GAY PEOPLE'S CHRONICLE January 7, 2005

evening'sout

A wide variety of books to cozy up with this winter

by Anthony Glassman

Variety, goes the old chestnut, is the spice of life.

Even a peremptory glance at the world of LGBT literature turns up more, and more varied, choices than the seasoning shelves of an international market.

Mystery, science fiction, memoir, biography, erotica, fiction for old and young, quite a heady mix awaits the reader on the shelves of the queer bookshop.

First, a quick look at some erotica. Much like Mexican food, when it's good, it's very good, but when it's bad, it's awful.

Thankfully, Ian Philips falls into the former category. His new collection, Satyriasis, continues the sub-genre he calls "literotica," smut that stimulates the brain as well as parts further south.

Take, for instance, "What the Market Will Bear," a tale of a dystopian future reminiscent of Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale.

In this post-Bush world, a corrupt cabal rules the country, and has engineered a derivative of HIV to use as a weapon in their

efforts to dominate the planet.

The only thing standing between them and the complete subjugation of the planet is one dominatrix who knows exactly where all the bodies are buried.

There's "Just Another Lesbian Potluck," where Tupperware is not the only thing keeping lunch fresh, and the titular "Satyriasis,” in which Pan decides to play hide-the-clovenhoofed-sausage with a Radical Faerie.

Philips' work is not for the faint of heart, or for those who simply want something to facilitate a wank. He refuses to be bound by typical standards of male beauty, or to limit the subjects of his stories to the fact that he is gay. Yes, there are vaginas in here, and they get almost as much ink as the penises.

Another new release comes from Philips' life-mate Greg Wharton, also from Suspect Thoughts Press, whose first headlining gig is entitled Johnny Was & Other Tall Tales.

Wharton's stories are thoroughly enjoyable, displaying the same depth of tastes that his husband espouses in his collection. This book, however, tends to stay more in the realm of boy-screws-boy, unlike the ...

Every queen has her castle...

who's protecting yours?

Jeff Howell

Insurance Consultant

Home / Auto / Life / Medical / Dental / Disability

216-696-7580 Fax 216-696-3642

jhowell@uainc.com

Susan M. Weaver Attorney at Law

Bankruptcy Estate Planning

• DUI Injury

"Personalized Solutions for all Legal Matters"

Free Initial Consultation

Please make a note of our new number (216) 363-5220

Offices in Cleveland & Rocky River

Who's Waiting for You?

LIVE LOCAL MEN

Cleveland 216-626-1111

412-560-4488

330-639-9944

614-434-2323

330-572-1212

513-766-6006 419-776-7777

Other Local #'s

1-800-777-8000

FREE TRIAL

Code: 6550

interactive male

www.InteractiveMale.com 18+

ahem ... pansexuality of Satyriasis.

Other than occasional problems with capitalizing things in quotations to denote emphasis, however, Wharton proves that, in addition to editing many anthologies, the man can write as well, and does so ably.

For those now exhausted by the libidinous activities coming from the offices of Suspect Thoughts, a quick trip over to Alyson Books gives a taste of the flip side of coin, the eternally joined sex and death. Gary Zebrun's Someone You Know is an interesting murder mystery and a fairly quick read.

After a onenight-stand with another man at a conference out of town, a newspaper columnist realizes that every guy he has sex with seems to wind up dead. The killer contacts him, wanting to set up a meeting. As time runs out while the reporter tries to protect his wife and daughter from a serial killer, he and

While Zebrun's ending was a bit predictable, it was a fun ride getting there to see if the hunch was correct.

LAN PHILIPS

friend on the police force try to crack the case.

SSIVE

PROGRESS!

