Q&A with Josh Lanyon discussion
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What Are you Reading?
KC wrote: "I've been trying lately to find good, preferably cozy LGBTQ or m/m mysteries, with no success... The ideal would be something like Somebody Killed His Editor (and sequels), or Nicole..."A very cool mystery series that comes to mind is Melissa Scott's Astreiant series. The first book is Point of Hopes and I loved it to bits. It's a queer fantasy police procedural series and I think it's awesome. These are longish books and they're full of depth and detail and great characters and incredible world-building and fascinating mysteries and quiet humour and there's a cracker of a subtle, restrained love story going on in the background. It's not a cozy series, but it is superb and queer and a mystery series, so it fulfils a few of your criteria. :)
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Loretta wrote: "the Kyle Callahan mysteries by Mark McNease"I read the first three and enjoyed them. There's a fourth one - Death by Pride, but (view spoiler). He's definitely an author to keep an eye on, though, so thank you for reminding me. :-)
ETA: there's a fifth one too and another with Linda as MC. Cool.
Karen wrote: "Simon Kirby-Jones mystery"I'll try Faked to Death, thank you! I remember liking the first one - Posted to Death.
Alison wrote: "Melissa Scott's Astreiant series"Sounds great, thank you! I have it on my list (I think maybe you recommended it a while back?), but didn't realize it's a mystery as well. And lately I seem to enjoy more stories that combine genres, especially for the romance ones.
Jordan wrote: "That reminds me of Simple Justice by Jong Morgan Wilson. Mysteries with a gay main character who was once a journalist. I'm planning to read the first book next year since I've had them so long."I read the first four in the series. They're excellent, but they get darker as they progress. In retrospect, i'd have preferred to read only books 1 and 2...
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Ah, good to know. I bought all of them in used hardcover, so unless they get really bad, I'll be reading all of them over time. :-)
Johanna wrote: "I'm reading a non-m/m book for my book club with colleagues. It's Berlin Poplars by Norwegian author Anne B. Ragde. I just started it, but I like it so far. I wonder if you, Anne, ha..."I have read most of the series except the latest that is new this year. I liked them very much, some really quirky characters, and a good story. It has been very popular here.
Jordan wrote: "I just had the realization recently that I don't read enough books with female protagonists. It's odd, but for some reason I guess I prefer to read about guys. But, for my line of work, I must dive..."Then I can recommend once again The Fifth Season and the rest of the series. Besides being one of the most fascinating stories I have read in a long time, she has females as the main protagonists. Also people of various colours and sexual orientations, not as a point to the story, it's just how normal people are and react in her world. Speaking of world, the universe in this series is quite unique, I really am in awe of her fantasy, story telling skills and wisdom.
Karen wrote: "KC wrote: "I've been trying lately to find good, preferably cozy LGBTQ or m/m mysteries, with no success... The ideal would be something like Somebody Killed His Editor (and sequels)..."I have to try these. Recommended by you and given 4 stars by Lois Bujold, one of my all time favourite sci fi and fantasy writers, I feel I am in very good hands here :)
KC wrote: "Alison wrote: "Melissa Scott's Astreiant series"Sounds great, thank you! I have it on my list (I think maybe you recommended it a while back?), but didn't realize it's a mystery as well. And late..."
They are lovely, I definitely second that recommendation!
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Fantastic! I just added it to one of my "challenge" shelves for next year. :-D Thanks!
KC wrote: "Alison wrote: "Melissa Scott's Astreiant series"Sounds great, thank you! I have it on my list (I think maybe you recommended it a while back?), but didn't realize it's a mystery as well. And late..."
Yeah, I've probably mentioned them several times, because I quite like them and they're quite different. They're mysteries, but they're set in an amazing fantasy world (it makes me think of Renaissance Holland with low-level magic) and police procedural fantasy isn't something one sees too often. They're all about a very hard-working, very likeable detective doing his job, but it's just set in a different world, which is cool. They're extremely well done. The romance is somewhat of the slowly building, barely-there, drowning-in-subtext variety and it's fantastic and delightful. These are big, meaty books that take their time to quietly tell the whole story and they're marvellous. And KJ Charles thinks they're awesome, so they even have a celebrity endorsement! :)
Recent reads:Illegal Contact by Santino Hassell
Play On by Avery Cockburn. Glaswegian Rugby Players!
and
Broke Deep by Charlie Cochrane.
