lesbian books

[wiltar]

Okay, I was absolutely sure that we had a thread somewhere around here, about 'lesbian books' but I couldn't find it anywhere... so, here I am, making a thread about it myself



If the mods can help me find the old one again (that is, if the old thread wasn't just some weird thought in my mind) I would appreciate it if this one is closed and we can go on about them books in the old topic. But for now, I'll try this.



So, books...can anyone recommend books to me? I'm looking for the kind with a very much non- happy ending. I've read Annie On My Mind which I loved... you know, the whole hard stuff but in the end getting back together.



Please, if you know any other books of this kind, let me know...or if you know other interesting books, feel free to discuss them



Patricia

---------------

W-what were they looking at?

-The hotness of you doofus!!!

[Jennpurr]

Ooooh... good thread and something that I have been curious about for a long time.



Um... I can make one recommendation. I haven't read the whole book yet, but what I HAVE read has been excellent. I would recommend, "Shield of Justice," by Radclyffe.



Here's the summary on the book:



Special Crimes Unit investigator Detective Sergeant Rebecca Frye is attempting to solve a series of sexual assaults and running into dead ends at every turn. Finally, she has a break in the case-a witness-one person who may help her bring a madman to justice. But, the witness is a vitim herself and Rebecca must convince the injured woman's physician, Dr. Cathering Rawlings, to assist her-a task that will force both women to confront their own personal demons. Amidst professional conflicts and a growing mutual attraction, the two women become reluctant allies in the battle to stop the perpetrator before he strikes again.





The book has romance, hot sex, a happy ending, and a love story all in one. There is a sequel as well, "In Persuit of Justice." I haven't read any of that book yet, but I know it's alot more angsty than the first.



I'm looking forward to other recommendations myself.



Jen

||My Fan Fiction and More!|| ||My Yahoo Group|| ||September 11th 2001 - An on-line Memorial||
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
"One thing I don't understand," Willow went on, laying herself down on top of Tara's legs, with her head resting on her stomach, "is how you don't just lock yourself in your room and play with yourself all day."
Tara laughed, which caused her chest to shudder quite expressively, and Willow to, "Mmmm," again. "Hellebore," Chapter 20 by Chris Cook

[urnofosiris]

Patricia, in the first post of the ask any questions thread there is a table of links to threads. It can be helpful in locating a thread. I think the thread you mean is the Great books by women, or with great female characters thread. That isn't specifically a thread about books with lesbian characters, so this thread might be more helpful to find those kinds of books.

-----------------------------



She's so anally retentive she wouldn't sit down for fear of sucking up the furniture.

--Patsy Stone

Edited by: DrG at: 9/17/03 4:22 pm

[xita]

Oh, I will plug it again, Annie on my Mind by Nancy Garden. very beautiful.

- - - - - - - - - - -
"Freedom is just another word for nothing left to lose."

-Me & Bobby
McGee

[DaddyCatALSO]

_other Women_ by Lisa Alther wasn't that bad and the ending is upbeat if not "classically happy"; it might seem a little dated by now (mid-80s) and sometimes frustrating when you just want to tell the heroine "Wake up!" but okay.



On the outside chance you ever see a minor potboiler novel from the 70s titled _Trick or Treat_ by a British author whose name I forget about an American girl named Kathy who goes to Paris at 18 and falls in love with a local 23-year-old named Ille, take my advice and leave it in the 7-books-for-a-dollar bin at the used book shop. Reading that would be several hours of your life you'll never get back.

[Pixie gishmock]

I loved Annie On My Mind. Jennpurr, that sounds like a good book. I'm going to check it out.



Nancy Garden came out with a new book recently - it's called Nora and Liz. It's pretty good!

Life is full of changes...The better you are at letting go of things, the freer your hands will be to catch something new. ~from Off The Map by Joan Ackerman
"It's good to be a chicken casserole," Tara murmured before passing out. ~from "Answering Darkness" by Sassette

[marcenik]

My fave growing up was "Rubyfruit Jungle" by Rita May Brown



And these arent specifically Lesbian per se, but the main character is gay and there are lesbian characters throughout is teh Last Herald Mage trilogy by fantasy writer Mercedes Lackey



Magic's Pawn

Magic's Promise

Magic's Price



You will be bawling your head off, laughing, shouting and your heart will fill. SOmetimes all at the same time.

