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I currently have a long lists of books on post-war Germany and the Holocaust to read, beyond what I already have read and are stored on my shelves. This is research I'm doing on a story idea.

I also have a number of books in queue at my review/interview site "Flying With Red Haircrow". I accept all genres, fiction and non-fiction.

I am now reading The Lies of Locke Lamora which is a load of fun so far. In the car, I'm listening to The Help. I'm really enjoying this audio production narrated by four women. The southern accents are perfect, and I feel like I've instantly been transported to an earlier time. Great stuff!

Why these books? After reading some pretty heavy and dry textbooks for my psychology classes, I needed a little fun reading. Fantasy is one of my favorite genres, and I was in the mood for something fun and adventurous. One of my co-workers is reading The Help after receiving a recommendation from one of his professors. He's not much of a reader, so I thought it might be more fun for him if we read the book together and discussed it.

Thank you for inviting me to this group, Red. I'm looking forward to great discussions.

Sure, anytime :-)

Those sound like different ends of the reading spectrum, that's for sure. I found it interesting the ratings and reviews of The Help, here on Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ.com. By majority it seems to be well-liked by some, and then found implausible and not serious enough on a difficult topic. One of my favorite things to consider is different perspectives on one topic. It's really amazing sometimes.

Yesterday received, An Underground Life: Memoirs of a Gay Jew in Nazi Berlin mail order and bought way too many books at the "used" section of the local library. Finding space for them will be a problem.

They are currently sitting in stacks on the floor of my office, along with approximately 10 others. I need more shelves. I certainly refuse to consider lessening my personal library.

Honestly, I will likely read through most of them, then place them in my book store....but that will take a while.

I'm reading Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Beastly, the Van Alen Legacy, and Vampire Academy. I'm also counting the days until the third book in the Caster Chronicles (the Beautiful Creatures series) comes out.

My personal favorite types of books are fiction, paranormal romance, and stuff about supernaturals.

If you have any reccomendations, I'm going on a trip in a week and would love some titles of books to read.

The Giver is my suggestion.

Thanks for the question Violet. I usually read any genre which might have positive gay characters or themes: epic fantasy, classic sci-fi or literary fiction, and then non-fiction history and textbooks: psychology, sociology, culture or war/weapons. Rather opposite from the types you listed, so I can't say that I have any recommendations.

I've read a couple fantasy novels, but I'm picky about them. Thanks, though.

Hmmm gay character books... You know that actually sounds interesting. I've never read any before but I do have a teacher-friend who's gay and a friend who no one's quite sure whether she's lesbian or not...

I'm still picking away at The Lies of Locke Lamora and now listening to Water for Elephants. Again, this is one of my co-worker's reads, recommended by his professor. I'm enjoying the little "book club" we started at work, so we've each made a list of books we are planning to read and discuss.

I really enjoyed The Help and gave it a 5-star rating in spite of a few flaws and my wish for a little more history. But this wasn't a historical novel as such. It was a story that focused more on the lives, friendships, and hardships of a group of women during the Civil Rights era. My review is here.

One of the reviewers mentioned Coming of Age in Mississippi, written from the perspective of a Black woman, that I'd like to read and compare.

I think I'd looked through the reviews of one of those, The Help. While it's not a book I'd be interested to read, I loved reading its reviews! LOL Ironic I guess. I like to see the different perspectives and opinions.

In the case with The Help, I saw both sides: those who loved it and those "not so much", as being entirely valid. What I particularly enjoyed was the objectivity of most of those who read and chose to comment. Even though some aspects of the books weren't to their personal taste, as you also said, they didn't discount the book in its entirety. Gaining more perspective is a nice idea, by reading Coming of Age in MS.

One of the things, you know. Some people suggest books to me just because I am gay and happen to be Native American, books about those things, as if I automatically would want to read all and everything regarding them. And it's not that I auto don't read them, or that they are not good books, but when written by a non-Native or someone who might be gay but have experiences only in certain areas or a certain culture or country, the work doesn't appeal to me because too often it doesn't have factors which make it authentic to me. That's kind of hard to explain LOL

One event can happen, but be seen entirely different by two different people. If one has more in common with one of those "recorders", that is usually the view you are more likely to agree with, psychologically speaking.

But back on books, I've gone back to try to process a few post WW2 books Life after Death: Approaches to a Cultural and Social History of Europe During the 1940s and 1950s, The Divided Nation: A History of Germany, 1918-1990 and An Underground Life: Memoirs of a Gay Jew in Nazi Berlin, part of my preparation and research for a novel I'm planning, as well as some deeper background information on Derrik's family (from my book Night Shift) for the sequel, The Berlin Shift.

P.S. I forgot finished Awakening to Sunlight, which is contemporary lesbian fiction, and will be adding my review here after it's published at Queer Magazine Online.

I am at an impasse regarding reading. I always have books in queue for my review site, which I can be reading.

For my personal reading, I went crazy and bought about thirty books a couple of weeks ago, BUT I actually get anxious sometimes about starting them. They are heavier history and memoirs which can add extra emotions I don't wish to experience at the moment.

So there they sit...or actually they are stacked on the floor as I'm out of shelf space at the moment.

I'm currently reading V.I.T.R.I.O.L. by . It's a heavy, serious theme which takes a reader into the dark whirl of rage, anger, guilt, fear and agony which rape victims endure.

