Books: 10 Classics to Read When the World Seems Too Bleak

By Sally Allen

Since I learned how to read, books have been where I’ve turned for consolation, hope, and a clarifying dose of perspective. Lately, my solace seems to come from classic literature. Classics remind me how resilient humans are, how much beauty exists in the world. They remind me of the cyclical nature of human history. They illuminate all that humans have survived—insane rulers, endless wars of all kinds, devastating plagues, more devastating plagues … yet another devastating plague. We have survived it before, and we can survive it all over again. 

The Iliad by Homer (maybe)
That this poem, set in the 10th year of the Trojan War, has survived thousands of years provides hope in itself. Gruesome battle scenes play counterpoint to moments of grace, as when a Greek and a Trojan honor their past friendship by refusing to strike each other down. Woven throughout the poem are timeless snapshots familiar in any time and place – the pleasure of a cozy sleep, a satisfying meal, children at play. 

Antigone by Sophocles
In Sophocles’ tragedy, conflicting duties between Antigone and Creon lead to, well, tragedy. As the play progresses, our loyalty shifts according to who is telling the story and how. By the end, we understand that the deepest impediment to reaching consensus isn’t Antigone and Creon’s incompatible loyalties but their pride and refusal to engage with each other. 

Plutarch’s Lives by Plurtarch
Plutarch’s collection of biographies of famed Greeks and Romans is quite the tome. But the biographies don’t demand to be read cover to cover. Readers can dip into them as they might a recipe book, in this case, a recipe for recognizing that our little planet has survived millennia of turbulence. As a starting point, I recommend Spartan Lycurgus and Athenian Solon. 

Beowulf by Unknown
The poem begins with a young Beowulf presenting himself to Danish king Hrothgar. A monster called Grendel threatens to destroy Hrothgar’s kingdom, and Beowulf offers to fight the beast. He wins, but his labors are far from over. Until our time has passed away, the poem seems to suggest, the next beast forever lies in wait. 

The Decameron by Boccaccio
This collection of tales dates to the mid-14th century and features a frame narrative readers won’t envy: A group of men and women fleeing the Black Death who hole up together in Florence. They wile away the hours swapping stories that run the gamut, from bawdy to funny to moral. 

The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer
Like Boccaccio, Chaucer wraps a frame narrative around a collection of stories that fall along a broad continuum. Here, it’s pilgrims headed to Canterbury and Thomas Beckett’s shrine. The pilgrims represent a range of classes and occupations, which creates moments of tension as well as connection. 

Macbeth by William Shakespeare
After Macbeth hears a prophecy that, he believes, predicts he’ll become King of Scotland, he hastens to bring that prophecy to fruition: With his wife’s encouragement, he kills the King of Scotland. His act of murder leads to a downward spiral of paranoia and violence until he meets the same end. Apparently, there is nothing terribly new about power-obsessed madness… 

Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus by Mary Shelley
When we need help reconciling ourselves with humanity’s imperfection, with all that is unknowable, Shelley’s novels makes excellent company. Budding scientist Victor Frankenstein becomes obsessed with solving the riddle of human existence. The thrill of success lasts approximately 4.7 seconds before things go horribly wrong, and then go worse from there. 

A Traveller in Time by Alison Uttley
Uttley’s moving story reminds us that even when we cannot change outcomes, there is power in witnessing. Young Penelope travels from the 1930s back to the late 16th century, where she becomes embroiled in a plot to save Mary, Queen of Scots. The plot, however, is doomed to fail, and Penelope is powerless to change it. All she can do is listen and provide comfort. 

Nothing Gold Can Stay by Robert Frost
When all else fails, I find comfort reading Frost’s gentle poem. It captures a simple but painful truth culled from his observations of the physical world: Nature is cyclical. The moment of perfect beauty inevitably dies away. And that is precisely what enables it to be reborn.

Sally Allen is an award-winning author who holds a PhD in English Education from New York University, with an emphasis in writing and rhetoric, and an MA in English Language and Literature. She has taught writing and literature at New York University and Fairfield University, and is the recipient of New York University’s Willy Gorrissen Award for Dedication and Skill in the Academic Development of Student Writing. Currently, Allen is a faculty member at Post University where she teaches literature, writing, and communications. She is the founder of Books, Ink at HamletHub, a website dedicated to Connecticut books news, where her writing has earned her three Connecticut Press Club awards.

