Q&A with Josh Lanyon discussion
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What else are you reading? (June 2010 - May 2013) *closed*
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It seems to me that it must have changed a bit given how much is out there now in the way of new releases and insta-pubs.
In the pre-electronic past, like Calathea, I would browse in bookstores or the library, reading a first page as well as the fly synopsis. Suggestions came from family and friends with similar genre preferences, or from magazine reviews.
Things changed completely with ebooks, social media, blogs, etc. Before joining this group, I mostly visited review blogs to find new authors and books. If nothing looked that interesting, I would browse Amazon recommendations (in part because some of them are ridiculous and good for a laugh). Now I depend mainly on author newsletters, Riptide updates, my independent local bookstore's newsletter (no m/m there, though I special order some m/m print through them), and most of all recommendations from this page. Because most of you are on the same (or a similar) page as me. ;-)
Becky wrote: "Have you read The City's Son? I've had it on my wishlist for a while, and I just spotted it on sale for $1.99 for Kindle. What I've read of the sample looks good, although it's in present tense, which is not my favorite."No, but I'll try a sample. Present tense isn't my favorite either and I'm partial to male protagonists, but I'll try anything once. ~_^
Emanuela ~plastic duck~ wrote: "Susinok wrote: "Oh I'm glad to hear that. I just bought a pile of books from them this morning. I knew some publishers did it but not exactly who."I think I already said it before, but I LOVE the..."
Agree :)
As for covers, I always check those first, although if I love the blurb, the cover won't matter.
I'm not exactly a fan of naked torsos, I don't mind if the head and the face is included, but the "beheaded" ones are just weird for me.
Christine wrote: "Oh, man. My bank account is going to be groaning by the end of this month--and not from Christmas presents. *headkeyboard*"Christine - sorry to add to the damage, but I've just remembered a couple of books which would be ideal for holiday reads - Ben Monopoli The Cranberry Hush and The Painting of Porcupine City. They are wonderful books - out of the ordinary, thoughtful and thought-provoking. I remembered them because I've just seen that he has a new book out - Homo Action Love Story! A tall tale. Yippee!
Hj wrote: "Christine wrote: "Oh, man. My bank account is going to be groaning by the end of this month--and not from Christmas presents. *headkeyboard*"Christine - sorry to add to the damage, but I've just ..."
Oh the new one looks like fun! Thanks for telling about it. It seems Ben Monopoli is able to write very different books each time. I loved the first two and according to the reviews I am going to luurve this one :)
I just started Closet by R.D. Zimmerman. A gay mystery series starring a news anchor, Todd Miller, who gets outed (in this book) when his secret lover is murdered.I have not gotten very far in yet. Anyone heard of this series?
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When I say ten books, they're more like novellas. You'll get through them pretty quickly. I promise.
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I have not gotten very far in ye..."
Nope. But it sounds good. I'm a sucker for horrid stories where someone important dies. Oiy. What does that say about me? lol.
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@plainbrownwrapper: lol, sadly, I am basically out of Josh books to read. Just the Dangerous Ground series, but I bought that in printed form and there..."
I know! You could put your back out!
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I have a low pain theshold, so just the words EXTREME ANGST pretty much guarantee I won't check out a book. Even though Harper gets that a lot too -- but I love Harper's work and I don't consider it extreme angst.
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I have not gotten very far in ye..."
Oh yes. I read all those way back when. In fact, I have all those in print -- I just sent them to storage.
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I have not gotte..."
By which I mean, I consider them keepers. Not that they have been relegated to the hinterlands. ;-)
Josh wrote: "I know! You could put your back out!"Sadly, this is entirely possible. I have a bad back. *wry grin*
Darkm wrote: "I'm not exactly a fan of naked torsos, I don't mind if the head and the face is included, but the "beheaded" ones are just weird for me. "My writing partner calls those headless torsos "decapitated man-titties." *snirk*
She's, uh, a bit crude. I kinda love her for it.
