Reading

So I just started reading Stephen King's "Under the Dome", and I'm very excited about it. I really love the way Stephen writes - he cares about the characters and really manages to flesh them out. He's one of my favorite writers. I've been doing a lot of reading lately, with great results. I actually ordered "The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest" by Steig Larsson from Amazon UK because I could not wait until May for it to be published here. This trilogy is amazing, and I cannot recommend it highly enough. Another favorite is "The Brutal Telling" by Louise Penny. Great mystery series set in Canada, again with great characters. If you like mysteries, go for this one, but start at the beginning.

What are you reading?

Comfort Books

So in the spirit of banned book week, here's another post inspired by author Neil Gaiman. I guess Neil isn't feeling so well this week, and today he Tweeted about 'comfort books', those books you turn to again and again to make you feel better. There are several for me that seem to do the trick.

I have read 'The Gospel According to Biff' by Christopher Moore at least 10 times, and it cracks me up every time I read it. It's the story of Christ told by the lost apostle, Biff, who was Jesus' life long friend. Very irreverent and very much fun. I have given this book out as a gift several times. All of Moore's books are clever and funny, but I think this is my favorite - though if it's around the holidays, 'The Stupedist Angel' does the trick just fine too.

Another favorite is 'The Eyre Affair' by Jasper Fforde. Set in England in 1985, this delightful fantasy series about a criminal mastermind who is altering great literary texts by kidnapping and even killing off characters and the literary detective charged with stopping him is very clever. Very inventive and hilarious.

In a more serious vein, I have always loved 'The Color Purple' by Alice Walker. Alice Walker is an amazing writer, and the book is much better than the movie, though I love Whoopi Goldberg anyway.

When I was a kid, I used to love 'Watership Down' by Richard Adams. The not so cute and furry bunny story was very complex, with freedom, choice, and survival positioned front and center.

And I not ashamed to say that the Harry Potter series is another favorite when I'm not feeling well, and even when I'm feeling good. As I've said before, as usual, the books are much better than the movies. And out of respect for the man who inspired this post, 'The Graveyard Book' has been one of my favorite books of the last year. This story of Nobody Owens being taken in and raised by a group of graveyard ghosts is very entertaining. There's a reason it has won the Newbury Medal.

What are your favorite comfort books?

Step 1 - Blog.....Now what?

Welcome to my blog! I have no idea what things I might talk about here, but I’ll try to keep it interesting. We can start with a little background

I’m 38, gay, and happily married to my husband, Tom, as long as California let’s us 18,000 couples keep our ‘special’ status while denying it to others. We’ve been together for 11 years.
I have lived in Tucson, AZ for the last 12 years, but grew up all over the map: Virginia, Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky, South Carolina, Wyoming, South Dakota, Alaska, and Utah. I went to a different school every year from the 8th grade on. It sucked at the time, but I’ve learned to appreciate it now.
I am the youngest of 4, with an older brother who is also gay.
I came out at 26, after trying really hard for years to be straight. I came out very slowly to my family. In fact, Tom and I were together for a year before I told mom and dad that I was gay. Mom had no idea, but Dad figured it out when Tom and I moved in together. They have been nothing but loving, supportive, and enthusiastic for the life that Tom and I have created for each other.
We love to travel, and it has become my passion. I’ve been to England, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Mexico, which isn’t all that much, but considering I didn’t leave the U.S. until 2002, that’s pretty good. The list of places I want to go is endless, and complicated by the fact I’d prefer to go to gay friendly destinations. (I’m looking at you, Egypt, and I’m thinking you won’t see me anytime soon, sadly) We’ve got another tentative trip to Italy with some friends planned for next year.
My mother, sister, and nephew (now 8) moved in with us 2 years ago. Tom is an absolute saint for supporting this. We’ve created a wonderful family life that we didn’t have before, AND we have had to make many, many adjustments in our life for this to work. We like being dads, and there’s enough parental figures around so it’s not been overwhelming. Still, on really really good days, when no one else is home, I walk around the house naked to remind me of the old days.
I love pop culture, but only the good stuff. No Dancing with the Stars or Bachelor updates here, though you might see an American Idol comment every now and then.
I love tennis, and play in 4.5 league here in town. I really want to play in some of the national gay tournaments, but haven’t been able to work that out yet. I also play golf, racquetball, and basketball when I get the chance, and recently started running. I love being active .
I have to do a bunch of exercising because my other passion is food. I don’t have many other addictions (watching re-runs of Buffy and Gilmore Girls isn’t so much an addiction as it is good taste) but food is my weakness. I love me some chocolate!

That’s me in a nutshell. Later on I’m sure you’ll learn more about my family, get caught up in my rants, get exposed to my reading list (currently reading The World Before Her by Deborah Weisgall), and hopefully enjoy reading about anything else I deem important enough to blog about.

It’s nice to meet you. Now what?