Unlocking Worlds (Griffins Wharf, 2015) can be purchased from Amazon and other booksellers nationwide. More information about Sally Allen can be found at www.sallyallenbooks.com, Facebook,Twitter, Pinterest, and Goodreads.

How the Summer Can Heat Up Your Sex Life

Dudley Seth Danoff, MD, FACS, men’s urologist and expert for more than thirty years and the author of The Ultimate Guide to Male Sexual Health, has advice on how to have your hottest summer yet. Why do you think most couples honeymoon in tropical destinations? It’s not just the tropical flowers and hula dancers that create a seductive ambience—the physical effects of warmth are responsible for boosting male potency as well. This makes summer the ideal time to get your body and your sex life in shape. Here are three reasons why:

1. The Health Benefits of Sexual Activity
Nothing is more wonderful for the human spirit, body, and mind than the free and uninhibited expression of sexuality. A current plague of confusion and self-consciousness causes most men to have less sex than they would like, and they enjoy the sex they do have a lot less. Men who are sexually frustrated tend to be tense and irritable, and they often seem angry at the world. But men who are sexually satisfied and feel good about themselves as sexual beings tend to have a positive outlook and a warm glow of health. Dr. Danoff tells how sexual activity can boost your mood, circulation, and mental sharpness.

2. How to Get Your Body Ready for Summer
Good health is important year round, but in the summer we are more active and more of our bodies are visible, making it even more critical to get in shape. A good exercise program is central to overall health and sexual fitness—it takes energy and strength to make love! Some basic tips for reaching and maintaining peak fitness and performance in the summer include building muscular strength, committing to regular cardiovascular activity, and cleaning up your diet. Dr. Danoff shows you how to optimize your health this summer.

3. The Potency-Boosting Benefits of Superfruits
Hungry for an aphrodisiac with a heart-healthy nutritional boost? Think blueberries! These sweet natural treats, along with other foods high in certain flavonoids, may give men an edge on potency, significantly reducing their risk of erectile dysfunction (ED). Drawing on new research, including a study featured in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Dr. Danoff helps men pick the right “5-to-9 a day” (yes, that’s servings of produce) for peak sexual health.

Dual-gendered author chronicles her lifelong struggle with self-acceptance

In her memoir, “Dear Mom and Dad,” Georgia Lee McGowen details her life with dual genderism as a single soul reacting to the elements of two spirits -- both male and female.

“Dear Mom and Dad” traces the life of George through the eyes of Georgia, the female half of their soul, from early childhood to present day.

By sharing her story, McGowen hopes to help others struggling with their own gender identities to avoid the missteps she made in life, and encourages them to acknowledge who and what they were meant to be while applying their talents, abilities and passions to be truly happy and content.

“One of the saddest things I discovered when I entered the transgendered world was the horrendous number of people who take their own lives,” McGowen said. “I believe that acknowledging and accepting the reality or possibility of dual-gender identity will prevent these irreversible life and death choices.”

A 2014 study by the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention found that 41% of people within the gender non-conforming community have attempted suicide at some point in their lives, and that societal discrimination was often a strong contributing factor to their attempts.

“Society has a long way to go before a man in a dress is as acceptable as a woman in pants,” McGowen said.

Books: Second Half: A Gay American Football Novel

In contrast to their NFL namesakes’ facing off in competition, Scott Pomfret’s forthcoming gay romance novel features football players named Peyton and Brady who fall in love.  

In the Second Half: A Gay American Football Novel, Division I college football coach Peyton Stone has a secret. It’s not so much that he’s gay. It’s that he’s fallen in love with the starting quarterback and military veteran Brady Winter. Willing to deny himself for the sake of the Golden Eagles football team, Peyton focuses helping his team score touchdowns, but when he discovers the attraction is mutual, he jumps in with both feet.

But amid a string of victories that bring them closer to a major bowl game, Brady and Peyton grow reckless and giddy and put their relationship, Peyton's career, and the camaraderie of Brady's teammates at risk. Both men soon learn that love is no mere game and confront a hard choice between victory and integrity while time is running out.

