What else are you reading? (June 2010 - May 2013) *closed* Showing 2,001-2,050 of 13,523

[Cleon Lee]

Just finished . I am dissapointed with this book. There is no major conflict, if there is any at all. She did an excellent job in portraying the live of the lower class boys in the aftermath of Katrina. The story and the characters have so much potential. But there is no conflict to make it interesting or meaty. I can't see the reasons why they fall in love with each other at all.

[Jordan]

Cleon, I had a similar problem reading another of her books. It was Soul Bonds. The whole thing was a little unrealistic and too easy, the way they fell in love, trusted each other the night after they meet and have sex, even running from the badguys. I mean, the one guy's been closed off from the world for a long time because a past lover died (if I recall correctly) and in one night this one guy changed everything? And suddenly he can love again? Riiiiiight. Never mind the very weird info dump where the sex slave (since he was a boy) is able to tell the doctor about the abuse he's suffered like he's talking about the flavor of lemonade.

I ended up giving the book away because I didn't want it on my shelf. It had GREAT promise though. The premise was definitely something I would have loved, but the execution just wasn't up to snuff. It should have been deeper, more angsty, harder for them to fall in love. Oh well.

[Cleon Lee]

Lynn's books are strange. When they are good, they are VERY good, so I know she's capable of writing great plots and conflicts. I love her It Takes a Hero, Rush in The Dark (somewhat sequel to Soul Bonds), Edward Unconditionally, & The Mercenary Tale. I am looking forward to read the rest of the Company of Men series.

She has that superb talent of portraying diverse characters and settings and yet, she fails to insert conflicts in some of her books. I still have No Good Deeds on my reading list. Let's see if it's better than the last one.

[ns]

Jordan S. wrote: "Cleon, I had a similar problem reading another of her books. It was Soul Bonds. The whole thing was a little unrealistic and too easy, the way they fell in love, trusted each other the night after ..."

I happened to read the last book in the series, Edward Unconditionally, first (because it's not like Amazon will give you a *clue* about order and series).

I really enjoyed it. It wasn't perfect, but I found it amusing. Both the main characters felt well-drawn. It's short, and there was much about the plot that felt it was "about nothing", a Senfeldian touch about the humor amidst ordinary things but the HEA was satisfying.

The other two I back-read for series completion (a compulsive-obsessive disorder) and the hopes of finding something at least as good but they were pretty forgettable.

She does have great potential as a writer. David's Dilemma was interesting - it takes on the rather challenging story of a blind protagonist, which I found original enough to at least keep me going when the plot wasn't really well-done enough.

[Charming]

ns wrote: "You're not going to tell me Harlan Ellison was a woman, are you? Because the way this day is going.... "

LOL!

[Yvonne]

ns wrote: "Jordan S. wrote: "Cleon, I had a similar problem reading another of her books. It was Soul Bonds. The whole thing was a little unrealistic and too easy, the way they fell in love, trusted each othe..."

Edward Unconditionally looks interesting. When you read the blurb it sounds like a stand alone book. Do you need to read the first couple of books before this one?

[ns]

Yvonne wrote: "ns wrote: "Jordan S. wrote: "Cleon, I had a similar problem reading another of her books. It was Soul Bonds. The whole thing was a little unrealistic and too easy, the way they fell in love, truste..."

Not really, I managed just fine. There wasn't that much history/backstory to this. The characters from the other books are minor/supporting characters in this one.

[ns]

ns wrote: "Not really, I managed just fine. There wasn't that much history/backstory to this. The characters from the other books are minor/supporting characters in this one."

I have to say, though, I do a lot of picking via Kindle, where I don't see covers. If I was surfing Amazon on my computer, I'd probably never pick most of these books...

[Cleon Lee]

If anyone is interested (thanks to Jason from M/M group), there is 25% discount on Fictionwise, using code "taxday2011"

Torquere is also having a 15% sale until April 18th with code: "happy0411"

[Candice]

Okay, let me apoligize. I was backreading y'alls' discussions and commenting which was totally nonsequitous w/your current exchange. Sorry.

