HooBoy's Book Club

[Guest gentle guy]

Has anyone here read Jamie O'Neill's *At Swim, Two Boys*? It was at times a slow and difficult read because of dialect and grammar, but I just finished it. After a few unexpectedly strong sobs, I think I am going to feel depressed for a wee bit.

 

Note to self: Remember that novels by gay Irishmen tend to be sad. ;(

[+ Hoover42]

If you like that, then you might want to read This Thing Called Courage: South Boston Stories by J.G Hayes. A collection mostly of (depressing, but interesting) short stories about Irish working-class guys.

[Guest gentle guy]

Thanks, Hoover, I'll give it a look.

 

Right now, I've started on The World of Normal Boys. I think I must have some issues from my own adolescence that need working out.

[J-Man]

> It was at times a slow and difficult read because of dialect and

>grammar

 

Was it worse than that "CLIENT TAKES CARE OF ESCORT" post?

[BigGayAl]

I loved AT SWIM, TWO BOYS. The first 100 or so pages are difficult because of the dialect but when the book switches narrators it becomes a much easier read. I had tears streaming down my face as I read the last chapter.

THE WORLD OF NORMAL BOYS is a great read. The genre is a little over-done but this is one of the best books of its kind. Enjoy!

[Guest gentle guy]

I finished The World of Normal Boys. Another very interesting and powerful book--and very readable. Although I didn't grow up there, I am familiar with northern Bergen County, so it made the novel even more real for me. Needless to say, a few tears were shed throughout!

 

After these two books, I really need a sentimental novel with a happy ending. I've already read Louis Bayard's Fool's Errand. Any other suggestions? I've had enough catharsis for now, lol.

[Guest bighugbearphx]

Another book that may interest readers here is William Mann's "Where The Boys Are." Nope, it has nothing to do with the old "spring break in Florida" movies (Apologies to the young guys who have no clue what I am talking about . It is a sequel of sorts to his 1997 novel "The Men From The Boys" but one does not need to have read that book (I hardly remember it) to appreciate this one. Like the first book, it is a "coming of age" story, dealing with 20-something and 30-something gay men torn between the Circuit party scene and settling down. The two main characters Jeff and Lloyd (from the first book) had broken up and have new people in their lives, both of whom become more and more of a mystery until resolved later in the book. Another carryover is Henry, who has morphed from a nebbish shy young man to a gym bunny who revels in the attention his new body commands.

 

Interesting book, well written and recommended.

 

Two M4MEscortReviews kind-of references that may be amusing to you:

1. At one point, Henry decides to make some extra money by placing an ad as an escort. When he confides his plans to best friend Jeff, Jeff first sighs: "Hoo boy! ... "

2. Later in the book, Henry "stumbles across" a male escort review site on the internet, and finds reviews of him as "Hank" in Boston (Don't bother looking ... there aren't any here for real.

[Guest gentle guy]

I just finished Jay Quinn's Metes and Bounds. While it has its definite flaws, and I am not really into North Carolina surfers, it was an easy read, enjoyable at times, and it had a happy ending!

 

I must admit that the character named Jeep represents a lifelong fantasy of mine :9 and made the book worth it in the end.