Books: Living Right

The critically acclaimed novelist behind top 2014 bestseller Yellow Crocus, Laila Ibrahim tackles a subject directly out of the headlines in Living Right. 

An intimate story about a mother’s struggle to reconcile her religious beliefs with her son's sexual orientation, Living Right strips away the politics of LGBTQ rights to reveal the life and death stakes in this ongoing conflict: family.

Books: Male Sex Work and Society

Male Sex Work and Society gives you a snap-snot summary of what we know about male sex work from every major disciplinary approach. Leading contributors survey the gamut from psychology, sociology,
social services, economics, mental health, history,
criminal justice, film studies, geography,
migration studies, and more.

Books: MY THINNING YEARS: Starving the Gay Within

MY THINNING YEARS: Starving the Gay Within is the gripping true story of Jon Derek Croteau, Ed.D., a man who struggled with his own sexual identity while trying to earn the love and respect of his emotionally abusive father. 

Ashamed, Jon decided there was only one way to rid himself of the feelings that grew inside him: to starve them out. He felt compelled to punish himself for who he was and soon grew an insecure perception of himself to the point that anorexia, bulimia, and obsessive running became an everyday routine. This deadly combination threatened his life until he found peace and love, which saved his life.

Books: Stone's Throw

Stone's Throw describes the social, political and personal context that framed the emergence of one of the most critically acclaimed New York artists of the late-20th century, Felix Gonzalez-Torres. The book attests to the importance of relationships forged throughout the most challenging years of the North American AIDS crisis, as Deitcher recounts his friendships with Gonzalez-Torres, with the activist curator Bill Olander, and the milieu to which they belonged.

The title, Stone’s Throw, refers to the resonating effects on the author of a single sentence by Carl Andre: “My sculptures are masses and their subject is matter.”  Gonzalez-Torres brought that sentence to the author’s attention soon after Deitcher accepted the artist’s invitation to write the introductory essay for the catalogue that accompanied Gonzalez-Torres’s 1992 project for Magasin 3 Konsthall (Stockholm).

Now, twenty years after Gonzalez-Torres’s death, Deitcher revisits many of his most celebrated works. Stone’s Throw strikes a balance between personal remembrance and cultural analysis, and is richly illustrated with previously unpublished ephemera and full color reproductions of poignant works by, among others, Nayland Blake, Tony Feher, Jim Hodges, and Roni Horn. In its combination of critical re-evaluation and personal testimony, Stone’s Throw marks a further development in Deitcher’s commitment to writing intimate art histories. 

Books: Best Gay Erotica of the Year, Vol. 1

In honor of its 20th anniversary, Rob Rosen takes Best Gay Erotica of the Year, Vol. 1 to the next level of male-on-male erotic reading. There is something included for everyone from erotic male fantasies, to on-your-knees kink, casual hook-ups, highly charged street encounters and dark backroom passion. These down-and-dirty page-turners feature in-depth characters that reflect gay lives. The men in this collection let their lust and sexual desire loose for all to read.

Books: Gym Boys

The gym is no longer for working out and lifting weights according to Shane Allison’s Gym Boys. 

Allison takes us into the erotic world of hard-working men who like to work out along with hard-body builders and the guys who desire them. Whether in the steam room, locker room or in the shower these masculine men know how to work hard and play harder after a long workout session. Fantasies soon turn into reality for these hunks and their lusty clients. Allison’s male-on-male action takes you behind closed doors and reveals a confession that will make you enjoy a taste of strength and power on a whole new level of gay erotic.

Books: Denver's Mate (A Gay Werewolf Romance)

In Denver's Mate (A Gay Werewolf Romance), there's more going on than they first realized when two of the pack's children go missing. And desperate times can lead to strange bedfellows...

When two of the pack's children go missing, Denver takes point in the investigation. Unfortunately, the trail leads him to the tigers. Historically, not a group they've gotten along with.

But in the interest of the children, he's willing to team up with Elliot to get to the bottom of the case.

Sure, he's a tiger. But a cute one...

