THEGAYUK

Tag: Top List

  • Coming Out: Top 10 Coming Out Novels

    Coming Out: Top 10 Coming Out Novels

    Having always been a fan of reading, I navigated my way through my teenage years by devouring as much gay fiction as I could. It made me feel affirmed and like I belonged. It’s always good to know it’s not just you. Here are my top ten “coming out” novels:

    Maurice

    Maurice by E.M. Forster: This is one of the original classic gay novels. Written around the time of War World I, it’s never going to be smooth sailing when Maurice discovers that he’s gay in a world where homosexuality is illegal and considered a perversion. It’s a beautiful story, though, with some gripping moments.

    A Boy’s Own Story

    A Boy’s Own Story by Edmund White: This literary masterpiece from 1986 outlines the coming of age of a young gay man in a tender and well-written account. The writing is lyrical and moving with an evocative and fascinating story.

    Running With Scissors

    Running with Scissors by Augusten Burroughs: This is a coming out story with a difference. Burroughs’ childhood was far from usual. He grew up with an alcoholic father and a mentally ill mother, ended up being adopted by his mother’s psychiatrist and his eccentric family and had a relationship with a 33-year men whilst in his early teens. Memoirs don’t get much more compelling, brutal or funnier than this one, thanks to Burroughs’ comical take on his life

    Sucking Sherbet Lemons

    Sucking Sherbet Lemons: by Michael Carson: Young Martin Benson is a teenage boy who’s gradually coming to terms with being gay in a predominately Irish Catholic community in the late 1950s and early 1960s. It’s a humorous and touching book of a boy’s dilemma between the joys of discovering gay sex and the guilt instilled on him by a religion that labels him as sinful. It’s is also the first of a trilogy which goes on to follow Benson as he navigates his way through life.

    Fifty Ways Of Saying Fabulous

    Fifty Ways of saying Fabulous: by Graeme Aitken: Billy is a young boy living on a farm in New Zealand. He’s not quite cut out for farm life and spends his time imagining he’s Judy from “Lost in Space”, fumbling with a friend and lusting after the 19-year-old farmhand. It’s a very funny and entertaining read.

    Someday This Pain Will Be Useful To YOu

    Someday This Pain Will Be Useful to You by Peter Cameron: James is a misfit and in discord with his surroundings and fractured family. Caught in a limbo between leaving school and starting university he feels adrift. His psychiatrist is driving him more insane and his crush on a co-worker is getting more than he can manage. This is an above-average account of the pain and confusion that sometimes accompanies being a teenager.

    Mysterious Skin

    Mysterious Skin by Scott Heim: This is a dark and at times disturbing read. It’s a coming of age novel but with a twist. Brian is a guileless innocent and forges an unlikely friendship with a savvy cynic and part-time male prostitute, Neil. The novel is fast-paced and at times shocking as the two move towards a conclusion which causes Brian and Neil to re-evaluate their shared past. Mysterious Skin has also been made into a movie which TheGayUK has reviewed

    A Home At The End Of The World

    A Home at the End of the World by Michael Cunningham: Pulitzer Prize winner Cunningham has created a moving account of the extraordinary situation which Bobby, Claire and Jonathan, three friends and lovers find themselves in. The book explores how people manage to find a place for themselves and is an accomplished piece of work.

    How I Paid For College

    How I Paid for College by Marc Acito: This camp tale is reminiscent of a 1980s teen movie but with a musical theatre loving cast of misfits and a gay main character. It’s a light and funny book with lots of tongue in cheek moments and an amusing storyline.

    Terre Haute

    Terre Haute by Will Aitken: Jared is the son of a wealthy family growing up in Indiana who happens to fancy boys. He’s sly, manipulative and cunning and has a predatory nature. When he enters into a relationship with an older man he quickly gains the upper hand. This is a moody, erotic tale which is really compelling to read but also makes the reader wince a little. Jared is definitely an anti-hero with a difference.

    Happy reading people.

    This article was first published in 2012

  • GROOMING TOP 5: Shaving Creams, Foams and Gels

    It can be the bane of every man’s morning routine, but a good wet shave is the surest way to look and feel your best.

    We’ve tested some of the best shaving products available in the market place and discovered that choosing the right shaving foam, gel or cream is the key to a nick-free, burn-free, invigorating shave.