Hj wrote: "Christine - sorry to add to the damage, but I've just remembered a couple of books which would be ideal for holiday reads"Oooo. Cranberry Hush had me at "comic shop." ;)
*adds to wishlist*
Thank you!
Amber wrote: "What puts a book over the line into "approach with extreme caution" territory?"In the case of Amy Lane, amount of angst that makes me want to improve my mood by slitting wrists... vertically. After drinking some arsenic shots. XD
Josh wrote: "Amber wrote: "What puts a book over the line into "approach with extreme caution" territory?"I have a low pain theshold, so just the words EXTREME ANGST pretty much guarantee I won't check out a book. Even though Harper gets that a lot too -- but I love Harper's work and I don't consider it extreme angst."
I agree, Josh - I hadn't even thought of her books as "angst". I think it may be because I tend to think of "angst" as unnecessary suffering, making the character suffer so the reader does and revelling in it. The sad things which happen in Harper Fox's books seem inevitable and likely, and not just for the sake of it.
(This may be very unfair to other authors whose books are described as angst-ridden, because I tend to avoid them.)
I would not classify Harper Fox's angst in the same vein as Chase in Shadow. Even Amy Lane's other angsty books are not as over the top as that particular one.And I've read almost all of Harper Fox's work. I'm saving Last Line and Midwinter... whatever (forgot) for later.
Hj wrote: " I tend to think of "angst" as unnecessary suffering, making the character suffer so the reader does and revelling in it."Oooooo, them's fightin' words....
Lady*M wrote: "In the case of Amy Lane, amount of angst that makes me want to improve my mood by slitting wrists... vertically. After drinking some arsenic shots. XD "See, I don't really understand this reaction. Why would someone remain suicidal after an Amy Lane book, when she always does HEA/HFN endings? I can certainly understand feeling wrung out or exhausted, but it's not like everyone dies at the end of her books...
Plainbrownwrapper wrote: "Lady*M wrote: "In the case of Amy Lane, amount of angst that makes me want to improve my mood by slitting wrists... vertically. After drinking some arsenic shots. XD "See, I don't really understa..."
I tend to autobuy Amy Lane's as to me, her angst is more like a roller-coaster ride, and dips in to uncomfortable territory that tends to make me think.. and I am sure I would not go along for the ride but for the fact that hers do always have a HEA or HFN..
Amy lane has a peculiar kind of angst for me. Some books have "the right amount", like Sidecar (which I really enjoyed), others are too much for me, like Mourning Heaven, or Chase in Shadows.Strangely enough, she's not the worse for me, in the angst department.
There are books like Aaron that I haven't found the courage to read yet, same as the Little boy lost series.
Darkm wrote: "Some books have "the right amount", like Sidecar (which I really enjoyed), others are too much for me..."Too much for me is exactly how I feel about some of her books. "Too much" in a way that completely negates any HEA/HFN. Escapism isn't my only goal when I read, but I don't want to feel tortured at the end of the book either. So, now I read the reviews of her books carefully, especially by GR friends that have similar taste, and choose accordingly. I really liked Do-over, Super Sock Man, Clear Water... Lovely, all of them. But, after some experiences with her books and so many other books out there, I don't think I'll ever read Chase in Shadows, for example. Just Amy's Code Blue books for me. ^^
I read Aleksandr's Incursion yesterday. What a wonderful story it is! Not long, but it took me to places I didn't suspect when I started reading, and I believe I even learned something new and felt a little wiser at the end. I think it won one of the Rainbow awards this year and I can see why. A different story in all kind of ways, but a lovely read and a great little book.
Darkm wrote: "Amy lane has a peculiar kind of angst for me. Some books have "the right amount", like Sidecar (which I really enjoyed), others are too much for me, like Mourning Heaven, or Chase in Shadows.Stra..."
I love me some angst and Amy Lane does deliver in many of her stories. I like them, it might be heavy but in my opinion she treats people's pain with respect and it ends well. I don't like angst for the sake of angst, it has to be a part of the story and something the protags and I as reader can get through and hopefully learn from it. If it is speculative I don't like it. In my opinion, with angst as with so many other items we discuss, it comes down to whether it is well done or not. And as we all know, we might differ about what that means as well.
