Keeping Secrets

I have something to confess.  Well, not just one something, but two.  I don't know who else I can talk to about this, so you are it.

Over the last year or so I have become increasingly addicted to my Kindle.  First it was the classic 3G Kindle, then the Kindle Fire and now the Kindle Fire HD.  No matter where I go, no matter what I'm doing, my Kindle is never far.

I have an even worse confession to make.  I became addicted to my Kindle as a result of becoming addicted to gay romance novels (technically referred to as m/m fiction).  I don't know how it happened, or why I find these books so comforting, but I do.

The thing that surprised me at first about the genre was that it was growing so fast.  Then I discovered that the vast majority of these romance novels were written by women.  Usually married women with children at home.  Then I discovered that well over half of the readers of these novels are straight women.  That could account for the rapid growth, if a whole new market is being tapped to sell these books.

Most of the books are okay, some are just too formulaic and some just have way too much sex in them.  If you want to read a lot of sex novels, look under erotica, not romance.  But there are some really good authors out there.  Authors whose new books I would buy without question (Josh Lanyon, Andrew Grey, etc).  Then there is the hit and miss stuff.

If you want to start reading some of these books,  you should start with a group on Goodreads.  They have an m/m romance group with over 9000 members so far.  There are a lot of great reviews in there, and the folks there are very happy to answer any questions you might have.

Just be warned, these are not the bodice ripping, heaving bosom, he touched my soul kinda books.  Some of these female authors really know how to write a sex scene.  A very, detailed, sex scene.  Most of the books have heat ratings in their reivews, so start by looking for one with a low heat rating, and then you can work your way up to the more explicit, if you are still interested.

I find myself skipping some of the sex scenes if they get too repetitive.  It is nice to have sex portrayed in these books, but the plots are usually far more interesting.  Sometimes a book will have only romance and no sex except maybe a kiss or two.

There are also a lot of sub-genres.  Vampires, werewolves, shape shifters, three way relationships, BDSM, etc,  So be careful what you look for, it might end up being a story about a werewolf who has to find his life mate, and it ain't no female. 

If you think you might be interested, start at Goodreads (link below), then go over to Amazon if you want to purchase your books.  They usually have the best prices and the best selection.

Good luck, and be careful out there.
http://www.goodreads.com/

Gay Marriage Equality

As a man who came of age in the 1970's and witnessed all the changes then, I still marvel at all we have accomplished so far in the century.  I know we have a long way to go, but when I was just coming out, the idea of gay marriage was no where to be found, not even in my imagination.

That is one great benefit that the next generation will have.  The ideas in their dreams will not start out stifled.  They know that they can have the white picket fence, the 2.5 kids and the dog (if they want it) and someone to love them the rest of their lives.  I hope that this helps them to grow up in a more positive light, not thinking themselves inferior beings not deserving of marriage (much like slaves and inter-racial couples were).

In 1940 there were 31 states in the US that had laws on the books making inter-racial marriage illegal.  Today there are 31 states that have constitutional bans against gay marriage equality.  It wasn't until 1967 that those inter-racial marriage laws were changed, and then only by the Supreme Court.  70% of those polled (in the US) at the time thought that inter-racial marriage was wrong.  We seem to be changing minds a little faster then that, but we still have the rest of the world to work on.

Don't even get me started on Russia.  First they want to ban gays even talking about homosexuality to anyone under 18.  Now the Russian Army thinks they have a way of finding out if their soldiers or recruits are gay.  The gays will be the ones with the tattoos on their penises.  The Iron Curtain may have fallen, but I think it may have fallen on some of the Russian leaders' heads.

Let us pray for our gay brothers and sisters throughout the world as they struggle for even the most basic human rights.  And let us also pray that our country will keep moving forward until a time when the promise of equality found in the Constitution will apply to all of us.