Also on audio, just finished Blood of Elves by Andrzej Sapkowski. Love this series. Love the narration. Glad I have four more to go. :)
I enjoyed Illegal Contact and probably liked it more than his other books except perhaps Concourse. Still haven't read Evenflow and only recently realized it was the same author.Most lately have gobled up the Whyborne & Griffin series. Thank heaven there are 9 of them. I just finished Hoarfrost. Love the tender relationship there.
I love The Five Boroughs series so much. One of my favorite book series. I like the Baron's series but not as much as 5B.
Right now I'm reading Back Off! That's My Jock. I've read the first two in the series and loved the first one. I don't remember much about the second one except I didn't like it nearly as much as the first one.Book 3 has been forever on my tbr list until I finally got to it now. However it is killing me. I don't remember this from the other books but I don't know what kind of soccer (though seriously it IS football) you guys play in USA if going by this book. It's certainly nothing like European football. In fact how the author describes it it resembles handball more than football.
While I know that maybe the author's target group isn't football fans there still are few of us out there and I have to admit this bugs me quite a lot.
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Illegal Contact by Santino Hassell
Play On by Avery Cockburn. Glaswegian Rugby Players!
and
Broke Deep by Charlie Cochrane.
Also on a..."
For me Avery Cockburn books have been (sometimes slightly guilty) pleasure. Hoping for a late 2017 addition to the series.
I also very much enjoyed Illegal Contact, an engaging opposites-attract story. It even made me rethink my disinterest in (American) football. Well, just a bit. ;)
Thanks for the reminder about Cohrane's Porthkennack book. I missed that one and the latest, Alex Beecroft's Foxglove Copse. Have them now. :)
Ginn Hale published an excerpt of forthcoming Hellions book! And I'm so generous that I tell you before I read it! ;-)
Working title: Servants of the Unseen Shadow.
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And I'm so generous that I tell you before I read it! ;-)
Working title: Servants of the Unseen Shadow."
LOL. That's true friendship right there! :-D
And thank you for the link! :-)
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Part of the challenge is so many m/m writers lean heavily on erotic content and graphic violence, and right there the cozy mood is significantly altered.
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Part of it is also the cozy mind set. The charm of a cozy mystery is even when social issues are being tackled, the mood MUST remain upbeat and comfortable. That is the purpose of the cozy mystery. The message is always EVERYTHING WILL BE OKAY, HERE'S A RASPBERRY TART.
I'm sort of kidding, sort of not. ;-) That reassuring tone and positive attitude can be a difficult balance for authors who are used to delving into the dark side.
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I enjoyed that series -- is she still writing them?
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Yes. Well-written though they are, I wish I could unread the later books.
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Sounds great, thank you! I have it on my list (I think maybe you recommended it a while back?), but didn't realize it's a mystery as wel..."
The rumor is the series was inspired by The Professionals, so even more reason to love them. ;-)
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And I'm so generous that I tell you before I read it! ;-)
Working title: Servants of the Unseen Shadow."
:-D :-D :-D
Bucking for sainthood. Again.
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No... there must be a raspberry tart with every cozy mystery novel I buy. End of story. :-)
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Oh no. Don' say that. I bought the whole series. :-P
Actually, that's kind of how I felt about the later Stevenson books. I much preferred the original books. But, I wonder how much of that is because I was distanced from the goings on of the original books so they were not as obviously based on real life goings on as the later books were for me.
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BUT they are really well written, so just know going in that they get a bit bleak and enjoy the nicely crafted work.
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Ah, ok. :-)
At this point, I'm planning on reading one a year, so I'm sure it'll be fine.
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:-D :-D :-D
Josh wrote: "Alison wrote: "KC wrote: "I've been trying lately to find good, preferably cozy LGBTQ or m/m mysteries, with no success... The ideal would be something like [book:Somebody Killed His Editor|6542216...I enjoyed that series -- is she still writing them? "
Yes. The fourth book is in the works. It's called Point of Sighs. The original plan was to write a book for each point, and I think there's something like thirteen points. So there might still be many more, but I get the impression she's quite busy writing things like Stargate books and Wonder Woman and Star Wars things, so Nico and Phillip have plenty of competition.