I just went through my bookcase looking for good m/m sci fi by a female. I only save what I liked well enough to maybe read again, and there wasn't one. I buy m/m scifi, too, and lean towards female authors, but I hadn't saved a single one.

I just finished, a week or so ago, According to Hoyle. I've been ambivavent about Abigail Roux' work, every once in a while finding it pretty good. This I thought was the best thing she's done to date.

[Cleon Lee]

Finished . I just realized it is based on real history of a Chinese emperor and his male lover. The writing is good. She managed to depict the ancient Chinese exoticism beautifully. She did a great research. For this alone I give her 4 stars.

However, there are some modern slang words that sounded jarring at some places. There are also more sex than I like, so perhaps you can say that this book is more of a historical erotica rather than a historical romance. Don't get me wrong, the two of them love each other, it's just too much sex for my taste.

Recommended for people who are looking for unique setting and diverse characters in this genre. Warning for some SM scenes in the book. No bondage or dominance in strict dominance sense, though. The man was an Emperor with all it entailed, after all.

[Emanuela ~plastic duck~]

Finished and by Amy Lane. Emotional is an understatement.

I'm starting by Anthony Bidulka. I really enjoyed the first book of the series.

[Ashley]

I just re-read Faster Than The Speed Of Light by Lucius Parhelion. I really like these historical romances. This one is set at an immediately post WWII physics department in SoCal. Makes me sad, because of course a lot of the tension is generated by the need to keep the relationship secret. But I always enjoy this author's matter-of-fact characters, and minimalist dialog. Highly recommended.

[Emanuela ~plastic duck~]

Ashley wrote: "I just re-read Faster Than The Speed Of Light by Lucius Parhelion."

Never heard of it. Just added, it looks veeeery interesting. :)

[Ashley]

Emanuela ~Zstyx~ wrote: "Ashley wrote: "I just re-read Faster Than The Speed Of Light by Lucius Parhelion."

Never heard of it. Just added, it looks veeeery interesting. :)"

Hope you enjoy it!

[[deleted user]]

Reading next to last JL book left *panic setting in*....and re-reading the Psycop series...I love Vic and Jacob!

[Yvonne]

Lauraadriana wrote: "Reading next to last JL book left *panic setting in*....and re-reading the Psycop series...I love Vic and Jacob!"

I really liked Strange Fortune. I think Josh should write more fantasy. I would read a sequel with Valentine & Aleister.

[[deleted user]]

Yvonne wrote: "Lauraadriana wrote: "Reading next to last JL book left *panic setting in*....and re-reading the Psycop series...I love Vic and Jacob!"

I really liked Strange Fo..."

I am really liking it so far...I agree that Josh is great with fantasy, The Darkling Thrush is so good too!

[Josh]

Lauraadriana wrote: "Reading next to last JL book left *panic setting in*....and re-reading the Psycop series...I love Vic and Jacob!"

I just don't know how any of you could have read EVERYTHING. That's what panics me. :-D

[Cleon Lee]

Josh wrote: "Lauraadriana wrote: "Reading next to last JL book left *panic setting in*....and re-reading the Psycop series...I love Vic and Jacob!"

I just don't know how a..."

I am limiting myself to one or two of your books per month so I won't run out of your books to read soon. lol. The only exception is series. I also do that to other favorite authors of mine like KA Mitchell and ZAM. Am I strange?

But hearing that Strange Fortune is a fantasy. Damn, I GOT to get my hand on that soon!

[Josh]

Well, I finished Steel Sleet and then I had apparently -- in a trusting mood -- also purchased Blood in the Water. DEADLY DULL. That's about the nicest thing I can think to say.

Lots of potentially interesting and exciting stuff happens, but it's all so...flat.

Also the sex scenes are one step from revolting. That's purely my own hang ups, I realize, but "slurping kisses" is just...UGH. And "succulent hole." Say WHAT? It felt like reading a sex scene by someone who disliked having to write a sex scene.


