Tag: Book Review
All the latest book reviews. Browse The THEGAYUK’s complete collection of for books.
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REVIEW: Voices Of The Damned, Barbie Wilde
Why does gay art – in every form – completely eclipse its’ timid, straight rival? Because – quite simply – it’s fuelled by overwhelming lust. From the lush, teeming criminality of Caravaggio’s canvases, to the pouting proportions and Apollonian aphrodisiac that is Michaelangelo’s David, gay aesthetics scream artistic arousal. ★★★★★ (more…)
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BOOK REVIEW | Educating Simon, by Robin Reardon
Sixteen-year-old Simon’s life is turned upside down when his mother announces that she’s met and is marrying her new partner. ★
Brian, Simon’s future step-father is from Boston, USA. Brian can’t move to England too because of his daughter Persie. So Simon is forced to give up Tinkerbell, his cat and Graeme, his imaginary boyfriend. Moving to Boston puts the shared dream of Simon going to Oxford University at risk.The dream being shared by Simon and his deceased father. In Boston, Simon’s new life is busy both with school work and socially. As part of his school work he is assigned Toby/Kay to Mentor for a Spelling Bee. Toby/Kay is an eleven-year-old trans person, who feels like he was born in the wrong body and wants to start hormone replacement therapy before he hits puberty.Educating Simon was an idea with a lot of potential, but unfortunately none of its potential was realised.Main character Simon writes the story from his perspective in diary entries. His character is un-relatable and doesn’t cause the reader to care about him. The character was also inconsistent. Reardon sometimes getting the mentality, emotional maturity and behaviour of 16-year-old Simon spot on and other times getting it completely wrong.All the other characters felt two-dimensional. Toby/Kay’s storyline lacked depth and felt more like it was about having a trans representative than truly telling her story. Educating Simon is overwritten with pacing that crawled along like a snail. The book doesn’t really get started until at least fifty pages in. The sense of relief when the book finally ends was the main sense of enjoyment.It’s not the worse book I’ve ever read, but it’s pretty close. This isn’t Reardon’s first book and I would be willing read another on of his books but would have low expectations and be wary.Reviewed by Antony Simpson | @antonysimpson -
BOOK REVIEW | Unbecoming by Jenny Downham
Seventeen-year-old Katie is in a state of turmoil.
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BOOK REVIEW | Jessica’s Ghost by Andrew Norriss
★★★★★ | Jessica’s Ghost
“Why, Francis wondered, should ‘being different’ be so painful? Why did it matter so much when, if you thought about it, everybody was different in one way or another.”
These days we seem to be hearing a lot more about suicide then we did a few years ago. Stories of people committing suicide for many reasons. But also people thinking about suicide and, thankfully, suicide prevention. Is it an epidemic or are we simply more aware thanks to social media? It’s unclear, but one thing that is obvious is that there is always a reason why people decide to end their lives and usually this reason is called depression.
The largest group to feel driven to suicide are teenagers and they are often the ones that can’t understand what is going on with them. They are usually unaware of depression so don’t know why they feel the way they do.
Depressed teens are more often than not the ones that are seen as “different” from the rest for whatever reason and the ones that are bullied. The combination of all this, and the fact that teens find it difficult to communicate their feelings is often what is behind a teenage suicide attempt.
Knowing all of this it is strange that there are so few books for (pre-)teens that explain depression in a way that is clear but also entertaining at the same time, until now.
Jessica’s Ghost written by Andrew Norriss is an amazing book that deals with three early teenagers and a (teenage) ghost whom have all experienced depression and feeling “an outsider” for different reasons.
Most The Gay UK readers might remember Norriss as one of the writer/creators of the classic sitcom The Brittas Empire featuring not only the dishy Chris Barrie (in tight shorts) but also the first and (only) gay couple to feature in a prime-time family BBC1 show. This show was not afraid to tackle difficult subjects for family audience in a funny and witty way and this book is no different.
