Last week I asked you all to pitch in and give me your suggestions for books other than m/m romance but which have a strong m/m pairing. I was overwhelmed by the response both on the blog and by email - thanks to you all for your suggestions.
So, here is the list in all its glory. I've tried to organise the suggestions into genre but if you didn't tell me the genre I've put it under m/m fiction. I've also included any helpful comments made by people. One reader, Richelle, emailed me all the links to the books, so you can click on the titles for those suggestions and go straight to buy them!
General m/m Fiction
Dream Boy by Jim Grimsley
Love story about 2 teenage boys, one with an abusive father. Very well written and the ending can be interpreted in many diff ways (the way I read it, it was not an HEA). It's a great story and very moving.
Comfort and Joy by Jim Grimsley
A more typical romance between 2 men, but with the issue that one of them has hemophilia and is HIV positive. The prequel to this, Winter Birds, is very good as well-- it recounts the abusive childhood of the character with hemophilia.
First Person Plural by Andrew Beierle
Really interesting story of conjoined twins, one gay and the other straight and how they deal with each others relationships.
Seventy Times Seven by Salvatore Sapienza
The main character is an openly gay Catholic brother and teacher. The story is in large part about religion and homosexuality, but there is a nice romance as well with an HEA.
Common Sons by Ronald Donaghe
2 teenage boys fall in love in 1960's rural New Mexico. Great love story and coming out story. This is actually the first in a series of 4 books that follow the boys until they are old men.
Call Me By Your Name by Andre Aciman
Wonderful story of first love between a 17 yo boy and a visiting 24 yo scholar. Set in Italy. Beautifully written but not your typical m/m romance ending.
Looking for It by Michael Thomas Ford
Novel about a group of gay men in upstate NY. Lots of great characters and varied relationships (new love, long-time couples, etc).
The Brothers Bishop by Bart Yates
Story of 2 gay brothers. This book is really quite tragic, and there is incest and sex with minors (both of which I normally would not like in a book), but the story is so well done that I really liked the book anyway.
The 19th Wife by David Ebershoff
It's about a sisterwife in a Mormon community who is accused of killing her husband. The main protag is her gay son who has been shunned. He starts a rather sweet relationship with another Mormon during the course of the story. It's a pageturner, for sure.
Mr Benson by John Preston
BDSM
This Thing Called Courage by JG Hayes
A collection of gay lit stories
What Worse Place can I Beg in Your Love by Syd McGinley
Administration Series by Manna Francis
Far from a traditional romance but both M/M hot and a damned DAMNED fine read.
Exposure by Kit Zheng
Carter Beats the Devil by Glen David Gold
A rambling, fascinating, exciting story of a magician. His brother was gay but it was just accepted into the plot, subtly and pleasantly.
Classics
Maurice by E. M. Forster
A Separate Peace by John Knowles
It's very similar in tone to Dead Poet Society and is not classified as gay and the undertones are subtle, but very present.
The Persian Boy and The Charioteer by Mary Renault
Historical
The Catch Trap by Marion Zimmer Bradley
Eye in the Door, The Ghost Road and Regeneration by Pat Barker
They deal, though somewhat peripherally, with gay soldiers and gay poet soldiers, esp Regeneration, which isn't book 1 but a great place to start. It takes place mostly in a mental hospital for shellshocked English soldiers. Not at ALL a romance, though there is minor sex.
Cry to Heaven by Anne Rice
About an eighteenth-century Italian castrati. Exquisite and affecting.
Fantasy
The Nightrunner books by Lynn Flewelling
Swordspoint by Ellen Kushner
Valdemar Series by Mercedes Lackey
Point of Hopes and Point of Dreams by Melissa Scott and Lisa Barnett
The Last Herald Mage Trilogy by Mercedes Lackey
Doctrine of Labyrinths, The Melusine, The Virtue and The Mirador by Sarah Monette
The Steel Remains by Richard Morgan
The Archer's Heart by Astrid Amara
Hurog Duology by Patricia Briggs
The Chosen by Ricardo Pinto
Action/adventure
Shadow of the Templar by M Chandler
Zero at the Bone by Jane Seville
Mystery
Fatal Shadows by Josh Lanyon
LA Heat by PA Brown
Maloney’s Law by Anne Brooke
Clare London: Paul Maloney is a gay PI, the prose is delicious and very readable, the plot exciting, his character fascinating. I haven’t finished yet, but I’m loving it.
Horror
Verdant by Jordan Castillo Price
Drawing Blood and Lost Souls by Poppy Z Brite
YA
Hero by Perry Moore
Geography Club by Brent Hartinger
GLBT students start a GSA under a different name.
A Really Nice Prom Mess by Brian Sloan
Masks by Hayden Thorne
Vintage by Steve Berman
Without Sin by J Tomas
Boy Meets Boy by David Levithan
David Inside Out by Lee Bantle
Culinary Fiction
Liquorverse: Liquor, Prime, Soul Kitchen and D*U*C*K by Poppy Z Brite
These books tell the story of a gay chef couple in New Orleans.
Non-Fiction
The Kid and The Commitment by Dan Savage
Richelle: These aren't m/m romance books and aren't even fiction, but I *heart* them so muchly that I had to mention them. The Kid tells the true story of how sex-columnist Dan Savage and his boyfriend adopted their son. The Commitment, written a few years later, tells about Dan and his boyfriend deciding whether or not to get married. Both are very candid and funny and are really great reads. I've recommended the books to several friends, all of whom have loved them. These books are especially pertinent right now in the US where gay adoption and gay marriage are so hotly debated.
