11. Social Situations - Homosexuality    12. Fiction dealing with sexuality & relationships    13. Gays & Lesbians    14. Juvenile Fiction / Social Situations / Homosexuality    15. Literature of special Gay interest   

Reviews (21)

Beautiful Music!
Love's Melody Lost is one of the most romantic books I have ever read! It is Radclyffe at her best...again! This is a must read and one that I will read again. You will fall in love with these characters instantly. Graham Yardley is strong, very independent, beautiful, and has lost more than her eyesight. Her soul is guarded and her music is gone. Anna is a woman learning who she really is and what she truly desires most. She learns she must fight for what she wants. She has a way of bring life to Yardley Manor and to its owner. Will it be enough? Helen the devoted caretaker and mother figure to Graham...she can see what the two women can't. Will Helen's protectiveness for Graham help her and will her new friendship with Anna be enough to convince the young woman that Graham is a changed woman since she came to Yardley?
Melody to my ears
Graham Yardley is a gifted composer and pianist.She's been a recluse ever since an accident blinded her.She stays at home and works on her music.
Music to My Eyes
The plot of this book is as described elsewhere.
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Subjects:  1. Fiction    2. Fiction - General    3. Lesbian    4. Modern fiction    5. Romance - Adult   

Reviews (11)

Not for everybody
Let's just say this book disturbed me just a bit.I'm not into S & M, but that doesn't mean it is wrong. I finished the book and it had a good ending.How it got there was rough?
Radclyffe's Best of All Time
I have read everything Radclyffe has published and quite a lot of her unpublished fan fiction.This is by far the most daring and original story she has released.
Not for everyone- but so what?
"It's just another way that people relate. Not for everyone- but so what?" (Radclyffe 54).
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Subjects:  1. Erotic fiction    2. Erotica    3. Fiction    4. Lesbian    5. Lesbian fiction    6. Romance - Adult   

Subjects:  1. Gay Studies    2. Gender Studies    3. Homosexuality    4. Lesbian Studies    5. Philosophy    6. Queer theory    7. Social Science    8. Sociology    9. Social Science / Gay Studies   

Editorial Review

Leslie Feinberg has been a leader in the transgender rights movement as long as such a movement has existed. This book is both deeply personal and widely researched. Feinberg examines perceptions of the body, the status of clothing, and the structures of societies that welcome or are threatened by gender variance. The portrait gallery that closes the book contains photographs and capsule biographies of contemporary transgendered people. ... Read more

Reviews (20)

Transgender Warriors
Although the sections of this book dealing with contemporary issues are reasonably accurate, many historians have pointed out that the history section desperately needed to have been vetted by someone who studies the subject.
The best text book I've ever read
This book was refreshingly factual and frank.I was blown away by what I read about the history of the trans person - especially Joan of Arc!I am a big fan of this book because it has provided me with enough valuable backup material for my thesis.I have searched high and low for supporting quotes such as those found in Feinberg's writing.BUY THIS BOOK - it will end up like mine, with notes written all over every page and lots of folded pages, kept next to the bed for reading regularly.

Liberation Manifesto
This is a manifesto of transgender liberation.It will be remembered and read for many years to come.As a LGBT person, it really touched me.Some societies have honored us and some have murdered us.It is time for us to rise up and say enough.I will re-read this book. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Gay Studies    2. Gay/Lesbian Nonfiction    3. Gender Studies    4. Gender identity    5. History    6. Social Science    7. Sociology    8. Transsexualism    9. Transsexuality    10. Transvestism    11. Gay & Lesbian studies    12. Social Science / Gender Studies   

Reviews (6)

Compelling.
Jonathan Weinberg's MALE DESIRE: THE HOMOEROTIC IN AMERICAN ART, like his two earlier books SPEAKING FOR VICE: HOMOSEXUALITY IN THE ART OF CHARLES DEMUTH, MARSDEN HARTLEY, AND THE FIRST AMERICAN AVANT-GARDE (1993) and AMBITION AND LOVE IN MODERN AMERICAN ART (2001), demonstrates the extent to which same-sex desire animates American visual culture. That the book's premise should not be widely taken as self-evident reveals the extent to which interpretive perspectives sensitive to the nuances of homoeroticism remain marginalized. Weinberg's analysis of a broad range of visual sources--from fine art to popular culture--is carefully contextualized, tightly conceived, and unfailingly convincing. As a writer, he expresses complex concepts in a voice that is both direct and clear. I highly recommend this book, which makes a unique contribution to the fields of visual studies, gender/sexuality studies, and American history, while exploring critical intersections among them.

