Watership Down by Richard Adams
Often thought of as children's reading, Watership Down is a combination of mythology, adventure, social and ecological commentary, an idealized socialism and ultimately about creating a place for yourself in the world. This "story about bunnies" details the perils of starting a utopian society, both the rewards and the hardships, and is a book you will reflect back upon for years.

Hasty Hearts by Ken Anderson
Ken Anderson's Hasty Hearts is a collection of short fiction and includes his full length novel, Someone Bought the House on the Island. His work reads like a long, wet dream filled with tranquil locations, perfect men and hot sex alfresco. His leisurely pace reflects the serenity of the Georgia mountains where much of his work is set, and his erotica is refreshingly intelligent where the characters indulge both their bodies and their minds. One part thriller, two parts literotica, Someone Bought the House on the Island is a great read.

Before Night Falls by Reinaldo Arenas
"I scream, therefore I exist," states Reinaldo Arenas in his ground- breaking autobiography — Reinaldo documents the atrocities of Castro as the backdrop of his turbulent life.

Reinaldo begins his odyssey at his grandparents farm, far removed from the influences of the modern world. Here is is at his most creative, acting out stories, songs and characters based on his grandmother's superstitions. As a young man, in a bleak and crowded city of Holguín, he is indoctrinated into the sexually charged revolution — reved-up by the enthusiasm of thousands of teenage boys like himself, and the sexual "adventures" he and his friends partake in.

As Castro's power grows, Reinaldo faces the stringent realities of communism, and the tortures imposed upon writers and intellectuals forced into slave labor camps for their "rehabilitation". Though he is able to smuggle his novels out with sympathetic tourists, the international acclaim his work receives makes him into target for the Cuban government; he is jailed for a crime he did not commit. In exile, he faces a much worse censorship by the leftist parties that heralded him while in Cuba, and his scream becomes louder and stronger in his isolation.

Before Night Falls is a worthy read for any gay reader, and an inspiration for any writer.

The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay by Michael Chabon
The sheer exuberance of the writing in K&C is worth picking this book up, though the drive to make it mean something almost kills it, this is one terrific read. The detailed journey of two boys who turn their comic book dreams into heady reality is extremely well researched and visual enough that you can almost see the panels they create. However, the last section "Radio Man" works to undo the sheer joy of the work, and forces a concept on us that wasn't needed. Watch out for the verbal overkill, Chabon uses language that no one has seen since their SATs.

The Wonder Boys by Michael Chabon
Unimpressed by the slow disaster of the movie adaptation of The Wonder Boys (but loving Tobey Maguire), I approached this novel with a bit of trepidation. This story is based entirely on one concept, that writers have a doppelganger who purposely screws up the writer's life so that he/she has something to write about. Though this is frighteningly accurate, his main character, Grady Tripp, has entirely too much material to work with. In the course of one weekend he loses his wife, pregnant girlfriend, job, agent, 1,200 page novel, car and almost gets his talented student arrested and expelled. The only thing he retains is a bag of premo weed (which he gives away) and a tuba(??). My one nod will go to him dubbing the process of writing "The Midnight Disease"—an affliction that writers simultaneously indulge in and suffer from.

Music for Chameleons by Truman Capote
The worst thing about reading this nonfiction fiction by Capote is you realize just how boring your own friends are by comparison. Whether he is sharing sexy gossip over champagne with Marilyn Monroe or getting stoned with a cleaning woman, his companions are always more interesting than anyone you know. What makes Capote, and his friend, Andy Warhol, such geniuses of their time, is that they are able to let people be exactly who they are and then capture them, flaws as well as weaknesses.

Edinburgh by Alexander Chee
Submerged secrets are at the heart of Alexander Chee's first novel, Edinburgh. This poetic triptych of stories reveals the entangled passions of three generations of men; a pederast, his victim, and the molestor's adult son.

