The Price of Temptation

Title: The Price of Temptation
Author: M. J. Pearson
Published: 2005 by Seventh Window Publications
Genre: Harlequin gone gay *heart*
Pages: 208


I admit, I bought this one because of the cover. Look at it. What does he have shoved down his pants, a watermelon?



Well, another reason was because it sounded like a good read. this was bought late last year, alongside the Back Passage, but I didn't get to reading it until now, thinking that I needed something less depressing after the Well of Loneliness. This book was obviously a good choice for that purpose!

The earl, the lover, and the secretary. Stephen, Julian and Jamie. A triangle of lust, jealousy and love. The stuff that romance novels are made of, with the exception to usual Harlequin romances being, of course, that all three are men. Stephen is practically being robbed by his kept lover, Julian, but he doesn't want to be alone. Along comes Jamie, who ends up becoming Stephen's personal secretary after some unfortunate circumstances. All would be well, if the earl wouldn't notice what a nice ass the younger man has. And the petty lover, not wanting to lose his source of money, is not happy about the fact that the earl would rather stay home to gaze at that ass than go out to spend money. Something must be done!

The writing is good and fast-paced, with a hint of humour in it. The setting is London of the beginning of 1800's. For once I didn't know it was set in London; that was just a pleasant surprise. Homosexuality is very much frowned upon, but the rich do as the rich will, as long as they're not too vocal about it outside the bedroom.


""If the landscape you encounter is convex, suck it." Stephen latched his mouth briefly onto Jamie's neck in demostration, then moved his lips upward and suckled an earlobe. "I'm sure if you think hard, you can imagine other examples." Jamie shivered. "If it's concave," Stephen whispered, "probe it--" His tongue slid into Jamie's ear, and the young man shuddered again. "--using the instrument that fits best. Flat surfaces can be licked - actually, licking is always appropriate, as are nibbling, stroking, and rubbing - but those are the basic rules. Remember to start gently, and end vigorously, and satisfaction is guaranteed."

"Very helpful," Jamie mumbled."


Yes indeed.

The Well of Loneliness

Title: The Well of Loneliness
Author: Radclyffe Hall
Published: Originally 1928, this edition in 2005 by Virago Modern Classics
Genre: Lesbian fiction
Pages: 447


Oh. There is so much material here, from how much the world and its views have and have not changed in less than a century to the effect the book has had and all that jazz, that I wouldn't know what to write. So I'll just stick to my own opinion, since, after all, this is just a little book blog and not a literary essay. Although I'd love to dig in deeper with this one, and probably will do so.

Anyhoo, the book and what I thought about it. I was a bit suspicious about it, what with not having enough patience most of the time to read 'classics'. Since the book was written in the 1920's, I was expecting a long-winded serious book (I know that my prejudice on classics is silly; I'm working on it). To my pleasant surprise that was not what I found. Hell, this book made me stay up long into the night, reading just one more passage before turning off the light.

The story of the book's heroine, Stephen Gordon, is written beautifully and thought-provokingly, which, if I recall, was Hall's intention: to draw attention to how lesbians and gay men were treated in those days, how they lived their lives. There's drama, there's pain, misery, grief, but also joy and love and the overall implication that, to borrow Erasure:

Old is love, any love is fine. Let it shine, let it flow, let it flow through me.

Hall, a lesbian herself, did not (rightly) believe that her feelings, or those of Stephen and her like, could be wrong or against their god's will. Most of the world just wasn't ready to admit that as well. Thankfully, times and attitudes have changed, partly because of this book. But Stephen, her thoughts and feelings are still valid these days. And even if there was the occasional urge to slap her for doing -or not doing- something that today feels utterly silly, this book went up to my Top 10 favourite books since page 30 or so, and Stephen (even though women with men's names are probably my pet peeve) became one of my favourite characters. It's probably because I recognized my own thought and emotions in her; it's been a while since I've so identified with a character from a book. I just wish I had a crumb of her courage.


"'God,' she gasped, 'we believe; we have told You we believe... We have not denied You, then rise up and defend us. Acknowledge us, oh God, before the whole world. Give us also the right to our existence!'"

ElfQuest

Title: ElfQuest
Creators: Wendy and Richard Pini
Published: 1978 ==>
Genre: Fantasy
Pages: ...YOU count them.


A couple of weeks ago I got the urge to read ElfQuest again. I first came across it sometime around 1993, and it's the one series I have the most comics collected from (yes, even counting mangas). ElfQuest is where I learned to draw from, and it also taught me several lessons about life. It was the biggest thing to hit me since Lord of the Rings. In other words, I adore this series.

Or, at least, the original stories.

This time I read everything from Fire and Flight to Kings of the Broken Wheel, and even though I dug up the rest of my collection, I've no urge to read the 'other stuff'. These are the original and the best stories. Wendy's art is gorgeous, she has some mad skills with figures, and the characters are real, loveable, hateable, and very good company. The writing is sometimes a bit... too... well... emotional? Dramatic? But it goes up to an annoying level only a few times. Art and story live in harmony quite like the elves, until humans or Rayek or Winnowill get up to no good.

Good news is that you can read ALL of ElfQuest on their official pages: http://www.elfquest.com/gallery/OnlineComics3.html

I recommend reading at least the Original Quest, Siege at Blue Mountain and Kings of the Broken Wheel, which are what I read here. I recommend NOT reading Kings Cross from the category The Rest. My reaction to that, while reading and immediately afterwards, was What the FUCK did I just read?!

