Q&A with Josh Lanyon discussion
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What else are you reading? (June 2010 - May 2013) *closed*
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Antonella
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Aug 08, 2012 03:04AM
Holiday in both cases, Ireland and Scotland. About the pic: maybe I'll buy something I don't have on paper in Dublin, just to check the availability ;-).
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I've gone back to Robert Dunbar's critically acclaimed
. (It isn't as terrifying as the cover suggests, although it is creepily unsettling.) Dunbar's an extraordinarily fine and inventive writer -- a master of nuance, and a superb weaver of atmosphere.Problem is, I don't enjoy restful sleep whenever I get into this book . . . which is why I've been reading it in fits and starts. I consider that a testimony to Dunbar's skill as a writer of dark fiction. :)
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I fear that would merely reflect on the categorizer -- and prove my point. :-P
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Thank you!
And I hope the last days of vacation are the sweetest.
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Yes? I'll have to check it out.
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I wish Tamara had a wider audience. She deserves to be read.
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Wonderfully written -- though not one of my favorites. But that's the difficulty of basing things on real life. Real life so rarely understands the need for dramatic arc or happy endings. :-D
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The new Harper Fox is out: In Search of Saints. I just bought it and now can't wait to read it this evening!"It is a lovely, mystical story. :-)
Josh wrote: "I wish Tamara had a wider audience. She deserves to be read."I agree. And once more I wonder why she - along with some other excellent writers - is not more widely known.
Antonella wrote: "Hi, Candice! I think you mean ''First Watch''http://riptidepublishing.com/titles/f..."
Wha'd I say? You're right. Thanks. Did yu like it, too?
I just finished Cards On the Table yesterday, and I've gotta say, Josh writes the most sensual sex scenes ever and the emotion.... It always make me feel like being punched in the gut, even knowing it must be a misunderstanding and they'll live HEA. But I always can feel exactly what the character is feeling at that particular moment.
Cleon wrote: "I just finished Cards On the Table yesterday, and I've gotta say, Josh writes the most sensual sex scenes ever and the emotion.... It always make me feel like being punched in the gut, even knowing..."When I read comments like this one I feel like immediately re-reading. In this case I can't: on one side because I've got it only on paper at home, on the other side because I should work. In fact I shouldn't be here at all...
@ Candice: No, I didn't read ''First Watch'', I just went to check the blurb.
Candice wrote: "Antonella wrote: "Hi, Candice! I think you mean ''First Watch''http://riptidepublishing.com/titles/f..."
Wha'd I say? You're right. Thanks. Did yu like it, too?"
I liked it very much, my thoughts if you're interested. There's one little something that I think was due to an unlucky phrasing, and I spotted it only because I had just been to Tarifa.
I'm going to go nuts and read a paper book, The First Time I Saw Your Face, instead of an ebook. ::gasp:: Paper because it's signed and I was at the launch for it, because it's by a local writer and member of my local RNA chapter. Also it's not actually released yet, and it's always kind of fun to be reading one most people can't get hold of yet. It's a m/f romance, so it's definitely a change of pace.
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I'm halfway through Mongrel right now and loving it!
Over..."
I will be sure to let you know my thoughts when I get to it. Uh, not sure when that will be though. Sometime after August, I can at least say that with some assurance. lol.
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Wonderfully written -- though not one of my favorites. But that's th..."
I read an older YA book recently that was historical fiction based on the life of a scribe and his king who lead a short life. I both loved and hated it because the king dies in the end. To me, it didn't make sense to even bother writing the story if we already knew he was going to die, just to make his scribe a story teller (someone had to tell the king's story, and the scribe couldn't talk-tongue cut out- but he wanted to be a storyteller) well, it didn't work out the way I'd hoped it would.
However, this one, I'm willing to give it a try. Maybe it's the M/M that's drawing me to it, or Mary R's amazing write... both? I don't know. But we'll see how it goes when I start it.
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Cards on the Table is lovely. And I couldn't agree more with you and what you said about the sex scenes and the strong emotions. And I do think that I'll have to start re-reading it tonight... :)
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Just read a book that had me nearly spitting nails. The author killed the most interesting, engaging character (a girl) so the two bland, boring gay dudes (both 18 years old) get to raise a baby together, riding into the sunset. I'm so *sick* of this trope. Sick to my tonsils.