Fee, a Korean-American boy, is fettered with the knowledge that his choir director, Big Eric, is systematically molesting his friends. He keeps his silence for fear of admitting his own similar urges for the boys, namely the angelic Peter, his best friend. This silence destroys Peter, and nearly take's Fee's life. When he finally accepts himself, and builds a future with another man, he is faced with one last challenge, his unfulfilled love of Peter.

The first section of the novel buries all of Fee's secrets, the second uncovers them through the intervention of Big Eric's son, Edward — a young man questioning his own sexuality — and the third section allows Fee to free himself from the past.

Edinburgh is a strong and compelling novel that touches on the mental brutality of child molestation, and the pain that child must endure to become whole.

The White Mountains by John Christopher
I serendipitously discovered this in a closeout bin for a dollar, and relived the book I originally read back in grade school. The story of three boys who take off from their homes for adventure through a world ruled by the Tripods (evil creatures who rule the future Earth)—it's a tale that any gay kid can relate too. Rather than be "capped" and made to live a normal, stay at home life like everyone else, the boys run off to a difficult life of freedom. It is now clear to me why I related so strongly to this story before I understood that I was different from other boys.

Where the Rainbow Ends by Jameson Currier
It's ambitious to tackle the last three decades, from the free-love 70's through the plague years, and still come out of it whole on the other side of the 90's. Jameson Currier does his best here, personalizing the journey in an almost autobiographical narration. It's a simple story about how AIDS changed the lives of everyone it touched, and how we can finally heal ourselves with our self-created families of friends. The one weakness is the novel stops just short of becoming preachy, but the message is loud and clear. Love yourself, love your friends, and allow yourself to be loved in return.

Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick
It took me awhile to track down this novel, the inspiration for Bladerunner, and I'm not sure it was worth the wait. Though Dick's vision was certainly ahead of its time, and it does call into question human identity, (ie is it better to be a "chickhead" with feelings, or a superiour android without), the novel itself is disjointed and uneven, a flaw of most sci-fi. What makes it much worse is the sheep in the title are actual electric sheep; almost all the animals (and humans) have died from radioactive fallout, and they're rarity have made them the new status symbols. A live sheep in the yard is enough to turn Rick Deckard into a robot killing machine. See the movie, it may be slow, but it is a beautifyl statement about the fragility of life.

Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison
A classic about the invisibility of the African-American race, Ellison's work was originally published in 1952 and shows us that we haven't come all that far since. Starting off as an observant student of an all black college in the South, the nameless narrator begins the lifelong learning process about his "place" in society.
Expelled for exposing a rich white trustee of the college to the realities of the campus, he travels to New York city only to discover a new brand of racism, a more subtle and devious version where acceptance is only granted if you remain within narrow "white" guidelines. This powerful novel is more than a stunning commentary about the state of race relations, but also a blueprint to the evolution of one's own personality despite the circumstances.

The Butterfly's Wing by Martin Foreman
I was at first skeptical of this novel when I read the book jacket, but within the first couple of pages I was completely engrossed in the formation of these beautifully drawn characters. Martin Foreman skillfully develops two very unique and distinctive voices, detailing the day to day lives of the main characters. It is his eye for the little touches that really makes this book work. This is not an action adventure story, as one might presume of a kidnapping story, but an in-depth analysis of the traumas and mundanities of the time spent waiting for the release of a hostage.... With it comes a layman's understanding of world sociology. A worthy read.

Boulevard by Jim Grimsley
Arriving in your chosen city is one of the most important moments for a gay man, as it is for Newell, the naïve protagonist of Jim Grimsley's Boulevard. Before we become jaded, we have a year to saver everything that is new: music, bars, drugs, men and sex as we immerse ourselves in gay metropolis. Grimsley skillfully captures that moment of fear and awe as Newell joins New Orleans at the height of the 70's, sharing his love of the city and his new life with the reader. As the novel progresses, Newell becomes the canvas upon which the more experienced characters paint their desires, taking this bright young newbie down into the darker sexual arenas of New Orleans. Grimsley's distinctive voice guides us through this sensual city full of dark magical possibilities and haunting realities.