Richelle: And being the Dan Savage fangirl that I am, I have to mention his weekly sex advice column is great too.
There were also a number of other authors mentioned without books. I haven't posted them here, but you can go back and read them in the comments section of last week's blog post here.
Once again, thank you all for your suggestions and comments.
28 comments:
I must check out those Dan Savage books. I'm a big fan of his advice column, too. Thanks for bringing them to my attention.
That's OK, Rikki. They were one of Richelle's suggestions and she's a big fan of Dan Savage too.
Great list! Thanks, Jen. *copy => paste*
Hi KZ: My blog seems to be letting you back in!
Extensive list! There is more happening then I thought.
OMG I LOVE DAN SAVAGE. He is sooooo my gay boyfriend.
I'm surprised "Zero" showed up on this list. I wouldn't consider it an alternative to m/m romance, I'd consider it out-and-out m/m romance. But whatevs!
"Carter Beats the Devil" is one of my favorite books. It's really fantastic. And trivia trufax...the author, Glen David Gold, is married to Alice Sebold, author of "The Lovely Bones."
Hey, just a quick note: the Astrid Amara book on the list is actually called, "The Archer's Heart."
Thank you!
Nicole Kimberling
Editor
Blind Eye Books
Hi Nicole: Erm, my cutting and pasting skills failed at this stage, as did my spot checking! I did know that the book is called The Archer's Heart. Thanks for pointing it out, I've amended my mistake.
Ingrid: I was blown away by the response. There looks to be a lot of great books in the list. I'm particularly attracted to the Poppy Z Brite books.
Jane: I'd not heard of Dan Savage before Richelle mentioned him. I'm going to check out his blog asap.
Jen-
For Dan Savage, you should start with his column, because it's the basis for everything else.
http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/SavageLove?oid=1540586
It's a sex-advice column of the nontraditional bent. Just to give you an idea, when the column started, it was called "Hey, Faggot!" Dan is sex-positive, kink-positive, doesn't think cheating is necessarily a hanging offense and regularly calls people idiots. This is where people write to ask about their parakeet fetishes or whatever. Weird stuff sometimes.
The second step might be the Savage Lovecast, his weekly podcast. He blogs at The Stranger, the Seattle weekly where he's based. There's also a book out just called Savage Love that's a collection of columns, that's a great place to start too. The two books on your list are about his personal life, really, and issues facing the gay community.
Excellent list, Jen. Thanks for doing this... and I will definitely be checking Dan Savage out.
Jenre,
Im almost halfway done with Call Me By Your Name and its EXQUISITE. I already calling the novel a modern day classic..What shocks me the most is that the author is a STRAIGHT male but he really got inside both gay characters and he is able to write the story with some explicitness but very lyrical at the same time. Highly recommend..
Thanks for the list. I have to check it out!
Thanks for seconding the recommendation for Call Me by Your Name, Ozakie. It sounds a really good read.
Ooh lovely to see Maloney's Law mentioned here - and thanks to Clare for enjoying the read! It's nice to see my screwed-up, stressed-out OCD PI getting an airing - with or without his bete noir, Dominic!
:))
Axxx
http://www.annebrooke.com
Jenre,
U are welcome. I actually 1st heard about the book in O magazine of all magazines. And then the NY Times wrote a rapturous review so it is really wonderful, so Im sure u will enjoy it!
Wow, quite the list!! I know where to check when I look for an alternative to M/M fiction ;) I grabbed The Brothers Yates at the library two weeks ago, I'm looking forward to reading it.
Anne: Clare recommended you. I like a good PI story so I'll be checking your book out.
Mary: Thanks, it was Clare London's idea, I've just provided the space and time in which to collate everything. Plus it's been interesting to see that there is so much out there that doesn't necessarily fit into the romance genre but which still has elements of m/m.
Hi, I've bookmarked this! :)
What do you think about keeping it 'live' on your blog, for example through a link on the sidebar? Then people could access it quickly and easily, and also add to it over time.
It should still be routed through you, so it's not a free-for-all. But I'm still thinking of great stuff I could have added, I couldn't recall it all on the day *lol*.
*hugs*
Hi Clare. Good suggestion! I've done that.
There is always the YA story "Boy Meets Boy" which seems to be considered as over-read by some, however I do enjoy it. David Levithan is the authour for that.
I also recommend (another YA, I suppose) David Inside Out, which is a newer book, but still rather good. Authour on that is Lee Bantle.
Thanks, Ragnarok Finis. I've added those to the list on the post.
What a brilliant list! I will be going through them one by one - thanks for compiling it!
Thanks Kay. Hope you enjoy them :).
No gay erotica? I have a twincest story on my website - Birthday Boy
Hi Ken
No there isn't eny erotica here is there? I think that often gets lumped in with the romance - probably wrongly as it is very different to the romance genre.
Any suggestions to put here for gay erotica?
Can I leave a vote for Poppy Brite's non-horror gay romances? Collectively known as the Liquorverse, they're Liquor, Prime, Soul Kitchen and D*U*C*K, and tell the story of a gay chef couple in New Orleans. I think they're about the most romantic books I can remember reading.
Me again. Addendum to my last post: they're generally considered culinary fiction, rather than romance.
(sorry, should've put that in the last post)
Hi Oddmonster
I'll certainly include your suggestions. Thanks for your comment :).
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