AmosL
12-19-2006, 10:46 PM
When the Stars Come Out, The Brothers Bishop, and
Confessions of a Casanova
NEW FROM KENSINGTON BOOKS
Literary Pride--a gay reading circle
AMOS LASSEN
Kensington Books has consistently supplied us with good reads and their new catalog has three titles that are worthy additions to our menu for a readable feast.
When the Stars Come Out by Rob Byrnes is due out in September and is there latest offering from Kensington. Cleverly written, it is outrageous and sexy while dealing with love and lies and the world of show biz. I can compare it to reading a tabloid account of what is going on among the gay "rich and famous" (ala Jackie Collins but with members of the family). Noah Abraham is our hero and he suffers from a severe case of writer's block. As he comes to take care of his ill dad, he discovers new fodder about which to write as he swept up into the whirlwind of the life of the idols of the world. He takes a job to help 72 year old Quinn Gustafson write his memoirs. Quinn is a fading star, living in exile, since he ran away with a male dancer who worked for his ex-wife. Working on the memoirs, the doors of the celluloid closet are sprung open and stories leap out. It is almost like eating a never ending meal as one story leads to another and we are there for the telling.
Ever since Americans became gossip hungry, it seems as we enjoy these tidbits and tidbits we have. Yet in this kind of work in a profession where secrets abound, a certain discretion is called for........or is it? Some of the stories that come out (with the stars) can damage the idol power of those involved and a dive in the gossip pool can have disastrous results. Herein is the fun of the book--how can a tell all expose still protect those whom are being talked about? These are two people to be protected here-Quinn's son, a major macho man on the screen and Quinn's ex-wife, the squeaky clean 1960's symbol of purity, Kitty Randolph. The maneuvering s hysterical, the games are fun, and the novel is a great way to spend several lazy afternoons.
Newly out in paperback is the wonderful The Brothers Bishop by Bart Yates. Sometimes tragic and highly emotional the pot takes us to corners of the mind few other books of this genre have been able to go. This book delivers punch after punch of hard realism and makes the reader a better person because of it. Two brothers, Tommy and Nathan, differ as dogs and cats. Handsome Tommy uses his bedroom as if there is a turnstile posted at the door. His beguiling charm is overwhelming and he is irresistible to all who come into contact with him, Nathan, is well aware of this and tends to live in the shadows of his sibling. While Tommy s carefree and airy, Nathan is brooding and bitter. Tommy escapes the ties of home and moves to New York and the glamorous life, Nathan stays at home to teach English and is constantly made aware of the sadness of his family's past which is laced with a sense of arrogance and anger. As these two worlds head for a collision when Tommy returns for a visit with his group of explosive friends and his lover Philip, sparks begin to fly and the book moves toward a powerful climax. Truths emerge, feelings are hurt, jealousies abound and the family history is faced head on. That summer, everything changed and everything and everyone involved is affected. Nathan's bitterness comes to the fore and the incestuous relationship he has with his brother is exposed, When one of Nathan's students enters the plot, the catalyst goes into play and the reader is held spellbound by the series of events which follow. The topics of pedophelia, incest, child abuse also rise almost at once with brutal honesty and the dark humor that infuses the novel helps to speed it along to the conclusion that appears to damage everyone involved. This is a roller coaster of a read and an extremely important book that probes deeply into areas rarely explored before so candidly. I absolutely, unquestionably love this book as unsettling as it is and is a must read.
Finally and completely different is Confessions of a Casanova by Chris Kenry, a laugh filled romp through bedrooms. As dark as Nathan and Tommy are, Tony Romero is light and sex personified. Tommy is our Casanova whose motto seems to be "woo them, screw them, next...". He sends out an aura that he is all things to all men and few can resist him. Failing in and out of love is a way of life for him and of course he he has a trail of exes that never seem to get enough of him. It is these exes that give us part of our story, Tony's pick up lines never fail and his flirtatiousness is winning. He is a degreed Casanova with the byline of "Whatever Tony wants, Tony gets". (Don't you just hate people like that?)
Yet for Tony all good things must come to an end. As his charms begin to fade and people get to know him, he suddently realizes that it just might be the time to settle down with that one special someone. He has to put aside his egomania, his unscrupulousness, his dishonesty and his cold calculating personality.
This is one of those rare books that catches the reader in the first few sentences and then transports him to a world where everything is fun. Moving toward a surprise ending which, indeed, is truly unexpected, the reader laughs along the way and is drawn in by the masterful storytelling ability of the author. When you close the covers of the book, you feel like asking for more. It's a great light read and an experience not soon forgotten.