The Mayor of Casterbridge by Thomas Hardy
I was supposed to have read this in college, and apparently I got halfway through (the notes in the margin give it away) but never finished it. Now I remember why. A pale comparison to Tess of the D'Urbervilles, Casterbridge is the Jerry Springer show of the Victorian Age. The story revolves around a rashly-passionate man who sells his wife to a stranger and ruins his life 25 years later when she returns. It is high melodrama, with every action as subtle as a train wreck. However, the prose itself is first rate with some beautiful descriptions of an agrarian society of yore. If you are reading Hardy, start with another first.

To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee
Trying to catch up on my "should have read already" books, I picked up this classic and was mildly disappointed in it. Lee's ability to portray the focused world through the eyes of a precocious, albeit very aware, nine year old girl is first rate. However, for my taste she takes too long to build into the meat of the story, and relates a courtroom trial which, by all accounts, is too black and white (no pun intended) for it to be given any serious weight. I can understand why it had such an impact when it was released in 1960, with her vivid descriptions of the racial issues in a small southern town, but for me it read too Hollywood, i.e., a streamlined version of life with interesting characters.

Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk
There is a scene in Fight Club that sums up the thrust of this explosive novel—the nameless protagonist holds a gun to a kid's head and asks what he wants to do with his life instead of making just enough money to buy cheese and a TV, if he doesn't answer he dies. Living in a nihilistic society where your life needs to be threatened to feel alive, Fight Club takes us to a place beneath the surface, where we are broken down and bottom out before we can recreate ourselves better and stronger. The relationship between the POV and his mentor/nemesis, Tyler Durden, ranges from hero-worship to pure homoerotica. Palahniuk's first novel is a social commentary that gives the proletariat the upper-hand to change the world through planned acts of random violence.

See Dick Deconstruct by Ian Phillips
What would happen if you combined an English Lit scholar with a S&M master? Why, you'd get Ian Phillips, of course. This series of shorts is not for the prude, nor the under-read, for here you will get quotes from Walt Whitman and discussions on gender theory mixed with hot realistic sex (warts and all). Ian Phillips would make the perfect college prof, the one who teaches you by example (as he does in the title story). Perhaps, if you ask nicely, he will stop by and teach you a thing or two about Foucault…

The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand
Based loosely on the character of Frank Lloyd Wright, this novel is one that would have easily changed my life had I read it in high school. The story focuses on genius architect, Howard Roark, a überman who is so strong in his beliefs that he actually destroys one of his buildings rather than see it compromised. From the POV of my teenage self, I would have idolized Mr. Roark and set my sights on world domination, nothing less. However, reading as an adult, the stiff characters (which are all repeated ad nauseum in Atlas Shrugged), the oh-so-serious plot, and Rand's theory of Objectivism (sorta like hyper anti-communism, where a thing or person is only worth it's true value to itself, nothing more) makes the novel a bit of a mental chore.

The Wind Done Gone by Alice Randall
Though I'm not sure why they marketed this book as a parody of Gone With The Wind, the novel's connection to its literary predecessor turned this mediocre first novel into a firestorm. It's worth a read for the other side of the coin, but one thing I dislike about books that talk about "inclusion" is that they tend to exclude the very thing they are railing against, which makes them hypocritical. Ms. Randall wrote this book because she wondered where the mulatto children were in GWTW, and in doing so, made all the characters so. What works for the novel is the way it cheerfully, and at times deftly, fills in the gaps left by Margaret Mitchell's one-woman show. For a literary annex with more merit, read Jean Rhys' Wide Sargasso Sea which is the "prequel" to Jane Eyre.

