|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Sun Apr 08, 2007 5:36 pm
What makes a book good?
Not just any book of course.. GLBT books.
Sure, there are plenty out there. The number grows every day. How are you to choose what to read?
The topics covered vary, spanning a literal rainbow of possibilities!
Any genre, any story.. you can find in a GLBT book.
But what makes a GLBT book good?
Not every one is good either, what sets them apart? What will make a book fail?
What sets a GLBT book apart from any other sexuality of books?
Is there any difference? What is the difference?
Why do you read GLBT books in particular?
What makes you read them, time and time again? Do you only read them by chance, or do you seek them out?
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Apr 08, 2007 6:14 pm
I shall capture your dreams, he whispered.
I like to read them because for a long time, male/male love was the only thing that gave me warm fuzzies. I suppose this is 'cause for a long time I thought it was OOOH DRAMATIC thanks to my previous yaoi obsession when I was more into anime.
What I like about my GLBT books is ones that aren't a coming of age story. Those are fine, but in my opinion, there are just too many of them and they all seem the same to me after a while.
Another thing I prefer is for there to be gay characters and perhaps a relationship; but not have that be the only plot throughout the entire book. Some books rely on the characters' sexuality to keep the plot moving, and a lot of the time I don't like that. :[
Capture them and devour them.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Apr 10, 2007 2:55 am
Cereal Murder I shall capture your dreams, he whispered.
Another thing I prefer is for there to be gay characters and perhaps a relationship; but not have that be the only plot throughout the entire book. Some books rely on the characters' sexuality to keep the plot moving, and a lot of the time I don't like that. :[
Capture them and devour them. I agree, if it's a romance novel I don't mind if the relationship is central, because that's what romances should be like, obviously, but with stuff like LGBT sci fi and so on the plot is very important. Non LGBT books with realistic, non-stereotyped gay characters are amazing, yet another reason I love stuff by Neil Gaiman - The Sandman has not only a realistic lesbian couple, but a pre-op transexual, who is one of the most amazing supporting characters biggrin
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Apr 10, 2007 10:35 am
Oh I like books where having a GLBT relationship is the least of
their problems. Like in The Merro Tree, where the characters
are the same gender, sure, but they are also different species. One
is humanoid, while the other is more like a naga, or snake creature.
To them, THAT is what causes all the drama and problems, not gender.
WHAT MAKES A BOOK GOOD?
For me, it's all about the characters. If the characters interest me, I'll
read most anything. It goes for all books, as well as any other media.
What makes a GLBT book good? Interesting characters, and some
sort of hook. Does it involve torture, slavery, BDSM, the supernatural,
singers, fencers/assassins/martial artists, kinks, taboos, drugs,
insanity, anti-heroes or villains as the main character, psychics,
telepathics, or mind-screwing twistiness? I'm totally there.
Mmmmm.
Not particularly what makes a book good, I guess, but what I enjoy.. <3
WHAT MAKES A GLBT BOOK GOOD?
Good characters, believable relationship, interesting story...
I don't particularly care if the sex is good or not, I much prefer
mind-f*cking and personal power plays, so I'll actually skip the
sex sometimes to get to that. Sarcasm.
WHAT MAKES A GLBT BOOK FAIL?
Poor characterization. Like the 'Woman-with-a-d**k' syndrome
that some poor bottoms get. I personally don't go for the usual
'coming out' type of books. I like books where they like someone,
and that someone has the same parts as them, and they're cool
with that. Sure, some drama is fine, but not like, "omg my parents
hate me I'm a freak, I'm gonna slit my wrists now kthxbai". ... Ick.
WHAT SETS GLBT BOOKS APART?
I hate most hetero women characters. I always have. I hate how
they are stereotyped, I hate how they act.. Ugh. I rarely come
across anything with a heterosexual relationship that I actually like.
Not that I don't try! I'm all for anyone loving anyone. But... I just
find the relationships trite. I prefer m/m relationships, and what I
most like about them are the personality power plays--two people,
both equal, trying to outwit each other... I guess I don't like most
hetero relationships because the women are never portrayed as
'equal', so the power plays don't work for me.
Also, GLBT books play fast and hard with the taboos. One of my
favourite trilogies not only has multiple GLBT characters, but also
incest, and a relationship between those with a vast age difference.
WHY DO YOU READ GLBT BOOKS IN PARTICULAR?