And then the constant references to the characters as "the younger man," "the street muscle," "the catjob," "the older man." Who thinks of another person that way? It's intrusive and clumsy. Character names are invisible. Those kinds of appellations are just painful. By the end I was noticing every single one of them and muttering to myself.

It's making me think a lot about nature versus nurture. I think Del Carlo has been trained as far as a writer can train. He's not technically bad -- in fact, he's more than competent -- but he lacks a sense of dramatic storytelling. Storytelling instinct? Can there be such a thing?

He lacks...finesse.

At least in these two novellas. He's sold plenty of short stories, so it may simply be that he's stronger in a short format -- and that he should avoid romance.

[Cleon Lee]

"succulent hole."

*snorts water out of nose*

"the younger man," "the street muscle," "the catjob," "the older man."

I did that too, but I was fortunate because I had
EM Lynley helped edit my first short story. It also had head hopping & atrocious cliches. lol.

[Josh]

Cleon wrote: ""succulent hole."

*snorts water out of nose*

"the younger man," "the street muscle," "the catjob," "the older man."

I did that too, but I was fortunate because I had
[author:EM Lynley|283930..."

You can use one or two instances in maybe a full novella, but several times a page? In a scene where there's only two characters? It's not like the reader can't keep track!

[Liade]

Josh wrote: "And then the constant references to the characters as "the younger man," "the street muscle," "the catjob," "the older man." Who thinks of another person that way? It's intrusive and clumsy. "

I haven't read these stories (and won't now), but this author is by no means alone. It's a real pet peeve of mine. "The red-haired man", "the blue-eyed man" etc., authors seem to do it all the time, even some who - at least judging by their popularity - might be expected to know better. All desperately trying to avoid the he,he,he or else constant repetition of characters' first names. But for me it has the opposite effect, it invariably takes me right out of the story and I start counting (almost).

[Calathea]

Josh wrote: "And then the constant references to the characters as "the younger man," "the street muscle," "the catjob," "the older man." Who thinks of another person that way? It's intrusive and clumsy. Character names are invisible. "

I noticed this a lot in fanfiction, actually more often than not. I thought that those writers of fanfiction stories were still young and had been taught in school to avoid repetitions. For a while I thought it to be funny but when you read "the red headed man" or even "the bluenett" for the umpteenth time it sounds just stilted and wooden.

[Josh]

Liade wrote: "Josh wrote: "And then the constant references to the characters as "the younger man," "the street muscle," "the catjob," "the older man." Who thinks of another person that way? It's intrusive and c..."

Anytime you're straining, the seams of the writing are showing. I think there's even too much concern over pronouns. Most of the time the reader can follow along just fine. Most of the time it's self-evident what's happening in the scene or who's speaking. When it isn't self-evident is when you need to put in a pronoun or a name. But sometimes authors and copyeditors forget that a reader isn't reading slowly or piecemeal, the reader reads the scene swiftly and in context, so the things that make a copyeditor stumble or even a writer, don't generally slow a reader.

So we get these awkward efforts to make what is already perfectly clear, clear. And they stick out like a sore thumb.

[Jordan]

So, the other day, I sadly finished False Colors by Alex Beecroft. I must say I thoroughly enjoyed the book and I'm missing it now. The only thing I didn't particularly like about this book was the jumps in space. Occasionally they were a little jarring, even though she did clearly tell you the date and location when it changed. Other than that, it was utterly fantastic.

Now, I'm currently reading two books. One is a nonfic called The Pink Triangle, about gay men in Germany during WWII. So far, it's very interesting.

The other book is Mahu by Neil Plakcy. It's the first in his Mahu series. So far this book is fantastic too. I'm loving learning about Hawaii. I've always wanted to live there. I wonder what it would really be like. It sounds so nice!

[JPerceval]

"The older man" and "the smaller man" are the ones that always get me. Then I find myself obsessing over possible age/size differences rather than thinking about the story, LOL!

