"The Lost Prophet" a biography of Bayard Rustin by noted gay historian John D'Emilio. Rustin's legacy finally gets its due placed in proper historical context with equal measure given to his sexuality, race, and pacifist beliefs.

[ February 04, 2004, 08:07 AM: Message edited by: Aznbutch ]

Many of you are talking about "The DaVinci Code," on my homepage - the Chicago Tribune - many questions are answered about the book. Just click here, and check it out.

By the way ... you may need to register. Don't worry, it's free.

Has anyone read the novel The Fabulist by Stephen Glass? I have it on order at Barnes and Noble since the store I frequent returned every copy after they found out the novel is based more on fact than fiction. Glass is the guy who worked for "The New Republic" and made up a lot of his stories...a few years before NYT's Jason Blair. His time at TNR was made into the film Shattered Glass with hottie Hayden Christensen playing Stephen.

Extra votes here for both The Da Vinci Code and The Bleachers. Fun and exciting reads. For Baseball fans and particularly NW Baseball fans- Out of Left Field by Art Thiel (Seattle PI) on how the Seattle Mariners turned the corner and became big time MLB versus the last stop to nowhere. wink wink

I listen to a lot of books on tape (unabriged)while I am traveling. I've gone through all of the Grisham books except Bleachers which I'm going to get this weekend -- thanks for the reviews. An author along the lines of Grisham, Lisa Scottolini, has put out some excellent novels -- but be certain to read (or listen) in the order they are published as they have recurring themes and characters.

A bit heavy reading but on my Ft. Lauderdale vacation recently I read "The Dark Side of Christian History" (when I wasn't distracted on the beach). This is an excellent book that made me even more cynical about organized religion.

I read a good spy thriller recently called Digital Fortress. Kindof along the same lines as Grisham, etc, but still a good read.

"Sports Guy" by Charles Pierce, "Fire" by Sebastian Junger, "Saints of Big Harbour" by Lynn Coady and "How to Be Good" by Nick Hornby. I'd recommend any of the four.

I'm in the midst of reading "The Corner: A Year in the Life of an Inner-City Neighborhood" by David Simon and Edward Burns. It's a fascinating - sometimes hilarious, sometimes depressing - look at the drug culture in West Baltimore in the late '80s to early '90s. It's one of my favorite non-fiction books because it takes you deep inside that culture without a whiff of condescension or judgment. Some of the best narrative journalism I've ever read.

I tried reading "Don Quixote" in Edith Grossman's new translation. The first chapters were terrific, but - alas - I had to return it to the library before I really got into it.

What are the best new gay novels/nonfiction books?

[ February 07, 2004, 11:14 AM: Message edited by: Eric Swanson ]

Just finished "Blind Eye", by John Morgan Wilson. Most recent in the Benjamin Justice mystery series, about a gay ex-Pulitzer Prize winner who gets himself into all kinds of situations, with a little sex added in just for excitement. Any of Wilson's Justice books are well worth a read.

"The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay" was amazing, I just finished it and may want to read it again soon. I am now reading "The Corrections", which is also very good. And any basketball fan or player should read "The Losing Season" by Pat Conroy, an excellent book about life and basketball.

Just finished Fast Food Nation. As if I needed any more reasons not to eat meat or McDonald's. Check it out if you really want to know what goes on in a corporate slaughterhouse.

I do enjoy quoting from it to my partner: "Metal shavings, insects, vomit, feces and urine!" He still doesn't care, though.

Just finished reading "The Piano Tuner" and it's the first book in a long time that I didn't want to end! It was an easy, riveting read. You're always wondering what happens next. It takes place in colonial Burma, so if you like reading about that time, then this is for you. I really enjoyed it!

Do any of you do the same thing I do these days? When I'm reading a book, I keep thinking how it'll be translated into a film. Damn those Hollywood moguls! But I'd love to see "The Piano Tuner" made into a movie and I'd love to see Clive Owens play the piano tuner.

Depending on how the book is written, sometimes I picture it as movie while I'm reading it.

Most the of the thrillers by James Patterson and John Grisham, while exciting and fun to read, sometimes drive me a little nutso because they read as if they were specifically written to be a movie. I can picture the author sitting at his computer, dollar signs flashing in his eyes, purposely developing the storylines and characters for a movie rather than focusing on writing a good book.

That said, I'm currently reading "The Jester" by James Patterson with a co-author, which does not seem like it would make a good movie, but it's a pretty good book. It's set in Medieval France during the Crusades, and although the main character sometimes comes off as a far-fetched superhero, so far (about 2/3 into it) I'm enjoying it. I love historical novels and have been planning to read "The Piano Tuner". Sounds wonderful.

I just finished Last Summer by Michael Thomas Ford. It was an entertaining read about a group of people and how their lives intertwine during one summer in P-town.

