Romance Readers Reading Challenges discussion
2014 Challenge Archive
>
Over the Rainbow Challenge
LesbianBest Lesbian Fiction
F/F Paranormal and Urban Fantasy
Best F/F Romance Books
Lesbian and F/F BDSM
Lesbian Fantasy
Best Lesbian Mysteries
Interracial Lesbian Fiction
Lesbian Spy/Military/Cop
Lesbian Zombie Books
Popular Lesbian Books shelf
Popular F/F Books shelf
Popular Lesbian Romance shelf
GayThe Best of Gay Romance
The Best Humorous Gay Romances
Best Gay Shifters
Best Gay Friends Become Lovers
Best Gay "Virginal" Characters
Best Gay Tear Jerker with a Happy Ending
Best Gay Romance With a Character Who Has a Disability
Best Gay Soldiers
Popular Gay Romance shelf
Popular M/M shelf
BisexualBest Bisexual Fiction
Novels with Bisexual Protagonists
Bisexual Fiction in YA
Bisexual Women Fiction and Memoirs
Favorite MMF Romance
Best MMF Historical/Regency Romance
Best Interracial and Multicultural MMF Romances
F/F/M Romance
Popular Bisexual Books shelf
TransgenderRomance Featuring Trans* Characters
Booklist for Trans Teens
Best Gender-Bending Books
FTM / Trans Men
Books With Transgender Characters
Trans Characters in Science Fiction
Trans Lesbian Books
Non-Binary (Genderqueer, Genderfluid, Gender Unspecified, etc) Fiction and Memoirs
Transgender Erotica
Popular Trans Books shelf
LGBT YABest YA Fiction with GLBTQQI Themes/Characters
LGBT for YA
Best Gay Novels for Young Adults
Lesbian Teen Fiction
YA fantasy/sf novels with major LGBTQ characters
Historical Children's and YA with LGBT Characters
YA LGBT Books- Not "Coming Out"
Oh the Books! Bookish Guide: YA Books with Fantastic LGBTQ Representation
Popular LGBT YA shelf
LGBT ClassicsLiterary Gay Romantic Novels
Lesbian Canon
Classic Gay Male Literature
Gay Classics shelf
Queer Classics shelf
LGBT Classics
These two lead to articles off GoodReads:
The Best LGBT Books of All Time
10 LGBT Themed Novels That Every Student Should Read
Award WinningLambda Literary Award- Children's/Young Adult category
21st Annual Lambda Literary Awards
22nd Annual Lambda Literary Awards
2009 Rainbow Awards
2010 Rainbow Awards
2011 Rainbow Awards
You can also look on the Lambda Literary site for a
complete list of finalists and winners for all 26 years of the competition.
And you can look here for a complete list of Rainbow Award finalists and winners. Rainbow gives awards for cover design as well as literary merit. An award is an award. If you want to read one of the books that won for cover design, that's okay. But you might have a better chance of finding something you'll enjoy in the lit categories.
I am going to accept this challenge. I will admit I've kinda steered away from this sub genre, but I'm willing to give it a go. I'll start with level 1 and see how I like it and if I choose to go further..
Melissa wrote: "I am going to accept this challenge. I will admit I've kinda steered away from this sub genre, but I'm willing to give it a go. I'll start with level 1 and see how I like it and if I choose to go f..."Same here, I'll start out as Level 1 as well.
Level 3?L: Sarah Waters - Tipping the Velvet or Affinity
G: Riley Hart - Broken Pieces, 6/28/2014, ★★★(menage)
B: Bound by Honor, 7/15/2014, ★★★1/2,
T: The Silkworm, 7/16/2014, ★★★1/2
YA: Boy Meets Boy or Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe or Impulse
Classic:Tipping the Velvet or Brokeback Mountain or Affinity
Lambda finalist:Boy Meets Boy or Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe
Award DABWAHA Romance Tournament for Best GLBT Romance (2010): Zero at the Bone, 07/30/2014, ★★1/2
Great challenge Becky - I'm in!I have a question....for the classic of LGBT lit choice, Boy Meets Boy was on the list that was linked to the '10 LGBT Themed Novels That Every Student Should Read' article. Can I use that one for the lit category?
