Book Review: First Person Queer

First Person Queer edited by Richard Labonte and Lawrence Schimel
Pansexual Reviews/Anthology
TITLE: First Person Queer: Who We Are (So Far)
AUTHOR: Richard Labonte and Lawrence Schimel
ISBN: 978-1-55152-227-2 PUBLISHER: Arsenal Pulp Press

BOOK BLURB: In this amazing, wide-ranging anthology of nonfiction essays, contributors write intimate and honest first-person accounts of queer (fay/lesbian/bisexual/trans) experience: from coming out to "passing" as straight, to the devastation of meth addiction, to growing old to living proud. These are the stories of contemporary queer life - and by definition, are funny, sad, hopeful, and truthful. Representing a diversity of genders, ages, races, and orientations, and edited by two acclaimed writers and anthologists (who between them have written or edited almost 100 books), First Person Queer depicts the diversity, the complexity, and the excitement of contemporary GLBTQ life.

BOOK REVIEW: This anthology of personal essays is an award-winning collection for a reason. It has won the Lambda Literary Award for GLBT Anthologies and Independent Publisher Award (GOLD) for Gay & Lesbian. This collection shows the writers as people beyond a stereotype of a queer person and anyone could relate to so many of these essays. You'll be amazed at the list of contributors. It ranges from well-knowns to new comers to the GLBTQ literary community.

My favorite essay, Shirts Versus Skins by Christopher DiRaddo discusses body image issues of a young gay man. To me, this essay transcends queer and embraces the issues all teenagers have with their changing bodies. We've all been there at one point in our lives. Some of us are still dealing with them.

Another essay that stuck with me is Threats by Arden Eli Hill. Even he has started testosterone he still relates to the fears of being attacked as a woman. Discussing how he is still vulnerable to them because he's still female-bodied even though the the hormones help him pass as male. As someone who suffers from chronic depression I related to Arden's descriptions of anxiety and mental illness. I felt at home with his essay.

Some essays showed both sides to a political issue. Daniel Gawthrop and Joy Parks discuss the fight for GLBT folks to marry. One for, while the other is against. I understood both sides of the coin, but Joy's essay brought up bad feelings for me. She discussed how the lesbian community fought against the patriarchy and now, we'd be giving in to them. As a femme dyke who has felt that the matriarchy put more strings on me as to who I could be or could not be than the patriarchy ever thought of, I was saddened by her essay.

No matter what your stance is on GLBT issues you'll find these essays to be thought-provoking. I strongly recommend this collection to all readers, no matter what gender, orientation, or any other label you choose for yourself or is chosen for you. This is an essay collection for ALL people.

Review by Ellen Tevault

Reprinted from Rainbow Reviews

Book Review: Some Kind of River

Some Kind of River by Andi Marquette
Lesbian Book Reviews/Romance
TITLE: Some Kind of River AUTHOR: Andi Marquette
ISBN: 978-1-60370-270-6 PUBLISHER: Torquere Press

BOOK BLURB: River guide Dez Parker is looking forward to another summer rafting and kayaking, this time in Idaho. She's also looking forward to another summer with fellow guide Melanie "Mel" Hammond, and for reasons Dez has only just started to explore. Problem is, Mel seemingly isn't interested in anything but friendship with Dez and Dez struggles to bury her feelings in the interest of maintaining that friendship. But when Mel reveals that she has a crush on someone in the guide camp who she won't name, Dez is forced to confront her own emotions. She can either continue to keep her attraction to Mel a secret and risk losing her to someone else, or she can tell Mel how she really feels and risk losing her for good.

BOOK REVIEW: I enjoyed Dez's struggle with remaining friends with Mel and her blossoming feelings for her. I haven't read any lesbian romances in quite a while, but this novella grabbed me by the heart and forced me to fall in love with these two women. Andi's descriptions of the Idaho camp made me want to go camping and rafting, even though I'm not much of an outdoorsy dyke. I'm more of a pampered, city-girl femme, but the author's descriptions are so alive. The scenery and the characters breathe fresh, outdoor air into the reader.

Since I don't want to give away anything, I will simply say that this novella is for all the lesbian romance readers out there. In fact, all romance readers will enjoy this no matter what their orientation is. Highly recommended romance!