I would recomment this book as a great book to take to the beach!

I just started to read the South Beach diet book. I am thinking of starting that diet.

I love Michael Thomas Ford. I am in the middle of his best-of collection, "My Big Fat Queer Life." It includes a few new essays and some commentary on the old ones.

I just read John Grisham's "The Bleachers"- its about an All-American football player who returns home after 15 years to his hometown to make amends with his past. I don't want to give anything away- but frankly- even though it has a sports background- it is by far his weakest book. But it is a great afternoon read if you want a short book....

I have all of his other books. Is it worth getting the best of for the additional commentary? How many more new essays?

Mike

I think there are 7 new essays. The book is upstairs so I can't check it at the moment. The additional commentaries are really just a couple of sentences, or at most a paragraph or two. I'd say that whether the whole book is worth it depends on your budget. If you can afford it, buy it. Or go to Amazon.com (linking through Outsports, of course) and find one that's used. I've done that for a couple of books and CDs that were no longer available in stores.

I didn't mind buying it because, for one thing, I got a free copy of "Last Summer" signed by the author because I donated to the AIDS marathon he participated in. I'm even thanked on the Acknowledgments page in the book. wink

Currently reading Raymond Carver's Short Cuts mostly to see how Robert Altman adapted it for his movie. Not bad. The original stories are not related but Altman connected them plausibly. Good adaptation to the screen.

For those of you that have read David Sedaris, I would strongly suggest that you fork out the $25 to see him lecture ... or simply download some of his live performances.

He's been compared favorably to Mark Twain ... only time will tell. But Mr. Sedaris is by far the smartest, funniest writer I've enjoyed so far.

I think he is a HOOT. I can't wait to see him live!

If I had this book growing up, I think I would be a more confident guy than I am now. It is such a wonderful story for little kids.

Has anyone read the book "One Hundred Years of Solitude"?

Yes, I KNOW it's an Oprah book club selection, but I was wondering if it is the classic they say it is

Lksimcoe -- "One Hundred Years of Solitude" is a must-read. It's one of my favorite novels -- a terrific epic history. Perhaps the greatest Latin American novel ever written -- and one of the finest examples of magic realism.

(and, to be frank, I'm amazed it made the Oprah list -- I never thought she recommended real literature!)

I know we have a few David Sedaris fans here at Outsports. His newest book will be out in June and can be preordered at Amazon.com for $16.97 (no shipping charges if you order more than $25). Be sure to use the link from Outsports for all your Amazon.com purchases!

The book is called "Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim". Book description from Amazon:



[ April 22, 2004, 01:05 PM: Message edited by: George_vikingfan ]

Thanks to timeshifting on satellite, his lardship watches O every day now.

Last night she announced her new book club selection. It's "The Heart is a Lonely Hunter".

Again, I haven't read that one either, but will try 100 Years when on vacation this summer.

Has anyone read "the Stone Angel" by Margaret Laurence"? (Canmark probably had to in school). Great book. It's considered a Canadian classic.

Just purchased a few at Barnes and Noble; two from the discount bin. Joan Didion's Where I Was From; J. M. Coetzee's Elizabeth Costello; Pastoralia by George Saunders and Vernon Little God by DBC Pierre.

Has anyone read these already?

Just finished John Dean's (yes, THAT John Dean) "Worse Than Watergate". Fascinating book that explains exactly why Shrub, Cheney & Co should be disposed with ASAP... by someone who should know. Also by Dean, "The Rehnquist Choice" tells how Nixon went about stacking the Supreme Court for the past 30-odd years.

Moving on to fiction, I recently finished Ann B Ross's "Miss Julia Speaks Her Mind", and am now reading the sequel, "Miss Julia Takes Over". Good fun, and I can picture the Hallmark Hall of Fame TV-movie now. Though somehow I don't think a non-southerner would get a lot of the humour.

Im reading the Bob Woodward book now very interesting book and pretty disturbing also

I am reading right now, Al Franken's Lies & the Lying Liars Who Tell Them. It is a hilarious and thought provoking book. I do recommend it to read during this election year.

I'm reading Michael Cunningham's "Home At the End of the World" right now and really loving it. I had a hard time reading his "The Hours" and although "Home" has the same structure, the subject matter is more uplifting and interesting. I find myself wanting to know what happens to these characters. Maybe because one of the character is gay, I don't know. But I'm going to finish the book and then rent the DVD starring Colin Ferrell.

Previously I read "Atonement" and it was a bit hard to read in the beginning but near the end it started to develop some interesting subjects. But really it seemed more like a book about characters and not much plot.

[ September 10, 2004, 09:19 AM: Message edited by: batboy ]

It's definitely a quick read (with a bit of the literary equivalent of talking to the camera), but I rather enjoyed The Geography Club.