    ★ EDITOR’S CHOICE ★

    L’occitan Shaving Gel transforms into a thick silky foam which glides easily onto the areas which you are wanting to shave. Its gorgeous masculine smell is evocative of summer evenings, woody but fresh. Boasting an incredible staying power whilst on the face as you shave, it allows easy passage of the blade as it cuts your hair. Just a small amount is needed as you smooth the silken gel onto your face. Skin feels refreshed and free from dryness after use. A little amount goes along way, making this our ‘must have’ shaving cream. Packaged in a classic brushed aluminium can, L’Occitane presents an impressive shaving product.

    £13.00 150ml

    http://uk.loccitane.com/l’occitan-shaving-gel,83,1,29969,270385.htm

    ClarinsMen have long been a brand of choice for many men who love its reputation and quality and their shaving gel is no exception. In classic Clarins packaging,ClarinsMen Smooth Shave is light and with Clarins’ distinct fragrance. The gel texture doesn’t foam until you lather in your hands or directly on to your face, so you don’t get great big dollops of it on the floor or on your clothes as you apply. It’s cooling and very soothing to the skin and allows your razor to glide naturally through your beard and moustache. Ingredients include Aloe, Wintergreen and Bison Grass, for a soothing, energising and purified shave. Ideal if you’re short of time, as the foam is thick and luxuriant adding protection to your skin in a rushed environment. We love it.

    £15.00 150ml

    http://www.clarins.co.uk/ClarinsMen%20Smooth%20Shave/C070100003,en_GB,pd.html?start=4

     

    Close Shave Cream by Neal’s Yard Remediespromises, like all NYR products to be: organic and contain no parabens, silicones, carbomer, phthalates, propylene, glycol, EDTA, mineral oils or synthetic fragrance or colours, leaving you with an irritation free shave cream for a closer, smooth shave. As there is no propylene in NYR’s shaving product so it’s not a gel like the other products we tested. The cream has a distinctive, earthly, natural scent, which when rubbed onto your face with water creates a thick creamy lather. Made with red clay to deeply purify your skin drawing out impurities, apple which is a perfect astringent and uses olive oil to soften your skin. Leaving you with a natural and organic high. Our skin felt renewed and fresh.

    £12.85 140ml

    http://www.nealsyardremedies.com/close-shave-cream

    Simply Skin is a company which hand-makes all of its products. Lovingly created by the owner, Vivienne McAlister, her goal is to create products that are ‘carefully and thoughtfully designed to bring you pleasure and enjoyment’.

    With a base of frankincense, myrrh and amber this shave cream is luxurious. This shave cream doesn’t use a propellant and you lather with a little water onto the face, either with your fingers or with a shaving brush. Good old fashion values come to mind as you open the jar, which comes all the way from Weeps in the Netherlands, and spread the woody oriental cream ready for the ‘Ultimate’ shaving experience. Rather than creating a mountain of lather, the cream spreads a thin but protective layer over the face and the shave is wonderfully smooth and close. The pre and post shave oils are perfect partners for Simply Skin’s Ultimate Comfort Shaving Cream.
    €14.00 120ml

    http://www.simplyskin.eu/ourshop/prod_1751426-Ultimate-Comfort-Shaving-Cream.html

    ★BEST BUY★

    Original Source is a strong brand in the supermarket and not many of us haven’t picked up one of its gorgeous shower gels before and been enlivened with 7927 tingling mint leaves, well the bods at Original Source have created an Aloe shave gel which at £2.80 for 200ml is our least expensive purchase, by far. Made with Avocado oils and Aloe this foaming gel is perfect for re-energising skin and according to folklore Avocado’s benefits include the speedy healing of wounds. Perfect if you should nick your skin with the razor. The fragrance is soft, subtle and pleasant, and the shave is close and skin feels refreshed after use. The Aloe Vera serves as a natural antibacterial, to keep your face looking a feeling great all day. Vegan society approved, not tested on animals, and ‘packed with natural stuff’ Original Source is our Best Buy choice for shaving creams.
    £2.80 200ml

    http://www.originalsource.co.uk/skin-care-products/mens/shaving/aftershave-balm

  • GROOMING: Top 5 Hand Creams

    Nobody wants hands that Skeletor would be proud of, so we’ve been checking out the best options to keep your mitts looking young and beautiful. Available online and on the high-street these are our ‘Top 5’ hand creams.

    (more…)

  • 6 Of The Worst Questions To Ask A Gay Man

    “So, which one of you is the girl?”

    (more…)