ESTATE

URBAN

INC

CLEVE. HTS. 216.397.5607 OHIO CITY 216.619.9696

REO R

OPEN SUNDAY, JANUARY 9TH

CLEVE HTS: 2472 OVERLOOK RD. 2-4P $119,000 Reindeer Bldg. 1 BR, 1 Ba. Neutral décor & L.R. w/ blt-ins. CLEVE HTS: KENILWORTH MEWS 2-4P (Intersection of Kenilworth Road and Kenilworth Land) Elegant Arts & Crafts hms in Cedar-Fairmount neighborhood of Cleve. Hts. Brick, stone & cedar shingle exterior, 1st floor mstr bdrm, Jacuzzi tub & Pella windows, granite kit counters, 2-story great rm, garden patio, loft. Starting in the mid-$400s

CLEVE EAST: 10318 GARFIELD 11-1P $74,900 Completely renov'd 2 BR, 1 BA home. New finishes & mechs. NEW! MURRAY HILL: VILLA CARABELLI 2-4P (Top of Murray Hill on Mayfield Rd) Luxury twnhms w/ 2800 + sqft.. rftop deck. 2-3 BR's, 3.5 Ba's. hrdwd firs, glamour bath w/ jetted tub, 1st fir bonus rm. Tax abatement. Starting in the $459,900

UNIV CIRCLE: HERITAGE LANE HOMES 2-4p 1449 E. 105 (N. of Wade PK) Renov hms transform'd into spacious singlefam. 4+ BRS, 2+ BAs, 2,000-4,000 sqft & full frnt porch. Tax abate. & special finance. Starting at $285,900 FLATS: STONEBRIDGE CONDOMINIUMS 12-4P. 1500

Old Detroit (by the swing bridge). New construction & amazing city views. Tax abatement & 12% reduced

rate. 1 BR from $149,900, 2

BR from $207,900

DETROIT SHWY: 1341 W. 49 2-4P $299,900 Tillman Park townhouse w/ 2 BR, 2.5 Ba. Great views from roof-top deck & tax abated til 2008.

For completely unpredictable, there's no better mystery on the homo-shelves at the moment than William Maltese' Thai Died, featuring his fashion designer/amateur sleuth Stud Draqual, from Green Candy Press.

Saliniases

Stud is in Thailand buying silk for his family's fashion house when a hustler winds up dead on another American's doorstep. When that American, Jeff Billings, tries to get into Stud's pants, bullets start flying at both of them, leading them into a labyrinth of gun-smuggling, art theft and murder.

Maltese is much better at keeping one guessing, although that could be because the mystery in Thai Died is much less intimate than the one in Someone You Know. Mentally indicting virtually everyone in the novel before the climax, one is left gasping at the resolution.

Finally, a little non-fiction is always a nice change from the sex and murder, as long as it's not true crime. Soraya Bittencourt's memoir My Road to Microsoft: A Success Story of Building Expedia, co-written with journalist Paula Martinac, is a breath of fresh air. Bittencourt is a Brazilian émigré, so it's interesting to see the story of a successful lesbian hailing from a continent where macho rules.

Her love of math immediately set her apart from other girls, and she was on the team that launched the first Latin American telecommunications satellite. Of course, her junior team members, all male, got more media attention for it, but she sucked that up and kept working.

She came to the United States and worked for Lotus before being head-hunted by Microsoft. Trying to shop out travel software highlighting her native land, she became part of the team that created Expedia, one of the top travel sites on the internet, integrating maps, online purchasing and destination information into one package.

Bittencourt and Martinac present a truly inspiring story, one that should be required reading for baby-dykes everywhere. That way, if someone tells them they can't do something, they can hold up the book and say, "Screw you, yes I can!"

Auto Life

For all your insurance needs!

DETROIT SHWY: 2009 W. 58 2-4P $259,900 EcoVige Twnhs! 3 BR, 3.5 BA. Big LR, hdwd firs on 1st & cerm. ba's. TREMONT: 2076 W. 10 2:30-4:30P $352,000 New 2 BR, 2.5 Ba Col.! City views from 2 terr's. 15yr tax abate. TREMONT: 2337 W. 11, #6 12-2P $199,900 Lemko Hall condo w/ 2 BR, 2 BA. Lg unit w/ a soaring 3-stry L.R.! OLD BROOKLYN: 4445 W. 51 2-4P $76,900 2 BR, 1 Ba ranch w/ 1st floor utility room, newer siding & C/A. CLEVE. WEST: 12710 LONGMEAD AVE. Sat & Sun 1-4p Affordable, new construction townhomes 3 BR, 1.5-2.5 BAs. Tax abatement & special financing, including 0% down! From $151,900

www.progressiveurban.com

Health

Home

Business

Betsy Warner Agent

2479 Lee Boulevard Cleveland Heights, Ohio 44118 Office (216) 932-6900