I definitely seek out GLBT books. I usually prefer them to other
books because they are more likely to amuse me. I read books
for pleasure, and they are more likely to push the right buttons.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Apr 10, 2007 3:44 pm
Because they give me the warm fuzzies.
... what? I'd be a liar if I said anything else.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Apr 10, 2007 4:49 pm
Fj0rd Because they give me the warm fuzzies. ... what? I'd be a liar if I said anything else. haha, I agree with this. I don't really want to write out a whole thing when just saying I love them because they're amazing and so much fun to read and they give me the warm fuzzies will suffice, lol.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Apr 13, 2007 8:31 pm
eh, I guess I read them because they're about something 'different' and that interests me... but not run-of-the-mill or sex-based ones. Originality and a good plot are a must for to like ANY book.
And they give me the warm fuzzies too blaugh
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Apr 13, 2007 9:14 pm
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Apr 13, 2007 10:03 pm
What makes the book good? I suppose that, as long as it's not the over-used plot of someone finding out they're gay and falling in love and that being the WHOLE plot, it's alright.
Why do I read GLBT books? They make me feel better about myself. I'm a lesbian, and I'm usually in a tough situation because of is. Mom sent me to a psychiatrist when I came out, I was teased all through high school, and all that crap. I read GLBT books because they're stories of people who usually find themselves in the situations that I found myself in, and they sort of give me insight on how to put up with it.
Also, heterosexuals are boring. talk2hand xp
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Apr 14, 2007 7:59 pm
But what makes a GLBT book good?
Incredible characters, awesome plot, things like that.
I don't actually think a book could FAIL or anything.
People like different things than other people. Vocabulary
is kind of big for me. I like descriptive and complicated
words ^^'. Same for regular books.
What sets a GLBT book apart from any other sexuality of books?
With heterosexuality books, to put it simply, i find them INTENSELY boring. I don't know what it is. I guess I'm just used to it, and it gets old. With GLBT books, they're interesting. People can relate to them. I guess. I dunno.
Why do you read GLBT books in particular?
Well, i basically read them, because i'm ADDICTED. But i love the storylines and how NO ONE ELSE reads them. [where i live anyway]. And i like to read different books than your regular boy/girl lame story. Like I said before, It gets old. And it's sickening. Like you already know what's gonna happen. With GLBT books, it keeps me guessing and interested about not knowing what's gonna happen.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Apr 16, 2007 5:36 am
the fact that there are other people put there like you and that there are nice people out there
its like er i cant think of a good word but i love them becasue there awsoem and i understand whats going on in the book
i read them to get away to go into a world of fiction and make it my own
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Jul 04, 2007 12:20 pm
When I look for a good GLBT book, I look at dialogue, plot, and characters. I can't read a book that has super polite, super correct dialogue because people just don't speak that way. Especially teenagers, and since I read mostly YA (hey, I'm 16) that plays a big role in whether or not I'll like a book.
Also, the characters and plots have to be realistic. I hate overly flamboyant gay guys or overly butch lesbians. Personality extremes are really unappealing.
Of course, plot. If the book centers around a persons coming out, I'll be hesitant on reading it. If it centers on a relationship, or a problem, or something that doesn't have to do completely with their sexuality, then I'm cool with reading it. I like when a characters sexuality is downplayed. Considered normal. This person is out and comfortable.
The plot idea gets a little complicated because there are books that are coming of age + something cool that are good to read.
I look for basically the same thing in non-GLBT books. Realistic characters that don't make me angry, a plot that's deeper than a puddle, and interesting dialogue.
What sets a GLBT book apart from any other sexuality of books?
Heterosexuality is normal to us. It's something we grew up with. Homosexuality is still a little taboo, and taboo things are really interesting to read about. Not to mention, being bisexual myself, I like when it's put right in there next to heterosexuality. Like I said earlier, as if it were just as accepted and considered "normal" as heterosexuality.
Why do you read GLBT books in particular?
There's no real reason, I suppose. I just find them more fun to read and I can usually relate to them better than a book that is SUPER HETEROSEXUAL. Like, seriously. You know the ones. They have that one girl that likes all these guys and one guys likes her and blah blah. How overplayed can you get? It's so lame. There aren't enough GLBT books out there to get this cliche just yet. (Except for the coming out stories. Yuck.)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
