Today is our last installment of the Celebrating GLBT Literature series where readers offered their insight. I’m posting a comment as it’s own topic because I’m not sure everyone saw this buried in the threads and it offers some really great recommendations and thoughts.

Reader Cary:

I’ve enjoyed reading what everybody had to say about why they like GLBT lit. Hope it’s okay if I chime in with some of why I like it.

1. It is a kind of outsider lit, queer culture being something outside of the mainstream in some ways and yet very much part of the larger culture. (Some of the m/m romances I read these days are set in a world where same sex pairings are unremarkable — even firemen and cops having virtually no issues about gay coworkers. I don’t know that world, but it’s lovely that so many writers seem to, and maybe over time writing about that world may usher it into being.) I always feel myself to be a non-mainstream, more fringe person, and I like books that cover the gamut of life, but from a sort of sideways, semi-outsider perspective, which is something I especially like about GLBT literature.

2. How I found it. (Not that anyone asked.) I first fell into m/m books back in the early 1970s, when Mary Renault’s books were coming out in paperback and I was in high school probably. (So long ago, it’s all a bit misty and vague.) I loved Renault’s classical world themes, Ancient Greece and Alexander the Great, and they had these amazing romances between men. Did I know of such a thing before reading them? Well, I remember my best friend telling me he’d happened upon his brother and a male friend in the shower together, and I did know what that meant, even in junior high. In the classical world Mary Renault depicted, m/m pairings were mainstream, but in her contemporary or near-contemporary novels like The Charioteer, what a contrast — the ostracism of the m/m pairings. That’s what got me going on m/m from my high school days: gay friends and Mary Renault. (I didn’t know my best guy friends in high school were gay until later years, but that we all loved The Persian Boy was a big clue.) Have to admit that I thought the m/m pairings in Renault’s book were HOT, but I also thought back then that it was not okay to think that. (Transgressive.  ) In late 70s/ early 80s, I was hanging out with lesbians in law school (talking about women’s issues, naturally, in those days) and read some lesbian authors (for the sexual politics  ). Ten years ago or so, I started actively seeking out GLBT books again and found myself just really drawn to stories of gay life in particular. Ethan Mordden, Paul Russell, Christopher Bram, Mark Merlis, Patricia Nell Warren, Christopher Isherwood, John Preston, Allan Hollinghurst, Pat Barker, David Leavitt, Jim Grimsley, Jay Quinn, Michael Thomas Ford and so many others that just took me places I’d never been but that spoke to me and fascinated me. Mystery writers like George Baxt, Richard Stevenson, Joseph Hanson, Michael Nava and John Morgan Wilson. Impractical to try to name all the many, many other writers I came to know and admire (and my apologies if I’ve messed up any of the names). With the rise of e-books (and the way my home is just too full of print books and that I’ve exhausted my local library’s supply of GLBT books), I’ve been more on the light reading than the literature side lately and finding many new authors to enjoy.

3. It’s that never quite fitting in like you’re “supposed to” thing that I identify with very strongly in GLBT books. For romance in particular, I enjoy the m/m, because I don’t compare myself (as a woman) to the men in the romances, while in a m/f or f/f romance, I always feel a need to compare and I just don’t identify well with most of those heroines. When I was younger, I liked the m/f romances, but I just can hardly read them any more. And I always have liked the GLBT books for the alternate views of society and the courage of the characters and the authors.

4. And you never know what strangely transgressive things you may run into in GLBT writing. It makes me chuckle still how shocking I found George Baxt’s first Phoenix Love mystery. A Queer Kind of Death, I think it is. That book ran me into boundaries and expectations I didn’t even know I had. I won’t spoil it for anyone who might decide to seek it out. It was published maybe in the 1960s. It’s actually clever and delightful — and transgressive. I like to know that authors are capable of true originality that can still be accessible story telling.

Thank you to everyone that participated in this series, it’s been truly wonderful!

Today we have the perspective of two long time readers.

Val Kovalin @ Obsidian Bookshelf blog

What do you love about GLBT literature?

Two (or more) guys together are hot!

The power struggles between same-sex lovers are more interesting than the old m/f fiction clichés.

To pursue a same-sex relationship in an intolerant world involves risk and courage, and that’s interesting.

What would you like to see more of?

Like Tam, I’d love to see more diversity of setting. The settings should be vivid with landmarks, climate details, and a flavor of the place. As a reader, I am continuously dismayed at how many m/m stories are set in some generic, unspecified American city or sometimes a generic British city. Good examples of vivid settings include the way Lynn Lorenz described New Orleans in Breakfast at Tiffany’s, or the way A.M. Riley and P. A. Brown describe Los Angeles.

I’d love to see more interracial romances and multi-cultural romances, especially Hispanic culture. I’d love to see a lot more professions represented in realistic detail instead of just the usual vague mentions of self-employed “artist”, “writer”, “nebulous business executive”, “inherited wealth”, and my favorite –  ”owner of a BDSM club”. I mean, what does that involve exactly other than slinking around after hours at the club, looking cool? What about zoning laws, liquor licenses, and all the real world details?

In short, I think I’d like to see more real world details in m/m fiction. Sometimes it all seems too sketchy as if the writers are in so big a hurry to get published that they’re barely filling in any background to these plots at all.

And Kris @ Kris ‘n Good Books

What do you love about GLBT literature?