ETA: what I really can't abide is when an author doles out the angst in heavy doses on one of the protags, abuse, addiction, bad childhood experiences and then Hey Presto! After falling in love in an instant and having mind-blowing sex, it all goes away. After a week or so. Then you lose me as a reader.
Plainbrownwrapper wrote: "Hj wrote: " I tend to think of "angst" as unnecessary suffering, making the character suffer so the reader does and revelling in it."Oooooo, them's fightin' words...."
LOL, fighting words indeed. I think angst or drama is part of life, just as much as romance and happiness. I love a good amount of angst and also do not shy away from cheating characters, as so many do. Shit happens. :)
Anne wrote: "ETA: what I really can't abide is when an author doles out the angst in heavy doses on one of the protags, abuse, addiction, bad childhood experiences and then Hey Presto! After falling in love in an instant and having mind-blowing sex, it all goes away. After a week or so. Then you lose me as a reader."For that matter, any major issues or plot points that are magically solved or wrapped up in any way.
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If It's not officially on my TBR list here, I know it's on my Amazon wishlist, waiting for that day I buy everything of his that I haven't bought/read yet. I can't wait! So glad you enjoyed it.
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See, I don't really understa..."
Hmm. I'm not sure if a HFN or HEA can really make up for all the trials and tribulations some authors put their characters through. (I'm just theorizing here as I haven't read Amy yet.) I have read enough books that were simply too exhausting (or frustrating) for the relative payoff of the ending.
That happens a lot in fan fiction, now that I think of it.
Lou - Very good point, I think. Pacing is a huge issue, and that includes moving between light and dark, dark and light, and back, for maximum effect rather as some weird pain-masturbation.
Josh wrote: "Hmm. I'm not sure if a HFN or HEA can really make up for all the trials and tribulations some authors put their characters through. (I'm just theorizing here as I haven't read Amy yet.) I have read enough books that were simply too exhausting (or frustrating) for the relative payoff of the ending."Yeah, but see, the HEA isn't really meaningful unless the characters had to fight to get there. The HEA redeems their suffering (and Aleks, if you're reading this, that's what I meant by "redemptive value" in an earlier discussion). If everything comes easily, then who cares?
Now, that's not the same thing as "the author torturing their characters for 99% of the book and then throwing on the happy ending in the last 1%". Obviously, the ending has to be a reasonable outgrowth from the rest of the plot.
What **I** don't want to read are what I think of as the "snuff film" books -- the ones where it's all suffering all the time, with no happy ending in sight. In THOSE books, I do feel like the suffering is just there for people to wallow in. That's not what I'm interested in. I'm interested in seeing people who are able to survive, grow, learn, and love after (and sometimes because of) their suffering. Otherwise it just feels like torture porn.
Plainbrownwrapper - Yep, reading. (I'm at work and bored, what can I say? Goodreads is like honey on those days...) "Torture porn" in m/m for me has the same/similar position as what I'd call "misery porn" (all those "Real Life Stories of Tragedy" - child abuse, rape stories published both in paperback in the mainstream and in the yellow press). It has a readership, I'm not making a value judgment on it, I just have the choice to read it or stay away. Personally, I do like the same story I keep writing: Strong people go through quite a bit of suffering and are redeemed/saved by love - while becoming "better" people. Most of my work really is that simple. Other authors have other "embedded scripts", and that's totally fine. :)
"Angst," "torture," lack of a HEA... I keep thinking of Requiem for a Dream. That movie... I thought I was okay after watching that. I realized a few minutes later as my friend drove me home that I was in shock. That movie leaves scars.Lovely soundtrack, though.
Lou wrote: "I like the way Tamara Allen handles anguish. She understands that the character doesn't need every possible misfortune to pile on them to feel it."I'm with you, Lou. Mara's touch is very deft; I get the impression she prefers understatement to overstatement. And it works. She's a wonderful writer.