Thank you Kensington Books for providing us with some really good reads. I can't wait for some more.
Confessions of a Casanova
NEW FROM KENSINGTON BOOKS
Literary Pride--a gay reading circle
AMOS LASSEN
Kensington Books has consistently supplied us with good reads and their new catalog has three titles that are worthy additions to our menu for a readable feast.
When the Stars Come Out by Rob Byrnes is due out in September and is there latest offering from Kensington. Cleverly written, it is outrageous and sexy while dealing with love and lies and the world of show biz. I can compare it to reading a tabloid account of what is going on among the gay "rich and famous" (ala Jackie Collins but with members of the family). Noah Abraham is our hero and he suffers from a severe case of writer's block. As he comes to take care of his ill dad, he discovers new fodder about which to write as he swept up into the whirlwind of the life of the idols of the world. He takes a job to help 72 year old Quinn Gustafson write his memoirs. Quinn is a fading star, living in exile, since he ran away with a male dancer who worked for his ex-wife. Working on the memoirs, the doors of the celluloid closet are sprung open and stories leap out. It is almost like eating a never ending meal as one story leads to another and we are there for the telling.
Ever since Americans became gossip hungry, it seems as we enjoy these tidbits and tidbits we have. Yet in this kind of work in a profession where secrets abound, a certain discretion is called for........or is it? Some of the stories that come out (with the stars) can damage the idol power of those involved and a dive in the gossip pool can have disastrous results. Herein is the fun of the book--how can a tell all expose still protect those whom are being talked about? These are two people to be protected here-Quinn's son, a major macho man on the screen and Quinn's ex-wife, the squeaky clean 1960's symbol of purity, Kitty Randolph. The maneuvering s hysterical, the games are fun, and the novel is a great way to spend several lazy afternoons.
Newly out in paperback is the wonderful The Brothers Bishop by Bart Yates. Sometimes tragic and highly emotional the pot takes us to corners of the mind few other books of this genre have been able to go. This book delivers punch after punch of hard realism and makes the reader a better person because of it. Two brothers, Tommy and Nathan, differ as dogs and cats. Handsome Tommy uses his bedroom as if there is a turnstile posted at the door. His beguiling charm is overwhelming and he is irresistible to all who come into contact with him, Nathan, is well aware of this and tends to live in the shadows of his sibling. While Tommy s carefree and airy, Nathan is brooding and bitter. Tommy escapes the ties of home and moves to New York and the glamorous life, Nathan stays at home to teach English and is constantly made aware of the sadness of his family's past which is laced with a sense of arrogance and anger. As these two worlds head for a collision when Tommy returns for a visit with his group of explosive friends and his lover Philip, sparks begin to fly and the book moves toward a powerful climax. Truths emerge, feelings are hurt, jealousies abound and the family history is faced head on. That summer, everything changed and everything and everyone involved is affected. Nathan's bitterness comes to the fore and the incestuous relationship he has with his brother is exposed, When one of Nathan's students enters the plot, the catalyst goes into play and the reader is held spellbound by the series of events which follow. The topics of pedophelia, incest, child abuse also rise almost at once with brutal honesty and the dark humor that infuses the novel helps to speed it along to the conclusion that appears to damage everyone involved. This is a roller coaster of a read and an extremely important book that probes deeply into areas rarely explored before so candidly. I absolutely, unquestionably love this book as unsettling as it is and is a must read.
Finally and completely different is Confessions of a Casanova by Chris Kenry, a laugh filled romp through bedrooms. As dark as Nathan and Tommy are, Tony Romero is light and sex personified. Tommy is our Casanova whose motto seems to be "woo them, screw them, next...". He sends out an aura that he is all things to all men and few can resist him. Failing in and out of love is a way of life for him and of course he he has a trail of exes that never seem to get enough of him. It is these exes that give us part of our story, Tony's pick up lines never fail and his flirtatiousness is winning. He is a degreed Casanova with the byline of "Whatever Tony wants, Tony gets". (Don't you just hate people like that?)
Yet for Tony all good things must come to an end. As his charms begin to fade and people get to know him, he suddently realizes that it just might be the time to settle down with that one special someone. He has to put aside his egomania, his unscrupulousness, his dishonesty and his cold calculating personality.
This is one of those rare books that catches the reader in the first few sentences and then transports him to a world where everything is fun. Moving toward a surprise ending which, indeed, is truly unexpected, the reader laughs along the way and is drawn in by the masterful storytelling ability of the author. When you close the covers of the book, you feel like asking for more. It's a great light read and an experience not soon forgotten.
Thank you Kensington Books for providing us with some really good reads. I can't wait for some more.