M/M
If I’m gonna be truthful, I'd have to say that I love reading M/M romance novels. I actually seem to hoard them. And bae even sends me links to the freebies they give you on Kindle. So yeah. I have so many in my to-read list that I have started scheduling reading because otherwise I'd never read them all. And those are only the ones that I have on my iPad. I also have paperbacks because I'm old fashioned like that.
I think that reading queer romance novels is one of my favorite pastimes. I have been an avid reader of bodice rippers ever since I was in middle school. My mom used to have tons of paperbacks laying around the house and I started reading them. John Le Carre, Michael Crichton, Dan Brown, Stephen King. But also tons of romance novels. And I read them all. What can I say? I was a somehow geeky kid.
I think my lifelong love affair with reading started before that. You see, I have memories of my mom reading me bedtime stories. The usual stuff: The Little Mermaid, The Red Shoes, Sleeping Beauty and the such. I remember there were twelve volumes of fairy tales that I treasured (and lost in one of the many moves my mom did after I moved out of my childhood home) and I went back and read when I was older.
I think that we as gay men have very few models of how gay relationships work when we are growing up. We don't see many gay couples around us, we don't see enough gay storylines in movies and tv series. We don't see ourselves the way straight people see themselves, constantly receiving input about how relationships work from media and society at large.
That's why it's so important to support queer authors who write these novels. And the straight allies who write them, too. That's why it's so important to come out. Because being out -and proud- is not only an act of rebellion. It's also a clear message we are sending to younger generations that it is ok to be gay, or lesbian or bisexual or trans. It's an act of survival that may ensure that a younger gay person finds their way in life.
So in honor of #NationalComingOutDay I encourage you to read more queer literature, even if you're not out to everybody (you know who you are). To read more queer romance. To read more queer thrillers. To read more queer horror. To support the authors who put up that mirror for all of us to look at ourselves the same way straight people have been doing for millennia. Oh, you don't know where to start? How about Dave? Or Rick? They're just two of the many authors who are right here on Blogger.
So Happy National Coming Out Day. Now, go grab a book.
XOXO
Happy #NationalComingOutDay! @Antcfitness, @JakeGraf1,@theyasminbenoit ,@kinnakasblog, @alex_goldsmith_ ,@abimci and Alex Ehmcke share their top coming out tips. 👇🏳️🌈 pic.twitter.com/QBMC4EmCXe— PinkNews (@PinkNews) October 11, 2019
I love to read. And like you, I’ve got tons of the m/m romance novels in my iPad. They are my go to when I have time to read. I could kick myself for not learning to speed read. But I love the escapism they afford me.
ReplyDeleteSo yeah I have to get my head out of the apps and crack open a new story.
LoL speed reading takes half the fun out of it! You only sped read reports. And thanks for those links, bae!
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I read a lot of lesbian romance novels when I first came out but have drifted away from them over the years. The only gay male romances I read are M/M fanfiction. "Oh, Steve! Oh, Bucky!"
ReplyDeleteOhhh Captain America’s fanfic is the BEST. Especially with the visuals we have from the movies! Yes!
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Isn't it queer that most of the M/M romance is written by women? Why?
ReplyDeleteI've read a few. I find the stories and the grammar quite dreadful. It's a turn off.
I do, on occasion find a rare gem. Red, White, and Royal Blue by McQuiston is a treat. The Nightrunner fantasy series is outstanding. And Two Boys Kissing remains the undisputed champ of this category. Give me a good story, with compelling characters and good sentences and I'm yours.
I know right? I talked about that with Dave, I think, who writes books with gay characters. It’s mostly girls with some guys sprinkled in for good measure.
DeleteHaha. Yes, horrible grammar can really be a chore. You end proofreading the whole thing!
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I, too, love to read, and love stories about MY people.
ReplyDeleteSidenote: when I first met Carlos online, and after we moved to talking via phone, I asked this question:
"Do you read?"
And because of the phrasing, and his being Latino, he took the question to mean:
"Do you know how to read?"
And he snapped back:
"I graduated the University of Mexico so I KNOW how to read!"
We still laugh about that.
Lmaoooo oh dear. Carlos is a treasure.
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My favorite gau authors are Michael thomas Ford , and Eric Arvin. I have read just about all their works. Eric was actually a blog reader of mine and we got to know each other. His partner emailed some time ago to tell me Eric passed away last year. So young. So I will treasure the books he sent me.
ReplyDeleteYes! Michael Thomas Ford! Full Circle!
DeleteAnd sorry to hear about Eric Arvin! Please keep his books. I’m gonna try and make sure I read him.
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Reading is my greatest pleasure. From an early age I read the
ReplyDeleteclassics (Giovanni's Room, City and the Pillar, etc.) and I continue with serious gay fiction and nonfiction (see Lambda Literary for suggestions). But I have a place in my heart for MM romances.
And there are so many! Now if plot, grammar are terrible, I just stop. There are plenty of stories out
there by both gay men and straight women that are excellent. Now these are romances. Erotica, well, that's an entire other story.!
Ohh yes! All the gay classics. Yes, I’m with you also about the grammar. The plot sometimes leaves you flabbergasted but bad grammar is a no-no.
DeleteOhh Erotica! Yes! we need to write about that.
Thnx for stopping by!
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Thanks for giving me a shout out!
ReplyDeleteMy pleasure! Still have to finish your book! Promise I will!
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To be honest I never really thought about it, good point. I love how you feature gay culture sixpence, thank you for that. I'm still stuck on "Hot Homo" makes me so excited to watch that video!
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