It's convoluted and full of imagery in a way that readers not used to translated works might find off-putting but for me...I understand the author's intentions and needs in this. It very much describes part of the emotions I felt/feel as a survivor.

I needed some light reading for my trip to Poland and decided to bring my Sony e-reader along with a couple of "real" books.



Just before I left, I read and thoroughly enjoyed

I've heard of Dennis Lehane, though not the other writer. Mysteries I think?

Glad you like The Coat, ah that's another semi-autobiographical tale, one of my stories based on a night out I shared with friends :-)

Yes, both mysteries. No Place to Die is more of a police procedural/thriller. So far, it's quite fast-paced and fun reading, though rather dark. The villain is a fascinating character and I'm getting bits and pieces of his life and starting to understand his motives.

Dennis Lehane's book was very good as well. Though sometimes I get impatient with series books, it's fun to see how characters develop and grow.

While in Poland I read and enjoyed Joan Vinge's first novel, Psion, about a troubled young man named Cat who is telepathic, homeless, and a half-breed. I liked the scientific aspects of telepathy and how Cat uses his gift to understand himself and others.

I've just started reading a book that compares itself to Dennis Lehane's work...that doesn't give me any images as I've not read him either, but Brian Springer's Highway to Vengeance: A Thomas Highway Novel is a suspense type thriller.

I will also be starting Willy by Robert Dunbar in the next day or so, in preparation for the interview I'm doing with him.

It's been awhile, but I know I've read some books by Joan Vinge.

I am currently reading by Rhianne Aile. It is pretty good so far. I am enjoying the GFY style. I love male to male romances.

I've to decide what I'm taking on the plane with me. Something engaging but not too complex. I'll probably reread something I've not looked at in a while. Usually Preston & Child are good in that capacity. The Agent Pendergast series can always hold my attention, and it's not emotionally heavy like most of the non-fiction or history I generally prefer.

Dennis Lehane is also good plane reading. His Kenzie/Gennaro series is a lot of fun.



is the most recent entry in this series.

In my crazy lot of books, I might have a Lehane novel someplace.

Two of Lehane's novels were adapted for film:



Have you started yet?

was thoroughly enjoyable, but not one I'd recommend for plane reading.

Started by D.J. Manly. I really enjoy mysteries and law enforcement stories, so needless to say I am REALLY enjoying this story. I just read my first Manly story a few days ago, and I love his writing!

Nancy, I've not fully started Willy yet, in that I've opened and looked through but not intentionally settled to read as much of it as I can at one time. I've reached that special anxiety level that I get before making a big move when a number of little factors are still up in the air I'm focused on, so it's hard to make myself concentrate although I want to.

Hopefully, this will pass in a few days. I'll get the last of "staying" items packed up and/or sold, then I'll just be waiting to catch the flight, so I'll have time to read again.

� ♥Lynn � � wrote: "Started Blood Pond by D.J. Manly. I really enjoy mysteries and law enforcement stories, so needless to say I am REALLY enjoying this story. I just read my first Manly story a fe..."

I don't generally read m/m specific directed works unless someone has requested a review at my review/interview site, Flying With Red Haircrow. For law enforcement otherwise, I spent so many years in the profession...I'm just one of those who tends to stay away from books, films, etc. having to deal with it. They can bring back too many case and personal memories for me, or either procedurally, the ones I have come across don't present it how it really goes so it's hard for me to like them for that reason. But that's strictly from an insider perspective, not to say that those works aren't good or intriguing to others, because many are.

Red wrote: "Nancy, I've not fully started Willy yet, in that I've opened and looked through but not intentionally settled to read as much of it as I can at one time. I've reached that special anxiety level tha..."

I always develop mild anxiety whenever I'm going on a trip and imagine a big move can be much more stressful. There's always things to be done, items to be packed, and arrangements to be made. It is hard to concentrate on anything when your mind is working overtime. The last time I moved was 7 years ago. Not so bad, as it was from one town to another within the same state.

I am currently reading , which is one of our monthly selections on Queereaders. Lovely writing, very engaging characters and a realistic historical setting.

I just finished by Rodman Philbrick with my son. It was my favorite childhood book and wanted to share it with him.

"Books are like truth serum-- if you don't read, you can't figure out what's real."
� Rodman Philbrick (Freak the Mighty)

It's a pattern I get in when I'm travelling or about to, I like to reread some old favorites. Occupies me enough to take my mind a little away from the anxiety, but doesn't distract from the things I need to do.

Rereading Destroyer by C.J. Cherryh for myself personally. Then I have a couple of others in the queue of my review site

Just read by Charles Edward. I am in a writing group with Charles, so I got to see this one shortly after he wrote it. I fell in love with this story. It is real short, but it doesn't take away from the story. I love how DSP takes on shorts that are 100% worth the read. This one is a SciFi heartbreak.

Currently reading for my review/interview site:

Twin-Bred
When Red Is Blue
The Red Sun Will Come

as well as

Clown by Paul Montgomery
The Ghosts of Time by Anne de Gandt

On my own time, I am rereading a few books by Jill Tattersall, old gothic romance from the 1960's I remember reading as a child, snuck out of my mother's collection. They are very pleasant reading, well-written, absent of sex but full of romance, suspense and Regency England.