Just finished Bubba's thick-enough-to-choke-a-horse autobiography. Those of you who post on P&R can probably figure out my reaction to it. All I'll say here is that I was NOT bored by our most recent elected President.

Also read Sen Robt Byrd's new book "Losing America", about the excesses of El Presidente and his R cohorts in Congress. I highly recommend it to all of you.

I've been wanting to post this on here. I just finished reading Magical Thinking by Augusten Burroughs. He was reading on the University of Minnesota campus a couple weeks ago. He's a great storyteller and exceptionally funny. He did autograph two of my books I brought along.

Some of the stories hit a little too close to home like dating someone who is full of himself and being in a relationship.

Here is a synopsis of Magical Thinking.

Don't Think of an Elephant: Know Your Values and Frame the Debate--The Essential Guide for Progressives by George Lakoff

Paperback: 144 pages
Publisher: Chelsea Green Publishing Company (September, 2004)
ISBN: 1931498717

An interesting and insightfull book that confirms some thoughts I have had for quite a while. (The true test of a mans intelligence is the extent to which he agrees with you ;->)

I originally picked up the book because of the forward by Howard Dean, and the Introduction by Dan Hazen. I was pleasantly suprised by the erudite and prolific author.

"In the first of his three debates with George W. Bush, 2004 presidential candidate John Kerry argued against the war in Iraq not by directly condemning it but by citing the various ways in which airport and commercial shipping security had been jeopardized due to the war's sizable price tag. In so doing, he re-framed the war issue to his advantage while avoiding discussing it in the global terrorism terms favored by President Bush. One possible reason for this tactic could have been that Kerry familiarized himself with the influential linguist George Lakoff, who argues in Don't Think of an Elephant that much of the success the Republican Party can be attributed to a persistent ability to control the language of key issues and thus position themselves in favorable terms to voters. While Democrats may have valid arguments, Lakoff points out they are destined to lose when they and the news media accept such nomenclature as "pro-life," "tax relief," and "family values," since to argue against such inherently positive terminology necessarily casts the arguer in a negative light. Lakoff offers recommendations for how the progressive movement can regain semantic equity by repositioning their arguments, such as countering the conservative call for "Strong Defense" with a call for "A Stronger America" (curiously, one of the key slogans of the Kerry camp). Since the book was published during the height of the presidential campaign, Lakoff was unable to provide an analytical perspective on that race. He does, however, apply the notion of rhetorical framing devices to the 2003 California recall election in an insightful analysis of the Schwarzenegger victory. Don't Think of an Elephant is a bit rambling, overexplaining some concepts while leaving others underexplored, but it provides a compelling linguistic analysis of political campaigning. --John Moe"

Any chance of combining this thread with the one titled \"Whatcha Reading?\"

~Adam


- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The threads are too large to merge, and both contain lively discussions, so both will remain active. - Outsports moderator

[ November 05, 2004, 09:49 PM: Message edited by: m1 ]

I picked up "At Swim. Two Boys" by Jamie O'Neill and was captivated by it. It's about 600 pages long, but is so well-written that it's a very fast read. It's set in Ireland at the time of the 1916 uprising, so there's a political backdrop, but basically it's a very moving (and sexy) love story about two teenage boys growing up then. This is a great book.

I just finished "A Seahorse Year" by Stacey D'Erasmo, which chronicles a year in the lives of a schizophrenic boy, his father (who is gay), his mother (who's a lesbian) and their lovers. I found the writing a little too self-consciously gorgeous at times, and the plot stalled occasionally, but the characterizations were interesting.

On the whole, I'd give the book a B-plus. It wasn't quite as good as I had hoped, but it was certainly more interesting than some of the other gay-themed books I've read recently.

Just finished Alexander the Fabulous. This excerpt pretty much sums it up:

[/QUOTE] The most disappointing thing about researching this book was realizing the degree to which historians have ignored or deliberately misrepresented Alexander’s sexuality. As if acknowledging his attraction to men would somehow diminish his accomplishments. Or, worse, as if he accomplished all that he did despite his attraction to men. Scholars, especially the earlier ones, describe Alexander’s 19-year love affair with his boyfriend Hephaestion as a “close friendship.” The more edgy scholars describe it as an “exceptionally close friendship.” Never mind that scrolls from antiquity attest to Alexander’s romantic love for Hephaestion. The most direct—and hilarious—reference comes from the Cynic philosophers, who lived about 2,000 years ago. They wrote: “Alexander was only defeated once, and that was by Hephaestion’s thighs.” [QUOTE]

I found myself wishing it had been a little more, well maybe a lot more, serious. The jokes frustrated me after a while, not least because I'm just not up on the latest "in-gay jokes" and gay youth culture.