[Liade]

Josh wrote: "Anytime you're straining, the seams of the writing are showing. I think there's even too much concern over pronouns. Most of the time the reader can follow along just fine. Most of the time it's self-evident what's happening in the scene or who's speaking."

Of course, sometimes I read "the blue-eyed man" and instead of making it clear who's being talked about, it's wait, which of the two guys is the one with blue eyes, because I frequently forget what exactly the characters look like.

[Anne]

Calathea wrote: "Josh wrote: "And then the constant references to the characters as "the younger man," "the street muscle," "the catjob," "the older man." Who thinks of another person that way? It's intrusive and c..."

This past year I did NaNoWriMo, and I actually saw more than one person suggest the 'descriptor' treatment as a way to deal with the pronoun issue in M/M. I was appalled.

What's a 'bluenett'?

(For anyone that noticed and is wondering, I changed my Goodreads name to my my pen name. I am the writer formerly known as Megan).

[Anne]

This past week, I re-read some of the Tere Michaels trilogy ("Love, Faith and Devotion" is what I think they call the trilogy), and I realized she did "the older man" thing at least in the first book. It was really distracting, and that was before this thread :)

I liked those books, but between the older man and her insistence that Tacoma is north of Seattle (her characters are always going 'up' to Tacoma from Seattle) I decided not to finish reading them.

[Jordan]

congrats on the penname Anne!

I read the series, but that wasn't something I noticed. At some point I plan to reread at least the first one (the best of the three, I think) and I'll keep an eye out. As for the directionality, I didn't catch that either... at least, not that I recall. But then again, I don't live there, and I don't tend to notice those things unless it's an area I've spent a lot of time. But, then again, I know people who get that mixed up a lot in real life too, so who knows. *sigh* It's hard to keep track of all the little things when writing a book sometimes.

[Calathea]

Anne wrote: "What's a 'bluenett'?"

I don't know if I spelled it right, but it's what they call the blue haired character Grimmjow in the anime Bleach. I think it's supposed to be similar to a 'brunette'. :-))

[[deleted user]]

Josh wrote:I just don't know how any of you could have read EVERYTHING. That's what panics me. :-D

Are you kidding? Josh, it was all I could do to not run out of your books completely in like a month :o)...but it's OK I have a plan...This Rough Magic group read on the 26th and then VEEEEERRRRYYY slowly re-read the AE Series...since last time I read them all in like three days, and blacked out on like half of the good Adrien lines :O)

[Blaine]

Liade wrote: "Of course, sometimes I read "the blue-eyed man" and instead of making it clear who's being talked about, it's wait, which of the two guys is the one with blue eyes, because I frequently forget what exactly the characters look like. "

I'm so with you on that one.

I always get the feeling there are more people in the scene than I thought there were (multiple personality much?)

I always try to keep to the rule that if you know the name, use it!!
Until you do, it's fine to call someone the grey-haired man or whatever you like (I tend to go with gorgeous :p )

[Yvonne]

I just recently read a book like this, Nothing Ever Happens by Sue Brown. I wasn't crazy about it for other reasons but she constantly used the phrase the older man to refer to one of the guys, Andrew, in the romance, and not only was he only 26 at the start of the book but he was only 3 years older than his romantic partner, Nathan. It was used a lot in this book. I'm surprised an editor didn't suggest changing that, because even the people who wrote glowing reviews complained about this. I think I'd prefer the use of pronouns to that.

[Charming]

Josh wrote: "Storytelling instinct? Can there be such a thing? "

Steven King talks about that in Misery. Some writers have the gotta - gotta keep reading; gotta find out what happens next. They may not be the "best" writers, but yeah.

[[deleted user]]

Just began re-reading , I love the Fathom Five these books are fast paced and fun...I love how descriptive the action scenes are...It's a movie in my head...

@Cleon I just finished Strange Fortune today and it's really good, great adventure and Valentine Strange is just...umm yeah...really good. So now only left to read, holding off on that one though...Je suis un petit peureux de le menage...

