Is it just me who sees more books I want to read whenever Goodreads puts out a book list? When I looked at last week’s post to get an idea of how many books I read in a week, I realised that I still need to read Rule-breaker by Lilly Morton. This week is the week of novellas for me, as I’ve been reading them in the middle of the night when I’m unable to sleep. For some reason, they don’t want to open it on the laptop. My final goal for this is to reach 350 books read by the end of the month, and I’m only about six away. Sam is currently hosting WWW Wednesday from Taking On A World of Words.
The Three Ws are:
What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?
What are you currently reading?
Goodreads Blurb:
Chameleon: A Memoir – is a collection of my intimate stories and encounters growing up in a homophobic society. I wasn’t your stereotypical Brooklyn boy who loved watching sports on television or enjoyed playing touch football in the streets. I was raised Catholic and attended three different parochial schools in the sixties and seventies. All that made it difficult to come into my own identity and purpose. It was almost impossible to even think gay. I went from being a young and innocent altar boy to a middle-aged gay man caught up in the middle of the John Travolta sex scandal that put me on the front page of The Daily News.
Although I lived a straight life in my teens and had a girlfriend with whom I was in love, I was still bullied and bombarded with gay slurs. The constant struggle of trying to fit in left me feeling anxious and depressed for most of my adolescent years. Instinctively, I lived my life like a chameleon to survive and protect myself.
I learned how to play the game once I entered my twenties, but I still had one foot in the closet unless I was out dancing in the gay clubs in Manhattan. I struggled to find my identity, but I was also afraid that if I revealed who I was, I wouldn’t be accepted or loved by my mother, family, or peers anymore.
I held on to my secret for years and, at times, felt imprisoned. I learned about the down low lifestyle from all those so-called straight guys I hooked up with in Brooklyn. I thought that could be another option for me, and maybe I could have the best of both worlds, too. But deep inside, I knew I couldn’t pull that off. I never lost my desire to have sex with men on the DL but refused to live a double life and use a woman as a beard.
Once I let go of all that guilt that I grew up with and embraced my true self instead of hiding it, I started to live and enjoy my life. This is my journey from being an ashamed and insecure teenager to becoming a proud gay man with a voice that will not be silent and feelings that will no longer be ignored.
What did you recently finish reading?
Goodreads Blurb:
There’s nothing like a near death car accident to open your eyes. Otto Proulx decides surviving was a sign; he’s being given a second chance to claim the life he wants to live. For the past few years he’s been hiding in the shadows, vague texts from a troubled ex-partner keep him at home along with his general lack of luck in the romance department. This is his last chance, he’s certain, this time he’ll meet the man for him, the one he’s sure is out there somewhere.
Greg Trainor runs a specialty kite shop and helps his friends out when they ask. That’s the kind of guy he is, if somebody needs something, they call on Greg. He’s a big guy and no genius, but he’s dependable. So…yeah, when he sees a car precariously perched on the side of the road, he stops to help out; it’s what he does.
One night of passion leads to…several more and suddenly both men are searching around to define what they have together. Neither wants to scare the other off and neither wants to ask for more. Will the two men be able to set aside their fears and create a family together, trusting the elements are in their favor?
What do you think you’ll read next?
Goodreads Blurb:
The aim of the following collection of texts is to prompt a greater awareness of the rights and needs of older LGBTI+ adults and other underserved communities. It is intended to be an educational tool for health professionals in particular. The expectation is that it will be the starting point for an ongoing digital forum where the conversation can continue and new perspectives, research and best practices can be added. Enjoy the reading.”
Alex
Mybookworld24 