Neither of the co-authors is a professional historian (the lead author is a commentator who has done stuff for NPR, the other is an amateur Alexander buff currently writing a children's book about Alexander) which explains the emphasis of humor over academics.

It's a short read - less than 200 pages - and flows quickly, perhaps too quickly. Still it gave me a few surprising insights into the person or legend known as Alexander the Great.

I was surprised to learn he sang, apparently with in a falsetto that changed unusually late, and may have accounted for his not doing so in public, though that may have been modesty - something the author does not see much of in Alexander's personality.

Also he "chose Hephaestion as his erastes (mature lover), when normally the erastes choses his eromenos (young lover). I think his status as a boy king could explain this better than a huge ego which the author attributes to him. That may also explain his choice of one so close to his own age (Hephaestion was only a year older). This of course raises the question I'm sure many have asked: was he bottom or a top.

The erastes was normally a top, but nothing was normal about a child like Alexander, raised from infancy to believe he was half god. The entire notion of how people thought,felt, worshiped in a pre-christian era is fascinating.

I could go on all night but wont bore you. The upshot is that I liked the book, but could understand if many found it superficial or frustrating. It made me think, as interesting subjects always do. And Alexander, as vicious and conceited as the author justifiably makes him out to be, is nothing if not interesting.

I'm in musician bio mode. Just finished a Dylan bio by the Englishman Heydin. It's a good but not worshipful bio; man what a piece of work Dylan could be.

Also just finished a tabloid-y Beach Boys bio by Steven Gaines called Heroes and Villans. Short version: dumb, ingorant hicks who have been brutalized by their father have a songwriting genius in their midst, become rich and famous but piss it all away. The original VH1 Behind the Music? perhaps?

I just finished a great book about the Constitution and how our government breaks its own laws every day ostensibly in the name of enforcing the law and "protecing" us -- "Constitutional Chaos" by Andrew Napolitano, the judge on Fox News. The book is full of horrifying stories of government abuse by police, prosecutors and even judges, and it takes equal shots at both political parties, especially Janet Reno and John Ashcroft. It's also not written just for lawyers; it explains the law and our rights -- and how the government tramples all over them -- in a very straightforward manner. It's a great read.

People seem polarized by this book; almost everyone loves it as much as I do.

Then there is a very incredibly small percentage who just HATE it...

No one is in the middle.

Every once in a while you run into a book like that; I have always wondered why? Just different tastes?

"Life of Pi" was one of the most interesting novels I have read lately and I would highly recommend it, but I can understand how it frustrates some people, particularly purely linear thinkers. It's allegorical and fantasical and psychological, and it plays with your notions of accepted reality. You are left at the end wondering just what really did happen, which version of the story to believe. You're not sure whether to trust your narrator or suspect him. Some people don't like that and just want to know the one final answer. Some people like leaving things open. Either way, I don't think you can deny that the book is an extremely well written and unique offering.

Just finished Alan Hollinghurst's "The Line of Beauty". The writing is superb--and it comes with hot sex and scathing, witty portraits of Thatcher's Britain in the 1980s. The winner of the 2004 Booker Prize. Colm Toibin's "The Master" is also beautifully written and a treat for anyone who is a fan of Henry James.

Any Jennifer Weiner fans out there? Just finished "Little Earthquakes" and want to have kids. "Good in Bed" is hilarious, too.

In another thread, SideOut posted

I have read three books this year.

The Good Earth, Pearl S. Buck
The Color of Water, James McBride
PINS, Jim Provenzano

Has anyone read the last book? I have gone to amazon.com and bn.com to read reviews about PINS but their Web site is not really a discussin/topic board. The reason I ask is because even though I like the book(it's a coming of age book, main character is 15 years old living in New Jersey, on the wrestling team and is gay) there are some parts of the book that lost me. If anyone has read it and care to share their opinions it would be nice to know what you think of Provenzano's debut novel.

I wasn't crazy about PINS, found it slow to develop and somewhat contrived. But my good friend Roy, who's a big fan of scholastic and collegiate wrestling (and queer, I might add), LOVED it. I'll see if I can't get him to join the discussion...

Just finished re-reading Under the Volcano, which was awesome of course. In the middle of both Grendel and Beowulf (Seamus Heaney translation) right now.

I'll agree with Roy on that one.

Very touching story, though I can understand how some might find it contrived. All fiction, by definition, is not going to reflect reality perfectly.

Great read. Hope he comes out with another soon.

Ohhhhhhh man- I HATED Beowulf and Grendel. We read those this year for Honors English.

We also read Alexander Pope's "The Rape of the Lock"- a very entertaining mock epic. I personally just finished reading Brandi Chastain's book "It's Not About the Bra". She was the player who ripped her shirt off after scoring the winning PK for the US in the 1999 Women's World Cup final.

Now maybe I will finally finish reading John Grisham's "The Broker"...