[WebWarlock]

Chris Golden's Shadow War saga (now four books) has many gay and lesbian characters. The books are horror, gory and Chris doesn't pull any punches. It is also obvious that his two characters Alexandra and Meaghan are his favorite.



There is one section though. Here, let me try this. Spoiler stuff.



While in Hell in the second book, Alexandra is killed. I don't feel this falls under the lesbian clichéd death because Alex is not killed after expressing her love for Meaghan, but rather because they are in Hell. Later Meaghan sacrifices herself to kill the demon that was responsible for Alex's death. She is promised, by maybe the only being in the universe capable of delivering on this promise, that she will be reunited with Alex and be happy.



I have to admit that Alex’s death did bother me and I lost some of my desire for the books after that. But Chris did go to great pains to show that Alex, once a bloodthirsty vampire, became a hero because of Meaghan’s love. We even later find out that Alex would go to hospices to “turn” those dying of disease so that they may “live” and be a shadow (or a ‘good’ vampire).



Hope that works



Warlock

-----

Web Warlock

The Other Side,
home of Liber Mysterium: The Netbook of Witches and Warlocks: Available October 31st, 2003!

“Well-behaved women rarely make history.” - Laurel Thatcher Ulrich,
Professor Harvard University.

[Puff]

Hey Jen 'In Pursuit of Justice' rocks. But I'd recommend reading 'A Matter of Trust' first as it is a double sequel so you will know all the characters. There is also going to be a third to this story coming soon.

---

So, the day started and I knew my name and had my pants on. So far, so good. Yay.
Amber Benson

[annila]

Not sure if it will be good in the end but I have just started reading "Regiment of Women" by Clemence Dane. It was written and based in an English town in 1917 so it is very dated but so far, good storyline.



I think it would make a wonderful film so far too but I can't seem to find any reference to it being a film anywhere on the internet Anyone know any different?



Annila

******

Remember not to abandon any living being!

******

Edited by: annila at: 9/18/03 1:54 pm

[HOPE REIGNS]

Web Warlock,



Got the spoiler, pretty cool . Ya gots me interested. As far as good lesbian books, got me, haven't found one that ends well yet, so I stick to the Pens where I know all will end happily . I will definitely look into those listed here and let you know of any that pop into mind.



thanx,



Anna

Thank you Amber and Alyson!!

[La]

In the fantasy book genre, Marion Zimmer Bradley's Darkover novels, the ones with the Free Amazons or Renunciates in them often have lesbian main characters, though they're called "women who love women". I don't know any of the titles offhand though. I think there's something called the Saga of the Renunciates that probably has some of the women-loving characters in it. If anyone has read these, and knows what I'm talking about, feel free to elaborate



As for "Annie on my Mind," I loved that when I read it in junior high, before i even knew i was gay. In fact, now I want to read it again

~La



-But they are-are naked!

-Naturally! It's much too dangerous to jump through fire with your clothes on!"

~Lord Summerisle to Sergeant Howie in The Wicker Man, in regards to women jumping over a bonfire during on May Day

[lustandrhymeremover]

Not to state the obvious, but one can't forget the champion of two (and a half) of our favorite girly love books. Fingersmith and Tipping the Velvet by Sarah Waters are both beautifully written books taking place in Victorian England. Affinity isn't so bad either, but a little weak on the happy scale . I know there are a lot more, but I'll have to add them on later... Off to the library now

Some people think I'm unnatural, but what do they call their hair-color then?

[Jennpurr]

Oooh, thanks for the tip, girl. I appreciate it. I will read them in that order then.



Um... I have a question for you. I tried to hide this, but I couldn't figure out how to do it.



I heard in the second book that, Rebecca and Catherine break up. Is that true? If so, does it have a happy ending between them? I'm just hopeless... I like stories to have happy endings.



Thanks in advance. I'd appreciate your input!