[Susan]

Josh wrote: "I just don't know how any of you could have read EVERYTHING. That's what panics me."

Believe me, Josh, it's so possible. But there's no reason to panic as long as you NEVER stop writing! :)

[Barb]

...leave the panicking to us ;)
I am finally getting back to Lover Unleashed it has sat at 80% on my kindle for way too long!

[[deleted user]]

Susan wrote: "Josh wrote: "I just don't know how any of you could have read EVERYTHING. That's what panics me."

Believe me, Josh, it's so possible. But there's no reason to panic as long as you NEVER stop wr..."

My feelings exactly...

[Norma]

Josh wrote: "Well, I finished Steel Sleet and then I had apparently -- in a trusting mood -- also purchased Blood in the Water. DEADLY DULL. That's about the nicest thing I can think to say.

Lots of potenti..."


LOL! Slurping kisses and a succulent hole! All in one man? Wow! That's a lotta man! LOL

[Anne]

Jordan S. wrote: "congrats on the penname Anne!

I read the series, but that wasn't something I noticed. At some point I plan to reread at least the first one (the best of the three, I think) and I'll keep an eye o..."

Thank you! I have a short and a novel coming out soon, but I won't plug here, I guess.

I didn't notice the "older man" thing the first time around, but I noticed the Tacoma thing. I feel horribly nit-picky, but it's one of those things. My OCD coming out.

Still, I loved somethings about those books -- one of the few gay-for-you that I actually found believable. My favorite is the third, because Evan finally gets a grip.

[Candice]

I just finished The Only Gold by Tamara Allen. Get it. Read it. It is too good. Her first two made me a fan. This one might be even better.

The love story is top notch. The initial hostility between the leading men has none of the usual contrived feeling. She gives us so clear an understanding of our young banker that we not only sympathize with his anger, resentment, etc; it's difficult to imagine a true reconciliation.

The dialogue is sharp, clever, fun.

The climactic events at the end provide a truly intense nail-biter.

I loved every minute of this one.

(Any Joanne Soper-Cook fans? I'm about to start her, The Eye of Heaven.)

[ns]

Candice wrote: "I just finished The Only Gold by Tamara Allen. Get it. Read it. It is too good. Her first two made me a fan. This one might be even better.

The love story is top notch. The initial hostil..."

Thanks for that rec! I have quite a few books around to read, but every single one of them is proving to be a lemon, and my last read Hiroshima Mon Amour having done a number on me, I am rather desparate to read a new, readable decent HEA.

[Yvonne]

I may add The Only Gold to my list then. It sounds like it may be a good one.

[Cleon Lee]

Candice wrote: "I just finished The Only Gold by Tamara Allen. Get it. Read it. It is too good. Her first two made me a fan. This one might be even better.

The love story is top notch. The initial hostil..."

Added to "wish list" Damn, the list is getting longer and longer...

[Becky]

I'm reading CryoBurn, the latest Vorkosigan novel by Lois McMaster Bujold. I love this series and I love this author, but I'm finding the book disappointingly putdownable. I'm just over half way through, and I'm not seeing that maniacal glee that makes Miles Miles. Maybe because so much of the story is coming from other POV characters. It doesn't have that sizzle. I'm hoping things pick up as we move into the home stretch.

[Charming]

Becky wrote: "I'm reading CryoBurn, the latest Vorkosigan novel by Lois McMaster Bujold. I love this series and I love this author, but I'm finding the book disappointingly putdownable."

Yeah, I thought that as well. Her heart plainly wasn't in this one. I guess this is why writers shouldn't let themselves be pressured by their fans into books they don't really want to write.

[Anne]

Candice wrote: "I just finished The Only Gold by Tamara Allen. Get it. Read it. It is too good. Her first two made me a fan. This one might be even better.

The love story is top notch. The initial hostil..."

Okay, on the list. I usually hate how the 'initially hostile' trope is handled, so I'm looking forward to a good one.