Books: The Gay Revolution

The sweeping story of the modern struggle for gay, lesbian, and trans rights—from the 1950s to the present—based on amazing interviews with politicians, military figures, legal activists, and members of the entire LGBT community who face these challenges every day.

The fight for gay, lesbian, and trans civil rights—the years of outrageous injustice, the early battles, the heart-breaking defeats, and the victories beyond the dreams of the gay rights pioneers—is the most important civil rights issue of the present day. Based on rigorous research and more than 150 interviews, The Gay Revolution tells this unfinished story not through dry facts but through dramatic accounts of passionate struggles, with all the sweep, depth, and intricacies only an award-winning activist, scholar, and novelist like Lillian Faderman can evoke.

The Gay Revolution begins in the 1950s, when law classified gays and lesbians as criminals, the psychiatric profession saw them as mentally ill, the churches saw them as sinners, and society victimized them with irrational hatred. Against this dark backdrop, a few brave people began to fight back, paving the way for the revolutionary changes of the 1960s and beyond. Faderman discusses the protests in the 1960s; the counter reaction of the 1970s and early eighties; the decimated but united community during the AIDS epidemic; and the current hurdles for the right to marriage equality.

In the words of the eyewitnesses who were there through the most critical events, The Gay Revolution paints a nuanced portrait of the LGBT civil rights movement. A defining account, this is the most complete and authoritative book of its kind.

Lonely Planet Releases Free ‘Guide to Pride’ Digital Book

Just in time for Pride Month, Lonely Planet has released their Lonely Planet's Guide to Pride: 20 Cities & Their Celebrations, a free digital book now available worldwide, exclusively on iBooks: http://itunes.com/prideguide

Since the first Gay Pride marches took to the streets 45 years ago, Pride has blossomed into a worldwide celebration of community, diversity, inclusiveness and individuality. Inspired by festivities hosted by cities large and small throughout the year, Lonely Planet's Guide to Pride covers 20 of the biggest, most-welcoming and jump-on-a-plane-worthy Pride events around the world, from Taipei to Toronto, San Francisco to São Paulo.

Books: More Happy Than Not

Adam Silvera has a lot in common with Aaron Soto, his protagonist in More Happy Than Not. Both grew up in a one-bedroom apartment in the Bronx, with a distant brother and an overworked, single mom. And both have to navigate the dangerous business of coming out as gay in a culture of machismo and violence. Aaron undergoes a memory erasure procedure at the Leteo Institute in response to the prejudices in his community, to try to be "normal." Not surprisingly, trying to bend himself to those expectations doesn’t solve anything. 

Books: Take This Man: Gay Romance Stories

When the Supreme Court decided on June 26th, 2013 that the Defense of Marriage Act was unconstitutional, gay rights activists and proponents of love everywhere celebrated. Now, just two years later, 37 states have followed the Supreme Court’s lead, making it legal for gay couples to marry. Though the battle for the right to gay marriage isn’t over yet. This past week the Supreme Court sat down once again to discuss the legality of gay marriage in the United States, and, as before, we will have to wait until June to find out just how the issue will be settled nationally.

Set to be released on the 2nd anniversary of the repeal of DOMA—and just in time for wedding season—veteran Cleis Press author and editor Neil Plakcy brings us Take This Man: Gay Romance Stories. Plakcy, who has previously edited eight other anthologies of LGBT romance, offers up sixteen new stories of commited love, where the passion is proven with a ring. Do you take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband?

Jamie Brickhouse's 'Dangerous When Wet' Now Available on Audiobook

Macmillan Audio has just released Jamie Brickhouse’s Dangerous When Wet, the astonishing new memoir about alcoholism, sex, and family that Mary Karr calls “blisteringly funny” and Wally Lamb raves is “poignant, hilarious, and sharply observed… move over, Augusten Burroughs. You’ve got company.” 

Read by the author, this story of growing up gay in Texas and losing oneself in New York is the perfect audiobook for fans of Mississippi Sissy, The Memoirs of a Beautiful Boy, and yes, Augusten Burroughs. 

Check out the prologue here to see if it's up your alley. 