Jessica’s Ghost starts with protagonist Francis whom is mocked at school for his love of fashion and sewing and just not fitting in with the crowd. One day he meets a young girl called Jessica and she just happens to be a ghost. Through her his life and the lives of several others change drastically.
It is a wonderful book and the way it deals with depression and even suicide is beautiful. Even though these subject matters may seem dark, the book is written in a way that is funny and relatable. During the course of many adventures the book describes how depression feels, how important it is to talk and how yes, things will get better.
Andrew Norriss’ book is a breath of fresh air in a time where many people – including writers- still shy away from discussing mental health issues especially for young people despite a clear need for this.
I feel this book should be recommended by (child) psychologists to help bring a better understanding about depression. Having been through this myself as a teenager I know that a book like this would have certainly helped me a lot.
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BOOK REVIEW | Expose
Exposé is a triumph for first-time novelist Paul Ilett.
Welcome to the world of news media, particularly the murky world of the tabloid: celebrity reporting, the relentless stalking of VIPS, undermining of governments and exposing political hypocrisy are all just a part of a another hum-drum day at the office activity.
This is a world where the saucy details of personalities, peers and people of note are exposed for the world’s entertainment. Sometimes you don’t even have to be famous to get your unwelcome share of the limelight.
Paul Ilett’s brand new book Exposé whips and slams newsprint media with a savvy, electric and clever exposé of the shady world of selling tomorrow’s fish and chip paper. With the Leveson enquiry still biting the industry, and the crash of the News Of The World still fresh in our memories, Exposé is a well timed reminder that all eyes are on the tabloids that trade in smut, in order to shift copies. We’ve been promised reform and self-regulation, but is that what we’re getting or is it just business as usual?
The Daily Ear, thinly veiled for what reads like a real life title, is under attack when openly gay, hugely popular actor Adam Jaymes (think a British Jonathan Groff mixed with Matt Bomer), wages war against the infamous tabloid. He’s got a personal vendetta against the columnists, editors and owners of the rag – and he’s treating them to their own medicine, with a number of well-orchestrated, scandalous exposés of various members of the Daily Ear’s editorial team and the Harvey News Empire, the owners of the paper.
Brilliantly observed (the author is a former journalist), and devilishly demanding, Ilett’s debut is a f**king riot, can’t-pit-it-downer, that the huge media empires should be worried about.
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The Boystown Series by Jake Biondi
Looking for a steamy page-turner for your summer holidays? Jake Biondi’s Boystown series are proving to be popular with readers in the United States and Europe.
Whether you’re sweltering in San Tropez or freezing in a gale in Blackpool; this series with its hot male cover stars and cliff-hanging plots is sure to crank up the heat. Biondi started writing the books as a regular serial (much like Dickens and Maupin; although they were in newspapers rather than online) but the popularity of the stories led him to launch them in book format.
Chicago’s Boystown is one of the most diverse and lively neighbourhoods in the country with something for everyone. It’s no wonder that Jesse Morgan and Cole O’Brien chose to live there upon graduating from college. Ready to begin the next phase of their lives in an exciting new city, Jesse and Cole quickly find themselves at the centre of a new group of friends. Joyelle and Derek Mancini have been happily married for years but Derek is harbouring a secret that could tear them apart. Derek’s brother Emmett is about to discover that his boyfriend Keith Colgan has a past that will haunt them both.
Long time couple Logan Pryce and Max Taylor must face a crisis that neither of them expected. Before they realise it, Jesse and Cole find themselves at the centre of it all in the adult playground known as Boystown.
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BOOK REVIEW | The Art of Being Normal by Lisa Williamson
★★★★★ | The Art of Being Normal by Lisa Williamson
I think it says a lot about me as an individual that my attention span in these social media days seems to have dwindled to the point where if it’s more than 140 characters, I get bored.
