W_L

My book reviews are sort of an ongoing experiment, I really enjoy them and introducing folks to new stories outside GA: As to my film reviews, I've done them on and off over the years. There's no rhyme or reason in my blog, I should probably clean it up and split it between the writer stuff and the review stuff. I also reviewed stories from other people's websites, too.

Very cool, so glad I am not the only one reviewing this stuff on GA I enjoyed both made-for-TV movies and there are a lot of great LGBT shorts. I used to review gay films on my blog, but have focused on the gay book reviews more (60+ and counting). Trevor probably comes to my mind, whenever I think about LGBT Shorts, both due to the synonymous, Trevor Project, and the well-developed story that hits hard for anyone who has contemplated suicide. I also remember some lesser-known shorts like A Friend of Dorothy from Boys' Life series, a gay college student falls for his roommate, and Touch from Boys' Briefs series, a sexually abused teenage boy is unable to break the habitual cycle of abuse (warning on this one, it's really dark and it's unforgiving to where it goes).

Expeditions, Estimation, and Other Dangerous Pastimes by Lyn Gala (Sci-Fi) Book 4 https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36602760-expeditions-estimation-and-other-dangerous-pastimes + Bonus Kensho by Lyn Gala https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/56058560 For the fourth book, Lyn Gala tries to add in some bigger concepts, while resolving major plot threads from the prior books. There’s no human conflict or high stakes involved in this book, which will lead to readers feeling a

An oldie, but still a very reflective song:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27401647-affiliations-aliens-and-other-profitable-pursuits This book was a very powerful story filled with everything that came before it and shaded with relevant issues that we still face today. Being in a gay relationship is one thing, being a submissive is another, but Lyn Gala held back no punches with her display of human bigotry even centuries in the future. This story is about a future that mirrors our world. In the prior books, we’ve only heard ab

Maybe interesting reads, I'll take a look. I'm debating if I should keep up with Hansen book reviews or move on to another classic gay author I have read, I enjoy the mystery, but they do get pretty grim and tragic for gay characters. Book 2 Death Claims is also dark and grim, there's no way out for gay guys in many of his stories sometimes, it's like reading torture porn. Hence why I am also reading and watching happier modern tales, too. Book 2 I'll definitely do a write-up, but we'll see about 3-12. As for other classic authors, I am contemplating reviewing Edmund White's books next or pulling out another Mary Renault. As you can tell, I do read a lot both classic and modern across genres.

I haven't yet though I am interested in Todd that he wrote under James Colton post-humorously published in 1995 (he took on the hard subject of interracial gay relationships decades before it became vogue, including side-effects of a changing racial ethos on lovers shunned by both worlds, but sadly he didn't publish it during his lifetime). His characters do get more bitter towards the late 80's-90's based on the Brandstetter series. I know he's writing in a different time and it's interesting to imagine the struggles of writing during the HIV/AIDS epidemic as lovers and friends die around you.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/473421.Fadeout The mystery genre is another one of my interested genres. As you may have seen, I've reviewed a few mystery stories in my collection in the past. I’ll begin again with an old classic mystery novel by Joseph Hansen. This book is quite dated in terms of material and locale, but some of its subject matter is eye-raising still. Written in 1970, Joseph Hansen was a pioneer in the gay mystery genre of his time. He portrayed gay male characters as

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sasaki_and_Miyano Yes, I am stepping out of my comfort zone and what most people read or review on GA, but I feel like this story deserves to get some highlight. I’ve watched and read a lot of Boys’ Love Anime and Manga along with my usual Shonen, and honestly, it can get repetitive watching a guy lust after another guy or somehow get seduced by a moment of passion via questionable consent/no-consent gay sex. I don’t mind the rape fantasy, the weird scenarios s

Another experimental review concept, I've been a fan of Anime and Manga for years now and I know there's a giant collection of BL Manga ranging from excellent narratives to scary rape fantasies. I'll gauge with my first review if there's an interest from others in my views on the subject. Again, my interests range across the genre from romance, contemporary, historical, fantasy, science fiction, mystery, and everything in-between.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23110213-assimilation-love-and-other-human-oddities Now we’re into book 2, the alien/human issues begin to spin and we get into very deep psychological questions about the characters and their motivations. One thing that Lyn Gala did in book 2 was established this future version of humanity was not perfect, nor were human authorities beyond bigotry, hate, and self-interest. There’s a lot of stuff to untangle in this book and a surprising setup that gets p

BL read by a BL actor.... Naughty @Drew Espinosa! Not all BL is straight-up sex and blackmail, lots of good ones are just about boys who fall in love under different scenarios. I think this review sort of explains why I was so happy with Sasaki and Miyano: Update: This review is even better as it describes some more tropes of the BL genre from an LGBTq+ male perspective, he also offers his realization story which is a cool thing to introduce with an anime dedicated to the topic.