Review by Ellen Tevault

Reprinted from Rainbow Reviews

Book Review: Drag Thing

Drag Thing by Victor J. Banis
Pansexual Reviews/Action/Adventure,
Pansexual Reviews/Science Fiction
TITLE: Drag Thing: The Strange Case of Jackle and Hyde AUTHOR: Victor J. Banis
ISBN: 1-4344-0192-8 PUBLISHER: Wildside Press

BOOK BLURB: In Victor J. Banis's hilarious gender-bender send-up of the mutant superhero genre, hetero Peter Warren's ambition is to design women's dresses, and his most secret desire is to wear them. His cop wife, Teri, also secretly longs to see her hubby "dressed up," but hasn't yet found the right way to tell him. And when Peter drinks the "wrong stuff," he turns into the eight-foot-tall monster called Drag Thing.

Add to the pot a pair of lesbian scientists working on a formula to make women stronger and more aggressive; a trio of hapless Homeland agents planning to purloin the formula for purposes of warfare, inept gangbangers who call themselves The Moes and kidnap pets for ransom, a nefarious villain who becomes The Owl, a horny Great Dane with lavender toenails, and a monster cat who turns into Franken-pussy, drag queen Lorelie Lee, Nurse Gladys Kravitz and her homophobic husband, Abner, and a naughty trick or two, and the result is a genuine treat for the reader!

BOOK REVIEW: This is fast-paced and quirky. I had a hard time deciding how to classify this one. It has superhero elements, but the orientation and gender elements are mixed up. I think to make the reader realize that there is no such thing as normal and that in one way or another, we're all queer. There are elements that may shock some readers, but I thought they were well-handled. My wife on the other hand that they were too over the top. She understood that they were probably there to make a political statement, but she thought the author went too far and could have accomplished in a better way. I don't agree. They were over the top, but the whole novel is. That's what makes this book so great. I loved the underlying political jabs, the Hulk-in-a-dress superhero, the bumbling idiot gang-bangers, and the stupid Homeland security agents.
The characters are well-developed. The plot is strong and fast-paced. Also, I liked that Banis played with people's perception of others and the muddy definition of what is queer and what is normal. This novel socks a great political punch, while entertaining the reader with a great story.
I recommend this to readers who won't squirm when things go too far. I loved that normal and good was a little murky at times. I highly recommend this to lovers of superheroes stories and other readers that want to read something totally unexpected.

Review by Ellen Tevault

Reprinted from Rainbow Reviews

Book Review: Vintage: A Ghost Story

Vintage: A Ghost Story by Steve Berman
Gay Book Reviews/Horror
TITLE: Vintage: A Ghost Story AUTHOR: Steve Berman
ISBN: 1-59021-053-0 PUBLISHER: Lethe Press

Walking an empty stretch of highway on a lonely autumn night, a gay teen meets a strange boy who disappears into thin air. What begins as a dream turns into a nightmare as the dangerous obsession of a star athlete killed in 1957 begins to haunt the teen. Vintage is an intense thriller that looks at the dark side of gay urban fantasy, where the dead can never rest and trapped spirits yearn for peace.

I wanted this book to be longer than 148 pages, but once I read it, I couldn't think of one scene that I thought could have been expanded upon. Maybe Berman could've went into more detail about the main character's parents, but I didn't feel like it was a hole in the story. His descriptions involved me fully in these teens' lives, including the angst of breaking up, finding a new love, coming out, hanging out, school, and so much more.

There were two places where the dialog didn't ring 100% true for me, but over all, the story was very well written. One scene where the dialog jumped out at me as staged was where Trace's new boyfriend tells the main character that he's envious of their friendship. I just couldn't believe the conversation for some reason.

For a ghost story, this was definitely not a cliche. I was afraid it might be, but was pleasantly surprised to find that Berman reached well beyond the usual to write an original ghost story. Even the ghosts were well-rounded characters, such as Josh Wyle and First Mike. When the main character contemplates dating Josh, I wanted it to work out for him. A part of me knew it probably couldn't, but I rooted for him. His descriptions of the ghosts capture their time period, such as the old librarian. As a librarian, I worried that he was writing a stereotypical librarian character until I realized she was a ghost from a previous time. Then, it made sense why she dressed and acted like the old librarian stereotype.