I have a stack of great books waiting to be read, or started and tossed aside as one thing or another distracts me.
That is until this book dropped through the letterbox.
I honestly can’t remember the last time I relished an authors words so much, felt so deeply in-volved in the plot, felt it resonate on a personal level – basically, found that rare thing, a truly un-put-downable book.
The storyline is one we can all understand to some point – the slightly kooky outcast group, not the A-crowd, but individuals who have their own voices. Think a good John Hughes film (Pretty in Pink, etc) Bullied at school? Tick.Small group of geeky friends? Tick. Fancy someone you can’t have? Tick. Odd family life? Tick.
The list is endless, but Lisa Williamson, the book’s author, has the talent of drawing you in and making you feel this book could be about you (in a general sense) without detracting from her own storyline or making any of it seem trite or generic.
Putting it bluntly, she makes you feel you belong to this story – and a bloody good story it is too.
In a nutshell, it’s about 2 boys and their lives as they grow and meet. One is a troubled teen, shift-ing from school to school, not much of a family life, not much of a home, no real friends. The other is from a good family, good home, but has a deep secret and deals with it as only teenagers can, and do, daily.
David Piper has the secret, he wants to be a girl. He’s obsessed to the point of writing everything down in his book, from his penis size to how visible his Adam’s apple is, all in the name of not wanting to look like a man.
Leo Denton wants to simply be invisible. However, his first few days at his new school ensure that this is going to be impossible.
After Leo stands up for David against the school bully, an unlikely friendship begins to form and grow – but the secrets they all have are about to come out and things will never be the same.
This book isn’t another teen drama; it looks at the subjects it covers sensitively but also with humour. The subjects covered aren’t simple, and on some level may have been felt by most of us – being an outsider, wanting to belong, wanting to be invisible, fear of bullying, fear of our families, lack of friends… the list is endless but Lisa tackles these themes so well.
If you are looking for a good holiday read, pick this. It’ll make you laugh, it’ll make you cry, but it’ll never bore you!
by Chris Jones
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BOOK REVIEW | An Honest Life – Faithful and Gay, Geoffrey Hooper
Before I review this book I must declare a bias, I know the author.
Geoffrey Hooper is a 75 year-old gay man that lives in the same village as Andy and I. In the two years we’ve known him he has become an integral part of our life here in Mid-Wales. He has a huge heart, can drink us under the table and used to be an Anglican vicar!
So when he told us he’d written a book my first instinct was to be afraid – what if I didn’t like it, what if it was bad?
I needn’t have worried – An Honest Life is a very interesting tale indeed.
Written in his own words, the narrative recounts key moments in Geoffrey’s life from birth to the present day. It’s the story of a how through being many different versions of himself including a husband, a father, a divorcee, a lover, a counsellor and a priest he has discovered who he is and ultimately embraced his life as a gay man.
Geoffrey was born a humble greengrocers son on the eve of the Second World War. Growing up in a world before any of the gay freedoms we enjoy today, his path begins with self-denial and fitting in at all costs. It’s hard for me as a reader to contemplate the reality of being gay at the time but Geoffrey’s story offers me a glimpse into a world that I – as a young (ish!) gay man – should never forget.
The book looks at the two distinct themes of homosexuality and faith, and how they both push and pull the author relentlessly throughout his life.
The narrative has an almost essay-like feel (especially in the later chapters) which is easy to read in large chunks. I devoured the whole thing in a couple of sittings as each stage of his life led the author closer and closer to what he refers to as his ‘true self’
Parts of the book left me desperate for more detail – there are specific sections with fleeting references to relationships and experiences that beg to be explored further and in more visceral depth. In a memoir this fascinating it can be somewhat frustrating for the reader to be teased with the hint of an encounter and then left to wonder how it played out. But in a story involving living people I can see the need for discretion, especially considering the subject matter.