Josh wrote: "Josh wrote: "Part of it is also the cozy mind set. The charm of a cozy mystery is even when social issues are being tackled, the mood MUST remain upbeat and comfortable. That is the purpose of the cozy mystery. The message is always EVERYTHING WILL BE OKAY, HERE'S A RASPBERRY TART. "This is what I love about Charlie Cochrane's Cambridge Fellows series--they're always upbeat and comfortable and there's always raspberry tarts (or something equally delicious). :)
Antonella wrote: "Ginn Hale published an excerpt of forthcoming Hellions book! And I'm so generous that I tell you before I read it! ;-)
Working title: Servants of the Unseen Shadow."
Oh man, that's just made my day. Thank you. Your sacrifice is noted. :)
Antonella wrote: "Ginn Hale published an excerpt of forthcoming Hellions book! And I'm so generous that I tell you before I read it! ;-)
Working title: Servants of the Unseen Shadow."
OMG! You made my day, Antonella!!! I've discovered this books recently (shame on me!) and I became addicted, in fact, I've loved everything I've read written by her :)
Jordan wrote: "...there must be a raspberry tart with every cozy mystery novel I buy. End of story. :-)"I agree! LOL.
I think I never mentioned the comic-book
, which I bought because it was recommended by Ginn Hale. I love it, although I suppose that people a bit more sensitive might have a problem with graphic violence in it.Anyway here Marjorie Liu on the Road to Making Monstress (seen thanks to Nicole Kimberling).
Since it was highly recommended I read Illegal Contact. I liked it. I liked it a lot up until about 70% and then I still liked it. So, solid 4 star, I'd say. :-)I'm actually pondering getting the second in the series. It seems to be an enemies-to-lovers story. That's a plus in my book. ;-)
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, which I bought because it was recommended by Ginn Hale. I love it, although I suppose that people a bit m..."Thank you for pointing this book out, Antonella. I'll definitely buy it. Also, I think it won the Hugo Award 2017 (best graphic story).
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I'm actually ponder..."
Definitely a big plus in my book too -- enemies-to-lovers, that is. :-)
A few weeks back I read Robert Louis Stevenson's The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and it was awesome. It's a cracking good read and I was so impressed with it. I found it to be a completely gripping story. It's a novella and it's fast-paced and if you're looking for something short and exciting and kind of heartbreaking to read, I definitely recommend it. It's intense and so well done. I will totally read it again someday.
Johanna wrote: "I think it won the Hugo Award 2017 (best graphic story)."Of that I'm sure, and didn't Nicole Kimberling collect the award in the name of the authors in Helsinki?
Calathea wrote: "Since it was highly recommended I read Illegal Contact. I liked it. I liked it a lot up until about 70% and then I still liked it. So, solid 4 star, I'd say. :-)I'm actually ponder..."
Glad you liked it! At 70% i was wondering how it will proceed, and then i was actually pleasantly surprised that it proceeded better than i expected (i'm a bit pessimistic these days about what happens after the 70% in romance/m/m... Though occasionally i'm pleasantly surprised, either by a good continuation, i.e. characters communicating properly, or by a lack of this 70% mark).
Anyway, I think i'll try the second book too. It comes out in January.
I've been rereading a lot lately and just started my rererereread of The Coda series. I don't know many times I've read that one, it's such a favorite of mine. This morning I finished A to Z and I just love it. Love the coupling of Zach and Angelo and their story. Love how well they fit each other function in their dysfunctional way.I know lot if people had problem's with how Marie Sexton developed their relationship later on but I wasn't one of them. I love how diverse she is and how many aspects of love she writes about and shows that love isn't stuck in one politically correct form.
Her couples love each other on their own terms and not others. And I find it funny that from the first book it's Matt of all people (the ideal het looking gay that doesn't make other straight feel uncomfortable) that is the messenger of that.
Anyway. I always feel the need to gush over MS stories, esp Coda. I don't think she's ever let me down, she writes stories that I just love to revisit again and again.
Alison wrote: "A few weeks back I read Robert Louis Stevenson's The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and it was awesome. It's a cracking good read and I was so impressed with it. I found it to..."That's so cool. I was trying to remember if i actually ever read the book...but if yes, it's long enough ago that it will probably feel new again :-)
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Of that I'm sure, and didn't Nicole Kimberling collect the award in the name of the authors in Helsinki?"
Yes.
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Q&A with Josh Lanyon
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Read a few pages of a Simon Kirby-Jones mystery and see what you think. I read four of them and was amused. Try not to let the premise put you off right away. ; }
Posted to Death
Faked to Death Read the blurb for this one — it sounds like something Kit would get himself into.
Look for the 2014-15 covers (below). The earlier edition covers are too silly for me.