@Drew EspinosaFinished Sasaki and Miyano, there's actually an english dubbed version of it online that came out a few months ago in 2022 (Hooray!). It's really sweet and charming love story, nothing earth-shattering or deep, just a relationship between 2 boys. Sasaki is completely taken in by Miyano's charms and cuteness with multiple attempts at flirting with him, but Miyano is resistant to it despite being a Fundashi (a male reader of Boy Love). Personally, I think Miyano is sort of scared of being labeled as being gay or bi, he's not resistant to the idea of being in love with boys (obviously), but he's got a feminine look and is shorter than most boys. He acts like a lot of queer teenagers trying to reason out his interests with social norms. If I were to attach a label to him and the way he acts or how his relationship with Sasaki grows in the anime, and the Manga (they're still going strong as of the last volume in the college years), I'd say he's most likely a "Pan" character in the same vein as David Rose from Schitt's Creek. "He likes the wine, not the label", being with a guy or liking boy love manga is just what he enjoys; he enjoys other Manga/Anime as an Otaku and has crushes on girls before, too. It's cool to see a Pan character depicted in BL manga, it's nuanced and subtle, but if you watch and read his interactions you'll see it. Sasaki though in the Anime is clearly G.A.F (Gay As F*%&), the boy is more upfront and flirty than most gay guys in real life even the out and proud crew. He doesn't care who knows or cares to know who he likes or what he does. He is chivalrous and defends the weak even if it means injury to himself. He also deeply cares about respecting his partner's boundaries and asks permission every chance he gets with Miyano, if things get more advanced. This is 10-star out of 5 boyfriend, he's the type of unicorn gay guy that a lot of people would die for as a partner. He comes out to his family in the Manga, but the Anime hasn't gotten to that point yet. It's worth an investment in time as light reading, especially if you just finished reading something traumatic or dark (Given was a lot harder on emotions than I thought) and I was glad to have found the recommendation for something that came out this year.

One more thing, for guys into the idea of "pure love" romance with little or no sex between guys, I do highly recommend trying out some Japanese Manga and Anime under the "BL"/"Boy Love" genre. Unlike more explicit Yaoi genres, you have very little sex with a lot of deep romantic stories involving gay or queer guys, sometimes it's more a "gay for you" situation, which is fine, and other times it deals with heavy subjects like trauma that characters overcome. Some of the other members and I share an interest in that variant of gay literature, as well. There's a bit of feminine-swing to certain gay characters, but it's not always true for all manga/anime in the genre, especially more recent ones. If anyone is interested, I or some of the other Manga/anime followers probably could offer a few titles. I've caught up a little bit on my BL over the last 6 months for stuff that came out in the last decade, I can offer a few options for genres from high school romance, Science fiction, fantasy, and mystery genres.

Neat, I'll look for the English subbed/dubbed version of the live action show. The manga site I use carries it, too. I just finished Given, it really is good after you get past episode 3 and you lose all the preconceived notions of BL genre. It's at heart a psychological study on grief, depression, love, interests, and finding your voice. I wish I had seen this back when I was a young queerling, trying to figure some of this stuff out myself, but I was watching anime in 2000's and this is a 2019 production. Plus, the educational lessons on band management, guitar maintenance, and sound systems are cool, even if I am not a band geek (I've dated a few guys who were so I know enough to praise the writers' focus on the details) It has the emotional depth with Sato, who is such an endearing gay teenager. I can feel his loss, his depression, and his need to emote without the words to express his emotions. I thought I'd be treated to another uke/seme pairing, but nope, these boys were complicated. Uenoyama is likely demi-romantic or demisexual, he's attracted to Sato based on emotional bond and musical resonance than sexual interest, other girls and boys don't attract him even when they throw themselves at him. Despite being a bit of a Tsundere, Uenoyama is not quite a dominant seme as I had initially assumed. Sato may seem reserved and quiet, but when he expresses himself you will hear him loud and clear, he's not a submissive uke as it might first appear either. The rankings of Given being in the top 10 gay romance manga/animes is deserved.

I also just started watching Sasaki and Miyano, it's another gay high school romance. This time, the love interests are fans of gay romance aka Boy Love mangas, so there's a lot of meta-references to other manga. I love the interesting cultural stuff I pick up about Japanese gay culture and it sort of reminds me why I love the genre.

For July 4th weekend, I'm binging on "Given", the 11 episode Anime series. Might be worth checking out if anyone else like music subgenre of gay romance. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Given_(manga) The idea of boys falling for each other over music isn't original, but I still love it.