Books: The Transgender Child

Available to readers now as a print book, ebook and audiobook, The Transgender Child by Stephanie A. Brill and Rachel Pepper covers gender variance from birth through college, offering advice on handling family conversations, advocacy in school, drug and medical options and, most importantly, how parents can raise a transgender child with love and compassion as gender issues are hotly debated in schools and in national media.

Books: The Sell by 'Million Dollar Listing New York's' Fredrik Eklund

You may be familiar with Fredrik Eklund from Bravo’s Million Dollar Listing New York. Now, he’s adding “published author” to his already impressive resume with his upcoming book, 'The Sell'. 

In 'The Sell', Fredrik discusses how the choice to be our most authentic selves is critical to success and how intangible factors like charm and even being “weird” can get you noticed and make you shine. At the age of 23, after a failure in his early career, Fredrik decided to leave his native Sweden and pursue his dream in the city that never sleeps, New York City. He came out to his family and friends before launching his new life in a new country; he knew he needed to be his true self “both personally and professionally.”

According to Fredrik, even if you don’t consider yourself a salesperson, you’ve been in sales your whole life because every day you are selling your most important asset: yourself. Whenever you influence, persuade or convince someone to give you something in exchange for what you’ve got—whether it’s a luxury home or your profile on Match.com—you are selling. Fredrik shares his tips and tricks for negotiating so that in any of life’s dealings, you’ll come out a winner.

Books: JD

In Mark Merlis' new novel "JD" Jonathan Ascher, an acclaimed 1960s radical writer and cultural hero, has been dead for thirty years. 

When a would-be biographer approaches Ascher’s widow Martha, she delves for the first time into her husband’s papers and all the secrets that come tumbling out of them. 

She finds journals that begin as a wisecracking chronicle of life at the fringes of the New York literary scene, then recount Ascher’s sexual adventures in the pre-Stonewall gay underground and the social upheavals that led to his famous book “JD.”

A Q&A With Marc Freden, Author of 'Not Too Cocksure'

Producer, entertainment journalist and on-camera personality Marc Freden has promised to reveal the ‘dark side of the bright lights’ with a explosive series of sexually charged scandalous novels revealing Hollywood’s unspoken truths. The first, Not Too Cocksure, introduces the recurring character of Mica Daly—an ambitious entertainment journalist who becomes the topic of his own story when his involvement with the meteoric rising star, Chad Martin, goes from the murmurs of gossip to the stuff of Hollywood lore.

Who is Mica Daly?
Mica Daly is an aggressive, ambitious entertainment reporter and a keen observer of the world around him. But unlike many reporters in today’s media world, he is not fishing for the lowest common denominator, trying to ruin lives or find the scandal. He still believes there can be entertainment in entertainment reportage. As you see in Not Too Cocksure his moral high ground gets him in trouble as he becomes a fall guy. But as you see as the books evolve, you can only push him so far and soon his experience become his education. 


How much of the book is based in fact? It is all based in fact. The truth is far more entertaining than the fiction. The fiction stems from placing these amalgam characters in certain circumstances which link the fact based plot line together. That is certainly the case in Not Too Cocksure.
 
Are you concerned that you will be biting the hand that feeds you? No! I am more concerned that the reader is sated. I have no problem pulling back the curtain on Hollywood and the world of celebrity and entertainment and telling what I know. My anecdotes have been the subjects of years of cocktail chatter, I am excited about sharing them with a broader audience.
 
More and more actors are coming out of the closet. Is the threat of outing still relevant? Coming out in Hollywood is still a ‘dollars and sense’ situation for many actors. Will the studios back you in the same way? Will there be roles available for you? Are you relegated to character roles versus leading roles? But, moreover, coming out is a personal decision and should not be thrust upon you. What Mica faces is a moral dilemma as much as a career crossroads. This is also a story about how low the media will sink to get the story and at what cost. As such this story is relevant on many levels. 

What can we expect from Mica as the books progress? I think Mica can’t help but become a product of his environment. The entertainment industry doesn’t change because you have a moralistic ideology. In order to succeed, he is going to have to find a way to exist in a system that is unfair, favors cronyism, rewards mediocrity and protects the scandalous. And he will. The question is: will his success reveal a darker, more ambitious, Mica? Let’s face it, in order to be a player, you have to play the game.