Jen

||My Fan Fiction and More!|| ||My Yahoo Group|| ||September 11th 2001 - An on-line Memorial||
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
"One thing I don't understand," Willow went on, laying herself down on top of Tara's legs, with her head resting on her stomach, "is how you don't just lock yourself in your room and play with yourself all day."
Tara laughed, which caused her chest to shudder quite expressively, and Willow to, "Mmmm," again. "Hellebore," Chapter 20 by Chris Cook

Edited by: Jennpurr at: 9/18/03 3:39 pm

[asianspice1]

how's about 'Oranges are not the only fruit' - great novel by jeannette winterson. depressing but very real.



or 'the color purple' - love the scene where celie and shug take a look at "themselves" (goddess, when did i get so coy?) with some interesting use of mirrors! lol

[MemsMapper]

I just finished rereading the Darkover books which deal with the Renunciates. They are: The Shattered Chain; Thendara House; and The City of Sorcery. Characters are lesbian, but I wouldn't say that is a big part of the story. The City of Sorcery was based somewhat on the women's climbing expedition of Annapurna.



There are also many anthologies of Darkover stories, written by others and edited by MZB (until the series ran into legal problems I think). 2 of these anthologies were Free Amazons of Darkover and Renunciates of Darkover. Several of the stories have lesbian characters in them.



MZB also wrote about gay male characters, both on Darkover and in other books. For example, Catchtrap was about a gay couple of trapeze artists in the circus.



Mems

[sheila wt]

Oh, great thread!



I love all MZB's books and have been looking for more sci-fi/fantasy lesbian books all around. I didn't find many so far, but I just bought "Return to Isis" by Jean Stewart and I'm looking forward to it.



I would just love to find a series (like Weber's Honor Harrington, my all-time favorite, for example) featuring a lesbian protagonist...



If you like murder novels, I'd recommend the Kate Delafield's series, by Katherine V. Forrest. Well, I'd pretty much recommend all of her books, in fact.

--------------------------
"She had tasted Willow on her tongue, and she had worn Willow on her skin. There wasn't a shower in the world that could have washed that away." (Terra Firma, by Tulipp)

[xita]

I love the darkover series with the renunciates. I love that Marion Zimmer Bradley wrote lesbian pulp novels in the fifities. I'd love to get my hands on one.

- - - - - - - - - - -
"Freedom is just another word for nothing left to lose."

-Me & Bobby
McGee

[Puff]

Hey Jen you are safe in your reading



Are you on the Radclyffe group? She posts chapters of her new books online for us to read, in fact many of the books can be read online...although they are a bit shorter that their published lengths. 'Passion's Bright Fury' was awesome and I can't wait to buy that one.



Also if you like Radclyffe you might like Blayne Cooper. She wrote Cobb Island, Echos in the mist (sequel to Cobb Island) and cowrote Madam President that is a really fun read.



I need to buy Annie on My Mind.

---

So, the day started and I knew my name and had my pants on. So far, so good. Yay.
Amber Benson

[Jennpurr]

Ooooh, thanks Puff! And no, I'm not a member of the group. Can you give me a URL or something?



Thank you!



OH... and when do we get to see those wedding pictures?



Jen

||My Fan Fiction and More!|| ||My Yahoo Group|| ||September 11th 2001 - An on-line Memorial||
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
"One thing I don't understand," Willow went on, laying herself down on top of Tara's legs, with her head resting on her stomach, "is how you don't just lock yourself in your room and play with yourself all day."
Tara laughed, which caused her chest to shudder quite expressively, and Willow to, "Mmmm," again. "Hellebore," Chapter 20 by Chris Cook

[Rosenberg]

I have to agree about Annie On My Mind. That was a very sweet book but I was kind of disappointed in Nora and Liz. One book that I would very highly recommend though is Curious Wine by Katherine Forrest. It’s a must-read.

[Triscuit7]

One of my all-time favorites is "Ammonite" by Nicola Griffith. It's science fiction, set on a planet where a virus/bacteria has killed much of the population and all of the men. Said planet is "re-discovered"; unfortunately the disease is still active and the explorers come down with it, with similar results. It's quarantined except for a few women who are inoculated with a test vaccine and who allowed to study the inhabitants. From that description it probably sounds a bit grim but surprisingly it has many absolutely beautiful moments, including one of the best love stories written in SF.