Fran wrote: "Great challenge Becky - I'm in!I have a question....for the classic of LGBT lit choice, Boy Meets Boy was on the list that was linked to the '10 LGBT Themed Novels That Every Studen..."
Sure! It might be a little recent for a traditional "classic", but someone thought it was important enough to put it on a Must Read list. It's a YA title, and it won a Lambda Award, so it would also fit in any of those categories if you need to do a little shuffling around.
Thanks Becky!Another question...for transgender...would this one work?
Caught
Trans > Cross Dressing 12 users
Fran wrote: "Thanks Becky!Another question...for transgender...would this one work?
Caught
Trans > Cross Dressing 12 users"
I'm not familiar with this one, but it looks like several people have it shelved as a trans story, so that should work.
I'm in and I'll start with Four Play :)I'll work out my options over the next few days and get a tentative list together.
Fran wrote: "Thanks Becky!Another question...for transgender...would this one work?
Caught
Trans > Cross Dressing 12 users"
I've read that, and enjoyed it Fran :) But it was too long ago for me to remember the details of being transgender.
I'm planning to go Over the Rainbow. :DI've got a couple of books I need to finish for other challenges, and then I'll concentrate on picking titles for this one. I have a pretty good idea what I want to read for at least a couple of the spots. If I can make a few do double duty with the Hearts & Tears or Meet-n-Greet challenges, that would be good.
I'm going to go Level 4: Over the Rainbow.I'll update with my picks later.
Thanks for the great challenge Becky!
ahhh, what the heck - sign me up ;)i'm goign to go Over the Rainbow - cause I already got a LLA and a YA GLBT on the pile to read
I finished my first book for the challenge! The L- Rulebreaker by Cathy Pegau. The main character is a con artist, and the job she was trying to pull was interesting. But the romance wasn't strong enough. They head off into the sunset together at the end (almost literally), but I can see the whole thing falling apart in a few weeks once they get to know each other. I enjoyed this one, but it won't be going on my "favorites" shelf.
Becky, can we start this one any time? I know the end date is Dec. 31st, just checking if there is a specific start date or can we use the date you posted the challenge as the start date.
i was going to ask that - can we start now?
Level 4: Over the RainbowL
G
B
T
an LGBT YA title - Caught in the Crossfire - In Progress
a classic of LGBT lit
winner of the Lambda Literary Awards
Level 4: Over The Rainbow1/7 Read
L- Unforgettable Firsts: 10 Women Share Their First Intimate Experience With a Woman or Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic
G- Resistance 6/17 (4*)
B- I Never
T- Double Exposure or As He Watches
LGBT YA Title- #First Impressions #Second Chances
Classic LGBT Lit- Boy Meets Boy
Rainbow Award winner- Caught
Just want to give everyone a heads up- I'll be out of town for a family wedding Fri-Mon. I have no idea what the wifi situation might be like. (The wedding is going to be in a state park and the hotel is small, so I may not have much access.) If anyone has questions over the weekend, I promise to answer them on Tuesday!
Becky wrote: "Just want to give everyone a heads up- I'll be out of town for a family wedding Fri-Mon. I have no idea what the wifi situation might be like. (The wedding is going to be in a state park and the ..."No problems. Enjoy your weekend and the wedding Becky!!
Thanks! I'm looking forward to seeing my 95 year-old great aunt. She's a hoot! I haven't seen her in almost 4 years, and who knows how many more visits like this we'll have, you know? I'm looking forward to seeing my uncle and the cousin who is getting married, too, but mostly it's Auntie. ;)
Level 4: Over The Rainbow2/7 Read
L- Unforgettable Firsts: 10 Women Share Their First Intimate Experience With a Woman or Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic(also a Lambda Award winner 2007)
G- Resistance 6/17 (4*)
B- I Never 6/19 (3.5*)
T- Double Exposure or As He Watches
LGBT YA Title- #First Impressions #Second Chances
Classic LGBT Lit- Boy Meets Boy
Rainbow Award winner- Caught
Level 4: Over The Rainbow4/7 Read
L- Wallbanger
G- Sticks & Stones 7/17 (5*)
B- The Forbidden Room 6/25 (3.5*)
T- Double Exposure or As He Watches
LGBT YA Title- Language Lessons 7/2 (3.5*)
Classic LGBT Lit- Safe 8/20 (4*)
Rainbow Award finalist- One Real Thing
Level 4: Over The Rainbow7/7 Read - Done!
