Roof Beam Reader
A Writer and His Reading
Category: LGBT
8 More Rapid Reviews
As promised in 8 Rapid Reviews, Part 1, here are the other eight books I’ve read recently but haven’t had the chance to properly review. I’m not going into much depth on these because, well, I just want to get caught up! But I… Continue Reading “8 More Rapid Reviews”
Thoughts: Felix Ever After
I have said many times that the best kind of book, even those within a genre we often dismissively label “pleasure reading,” is the book that teaches while it entertains. Perhaps not surprisingly, Young Adult novels tend to fall into this category. They make… Continue Reading “Thoughts: Felix Ever After”
Cleanness by Garth Greenwell
About the Book: Sofia, Bulgaria, a landlocked city in southern Europe, stirs with hope and impending upheaval. Soviet buildings crumble, wind scatters sand from the far south, and political protesters flood the streets with song. In this atmosphere of disquiet, an American teacher navigates… Continue Reading “Cleanness by Garth Greenwell”
Angels in America
I just finished my third read of Angels in America. I guess it is one of those rare texts that doesn’t just invite itself for a revisit, but is almost a necessary lifelong companion. Speaking as it does to homosexuality in America, and to… Continue Reading “Angels in America”
Notes of a Desolate Man
My first book of 2020 is Notes of a Desolate Man by Chu T’tien-Wen, translated by Howard Goldblatt and Sylvia Li-Chun Lin. In 2019, I made a more-or-less conscious decision to read more works by Asian and Asian-American writers, and I’m continuing that this… Continue Reading “Notes of a Desolate Man”
