Book recommendations please

[garbon]

Oh, they also had other books by Christopher Rice on the website. Which one would you recommend the most?

Well A Density of Souls takes place in New Orleans and features stuff about highschool.
The Snow Garden takes place somewhere on the east coast and features stuff about college.
Light Before Day takes place in California and features drugs, alcoholism, and many Grallonesque characters.

All of them are about the same in terms of quality. Depends on what you want.  Don't know what the 4th book is about.

[Sheilbh]

Of Human Bondage by Somerset Maugham - it's not gay, but it's very good.
The Line of Beauty by Alan Hollinghurst - a terrific book.
Goodbye to Berlin by Christopher Isherwood - what Cabaret's based on.
The Man With Night Sweats by Thom Gunn - one of the best poets of post-war era.

[Martinus]

Thanks Sheilbh. Audible.com has no. 1 and no. 3 from your suggestions, and a different book by Alan Hollinghurst (Swimming Pool Library). Gonna check them out.

P.S. Goodbye to Berlin is read by Michael York.   

[Queequeg]

Moby Dick.  Seriously.

.

As I sat there at my ease, cross-legged on the deck; after the bitter exertion at the windlass; under a blue tranquil sky; the ship under indolent sail, and gliding so serenely along; as I bathed my hands among those soft, gentle globules of infiltrated tissues, wove almost within the hour; as they richly broke to my fingers, and discharged all their opulence, like fully ripe grapes their wine; as. I snuffed up that uncontaminated aroma,- literally and truly, like the smell of spring violets; I declare to you, that for the time I lived as in a musky meadow; I forgot all about our horrible oath; in that inexpressible sperm, I washed my hands and my heart of it; I almost began to credit the old Paracelsan superstition that sperm is of rare virtue in allaying the heat of anger; while bathing in that bath, I felt divinely free from all ill-will, or petulance, or malice, of any sort whatsoever.

Squeeze! squeeze! squeeze! all the morning long; I squeezed that sperm till I myself almost melted into it; I squeezed that sperm till a strange sort of insanity came over me; and I found myself unwittingly squeezing my co-laborers' hands in it, mistaking their hands for the gentle globules. Such an abounding, affectionate, friendly, loving feeling did this avocation beget; that at last I was continually squeezing their hands, and looking up into their eyes sentimentally; as much as to say,- Oh! my dear fellow beings, why should we longer cherish any social acerbities, or know the slightest ill-humor or envy! Come; let us squeeze hands all round; nay, let us all squeeze ourselves into each other; let us squeeze ourselves universally into the very milk and sperm of kindness.

Yep.  That or Middlesex.

[Malthus]

Moby Dick.  Seriously.

.

As I sat there at my ease, cross-legged on the deck; after the bitter exertion at the windlass; under a blue tranquil sky; the ship under indolent sail, and gliding so serenely along; as I bathed my hands among those soft, gentle globules of infiltrated tissues, wove almost within the hour; as they richly broke to my fingers, and discharged all their opulence, like fully ripe grapes their wine; as. I snuffed up that uncontaminated aroma,- literally and truly, like the smell of spring violets; I declare to you, that for the time I lived as in a musky meadow; I forgot all about our horrible oath; in that inexpressible sperm, I washed my hands and my heart of it; I almost began to credit the old Paracelsan superstition that sperm is of rare virtue in allaying the heat of anger; while bathing in that bath, I felt divinely free from all ill-will, or petulance, or malice, of any sort whatsoever.

Squeeze! squeeze! squeeze! all the morning long; I squeezed that sperm till I myself almost melted into it; I squeezed that sperm till a strange sort of insanity came over me; and I found myself unwittingly squeezing my co-laborers' hands in it, mistaking their hands for the gentle globules. Such an abounding, affectionate, friendly, loving feeling did this avocation beget; that at last I was continually squeezing their hands, and looking up into their eyes sentimentally; as much as to say,- Oh! my dear fellow beings, why should we longer cherish any social acerbities, or know the slightest ill-humor or envy! Come; let us squeeze hands all round; nay, let us all squeeze ourselves into each other; let us squeeze ourselves universally into the very milk and sperm of kindness.

Yep.  That or Middlesex.

I love that passage. 

[Darth Wagtaros]

IT by Stephen King had a gay character. So did the Stand.

[Sheilbh]

Thanks Sheilbh. Audible.com has no. 1 and no. 3 from your suggestions, and a different book by Alan Hollinghurst (Swimming Pool Library). Gonna check them out.

P.S. Goodbye to Berlin is read by Michael York.   

The Swimming Pool Library's good.  Not as good in my opinion but still worth reading/listening to.

[saskganesh]

Burrough's Cities of the Red Night has anarchistic gay pirates, that's probably good enuff. as a way of reference, I found it unreadable.

[Berkut]

What a drag that your obsession with your sexuality dominates your life to such a degree that you have to filter your choice of entertainment through a is it gay enough? lens.

[garbon]

What a drag that your obsession with your sexuality dominates your life to such a degree that you have to filter your choice of entertainment through a is it gay enough? lens.

While I sort of agree with your sentiment, I would say that it is sometimes nice to read about characters that share your cultural traits.  And as much as one might deny it, there is really quite a bit to this Western subculture.  If that's all that Marty feels like indulging in on his vacation, what's the problem?

[Berkut]

Who says there is a problem?

It's not like Marty's fixation on his homosexuality has only come out in reference to his vacation and reading material.

Whatever makes him happy - but I think he does himself a disservice by defining himself so thoroughly by his sexuality that it affects his ability to enjoy things because they are not gay enough - especially things that have nothing to do with sexuality.

[garbon]

Who says there is a problem?

It's not like Marty's fixation on his homosexuality has only come out in reference to his vacation and reading material.

Whatever makes him happy - but I think he does himself a disservice by defining himself so thoroughly by his sexuality that it affects his ability to enjoy things because they are not gay enough - especially things that have nothing to do with sexuality.

Well "drag" isn't usually used as a positive term.

[Berkut]

Yeah, but that is just my opinion - apparently Marty is perfectly content finding his entire world revolving around gayosity.

[Sheilbh]

Whatever makes him happy - but I think he does himself a disservice by defining himself so thoroughly by his sexuality that it affects his ability to enjoy things because they are not gay enough - especially things that have nothing to do with sexuality.

Everything's to do with sexuality.

Edit:  Although I do find it interesting looking for a common theme in my favourite books.  Marty's faves, from what I can tell, tend to be dark, ironic and a little bit gay.  Mine are a bit of a mish-mash, which is frustrating.

[garbon]

Yeah, but that is just my opinion - apparently Marty is perfectly content finding his entire world revolving around gayosity.

Well I suppose he has two decades or so to make up for.