If, like me, you’ve had any sort of experience with organised religion (I went to Sunday School, sung in the choir etc) then this book will have something to say to you. I turned my back on the Church as I grew up and had even less to do with any form of religion once I came out, however reading Geoffrey’s story and seeing how he has kept spirituality in his life throughout his tumultuous journey resonated with me long after I finished the book.
Homosexuality and religion are such an explosive mix – An Honest Life, is a great read if you have any interest in how being both faithful and gay can cause harm, demonstrate unconditional love and ultimately lead to peace.
Although written as one man’s story, this book will resonate with you as a reader if you’ve ever struggled with your faith, your identity or with the way the rest of the world sees you.
So I guess that’s everyone then.
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BOOK REVIEW: The Half Life of Hannah by Nick Alexander
If your first love came back to offer you everything you ever dreamed of, what would you do?
★★★
Hannah is thirty-eight and the happily married mother of eleven-year-old Luke. Her marriage is reassuringly stable, and after fifteen years she has managed to push the wild dreams of youth from her mind and concentrate on the everyday satisfactions of here and now. The first half of her life hasn’t been as exciting as she had hoped, but then, she reckons, whose has? When she succeeds in convincing husband Cliff to rent a villa in the south of France for a summer vacation with her sister Jill and gay friend Tristan, she’s expecting little more than a pleasant few weeks with her family. But they each have their own baggage – their own secrets – ready to explode on this not-so-relaxing holiday in France. When a phone call at the villa announces the imminent arrival of a ghost from her past, the ambiance is transformed into a raging sea of jealousy as Hannah is forced to question everything she thought she knew and believed. But is she brave enough to take the life-changing decisions her future happiness requires?
Kindle chart-topping author Nick Alexander’s work has crossed from his incisive gay themed novels to this series that is more mainstream and a little frothier. It’s a welcome distraction from the world but isn’t exactly going to cause seismic shifts in your consciousness. It’s a great holiday read, absorbing, slightly silly in parts but fun the read. There’s even a pivotal role played by Grindr; something you don’t often see in mainstream fiction. Good characterization and sound narrative make this a book worth a look at.
“The Half Life of Hannah” is part of a series and the sequel “Other Halves” is available to buy or download too.
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BOOK REVIEW | Simon Vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda
Coming out is still a huge deal.
No matter how many people cry out, “it’s 2015, why does this matter anymore?” It does. The stress and worry surrounding sexuality and self-discovery can lead to horrendous consequences. Suicide, lengthy battles with depression and feelings of alienation are still prevalent for many LGBTs in our community.
Last year a staggering one in ten men who phoned The Samaritans were concerned about their sexuality showing that coming to terms with your own sexuality can be one of the hardest things in life.
That’s why when books this powerful come along we must pay attention and remember, while things are getting better, we’re not there yet.
First-time author Becky Alertalli hits the nail on the head with her brilliantly observant story of Simon, a 16-year-old schoolboy who’s just on the cusp of coming out. Not quite there… but nearly.
Falling deeply in love over emails with an unknown schoolmate only known as ‘Blue’, whom he finds via a random post on the school’s gossip board on Tumblr, Simon is about to learn what it means to come out… Out out.
A brilliantly confident book which shines the light on the age-old genre of coming of age and taking those hesitant steps in telling the first person, and for once about a boy meets boy and falls head over heels, brilliantly questioning why the white, heterosexual middle classes are always the default.
Achingly honest and socially awkward; readers will melt for junk food obsessed, mobile phone yielding, indie music loving Simon, who picks his way through sexuality and schoolyard politics to find his true self. They’ll cheer with sheer joy as he takes his small steps out of the closet and laugh heartedly at his first giant leap to his drunken evening out at a gay bar.
A non-stop page turn-over for those wanting or needing reassurance ahead of their own coming out that it will be okay, or for those who want to fondly remember their first outing with a massive smile on their faces.
Pre-order from Amazon now. Out April 2015