Ciao, Melissa

******************



I brought marshmallows!

[Insanity]

Well, the anthologie from MZB is about finished because she died. I think there are about 21 books in the series...



Then I like to recommend a thriller. It's a sex and crime story by J.M.Redmann. There are 4 books. The first is called "death by the riverside" and it's sometimes hard stuff.. Drugs, murder, violence, abuse (of children as well). but there is romance and hot sex as well...



So if you like thrillers and female investigators... read it...



Insanity

"Nobody messes with my girl!"Tara, Bargaining

[MemsMapper]

MZB edited 2 anthologies: Sword and Sorceress, and the Darkover anthologies. The latter series ended with Snows of Darkover in 1994, due to legal issues, I think.



Even though MZB died in 1999, her Sword and Sorceress series has continued. It is currently edited by Elisabeth Waters and Ann Sharp. As of volume XX (2002), they say in the introduction that DAW publishers have decided to do volume XXI.



And I think that through editing these, and her MZB's Fantasy Magazine, which ran from summer of 1988 to December 2000 (50 issues), she really opened up the fantasy market for a lot of young writers. For example, Mercedes Lackey, Jennifer Roberson, and Diana Paxson, among others, all sold their first stories to her.



Another author who often includes lesbian/gay characters in her stories is Canadian Tanya Huff. She again writes in the fantasy field, often with a touch of horror as well. One particular example is Sing the Four Quarters, where a princess and the father of her unborn child try to rescue the princess's female lover. She is also currently working on the Summoning series: Summon the Keeper, The Second Summoning, and Long Hot Summoning. The first and third are set in Kingston, Ontario, which I enjoy since I grew up there. Anyway, a character growing in importance as the series continues is lesbian, and has met someone.



And finally, there is also Gael Baudino. Although I haven't read her latest series, and I'm not sure when she last published, her book Gossamer Axe, winner of the 1990 Lambda Literary Award for Lesbian SF&F, features a lesbian as the main character. As well, her Starlight and Dragonsword series include lesbian characters.



Maybe it's easier to include lesbians/gays in a fantasy world, and just have them accepted there, without all the baggage that comes with writing them set in the real world.



Mems

We must begin somewhere or we will never begin at all.

The absence of small beginnings will spell the end.

-- Margaret Atwood

[Strapping Lass]

Oh Mel - you beat me to it!



I was going to post about Nicola Griffith.

Ammonite is really wonderful - I'm very lucky to have got hold of it here in the uk when it was first released about - what 8 or more years ago? (gah but I'm old ) that was only as I was managing a bookshop at the time and I got sent a publishers copy.



Since then I've owned it about 5 times and keep lending it to people and never getting it back!



Then it was out of print for ages and I got very annoyed at not being able to get hold of it - especially as I wanted to give a copy of it to a certain Australian book lover I know.



Strangely enough I found a copy of it in a fantastic book shop in Sydney when I was over there!



Her second book Slow River is also excellent and sci-fi again, it too features a lesbian lead character.



I think Nicola Griffith is currently writing thrillers which is a shame because if I'm honest I don't find her non sci-fi stuff as good.



Her gf Kelly Eskridge is a pretty good writer too and I believe has a novel coming out soon.



Strapping Lass (who is a huge book geek )

[xita]

Kelley actually already has a book called "Solitaire."



I don't like Nicola's non-sci fi stuff. I don't think it's as good. I love ammonite but slow river is amazing, completely original.

- - - - - - - - - - -
"Freedom is just another word for nothing left to lose."

-Me & Bobby
McGee

[Kita830]

Has anyone read the book "Smother" by Linda Innes? I've been contemplating purchasing it, but I haven't heard a personal review yet.



I've not read a great deal of lesbian-centered books myself, I just today read "Annie On My Mind" however. I loved that book. I have also read "Tipping the Velvet" and "Fingersmith." I ADORE TTV.