Also, he didn't stick with the usual coming-of-age story. His characters seems so real it doesn't feel like another coming-of-age book. He captured the goth culture with ease. This book transcends categories. I would highly recommend this to anyone, especially GLBT youth.

Review by Ellen Tevault

Reprinted from Rainbow Reviews

Book Review: Crave

Crave by Catherine Lundoff
Lesbian Book Reviews/Anthology,
Lesbian Book Reviews/Erotica
TITLE: Crave: Tales of Lust, Love, and Longing AUTHOR: Catherine Lundoff
ISBN: 1-59021-033-6 PUBLISHER: Lethe Press

Crave is a lesbian erotica collection. It includes 15 stories, which span genres from science fiction to contemporary.

Lundoff's science fiction and fantasy stories delve into more story development beyond the erotic element, than her contemporary fiction. Her contemporary erotica reads more like she followed a formula, but inserted quirky characters that were interesting, but not always fully developed. I think if the stories were longer, they would've developed more plot beyond the erotic. Her genre erotica is a great example of this.

In "Heart's Thief," the erotic element is a small portion of the story. The story has a symbolic quality, which takes the reader beyond the sexual, leaving the reader wondering what the heart gem symbolizes in the world Lundoff has created.

Her story, "Leader of the Pack," reads like a combination of stories, Patrick Califia's Little "Red Riding Hood" and Lawrence Schimel's "Take Back the Night." The idea of women/lesbian being wolves has been used in the above mentioned stories, but Lundoff expands upon the idea in a touching love story of two women in a small town.

All of her stories have a dominance and submission undercurrent, but very few of them indulge in bdsm sex. They mainly stay within the vanilla flavor of erotica. Despite the title, "Kink," the story was an erotic story about a women who enjoys wearing leather, especially boots. The first story to really deal with BDSM was "The Party," which is a hot story about a women's first play party. It is light as far as her description of BDSM compared to stories by Laura Antoniou, Patrick Califia, and various other authors known for their kinky erotica, but it an excellent read.

"Blind Faith" was my favorite story. Even though it followed Lundoff's contemporary erotica formula, the narrating character was intriguing and honest in a way that I could relate to. I could imagine myself feeling the same selfish thoughts she had under those circumstances.

A couple of times, I felt a little cheated that the story ended so soon after the sex. In "The Party," I felt bumped out of the story for a moment because the transition from her masturbating to leaving for the party seemed rushed. "She collapsed and lay still for a moment, gently grinding her hips against the patchwork coverlet." The next paragraph jumps away from the intimacy and leaves the reader feeling awkward. "After that, of course, there were cats to be fed and bills to pay and all the other little errands that fill up Saturday afternoons."

Lundoff has written women of many colors, which is a nice switch from most story collections. This collection shows the beauty of erotica, love, romance and so much more between different types of women. I would recommend this.

Review by Ellen Tevault

Reprinted from Rainbow Reviews

Book Review: Supervillainz

Supervillainz by Alicia E. Goranson
Transgender Reviews/Science Fiction,
Lesbian Book Reviews/Science Fiction
TITLE: Supervillainz AUTHOR: Alicia E. Goranson
ISBN: 0-9763411-8-2 PUBLISHER: Suspect Thoughts Press

Rump-smacking good action-adventure trans fiction ... that boots transgender literature out of the classroom and into the streets. A hard-edged tale of passion, revenge, and low-rent apartments. Supervillainz has romance, car chases, brutal superheroes, epic battles in dyke bars, and a climax that will have you reaching for the tissues.

Despite what the book blurb above says, I never felt like grabbing for tissues. Even though I enjoyed this award-winning novel, I was frustrated by the fact that it wasn't what I expected. Since I love superhero stories, I expected a different novel than what this story provides. If I had read this novel without my strong expectations, I would've enjoyed it more.

The plot is fast-paced and the characters are well-developed. When Devon convinces Bit to smoke, I was disgusted. Since smoking is a pet peeve of mine, this scene clouded my view of Devon throughout the book. I found it hard to like some of the characters, including the main characters, at times.