I'm not saying everything else is rubbish or anything like that. Except Kings Cross. There are some great stories after the originals. Personally I just prefer the ones made by the Pinis over everything else. Artwise and storywise. No one can draw the ElfQuest elves like Wendy. If I ever find someone who comes even close, I'll let you know.


"Shade and sweet water!"

Watchmen

Title: Watchmen
Writer: Alan Moore
Artist: Dave Gibbons
Published: 1986 and 1987 in 12 issues by DC Comics
Genre: Superheroes!
Pages: 12 x ~30 pages


This is superhero comics at their best.

If you haven't heard of Watchmen lately, you've probably been living under a rock. Called a "landmark", "peerless", "remarkable", "brilliant", "groundbreaking", "masterwork" and "greatest piece of popular fiction ever produced" (and that's just the back cover of the compilation), this bible to the comic -or maybe graphic novel is a better term here- loving people is coming out as a blockbusting movie next week.

Watchmen has been praised by better writers over the years, so I'll just borrow a few words from the back cover again: "This is the book that changed an industry and challenged a medium. If you've never read a graphic novel, start with WATCHMEN. And even if you have, it's time to read it again."

I decided to read Watchmen before the opening night. Having already read it in my early twenties, I could remember most of the major twists. Knowing how it's going to end didn't make reading any easier. Despite running around in somewhat silly costumes, the reader can still relate to (most of) the cast. They're just people who are living their lives and trying to make the best of them. I can only marvel at Moore's writing, his characters and the inevitable conclusion, hinted at but not made clear until the heroes themselves figure it out.

Already a phenomenon, the movie will no doubt get more people to read the comic itself. It's a horrifying but strangely optimistic fantasy story which could well be real, and so deep that the reader better bring a life vest. Layered like a cake -or maybe onion- it's one of those books you can read again and again. Alan Moore tells the best bedtime stories.

"Somebody has to do it, don't you see? Somebody has to save the world..."

The Palace of Varieties

Title: The Palace of Varieties
Author: James Lear
Published: 2008 by Cleis Press Inc.
Genre: Gay fiction
Pages: 280


Another by James Lear (and something tells me I'm going to be purchasing more of his books if I get my grabby little hands on them), The Palace of Varieties tells the story of Paul Lemoyne, who moves into London on his 18th birthday in 1934. Paul shares with us a few years of his young life, and many of the arses and cocks he meets along the way.

After reading the description for this book I was reminded of Sarah Waters' Tipping the Velvet, which tells a similar story (only with Victorian women, and a whole lot less sex (which I want to re-read now...)), but Lear -or Paul- certainly spends far more time describing all the sex, more than the feelings of the cast. Money is easily had when one is willing to stretch a little (pun intended) and more easily lost.

Now, that is in no way to imply that I did not enjoy the book. Far from it! Paul's story was a fun, sexy read, and very educational even when there was fairly little mention of the period it portrayed. The ending seemed a little abrupt, but was also left open for a possible sequel.

“I grabbed Lee’s cock, which was half hard, and tugged him a few times until he could not help but get an erection. ‘Now I want you to fuck me,’ I said, my voice as merciless as Boleslavsky’s. That party, by the way, had sat down on the bench and was happily wanking while he watched the cruel drama unfold.

“’Yes, sir.’”

What I learned from this book? For instance, don't use oil paints as lubrication. Not so slippery, and certainly messy.

Luumukanaa

Nimi: Luumukanaa
Tekijä: Marjane Satrapi
Alkuperäisteos: Poulet aux prunes
Julkaistu: 2008, LIKE
Genre: Elämänkertaa


Naser Ali on päättänyt kuolla. Hän menetti elämänsä rakkauden nuorena, ja nyt on poissa myös tätä kaipausta huojentanut soitin ja sen mukana soittamisen ilo.

Marjane Satrapi kertoo tällä kertaa äitinsä sedän tarinaa viikon ajalta ennen tämän kuolemaa. Häneltä on aiemmin suomennettu omaelämänkerrallinen Persepolis (josta on tehty piirretty elokuvakin, pitäisi katsoa!), ja Luumukanaa on yhtä suorasanainen ja peittelemätön. Tarina kulkee Naser Alin kuolinviikon lisäksi menneessä, tulevaisuudessa ja kuvitelmissa, ja Satrapin mustavalkoinen, pelkistetty mutta selvästi omalaatuinen kädenjälki kuvaa tragikoomisesti (hieno sana, tragikoominen) tavallisten iranilaisten elämää, joka helposti jää historiallisesti tärkeämpien tapahtumien jalkoihin.

"Koska yksikään tar ei voinut tuottaa hänelle enää soittamisen iloa, Naser Ali Khan päätti kuolla. Hän kävi makaamaan vuoteeseensa... viikkoa myöhemmin, marraskuun 22. päivänä 1958, hänet haudattiin äitinsä viereen Shemiranissa sijaitsevalle Zahir ad-daulan hautausmaalle. Kaikki, jotka olivat tunteneet hänet, tulivat saattamaan hänet matkaan."

My bookshelf

Let me show you it.


I actually have a three-part bookshelf thing some seven feet wide, which I inherited from my granny, a lover of books, but currently that's being used by other people (except for three shelves full of my books) and this is all I have to shove my preciouses into.

On top are most of my action figures, then it's comic shelf #1. There are more comics behind those visible. Then it's paperback shelf, with another row of paperbacks behind these. And last, comic shelf #2. Again, more comics behind the visible ones. On the right, half visible, a pile of my brother's comics. And on the left it's two piles of mangas and paperbacks that just wouldn't fit. The paperbacks in the front pile are my Read next -pile...