/rant
Aleksandr wrote: "Just read a book that had me nearly spitting nails. The author killed the most interesting, engaging character (a girl) so the two bland, boring gay dudes (both 18 years old) get to raise a baby to..."One reason why I avoid books with kids. It's not the kids, but the tropes.
Karen wrote: "Finished In Search of Saints, agreeing with Josh — lovely!"I'm in the middle of it right now. I always love her prose!
Cleon wrote: "Aleksandr wrote: "Just read a book that had me nearly spitting nails. The author killed the most interesting, engaging character (a girl) so the two bland, boring gay dudes (both 18 years old) get ..."I enjoy the occasionally baby story. But you've got to respect your characters. You can't just kill someone off for convenience. There's nothing satisfying about that. Respect your characters and respect your readers.
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Hopefully the next book you read will be miles better than this one Aleks!
Jordan wrote: "I second what Becky said. I enjoy the occasional baby story too, but yeah, not when it means killing off a character like that. Hopefully the next book you read will be miles better than this one..."
Babies and children can make a cute story even cuter :)
But I hate it when the author kills off someone to take an easy way out. I really feel cheated then. In real life you have to make changes by yourself, you must make painful choices, you will not be "helped" by a convenient death. And in those books where this trope is used, the devastation after a death is always downplayed or glossed over. So double cheating actually.
Calathea wrote: " The new Harper Fox is out: In Search of Saints. I just bought it and now can't wait to read it this evening!"I just finished it, a short read, but very good indeed. All her books are different from each other but the thing they have in common is the beautiful language and the way she uses the environment to add to the story, make it deeper, the weather, the sea. You can feel the cold and the wet and the despair, and the warm sun when the trouble gets resolved. Intense and lovely.
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Yup yup. *nod nod* ;)
Reading a f/f that was recommended during that f/f discussion on Smart Bitches a while back. Sort of a Mad Max meets steampunk mashup. So far so good. And then one of the women tries to put her hand down the pants of the other, while the other is driving, about 5 minutes after they meet. What the hell? And then she stops when she discovers the driver isn't wearing underwear, and they have a discussion about how the driver used to be a Victoria's Secret model.Why am I getting all the weird crap lately? I'm starting to think I might be cursed.
Becky wrote: "Reading a f/f that was recommended during that f/f discussion on Smart Bitches a while back. Sort of a Mad Max meets steampunk mashup. So far so good. And then one of the women tries to put her ..."*wrinkles nose*
Erm, as someone that swings both ways... back in the days I was single, I wouldn't have dared put my hands down some girl's pants that I'd just met.
Haven't you heard that saying about lesbians having "meaningful conversations" instead of sex... well, yeah. Attraction first goes by the ears, I think. It's much less visual and much more slow going.
Quite frankly, I consider writing f/f romance very difficult. It is not as fast paced as m/m romance.
It was just so out of the blue. There was no flirting or sexy conversation or anything. The groper was a pilot who was shot down, and the driver came to rescue her. It was all business, and then BAM! Hands in the pants. It just... made no sense. Not with the story, not with the character as we know her so far. So why would the author go there?ETA: I went to the book's page to check out a few reviews, see if it gets any better. Instead, I discovered some pretty unsavory things the author said about reviewers and readers who don't like her books. Suddenly I have no problem with DNFing this thing only 5% in.
Probably because of the survival instinct kicking in, but I must say... what's wrong with making out? And also, there must be chemistry and attraction for that to work. Remember that scene with Tucker and Elliot in Fair Game after Elliot gets shot? That's an excellent example of how coming close to dying can get that reproductive/survival of the species drive into gear.
I guess it could be survival instinct, but it didn't read that way. The pilot was very blase about crashing. It was her 6th crash in three years. If there had been something mutual about it, hot looks exchanged or something, it wouldn't have thrown me. But there was nothing. No hugging, no kissing, just Hello! Hands down the pants! If it had been me, I would have punched her.
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Nicely said! Harper Fox creates such a vivid sense of place and imbues it with emotion.
Personally, I love the built of sexual attraction. LA Witt is a master there, or Abigail Roux. They build and build, and when the sex happens, it's scorching hot. (Though I do like the "hey, let's fuck" thing, too, but it does need a little preparation to really work.)