How I Learned to Snap by Kirk Read
If I were a rich philanthropist, I would ensure that every high school in America carried Mr. Read's book. Though he admits that his West Virginian coming out story is unique in that he had the support of his family and friends, his tale is a guide on how to begin the lifelong commitment to coming out. He recommends that you do not disappear from your hometown, but make appearances to allow the locals to know you as a gay adult, to answer questions and remove the mystery of gay life from the equation, and to be honest to your calling at all times. He also makes an appeal for more openly gay role models and understanding teachers who can answer questions of both gay and straight students. Each short chapter contains a lesson learned, including the title story, where an older gay teen shows him how to snap as means of saying, "I am not afraid." A must read for any gay teen and their parents.

Alive by Piers Paul Read
I'm a sucker for reunion stories, and have an unnatural interest in cannibalism, so this book was right up my alley. It first made headlines when this story about a stranded soccer team forced to eat their buddies hit the stands, and it's still a horrific read. It gets and A+ for sheer will to live and sobby moments, but a C for adding in way more detail than is required here. You'll be rooting for them to eat the guy who complains once too often.

The Vampire Armand by Anne Rice
I was on vacation and I wanted to have some light reading. Having once been a huge fan of Anne Rice's Interview with the Vampire series, I was excited to pick up the "history" of my favorite vampire, Armand. Like most of the books that followed Queen of the Damned, it reads like it's tacked on and all the characters begin to sounds like variations on Lestat, Rice's golden-haired upstart. Though it does have some interesting soft-core descriptions of tame intercourse with a young boy, I'd stick with the first three and read the later vampire books if you're really dedicated. Or try, The Witching Hour, the only good one of that particular series.

The Long Blue Moan by L.M. Ross
The Long Blue Moan by L.M. Ross reads like an intense jazz session; each chapter is layered with the hot horns of man-on-man sex, the discordant harmony of the character's emotions, and driven by the percussion of their interweaving lives. The novel follows four gifted African-American men who are thrown together at The High School of Performing Arts. As a group they share a golden moment as a one-hit-wonder band, Da Elixir, but walk away from guaranteed success to follow their own dreams. As adults, their lives and relationships become increasingly complex as attmept to find their own Long Blue Moan, a wholeness that rivals Nirvana.

The foursome features Ty, the writer and self-appointed patriarch of the quartet, David, the über-queen dancer with fists full of attitude, Browney, the singer who makes all the wrong moves, and Face, the beautiful but emotionally distant actor. They cover the spectrum of human sexuality and drive, and each contains their own unique triumphs and flaws that make them come alive off the page.

The novel could have been subtitled, "Don't let nobody steal your joy," words to live by from Ty's gay uncle. The men struggle to be true to themselves, their talent and their friends, with varying degrees of success.

Though some moments of the plot border on melodrama, Ross' strong writing saves the story from going over the top. Marketed as an erotic epic, The Long Blue Moan is one hot and rewarding jam.

Midnight's Children by Salman Rushdie
Perhaps better known for the book that put him in 'hiding' for years, The Satanic Verses, Rushdie delivers a masterpiece that proves you don't have to use original material to be original. Using a combination of the history of India, the country's mythology, generic plot twists from Indian cinema, and a host of other cliched devices, Rushdie crafts a story which is in turns entertaining, educational, and bawdy, with a running social commentary. One gets the true sense of the turmoil and culture of this ancient and diverse country via the story of a boy who's fate is tied directly to India. Though perhaps three chapters too long, this ambitious novel is of a scope that few writer attempt, never mind achieve.

Contact by Carl Sagan
I'm a sci-fi math buff, I admit, nerd all the way (without the pocket protector) and I love the science vs theology face-off, and the way Sagan forces them to compromise. However, he was a mathematician, not a writer. He could have easily had a good editor step in an improve the story which is not surprisingly weak. The script for Contact went a very long way to improving the story, but with an equally disappointing ending. If you are interested in the science and theology the movie left out, you will enjoy it, but don't expect much of a novel.