I don't know if I missed earlier signs, but I thought Devon was a transgender butch until he took a testosterone shot in the middle or last half of the book. It wasn't until then that I realized he was a female-to-male transexual. I understand that Goranson maybe didn't want to spell out where the characters were with transitioning, so that readers could visualize them the way they wanted them to be, but I would have liked to have known sooner. I think Goranson expected the reader to understand where the characters were on the gender spectrum and other topics in the plot, which I missed at first. I think the author needed to explain these things in the novel further, instead of expecting the reader to figure it out on his own.

This novel is fast-paced and a good attempt for a first novel by a new author and has won Project: QueerLit 2004 and was a 2006 finalist for the Lambda Literary Award for Transgender. Goranson stretches genre fiction and characters into new territory. I enjoyed the fact that Devon and Bit didn't receive a lot of negativity from the lesbian community they hung out in for being transgender. I recommend this book to readers craving transgender characters which are real, even if they aren't always likeable.

Review by Ellen Tevault

Reprinted from Rainbow Reviews

Book Review: Amazon Girls Handbook

Amazon Girls Handbook by Becky Thacker
Lesbian Book Reviews/Non-fiction
TITLE: Amazon Girls Handbook AUTHOR: Becky Thacker
ISBN: 0-89733-508-2 PUBLISHER: Wicker Park Press

Think ladies' garden clubs. Think hiking clubs. Think bird watchers. Think competent women in sensible shoes. Think about the Amazon Girl oath, which says, "As an Amazon Girl I promise to always try to be out and proud, to be kind to the beasts, the children, the very old, to live the goof life, and never sweat the small stuff."

Becoming an Amazon Girl is a process. Novice Amazon Girls are known as Tomboys when they learn the oath, the ideals, and the motto: "We're prepared for a few things." When a Tomboy stomps up to Amazon Girl she will begin to earn badges and to select a path (Warrior or Mistress). Supremely dedicated Amazon Girls may aspire to the ranks of Matriarch or even Goddess.

For the less organizationally inclined, the handbook supplies suggestions for activities to build character (or not!), organize outings, improve home life, think about spirituality, support community, learn new skills or have fun, inexpensively.

With humor, Thacker has written a manual for grown-ups who wanted more out of scouts or for those who want to build a community of friends for exploring new things. The book is geared toward lesbians, but with an adjustment of the language anyone can explore the principles in this manual. The categories are Your Home and Family, You and Your Community, The World Around You, and Living Well. She gives exercises the reader can follow to earn badges within these categories, such as picnics, party organizing, camping, hiking, sports, reading, cooking, and tool usage.

Her humor is delightful throughout, but the information is useful for building a bond with new friends or old buddies taking it to the next level, which she calls tribes. Her description of a Warrior reminded me of a lot of butches I have known over the years. "A warrior is an Amazon Girl who is frequently called "sir" by unseeing clerks and waitpersons. She knows that "packing" means more than just filling a suitcase."

Some of her suggestions are just for fun, such as "Mistresses: If you have a sweetie or admirer, find out what outfits or type of outfits she likes you to wear. Wear whatever you feel sexy in; she'll just have to cope." Okay, so maybe this is useful for the Mistress wanting to open up communication with her sweetie, but it allows her to still exert her power over her choices.
Others are useful in exploring something new, so the reader can broaden her horizons. "Research and report on one historical figure from another culture. Share this new information with your family or your tribe, preferably over dinner." Another example is "Visit an art museum or gallery."

There is something in here for everyone, the homebody to the jock. On her website, the reader can buy the badges they earn for the various activities described in the book. I highly recommend this for the humor and for the activities it encourages the reader to try. A lot of the suggestions are geared to get the reader to try new things, including things outside of her comfort zone.

Grab this manual, build a tribe, and learn new things about the world around you.

Review by Ellen Tevault

Reprinted from Rainbow Reviews

Book Review: Under This Cowgirl's Hat

Under This Cowgirl’s Hat by S.A. Clements (ed.)
Lesbian Book Reviews/Western, Lesbian Book Reviews/Anthology,
Lesbian Book Reviews/Erotica
TITLE: Under This Cowgirl's Hat AUTHOR: S.A. Clements
ISBN: 978-1-60370-164-8 PUBLISHER: Torquere Press

Five lesbian erotica stories with a western theme. Meet the ladies of Under This Cowgirl's Hat!