Emanuela ~plastic duck~ wrote: "Candice wrote: "Antonella wrote: "Hi, Candice! I think you mean ''First Watch''http://riptidepublishing.com/titles/f..."
Wha'd I say? You're right. Thanks. Did yu like it, too?"
I liked ..."
Thank you, Miss E. What a sharp review. If I could have said all that, I sure would have. And even though I didn't get as clear on the ending as you did, on reflexion I agree. I don't agree re one's reaction to the Captain. I just dispised him. The more he doted on his victim, the more I hated him; because it/he was entirely selfish and callous. He obviously exercized so much control over the mc that the mc had to pretend to welcome it. I'm not saying he didn't respond sexually; I'm saying he was miserable and in despair, which is to say he had lost hope. Is there anything worse?
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One more book for summer reading to go after this one. I can't wait to be done, to no long have time restrictions on what I read! lol.
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UGH.
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I can never figure out what this is about. Lack of real life sexual experience or lack of writing experience?
It was a brain bleach book for me.
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Yes. Otherwise it's like a mystery where the crime is solved in the third chapter. That's not what the reader wants. The reader wants the journey to solving the crime or working out the sexual tension. The destination is great, but the JOURNEY is the actual story.
Yep. It's an experience that readers want, not a summary. (Which also ties into show don't tell... Damn, another blog post!) It's the Art of the Tease. :)
Aleksandr wrote: "It's the Art of the Tease. :)"It's lovely in books. I think the way Fatal Shadows ends is the perfect example, really really perfect.
In real life... you could be hated for this, lol
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YES!!! Exactly!!!
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I am reading In One Person. I have always loved John Irving's books and I like this one as well, although sometimes I feel he wanders a bit, and talks too much. In my opinion the book would have been better if it had been tightened a little. But it is a very interesting look upon growing up in a small town in the 50's and 60's as a bisexual boy and young man. And as always with Mr. Irving's stories it is full of extraordinary characters living ordinary lives.
I am reading Breath by Sloan Parker and I am enjoying it a lot.
Karen wrote: "I just read the new JC Price short, Locks of Love: A Modern Gay Fairy Tale, and J.A. Rock's Calling the Show earlier this week. I also enjoyed reading Rock's Wacky Wednesday. Rock's books combine n..."I haven't read any of J.A. Rock's books so shouldn't really comment, but I have read the descriptions here on Goodreads and give it a try anyway :). It seems he writes about households where one person gives another the right to punish them physically, by spanking etc. I have to admit that really disturbs me, I cannot see any situations where I might find that acceptable. I don't talk about D/S gameplaying now which is a whole different situation in my opinion, but everyday domestic punishment and discipline. It goes against everything I believe in. I have worked with battered women and children in the past, maybe that is why I react so strongly.
I don't believe in physical discipline towards children (I am strongly opposed to it), and have trouble seeing how it could work in a adult relationship between two equal persons. It seems the equality goes out the window once this discipline happens.
I am sure some of you will tell me otherwise and I shall listen, but deep down I find it very disturbing.
Anne wrote: "It seems he writes about households where one person gives another the right to punish them physically, by spanking etc. I have to admit that really disturbs me, I cannot see any situations where I might find that acceptable. "Anne, I haven't read these books either, so my comments are not a reflection of them. I'm no expert either, but I have read other domestic discipline stories, and admit to liking them when they're told well. It's about exchange of power, and how it feeds emotional and sexual needs in both parties. It is an aspect of D/s, but it's not gameplaying, it's a way of life.
Hambel wrote: "Anne wrote: "It seems he writes about households where one person gives another the right to punish them physically, by spanking etc. I have to admit that really disturbs me, I cannot see any situa..."I agree that any story can work if it is told well, and I am not opposed to check it out, but I have to be very sure it is handled skillfully before I try :). I understand what you are saying, and I am sure it works for some, it is just that it is an aspect of life I have a hard time relating to. It is not that I judge people who live like that or write about it, but as I said, it disturbs me.
I am all for expanding the boundaries around my comfort zones, this is one of the issues that challenges those boundaries.
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Q&A with Josh Lanyon
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