I can't tolerate serial crises and nonstop melodrama larded with tears and fears -- angst for angst's sake. I gave up on an author after two books because of that. If I'd kept reading her work, I would've needed a crane to suspend my disbelief.
K.Z. wrote: "I can't tolerate serial crises and nonstop melodrama larded with tears and fears -- angst for angst's sake. I gave up on an author after two books because of that. If I'd kept reading her work, I would've needed a crane to suspend my disbelief. "Yeah, and that's a problem with a lot of angsty writers. One of the things I admire about Lane is that she can do that overblown, artificially hyped stuff so WELL that I don't start rolling my eyes.
Aleksandr wrote: "It has a readership, I'm not making a value judgment on it, I just have the choice to read it or stay away. ""Misery porn" is another good name for that sort of stuff.
I would classify books like the Flesh Cartel series in that category -- only from the blurbs and what other people have said about them. I can stand for and even appreciate a lot of suffering if it's written well, but there's GOT to be some redemption at the end.
Honestly, right now I think Flesh Cartel is more horror/thriller with sex. I have only read the first parts so far, but much depends for me on how it ends. Personally, I don't find it hot. There are some bits in it that I find tremendously intriguing, and the intensity of the writing is mind-blowing, because both authors are amazing and at the top of their game. I admire that. I'd read it not for the sex though; while consent issues intrigue me, and I explore dub and noncon in my own work too, the sex is too hardcore for me to find it erotic. But I understand that readers have very different and individual responses to a text like that. Which ishalf the fun.
Midnight Cowboy is one of my favorite films of all time! Hoffman's best performance EVER. For years I'd have to stop watching it before that final sequence on the bus, or I'd bawl my eyes out.But see, there's a difference between a superb story that's depressing or disturbing and one that's suffocatingly schlocky. Most of my favorite novels and films are pretty intense, but they don't make me groan in exasperation and roll my eyes.
Aleksandr wrote: "Honestly, right now I think Flesh Cartel is more horror/thriller with sex. I have only read the first parts so far, but much depends for me on how it ends. Personally, I don't find it hot. There ar..."I agree, but found it "peel the paint off the walls" in the way it is written. It's a train wreck that I can't turn away from, but it is not erotic to me in any way. I will keep reading as I am too curious to see where these 2 writers go with the story. And yes, "misery porn" is an apt description, nothing erotic about it, a spirit crushing porn.
If y'all want to see a movie that will really get under your skin, try The Machinist with Christian Bale. It's excellent in every way, with a resolution I never saw coming, but it's quite disturbing. (Just to warn you: it's about a man who's been psychologically tortured into sleeplessness and anorexia -- but why, or by whom or what, we don't know until the end. The conclusion is brilliant.)
Lou wrote: "And then there are movies like Midnight Cowboy--It's not a happy film by any means, but I wouldn't call it depressing either. It's cathartic."Hmm. Haven't heard of that one.
"Cowboy" reminds me...I'm curious: what do you guys think of Brokeback Mountain? (One of the few movies I've seriously thought of turning off in the middle, because it was just so uncomfortable to watch.)
Christine wrote: ""Cowboy" reminds me...I'm curious: what do you guys think of Brokeback Mountain? (One of the few movies I've seriously thought of turning off in the middle, because it was just so uncomfortable to watch.) ..."How funny - that's what came into my mind as I was reading these last few posts, although I thought of it while I read your earlier post: ""Angst," "torture," lack of a HEA... I keep thinking of Requiem for a Dream." i.e. before any mention of Midnight Cowboy.
I haven't seen the film of Brokeback Mountain because I read the book - wow, angst, misery, AND no HEA. It left me depressed and wondering whether the film was different, because if not I couldn't understand all the rave reviews. And then I wondered if I'm so conditioned by reading romances that I expect an HEA (or at least HFN) and feel cheated if there isn't one.
This is one reason why I stopped reading modern literary fiction; it seemed that an HEA was actually forbidden in that genre.