I’ve got to admit that when I first started reading GLBT fiction, primarily in the form of m/m romance and erotica, there was something so illicit about the whole genre that really tantalised and, yes, titillated me as a reader. However, what made me keep returning to it – and all but ditch m/f romance and erotica – was my overall sense that the relationship seemed more equal in m/m. I hadn’t realised how tired I was of what appeared to be the imbalance of the pairing in m/f; that is, it was always the woman who seemed to compromise more, to give up more, to get the HEA or the HFN.

Perhaps this is just my own prejudices as female being brought down upon the genre? Who knows. Yet, I don’t think this inequality exists in m/m to the extent that I perceived it in m/f. I really like that.

Associated with this, is my attraction to strong male characters. I’m not saying that I like my characters perfect by any stretch of the imagination, but I think that when someone is dealing with such an inherent aspect of themselves such as their sexuality and the acceptance thereof it brings an honesty and strength to that person. I have a great admiration for that and nothing hits my happy reader buttons more than seeing two such men fall in love. I’m a sap. *g*

As a long time romance reader, I’m also enjoying the freshness that discovering GLBT fiction has brought to some of my favourite sub-genres such as fantasy, urban fantasy, speculative fiction and crime/thriller. Being a voracious reader, anything different is always good, including the exploration of GLBT themes within these sub-genres.

What would you like to see more of?

Well, I ranted about this the other day so I guess I’d better be consistent.  LOL.  I’ve been craving a story on the theme of mental illness.  The background to this was that I was suffering majorly from my own problem, which is depression.  At that time, all I wanted was a romance that would not only meaningfully engage with the subject, but also give me the happy, feel good ending.  A little light relief.  A little hope.

I did get some great recommendations in the comments for that post, although it is surprising how few books there are on this theme given the prevalence of mental illness in the community.  Maybe it’s not a sexy enough topic??

In all honesty, though, I am a mood read so I swing widely from one sub-genre to the next.  In addition to the above, at the moment I’m also wanting some good high fantasy stories along the lines of Lynn Flewelling’s Nightrunner series, M L Rhodes’ Draegan Lords series and Sharon Maria Bidwell’s The Swithin Chronicles.  Any suggestions welcomed!

We got back several responses and some we’re still waiting on. However we didn’t have email addresses for everyone so if you’d like to participate – which we’d love to be able to share different opinions from all kinds of readers, including authors who are readers too -please feel free to write up your own answers and contact us at threedollarbillreviews@gmail.com.

We’ll be continuing our series of celebrating the GLBT genre on Friday posts until all of the wonderful submissions we’ve gotten are shared. Some weeks we’ll offer more than one answer.  This series has sparked a lot of interest and some great discussion already. Past weeks have reader Tam offered insight into m/m romance, and author Jules Aedin wanting to see more diversity. This week we have a new author and long time reader to share their thoughts in the dual role of reader and new writer in this genre.

What do you love about GLBT literature?

I’m so glad you clarified “GLBT literature” because that phrase brings to mind classic works like the ones on jessewave’s list, most of which I’ve not read.  Hey, no one has ever accused me of having class.  Also, while I appreciate what all the letters in GLBT stand for, I can only speak to the “G” element (the m/m).

In some ways, what I love about this literature is what I love about any literature: a good story and well-drawn characters.

I’ve been giving this a lot of thought (which is why it’s taken so long for me to respond), and I think what it comes down to is that I just enjoy two men together.  That’s not terribly deep, and I wish I could respond with something brilliant and more meaningful. But I read for pleasure, and reading about men pleases me greatly.

I’ve grown disenchanted with the female protagonist over the years, with a few notable exceptions.  I do like that strong, ass-kicking woman you find in urban fantasy and while she’s become her own stereotype, it’s quite different from the norm. She’s a bit more manly, yes?   This probably goes hand in hand with my own journey of self-discovery, as I realize that even though I am definitely a woman, I’m not very feminine.

I love that you can find m/m in every genre, sci-fi, mystery, romance, etc.  I’ve read a greater variety of story types since discovering m/m than I ever would have otherwise, and mostly I’ve been pleasantly surprised.

I love the process of discovery between two men. This happens whether the characters are virginal or experienced, coming out of the closet or dancing in the streets, alphas or twinks.

There is an element of surrender in m/m lit that I find really attractive.  This can be completely sexual, of course, but it is also emotional and mental, and it can happen to one or both protagonists.  I don’t like this aspect of het romance, maybe that’s the feminist in me. But with two men? It’s touching, engaging, and hot.

What would you like to see more of?

At the risk of sounding like a bad punster, I’d like to see longer and meatier books.  So many are in that 7k – 25k word range and while I enjoy those at times, I really like to get involved in what I read.  Those are over before they begin.

In e-books, in particular, I’d like to see better editing.  I don’t mean to suggest that all, or even the majority, of these books are badly edited, but enough of them are to make it noticeable.  This runs the gamut from basic grammar and punctuation errors, to consistency and story structure.

Finally, I’d like to see gay characters in mainstream fiction.  I would love to see gay main characters (not just secondary ones) in the urban fantasies I read.   Wouldn’t it be nice if the things we love about GLBT literature were not hidden away from the general reading public?

Wren @ http://wrenboudreau.blogspot.com/

We got back several responses and some we’re still waiting on. However we didn’t have email addresses for everyone so if you’d like to participate – which we’d love to be able to share different opinions from all kinds of readers, including authors who are readers too -please feel free to write up your own answers and contact us at threedollarbillreviews@gmail.com.