Slaughterhouse Five or the Children's Crusade by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.
I admit, I originally picked up this book when I was 12 because it was one that was often banned and sometimes burned, though I still do not know why. It sold me on Vonnegut and I became an avid reader of his work since. The words "Vonnegut" and "linear" will never be used in together in another sentence. Slaughterhouse Five takes place simultaneously in the past, present and future of Billy Pilgrim, a boy during the Dresden bombing, who is captured by aliens in his middle age and then becomes "unstuck" in time. A very quick read, but the implications of his fiction go well beyond the page to everyday life with a very satirical slant to those in power and the way in which they choose to do things. So it goes.

God Bless Your Mr. Rosewater, or Like Pearls Before Swine by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.
The bad thing about having a writer that your really respect and admire is that at some point they will let you down. Rosewater is a little ditty, a nice try. The book has a lot of potential to be more than it is, but it is caught up in the very same trivial matters that it is satirizing. The loose plot is heavily focused on money as a good and equally evil thing, and it drifts from one character to the next without the amazing wit of Vonnegut's other novels. Read Cat's Cradle instead, that's a masterpiece.

Trainspotting by Irvine Welsh
What is it about junkies that we love to read about them? Having seen the movie prior to reading the book, I was anticipating a 'light' dark comedy starring the scrumptious Ewan McGregor. Once you get past the Scottish dialect, which the writing is true to, you enter a world of complete nihilism. With junk, one of the characters surmises, nothing else matters. With direct quotes from Kierkegaard, it is a study in the habitual downfall of a man who disregards society and its structure in favor for something real and true, a shot of heroin. A dark comedy starring Scottish slackers.

Anthologies:

Best Gay Erotica 2002 edited by Richard Labonte and Neal Drinnan
This installment of BGE is steamier than ever, and admittedly, much strong than 2001. There is an edgier collection of voices here, with established writers J.T. Leroy and Andy Quan, as well as new writers, including my friends Marshall Moore and Ian Phillips, as well as my own work, 'Kiss the Concrete'. This year's collection is geared up to skewer the twist of cosmic fate that has gay men continuously searching for sex in all forms, some you never even thought of as erotic before.

Best Gay Erotica 2001 edited by Richard Labonte
A shameless plug, BGE2001 was my first anthology. "A Date With John" collects the mirco-fiction done on For Hire, a multimedia exhibit created with my partner, photographer Jack Slomovits. After interviewing a number of male escorts, I wrote fictionalized scenes based on each of the escorts, taking into consideration their character and their branch of the profession. The work is also featured in Suspect Thoughts spring issue.

Law of Desire: Tales of Gay Male Lust and Obsession edited by Greg Wharton & Ian Philips
At what point does desire jump the rails, force you to make ill-fated-fated decisions based on insatiable lust? Obsession that can cost you your relationship, your sanity or even your life – all to gratify the monstrous need that originated in your cock and took over your whole body? Law of Desire: Tales of Gay Male Lust and Obsession collects 18 stories that dare to cross the line and let it get out of hand.

Does your obsession drive the one you love further away, as in Rick Reed’s “The Test”, or to pursue relationships that will never be, like Kevin Killian’s “Wanted: Bad Boys 4 Adult Video”? Does it steer you uncontrollably towards violent entanglements, like the brutality of Travis Mader’s “bruiser”, or Jerry Wheeler’s “Love, Sex and Death on the Daily Commute”? Or are you the victim of another’s obsession, doggedly pursued as in Marshall Moore’s “The Pornographer’s Apprentice”. Wherever your obsession might take you, these tales are sure to disturb you as much as they’ll turn you on.

There’s a bevy of hot psychoses here, enough to burn up any shrink’s sofa, so skip your next psychoanalysis and dig into the searing possibilities of lust gone awry.

Of the Flesh edited by Greg Wharton
Editor Greg Wharton has collected some of his favorite erotica writers (including me) for a walk away from the safety of the bedroom to the dangerous physicality of sex and adventure. Of the Flesh exposed both the writer and the reader to the excitement of physical danger in sex play, as well as the more haunting mental variety. There is a wide spectrum of sexuality here for everyone's pleasure, with many pieces crossing the boundaries you were too afraid to admit existed.