Christine wrote: ""Cowboy" reminds me...I'm curious: what do you guys think of Brokeback Mountain? (One of the few movies I've seriously thought of turning off in the middle, because it was just so uncomfortable to watch.)"Quite a few people here come from the Brokeback Mountain fandom. We started to read Brokeback Mountain slash, written exactly because many people couldn't bear the tragic ending, and then we went on to m/m.
The movie is a masterpiece, one of the few movies that can keep up with the book it is based upon. And it had a huge impact.
Christine wrote: "Hmm. Haven't heard of that one."Cowboy" reminds me...I'm curious: what do you guys think of Brokeback Mountain? (One of the few movies I've seriously thought of turning off in the middle, because it was just so uncomfortable to watch.)"
You haven't heard of Midnight Cowboy because you're probably a whippersnapper, and the movie was released in 1969. :) It won Best Picture that year.
BbM is another one I have difficulty watching after a certain point. I've seen it twice all the way through, but I'm still not quite ready to give it another go. It's just too damned heartwrenching.
Susinok wrote: "I just started Closet by R.D. Zimmerman. A gay mystery series starring a news anchor, Todd Miller, who gets outed (in this book) when his secret lover is murdered.I have not gotten very far in ye..."
Not heard of it but it looks interesting, how's it going?
Lady*M wrote: "Darkm wrote: "Some books have "the right amount", like Sidecar (which I really enjoyed), others are too much for me..."Too much for me is exactly how I feel about some of her books. "Too much" in..."
I liked Clear Water. But other books by Lane feel unbalanced to me the angst seems overdonw for the characters/rest of the story seems popular with her fans though. And all the woman hating in Dex in Blue! wow.
Christine wrote: ""Angst," "torture," lack of a HEA... I keep thinking of Requiem for a Dream. That movie... I thought I was okay after watching that. I realized a few minutes later as my friend drove me home that I..."I had flashes in broad daylight from that movie for weeks afterwards. I don't think I've ever seen more horrifying movie and I've seen a lot... The buildup from "we are just having a bit of fun" to we are dead, crazy, mutilated, whoring or in jail is unbelievable. It scarred me for life and I'm never, ever going to see it again. Though, when I have children, I'm planning to save that movie for "say no to drugs" lesson.
Josh wrote: Hmm. I'm not sure if a HFN or HEA can really make up for all the trials and tribulations some authors put their characters through. (I'm just theorizing here as I haven't read Amy yet.) I have read enough books that were simply too exhausting (or frustrating) for the relative payoff of the ending.That happens a lot in fan fiction, now that I think of it. "..."
I think it gets overdone.
Most people have experienced some 'angst' in their lives, it doesn't have to be larger than life drama to make a story, yet in some books the poor characters face a hell of a lot of simultanious trials and can then throw it all off for a HEA.
Events change people, a kiss isn't enough to heal everything however much of a romantic you are.
Hmmm. Now I'm thinking about the Greek tragedies. I guess all these stories are kind of the modern equivalent?@HJ: It left me in a funk...
@Antonella: I did appreciate the art of it! The fact that it made me feel as strongly as it did says something. The quality of the movie is probably what kept me watching. But still--I can understand fans wanting to rewrite the ending.
@KZ: I feel like I'll never get over being a whippersnapper. It's like I'm always the youngest one in every group! :P
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Q&A with Josh Lanyon
Books mentioned in this topic
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The Flame Trees of Thika: Memories of an African Childhood (other topics)
Mistress of the Art of Death (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
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It seems to me that it must have changed a bit given how much is out there now in t..."
The reason I think we didn't find many M/M books on B&Ns website is because they used Fictionwise (which they had purchased in 2009) as a way to distribute M/M. That is a site I will grieve immensely. I had 460+ M/M books I had purchased from them, and 583 books on my M/M wishlist on Fictionwise. With Dec. 4th being the last day to purchase and them not doing discounts or coupons for the last 3 weeks, well, sadly, I have just had to make a copy of my wishlist and hope I can purchase them from other sites.