Excellent survey of gay male imagery in American culture
"Male Desire" is an excellent work of synthesis, marking a new plateau in the development of queer cultural studies.It gathers enormous amounts of previously scattered material about gay artists, as well as gay writers and other cultural figures, from Walt Whitman to the present -- and sometimes even identifies images by non-gay artists that have some gay interest.Weinberg has a knack for pithy phrases and metaphors, which help to organize his material both chronologically and thematically, and as a painter himself he is capable of good visual analysis and unusual, thought-provoking connections between very diverse types of art.All future writers on American gay culture will have to acknowledge and reckon with his broad conceptual framework.

Great book
I highly recommend this book.Visually beautiful and attractive, the book is also textually insightful.It's a book to enjoy with no need to get entangled in academic debates. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. American - General    2. Art    3. Art & Art Instruction    4. Art Criticism    5. Art, American    6. Collections, Catalogs, Exhibitions - General    7. Criticism    8. Desire in art    9. Gay Studies    10. Gay erotic art    11. Homosexuality    12. Homosexuality and art    13. Male nude in art    14. Sociology    15. Subjects & Themes - General    16. Art / General    17. Human figures depicted in art    18. USA   

Reviews (1)

Glaser's story brings humor and hope to gay Christians
Chris Glaser's book poinently and beautifully describes his struggle to find a place in the church as a gay man.Reading Chris' reflections on his own and the church's struggle with his sexuality and with the place ofhomosexuality within the church was an healing expereince for me.And histheology is good too!A must for any gay Christian. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography    2. Christian Sexual Ethics    3. Christian gays    4. Christianity - History - General    5. General    6. Glaser, Chris    7. Homosexuality    8. Presbyterian Church    9. Presbyterians    10. Reference    11. Religion - Socialissues    12. Religious aspects    13. United States    14. Christian social thought & activity    15. Sex & sexuality   

Editorial Review

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Reviews (18)

Reviewers Trash Classic!!!
Who is Kerry Fried, and why is s/he reviewing this classic? I read this book several years ago. As a story of a female shepherd and her owner, it is brutally honest, to the detail. Ackerley as a dog person, seems so indulgent and feeble. While reading, one must be mindful that the events took place in the 40's and in Briton. Perhaps he never had a dog before, and knew no better. Pups, off leash adventures, pooping issues. As subject matter, who but another shepherd lover would care. Who but a post modern dog lover would be appalled at the old fashioned beliefs and attitudes. But, and this is critical, but, the language is beautiful, the sentiment expressed is pure. And the final chapter, and final paragraph, are exquisite. I feel the passing of her life from his own, his long life stretching out so far beyond her sweet existence within it. I love my dog Olk as dearly, and dread his eventual loss. Superb form, distressing content.
Being a dog lover but not a dog owner who believes that it is cruel to keep most dogs in an urban environment, and especially a large dog in a flat as the author did, I found this memoir not to be my cup of tea.Humans are portrayed in it as curious, rather unsympathetic creatures, whilst the dog at the center of his love, is romanticised despite the loving detail with which the author describes the bodily functions of the animal.I can understand though, its appeal to those with an obsession with their dog who find humans too argumentative, contrary or difficult.An instance of "horses for courses" so to speak.

A Real Dog of a Book ... and Not in a Good Way
If you want to be immersed in a definitely 1960's I'm-obsessed-with-Freud take on dog ownership from someone who should never have been allowed to own a dog ... if you're dying to discover in ad nauseum detail the fecal and urinary habits of an animal whose owner lacks the least understanding of training a dog ...if you yearn for all the details of the miseries this animal goes through whenever she's in heat, this is the book for you.