Recommendations for LGBT Audible Books

[W_L]

I own the physical copies of Lynn Flewelling's Nightrunner series, along with the e-book versions. However, I decided to branch out once more and bought the audible versions. What took me 1-2 months to read in the past, I finished in a little over a week of continuous listening, while I was sick in bed. It's a mainstream 7 fantasy book series with LGBT lead characters, a novelty for the genre. (I also own Tamir Triad in print and e-book).

Maybe audio isn't as visceral as reading it with your eyes, but in some ways, hearing a story has a certain kind of appeal as well.  I checked the audible website there's only 3,125 LGBT titles, so it's a limited selection, sadly. Even reading at a good rate of 320 words per minute, a major feat for one eye, I can't sustain the speed for more than an hour before stopping.

I wonder if anyone else has suggestions or a better way to read stories with more human-like synthesizers than what Microsoft offers?

Does anyone else share my fondness for audio books? Is there a medium where I can find LGBT stories in audio?

Edited July 14, 2019 by W_L

[Thorn Wilde]

I love audiobooks. I find I don't have as much time to sit down and read as I used to, so I listen to audiobooks on my commutes and when travelling. As for good queer stories I've found on Audible, Armistead Maupin's Tales of the City, More Tales of the City, and Further Tales of the City (the first and third performed by the talented Frances McDormand and the second by Cynthia Nixon) are all available there. There's also an audio version of André Aciman's Call Me By Your Name there, narrated by Armie Hammer who was in the movie. And I really enjoyed L. C. Rosen's Jack of Hearts (And Other Parts) which I got recommended on here somewhere (can't currently recall by whom) and found in audio version. If you like young adult stuff at all, I also recommend John Green and David Levithan's Will Grayson, Will Grayson. Those are the ones currently in my library.

[W_L]

Thanks @Thorn Wilde, I'll do Andre Aciman "Call me by your name" next month

I used my monthly credit on "Red, White, and Royal Blue" as it was the best seller on audible LGBT section, 1st chapter reads/listens like an episode of "West Wing" with a twist of modern input, political history/perspective and 21st century irreverence are a fun combination. It's not going to be everyone's cup of tea, but I do enjoy the backdrops and enjoy complex intrigues. It's one reason why I enjoy Lynn Flewelling's Nightrunner series, despite being fantasy, there's tons of political intrigue, scandal, and blackmail in the fantasy kingdom of Skala that the story is set.

[W_L]

Call me by your name was introspective, romantic, and very movingly tragic portrayal of young love. Very good book overall

Also for those looking into a Christmas sorry with a gay twist and Halmark-esque story: Mr. Frosty Pants

It's a fun southern gay romantic story about two 22 year old guys, old best friends who never realized their mutual love for one another. It's a bit cliche as most modern love stories: Rich kid loves a poor kid, abusive parents, bourgeois social climbing, and  star-crossed lovers. Also, it has several gay sex scenes that would make Nifty readers blush a few shades, good for gay audience though. Yet, beneath it, the author does tell a unique story set in the backdrop of Knoxville, Tennessee from the neighborhood descriptions to the local bars. There's also a powerful scene between one of the guys and his homophobic father in a nursing home, which was built up artfully and legitimately makes up for the cliche imperfections. Honestly, if I were beta reading this story, I'd focus on that relationship even more. It's the epitome of Southern Gothic style, an abusive poverty born southern homophobic father destroys his gay son's self-esteem and forces him into a perpetual Gothic southern-styled cycle of abuse and torture to maintain the same system of abuse to begin with, but it might just be me as I enjoy Southern Gothic treatments of poverty, violence, and cyclical destructive behavior (It probably should be a dying literary style as none of this is good and I do want Southern LGBTQ friends to have better than this).

Edited January 1, 2020 by W_L