Thank you Becky for a great challenge!
L- Wetter 7/3 (3*)
G- Resistance 6/17 (4*)
B- I Never 6/19 (3.5*)
T- As He Watches 6/24 (4*)
LGBT YA Title- #First Impressions #Second Chances 7/1 (4*)
Classic LGBT Lit- From the list- 10 LGBT themed novels every teen should read - Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic(also a Lambda Award winner 2007) 6/25 (4*)
Lambda Award finalist- How They Met, and Other Stories 7/2 (4*)
Oh, wow. Congrats, Fran! It looks like you found some good stories, too!
read 2/7L: Rulebreaker
G: The Student Prince
B:
T:
LGBT YA:
LGBT Classic:
LGBT Award Winner:
I just finished The Student Prince, and thoroughly enjoyed it. It's a fanfic that takes the characters from the BBC show Merlin (and the Arthurian characters generally, I suppose) and makes them first year college students. I don't read a lot of fanfic, but this one struck me as quite well written and edited. And the romance between Merlin and Arthur was very sweet.
Hope its not to late to join this, and backdate some reads?I tend to stick to m/m, so want to use this to branch out a bit.
Level 4: Over the Rainbow
L: I Can't Think Straight
G: Bleeding Heart Completed 8/14
B: Adaptation
T: I am J
LGBT YA: One Man Guy Completed 8/17
LGBT Classic: Tales of the City
LGBT Award Winner: Hero
Never too late Heather :) Go for it!
Ok - it could be too late, but not until later on ;)
Heather (Heatso) wrote: "Hope its not to late to join this, and backdate some reads?I tend to stick to m/m, so want to use this to branch out a bit.
Level 4: Over the Rainbow
L: I Can't Think Straight
G..."
Oh, let me know what you think of Hero! I've been wanting to read that one, but the ebook is out of print and I *really* prefer digital. I was hoping someone would eventually bring it back, but it's not looking good. I might have to break down and get a paperback copy.
On another topic, good grief. I've been busy working through my Meet-n-Greet books, and I hadn't realized how long it's been since I read one for this challenge. Off to poke through the TBR and pick a book or two!
How is everyone else doing?
I will if I actually get to it, I also prefer digital and have this in paperback, so have been trying to get myself to read it :)
Becky wrote: " I've been busy working through my Meet-n-Greet books, and I hadn't realized how long it's been since I read one for this challenge. Off to poke through the TBR and pick a book or two!How is everyone else doing? ..."
I've been doing the same thing! I need to get my books sorted out to cover this off :) I'll do it this weekend.
So - I need a suggestion for a lesbian romance. Can anyone help me? Maybe a few suggestions that I can then bounce around ;) I'd prefer to avoid historicals...
julia wrote: "Jane (PS) wrote: "So - I need a suggestion for a lesbian romance. Can anyone help me? Maybe a few suggestions that I can then bounce around ;) I'd prefer to avoid historicals..."Hey Jane - I e..."
Thanks Julia! Not sure I'm up for a 300+ pager in this sub-genre yet but Customer Service has some great comments :) I've bookmarked that one on Amazon...