"Tea and Kisses" by CB Potts ~ When Iris' neighbor Randy decides to auction off his ranch, she decides to put a bid in on the place. Renee is the Randy's sister, and she figures Iris has ulterior motives. Iris is honest, but city girl Renee doesn't understand how country friendships work. Can Iris make Renee understand how good being neighborly can be?

"Reversible Cowgirls" by Shanna Germain ~ Stephanie has some problems with her love life. She's seeing a married woman, their relationship is going nowhere, and Stephanie needs to break it off. Then she meets Macie, the new veterinarian in town, who takes her by surprise with the heat they generate. Can Stephanie work through her problems and take Macie on full time?

"Bright Lights and Boob Jobs" by B.A. Tortuga ~ Maddie works in the city as an exotic dancer. She's missing her cowgirl ways and her family, but she's too proud to go home a failure. When her best friend Shannon shows up, Maddie's torn between what she thinks she needs to do to succeed, and what Shannon urges her to find in her life. Can love change her mind?

"From the Boots Up" by Andi Marquette ~ Meg isn't at all sure she wants to spend time with a reporter who wants to do a feature on her father's dude ranch. When she meets Gina and helps the other woman fix a spare, Meg hopes they'll cross each others' paths again. When Gina turns out to be the reporter she's expecting, Meg thinks maybe she was too hasty in her judgment about the press.

"The Good Life" by Jodi Payne ~ Ruby has come home to New Mexico for her father, who's in the hospital. She's been living her own life in the city, far away from cows and scrub brush. Caroline is a cowgirl with a lot of charm, but will Ruby be able to give everything up and stay at the ranch?

The novellas in this collection are full of story. The erotic parts are condiments on a meaty story with well-developed plots and characters. Even though this collection is classified as erotica, it provides so much more for the reader to enjoy.

These novellas are so realistic the reader will fall in love with the everyday women and not care that all the stories are realistic, present day, cowgirl rancher stories. For the readers who have read Green and Valencia's collection, they will find more wonderful western stories to get lost in. They will cherish these novellas for their in-depth characters and situations. These stories will make the readers want to throw away city life and get back to nature.

I highly recommend this collection for all readers who love westerns, erotica, and stories that'll make you feel at home. For the readers who aren't into erotica, I recommend you give this collection a chance because they transcend the erotica genre and will feed you a down home story with all the fixings.

Review by Ellen Tevault

Reprinted from Rainbow Reviews

Book Review: The Future is Queer

The Future is Queer by Richard LaBonte and Lawrence Schimel (ed.)
Transgender Reviews/Science Fiction, Lesbian Book Reviews/Science Fiction,
Gay Book Reviews/Science Fiction, Gay Book Reviews/Anthology
TITLE: The Future is Queer AUTHOR: Richard LaBonte and Lawrence Schimel (ed.)
ISBN: 1-55152-209-8 PUBLISHER: Arsenal Pulp Press

In a world increasingly complicated by questionable technologies and factional politics, what does the future hold for gays, lesbians and transgenders? The gay marriage controversy, scientific "breakthroughs," and well-organized campaigns by the Religious Right seem to ensure that we are still far from achieving any kind of pansexual utopia some forty years after the advent of gay liberation. But in this anthology, provocative stories and comics posit a queer future of limitless possibilities.

The Future is Queer asks probing questions that relate as much to our past and present as they do to the future; of gays and lesbians, it asks, who are we, what do we want, and what should we be afraid of?

I enjoyed most of the stories in this collection. My favorite was "My Long Ago Sophia" by Diana Churchill. It was nice to read about an older character, instead of the usual young people in most GLBT literature. The other stories I found to be very gripping tales were "The Chosen Few" by Caro Soles, "Instinct" by Joy Parks, and "the darkest evening of the year" by Candas Jane Dorsey.

In "Obscure Relations" by L. Timmel Duchamp, I had a hard time distinguishing between the characters and their clones, but then again, I'm not into hard core science fiction. Other than that, I found the story to be compelling and enjoyable.

The one disappointment of mine was the comic by Neil Gaiman and Bryan Talbot. I didn't feel that it really added anything to the collection. I think another story or two would have been a better choice.

Even though I wish there were more stories than eight in the collection for the price, I recommend this collection to GLBT readers and science fiction readers.

Review by Ellen Tevault

Reprinted from Rainbow Reviews