THEGAYUK

Category: Books

  • BOOK REVIEW | Peggy Lee Loves London Katrina Leskanich and Sher Harper

    ★★★★ | Peggy Lee Loves London

    Being on the verge of moving to London, I’ve been looking for a good tour guide to take me around some of the more quirky spots that only Londoners know about. I didn’t expect that my tour guide would be a glamorous lady poodle called Peggy Lee, but I’m very glad that I’ve found her.

    Eurovision has just been and gone and it may serve you well to reminisce about happier times when we actually made a dent on the score-cards. This lovely book was written by our last Eurovision winner, Katrina Leskanich of Katrina and the Waves, along with her partner, writer Sher Harper. They’ve spent the last six years pounding the streets of London along with pretty little Peggy Lee, exploring the curiosities so you don’t have to.

    The book features a wide variety of haunts including bars, open spaces, markets, eateries and landmarks. Each page has brief but tantalising description of each off-beat attraction along with a picture of the aforementioned poodle and links to transport to get there. The pictures are comical, beautiful and intriguing. Although there’s not a huge description of each place, this works well in the context, making you want to go and find out more for yourself.

    It’s a delightful book and if you’re looking for a fun guide to London then look no further. If Peggy Lee is available, I’m also prepared to tag along on the end of a lead. I’m very well behaved and never shed a hair.

    View the website: http://peggyleeloveslondon.com

    Available from Amazon to buy

    Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/peggyleeloves

  • BOOK REVIEW | Handling Edna The Unauthorised Biography by Barry Humphries

    Barry Humphries has been with Edna Everage since the very beginning. In Handling Edna: The Unauthorised Biography by Barry Humphries he describes how they met, and the adventure she’s dragged him along for ever since.

    Before the book even begins there is a “Note to the Reader” alluding to the fact that some people have come to believe that Barry Humphries and Dame Edna are essentially the same person. Humphries writes that he hopes to shed some light on where this belief came from, so that the reader can make their own decision about what they believe.

    The first chapter starts in Moonee Ponds, Australia and describes how Barry and Edna met. Humphries writes in the first person, and throughout the book uses description to indicate the decade and location of events he describes.

    Each chapter gives an entertaining and fascinating insight into Barry’s life and career (or lack of), Edna and her family’s life and careers, her rise to stardom (and Barry’s lack of understanding as to why) and the problems that it brought her – all in a chronological order.

    A few highlights (in no particular order) include Barry being the warm up act for Dame Edna – for various shows; Edna’s time in Hollywood; Barry’s stint in hospital with alcoholism and Edna being his only visitor; Barry’s love life; Barry’s impersonation of Edna on two occasions – the first for his benefit and the second trying to help her; Edna’s poor mental health – in particular in relation to the death of Norm (her husband).

    Towards the end of the book you start to get a fictional feel to the book especially in the final few chapters. Early in the book Madge hands Barry a letter for Edna. Madge instructs Barry to only give the letter to Edna when she dies. In the final chapter Madge finally dies in hospital. Barry remembers the letter and it reveals that Madge took Edna’s missing daughter Lois in a moment of madness (which explains why Madge tolerated Edna over the decades). There’s a predictable twist that leaves the reader feeling oddly satisfied.

    Having read the book do I believe that Barry Humphries and Edna Everage are the same person?

    Yes, but that only makes Humphries even cleverer. The factual parts about Barry’s life are interesting to read, but the fiction about Edna is even more enjoyable. The book is a throughly entertaining read and it gives an insight into the psyche of Humphries. As you’d expect from a bibliography it has several glossy photo pages throughout the book.

     

    You can purchase this book on Amazon.com

  • ‘Geoff And His Two Dads’ Book Aims To Help It Gets Better Project

    ‘Geoff And His Two Dads’ Book Aims To Help It Gets Better Project

    In what is believed to be the first of its kind, Wompi Studios have released their first Book App.

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  • BOOK REVIEW | Older, Younger, By Michael John

    This book, by Michael John, aims to look at the one last taboo in gay life. We’ve had piercings, fisting, anal, bare back, you name it, its been discussed – but the one thing still guaranteed to make us stare is a young man with an older companion.

    We all think the obvious – its done for the money, he’s trade, he’s desperate, etc, etc… but what about the fact that for some, it’s a physical attraction, no different from liking ginger hair or beards.

    Although fictional, the book takes place in a real place, uses real experiences and helps you appreciate the genre more. It has a good plot line, keeps moving you through the story, gives you characters you like and laugh with, not at.

    The story follows Terry, a handsome young man from northern England who has a secret: he is sexually attracted only to much older men. Several times a year, he takes trips to Gran Canaria where he can indulge his unconventional passion. But on one of these trips he meets Alan Reid, the father of his ex-girlfriend – a man he’s always secretly desired. Alan, and his companion George are taking the chance to grow old disgracefully. Older Younger explores the nature of attraction between the generations, using the backdrop of this holiday island as a natural foil for temporary relationships and taboos.