Over the Rainbow6 June - 31 December 2014
Level: Over The Rainbow
Completed: 2/7
L - ?Selena Kitt? Mish Daniels? Customer Service
G - Seven √ 3 Jul
B - Three to Tango √ 17 Aug
T - Perfect
YA - Turning 16
Classic - Brokeback Mountain
Awards - First You Fall
Jane (PS) wrote: "So - I need a suggestion for a lesbian romance. Can anyone help me? Maybe a few suggestions that I can then bounce around ;) I'd prefer to avoid historicals..."I think my favorites so far have been Battle Scars and Starting From Scratch. Portrait of a Crossroads and Admiring Anna were both good, too, although they're fairly short.
read 3/7L: Rulebreaker 6/16
G: The Student Prince 7/6
B: Who's Your Daddy? 9/6
T:
LGBT YA:
LGBT Classic:
LGBT Award Winner:
Becky wrote: "Jane (PS) wrote: "So - I need a suggestion for a lesbian romance. Can anyone help me? Maybe a few suggestions that I can then bounce around ;) I'd prefer to avoid historicals..."I think my fav..."
Thanks Becky! I'll check them out :)
Becky wrote: "Jane (PS) wrote: "So - I need a suggestion for a lesbian romance. Can anyone help me? Maybe a few suggestions that I can then bounce around ;) I'd prefer to avoid historicals..."I think my fav..."
They all sound pretty good, thanks Becky! I now have to work out which to read. Julia's suggetion Customer Service looked good too. It'll probably be the one I can get the cheapest ;)
Jane (PS) wrote: "Becky wrote: "Jane (PS) wrote: "So - I need a suggestion for a lesbian romance. Can anyone help me? Maybe a few suggestions that I can then bounce around ;) I'd prefer to avoid historicals..."..."
I hear that. Battle Scars and Starting From Scratch are both published by Bold Strokes Books. They're stuff is pretty uniformly priced at $9.99. But they are lendable, and I was actually able to borrow Battle Scars from my library, so that helps.
Becky wrote: "Jane (PS) wrote: "Becky wrote: "Jane (PS) wrote: "So - I need a suggestion for a lesbian romance. Can anyone help me? Maybe a few suggestions that I can then bounce around ;) I'd prefer to avoid..."I'll check out if my library has them, but I doubt it... Since I don't want to spend $10 on a sub-genre I don't know if I'll like, I'll otherwise head for one of the shorties :)
Romance Readers Reading Challenges
Books mentioned in this topic
Rubyfruit Jungle (other topics)The Charioteer (other topics)
The Student Prince (other topics)
Secret (other topics)
Rulebreaker (other topics)
More...
Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to read some LGBT romance!
There aren't many rules for this dare. You can use books you're reading for other challenges. No minimum page counts. (In fact, I have a 35 page story I plan to recommend if anyone asks!) If you're having fun and want to bump up to the next level, have at it! And no need to rush through this one- you've got until December 31, 2014 to complete the challenge.
Here are the levels.
Level 1: Dip a Toe
Never read an LGBT romance before? Not sure if you're going to like it? This might be the level for you. Read one LGBT romance of any flavor, and then come back and let us know what you thought. Easy peasy!
Level 2: Bi-Curious
For those who are already familiar with LGBT romance. Read a book from your "usual" letter, and then pick a letter you've never read before. Are you an m/m fan? Try some f/f! Do you love f/f? Check out a story with a transgender character. Break out of your usual reading habits and try something new.
Level 3: Four Play
This one's for people who want a little bit of everything. Read one romance for each letter of the LGBT family. Newbie or old hat, anyone can pick this level.
Level 4: Over the Rainbow
Are you ready to go all in? To go "Over the Rainbow" you have to:
read one romance for each letter in the LGBT family, plus
an LGBT YA title
a classic of LGBT lit, and
one finalist or winner of the Lambda Literary Awards or the Rainbow Awards
Sounds simple, right? I'm going to reserve the first several posts in this thread and fill them up with lists to browse. There are many, many lists, so don't think this is the definitive list of lists. If you find something on your own that you want to read, go for it!
I'm also happy to make recommendations, and hopefully others will chime in with some of their favorites, too. (Fair warning, I don't know as much about lesbian romance as I would like. I'll be using this challenge to try some new stuff, too!)
So, I think that's about it. Pick a level, try something new, have some fun. If I've forgotten anything or you have questions, let me know. And most of all...
Happy Reading!