A bit of a reflection on the guys that were never possible...

https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/38617807 Gay Science fiction is still one of my favorite genres, despite how sparse good book series can be. This book series in particular deserves recognition from gay authors attempting to explore this genre and seek out new perspectives. Lyn Gala is an amazing author, she writes gay sci-fi with an interesting angle based on linguistic perspectives and emotional depth that you seldom find, even in the traditional science fiction genres. I know this

"Passing as" is a term a lot of LGBT community probably has directly or indirectly encountered in our lifetime in various forms. Pride month is a celebration of LGBT community's various triumphs and also reminder of where we were. Passing was and still is for many a concept that resonates for those of us who can "pass as" non-LGBT due to our circumstances. For definition: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pass as#:~:text=1 %3A to cause people to,that once passed as science My first encounter with the term had nothing to do with being gay when I was only 7 years old. One of my childhood friends, who had just started elementary school with me introduced his parents. I was amazed to learn he was actually of African American descent, despite being pale-skinned (it took years for me to understand what Albino and early birth oxygen deprivation could do to melatonin affecting skin tones). He used the term passing as "white" and that's how I learned about the concept of passing as. Outside of myself and him, most of our elementary school class did not pursue college educations (a statistic that the disabled community suffer near 70-80% education drop rates beyond primary school). By passing as something he was not technically, he taught me the value of perception versus reality. Objectively, a lot of people "pass as" something else for various reasons beyond social conventions or needs. Being gay and demisexual with a visual disability, I don't easily throw off the stereotypical gay vibe or check out other guys, so most people assume I am straight. Gay guys who interact with me assume I am either straight or asexual due to my lack of acknowledgment of visual cues. I don't mean to "pass as" something else, but it is just how I am biologically. Does it make life easier sometimes? Yes, but it also makes life harder as well for relationships. I wonder if other people have similar issues or have encountered others as I have that "pass as" something else. Passing is a social concept, not a political or debate worthy one, so I hope folks can discuss it without going into rhetoric.

Well, we may first need to contend with a Black Mirror type scenario sooner rather than later: https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2022/jun/23/amazon-alexa-could-turn-dead-loved-ones-digital-assistant This reminds me of "Be Right Back", it is a testament to human progress that a scientific speculative concept posited only as fiction 9 years ago is now an actual consumer product. The next logical step is to create androids that simulate our deceased loved ones, Are we ready for digital facsimile?

Sex is part of the spice of life, but I understand what you mean, it can sometimes get a bit too much if you are not in the mood for that kind of story. One reason why I enjoyed Leta Blake and Keira Andrews so much was how they crafted their characters and stories, whether they are based on real-world scenarios, fantasy concepts, or locations. A good plot, theme, and concept go hand-in-hand when you enjoy a book. I know they write very detailed sex scenes in their books, but it feels deserved by the characters and the situation. Of course, I also enjoy just simple smut too 😛 I've read enough ABO (Omegaverse stories) to shrug off any sense of being high-brow about my reading habits. To me, reading gay literature like Maurice, Persian Boy, or modern controversial books like The Prophets with racial and gender components coexists with reading omegaverse books from authors like Susi Hawke (she also writes more serious fictional scenarios under her other pen name, Susan Hawke). I'm no expert on gay literature or judge of any tastes, except my own, but I can offer you books, recommendations, and genres if your have criteria. ---------- You said your trying to finish "Something Like..." series, I've got that in my queue for reading and review sometime next year. It's a very long series at 12 books, but cute, despite the challenging love/angst. If you like modern romance, I'd also recommend Aristotle and Dante series. I'll probably review these books before I get to Something Like... series https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12000020-aristotle-and-dante-discover-the-secrets-of-the-universe https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56980548-aristotle-and-dante-dive-into-the-waters-of-the-world It's rare to read about a young mixed-race gay couple and be engaged in their storyline. There's a cool modern perspective there for those interested. I love exchanging reading ideas with people, if you have any books you think I should get into, feel free to offer. My interests are eclectic and nothing is out of bounds.

What are you interested in, I can suggest a few books. I am probably going to start putting up some new gay book reviews again. The variety of "no-sex" gay fiction is quite deep: there is a subgenre of non-sexual gay fiction in the mainstream nowadays. Although, once the relationship is cemented, sex does come to play. (To me, sexual orientation is who you find attraction with, while sexuality and romantic desire are how you expressed your attraction.) Personally, for the "no sex" type gay romance books, I loved "A Kiss before Christmas" by A.E Rycecart to be quite enchanting, comfort, and cheery for Christmas romance by a UK author. There's no sex in book 1, but you don't need it for the set up. https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/55506115-a-kiss-before-christmas

You could try reading some of my book reviews, there's a pretty good cross-section of topics and genres. As a low vision reader, most of my books are on audible or have the ability to be read via Google Books app. I also know of a few e-book websites with gay e-books on it that I download and convert to supplement my reading from time to time.