    All in all, the book is a good read, and I for one cant wait for the follow up…

    You can buy the book from Amazon

  • BOOK REVIEW | Into The Flames by Mel Bossa

    The kind people at Publishers Group UK sent me a copy of Into the Flames by Mel Bossato read and review on my blog. It’s written in the perspectives of the three main characters: Jamie, Dance and Neil.

    Jamie or Dr. Jamie Scarborough to his patients is a psychiatrist. But poor Jamie suffers with his own mental health – he has severe anxiety (which at times lead to panic attacks) with a bit of OCD thrown in. He’s recently split up from bisexual Basil his partner of five years, leaving behind Basil’s sisters twin children Mallory and Marshall.

    Dance is an eccentric, loveable and very intelligent compulsive liar. He’s homeless and the only family he has is a twin brother Seth whose desperate to become a woman named September. September however has an eating disorder so can’t get the psychiatric pass to allow the surgery.

    Neil is a fire fighter who has been suspended due to putting his colleagues life at risk. Neil is a loner with his only family being an old dog that has to be put down by the vet. Neil’s poor mental health worsens after this trauma, making him unstable, neurotic and a very sinister person later in the book.

    Jamie, Dance and Neil all have mental health issues in this story, the root cause of which is childhood trauma. This heavy subject matter made Into the Flames difficult to read at times, but what encouraged me to read on was the genuine care and compassion that I felt for the characters.

    The story was slow to get going and initially focused on the characters issues rather than the characters and their development. I’m not sure if this was deliberate from Bossa, wanting the reader to care about the main characters to the point of us wanting to rescue them. Bossa also took her time in building the links and associations between the different characters which also encourages the reader to read on.

    Towards the end of the book tension builds and you become hooked. Neil starts to have a neurotic breakdown becoming dangerous and Dance disappears. Will Neil harm anyone? If he does will it be physical or psychological torture or both? Where has Dance gone? Will he be OK?

    Bossa uses the twin connection cleverly throughout the book and for more than one of the main characters. The story concludes traumatically but leaving the reader with a sense that everything will be OK in the end. I did feel sorry for Matt (one of the minor characters) who I felt was a loose string that could have been tied up at the end.

    Overall the story is well written with the use of the characters perspectives being pleasing; it is obvious that Bossa has a lot passion for writing queer literature. Into the Flames is available to buy on Amazon.

  • BOOK REVIEW | Strange Bedfellows by Rob Byrnes

    Strange Bedfellows by Rob Byrnes is a crime caper story that is an addictive read. Grant Lambert and Chase LaMarca are introduced on a job to rob a store.

    As the scene unfolds they have to pretend to be mannequins in the shop window as the Police have turned up, which is an hilarious scene and just the start of this fantastically funny book.

    Grant & Chase are partners in life as well as crime, and when the offer of a well paid job comes along they can’t turn it down; even if it is from hustler Jamie Brock.

    Austin Peebles is an adorable democratic congressional candidate who has sexted a rude photo of himself that has found it’s way into the hands of June Forteene a rightwing blogger.

    Grant & Chase’s job is simple: steal the photo (as well as any copies) off June before she exposes it on her blog and ruins Austin’s political prospects. They complete the job; but enraged June soon posts a cropped version of the rude photo along with an ultimatum: the unnamed political candidate must withdraw himself as a candidate and provide her with compensation. Austin’s campaign manager Kevin Wunder refuses to pay Grant & Chase as they haven’t have completed their job correctly.

    Grant & Chase are convinced that they completed their job and that there’s something more going on. So they hatch a plan, recruit a team and set about making everything right. Along the way we get to know grumpy Grant and likeable Chase. Both characters were multifaceted like real people and the use of description by Byrnes gave a strong sense of the different characters.

    Byrnes used a number of close calls and twists to weave a fascinating plot that is perfectly paced. He used his unique writing style to engage the reader and packed the story full of funny, believable and entertaining scenes. Byrnes got the balance between showing and telling the story spot on for the reader. Strange Bedfellows had a satisfying conclusion that will leave the reader wistful for another of Byrnes‘ stories.

    What let’s Strange Bedfellows down was it’s cover. The topless man gives a misleading impression, as does the image of the Whitehouse. The topless man is like none of the characters described in the book; and implies some sexual scenes of which there were none. The Whitehouse gives the impression of a political story; but even non-Americans will fully understand the story as Byrnes explained what the reader needs to know and besides the story isn’t really about politics.