I've been looking for some other lesbian novels, so I'll have to check some of these out that you all have mentioned.



Kita

----------------------------

I won't be held responsible she fell in love in the first place.

[Twisted Minstrel]

Interesting thread - and sadly rather short; there should be more out there, I think.



Oranges aren't the Only Fruit has been mentioned, but the book of Jeanette Winterton's I rather like better is Written on the Body. The story is told entirely in the first person as the (genderless) narrator details various (and sometimes hilarious) failed relationships, of which the most recent is the most important. The book is almost poetic and while a bit Winterton can veer off into some pretentious waters, she's never shallow.



Another book I recommend, non-fiction wise is Diana Souhami's Mrs. Keppel and Her Daughter - a delicious, witty, in-depth look at the relationship of Edwardian outcast Violet Trufusis (nee Keppel) and blueblood author Vita Sackville West (best known for her affair with Virginia Woolf). Historically, Trefusis was much maligned as being monstrous and cloying - a social disaster. An embarrassement to her mother (who was the favorite mistress of Edward VIII and later the great grandmother of another princely mistress - Camilla Parker Bowles), who place social propriety above all else, for her outrageous and unapologetic lesbian behavior. She shown as an almost tragic but delightful (if frustrating) character who loved with passion and depth - if not so wisely. You don't have to care about royal families for this one - the madcap affairs within make this one impossible to put down. Souhami's style is rich, to the point and wise. It would make a great movie, I think, too. *sigh*



Tea, by Stacey D'Erasmo is a coming of age and coming out story about Isabel - dealing with her mother's suicide and her longing for a permanent relationship. This is really one of the best novels I've read - there's no sugar-coating and the honesty of D'Erasmo's writing rings true and bittersweet.



I wish I had more to recommend. Patricia Cornwell writes a series of Dr. Kay Scarpetta mysteries that feature her gay niece Lucy - an FBI agent and computer genius - the best of which is probably From Potters Field. Cornwell's a good afternoon read, but not much more.



While I'm here I might mention, too Tom Robbins' Even Cowgirls Get the Blues - while not specifically a 'gay' novel, the central character, Sissy Hankshaw (gorgeous model with oversized thumbs) falls in love with the legendary Bonanza Jellybean - the cutest cowgirl in the world. Together they take over the Rubber Rose Ranch and wreck havoc for the Duchess. If you want to know more, you'll just have to read this brilliant, hilarious, paradoxical novel.

http://www.geocities.com/dijeratti/index.html

[WebWarlock]

I can’t believe I forgot to mention Pam Keesey.



I had been doing a lot of research for my first witch book, reading nearly everything about witches I could get my hands on and I was feeling a little burned out. Well my wife told my about this book she heard about on the radio called “Women Who Run with Werewolves”. She didn’t remember the author, but she thought it sounded cool. Well a little more research at my local library didn’t turn up the book, but it did turn up the author, Pam Keesey, and one of her other books, “Daughters of Darkness” a self-described anthology of erotic tales of vampires. It included some classics, like “Carmilla” but also some new tales as well. Her second book in the series “Dark Angels” places vampires and lesbians as the protagonists.



The stories in both books are classical/gothic horror, but with a strange erotic twist to some and a not so strange erotic twist to others. In most cases it works without becoming too sensationalistic or pornographic.



I am still looking for “WWRWW” but if it is as good as her other two then it will come highly recommended.



Here are some of her websites.

Daughters of Darkness, www1.minn.net/~pkeesey/

Her personal site, www.pamkeesey.com/



Warlock

-----

Web Warlock

The Other Side,
home of Liber Mysterium: The Netbook of Witches and Warlocks: Available October 31st, 2003!

“Well-behaved women rarely make history.” - Laurel Thatcher Ulrich,
Professor Harvard University.

[wiltar]

God, I really need to thank everybody for their responses! I know, in the upcoming time I will be spending quite a bit of my money on a lot of these books! Please, if you have more suggestions, bring them on! And if you feel the urge to give your comments on any of the books mentioned, do so, it'll be fun!



Again, thanks for all the great responses



Patricia

---------------

W-what were they looking at?

-The hotness of you doofus!!!