    Please don’t be put off by the cover, Strange Bedfellows by Rob Byrnes is a captivating read that will have you craving more of Rob Byrnes stories.
    Available from Amazon

  • BOOK REVIEW | Fanny And Stella

    ★★★★★ | Fanny And Stella

    28th April 1870: The flamboyantly dressed Miss Fanny Park and Miss Stella Boulton are causing a stir in the Strand Theatre.

    All eyes are riveted upon the two young ladies as they look down on the stalls, calling out to, flirting with and ogling the fine gentlemen below. Moments later they are led away by the police. What followed was a huge scandal that shocked and titillated Victorian England in equal measure.

    Fanny and Stella – two very alluring ladies-about-town – were not ordinary young women. They were actually young men who liked to dress as women: Ernest Boulton and Frederick Park, a bank clerk and solicitor respectively, part-time actresses and part-time prostitutes. Stella was the most beautiful female impersonator of her day, Fanny her sturdier and plainer companion. When the Metropolitan Police launched a secret campaign to bring about their downfall, they were arrested and subjected to a sensational show trial in Westminster Hall and if found guilty, they faced life imprisonment.

    As the trial of ‘the Young Men in Women’s Clothes’ unfolded, Fanny and Stella’s extraordinary lives as wives and daughters, actresses and whores were revealed to an incredulous public. The revelations shocked a nation of Victorians as the seamy underbelly of a hypocritical society was exposed with a cast of prostitutes, brothel keepers and transvestites gaining prominence along with a bevy of respectable aristocrats, businessmen and ambassadors who were implicated in the scandal.

    McKenna has meticulously researched the subject of the two unfortunate young men for this informative but also entertaining and gripping book. The story is both titillating and amusing as the trial unfolds revealing the antics of the two young men and their consorts. The language used by the Victorians in describing homosexuality and various sexual practices is enough to make you choke with laughter on your Earl Grey and have you lurching towards your chaise longue as you frantically reach for your smelling salts.

    Ultimately, the story made me reel in horror too, not because of Fanny and Stella’s behaviour but more because of the way they were treated by society. Imagine being holed up in prison with the threat of life imprisonment, no face powder and having your anus examined repeatedly for signs of sodomy? I’m sure Danny La Rue never had to go through that.

    McKenna presents us with an account that is fast paced and informative but also hugely entertaining to read as the very human story of the two men unfolds in all its grisly detail. Whether you’re a history fanatic intrigued by Victorian double standards or not, this book is sure to amuse, shock and beguile you. Well worth a read.

     

    BUY IT FROM AMAZON

  • BOOK REVIEW | In The Mirror, A Monster

    ★★★ In The Mirror, A Monster

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  • Artist Luiz Penze Releases Free Book

    Artist Luiz Penze Releases Free Book

    Popular London based gay artist Luiz Penze has released his debut book Dolls Gone Wild, which features Barbie and Ken in compromising positions. (more…)

  • BOOK REVIEW | Funny Peculiar

    Will Young has finally joined the scores of celebrities who have books about themselves on the shelves. The usual tomes are full of “shock” revelations and tedious romps through celebrity debauchery, usually ending on a redemptive note as the star reclaims his or her life back.

    This book is as far from that genre as you can get and as such is thoroughly refreshing to read. Will penned the entire book himself and has a distinctive writing style. Rather than a straightforward autobiography, he presents us with a series of beautifully written anecdotes, musings and diary entries. There’s something altogether quaint and charmingly British about the whole thing, reminding me of celebrity memoirs from previous decades. The book even has a series of cartoonish illustrations by Kathryn Pinker, rather than the usual glossy photographs you’d normally expect, which adds to its retro charm.

    The themes certainly aren’t old fashioned though and the book retains freshness and is written in an original and engaging style. He addresses the thorny issues of coming out in the media spotlight, experiencing depression, winning a TV talent contestant and what it’s like to have to undergo a make-over in front of the cameras on “This Morning”. He also writes candidly and with self-awareness about suffering from poor self-esteem and bouts of crippling depression as well as portraying his passion for what he does.

    He details lots of hapless exploits and is self-deprecating in his descriptions of his actions. The anecdotes, which often feature Will as hapless yet entirely normal, cover how not to behave at London Fashion week, what not to do when meeting the Beckhams or Julia Roberts and what not to shout out to a row of disabled people at a gig.

    The book is both funny and poignant and although Will isn’t reticent or coy in what he writes about, he manages to maintain a strong sense of dignity, a rarity in modern celebrity culture.

    I’d recommend this entertaining and original book to anyone, whether they’re a big fan of Will Young or not.

    “Funny Peculiar” is available from Amazon

  • BOOK REVIEW: Tiny Food Party Recipe Book

    Just in time for the Xmas party season comes this book, which you can use again and again, all year round, to create miniature meals, starters, canapés, snacks, indoor and outdoor treats.

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