Koncocoo

Best Gay & Lesbian Drama

Angels in America: A Gay Fantasia on National Themes: Revised and Complete Edition
A monumental, subversive, altogether remarkable masterwork Details of specific catastrophes may have changed since this Reagan-era AIDS epic won the Pulitzer and the Tony, but the real cosmic and human obsessions—power, religion, sex, responsibility, the future of the world—are as perilous, yet as falling-down funny, as ever.” –Linda Winer, Newsday. It ranks as nothing less than one of the greatest plays of the twentieth century." One of the most honored American plays in history, Angels in America was awarded two Tony Awards for Best Play and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. ; A Bright Room Called Day ; Homebody/Kabul ; Caroline, or Change , a musical with composer Jeanine Tesori; and The Intelligent Homosexual’s Guide to Capitalism and Socialism with a Key to the Scriptures . His books include The Art of Maurice Sendak: 1980 to the Present; Brundibar , with illustrations by Maurice Sendak; and Wrestling with Zion: Progressive Jewish-American Responses to the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict , co-edited with Alisa Solomon. The most ambitious America play of our time: an epic that ranges from earth to heaven; focuses on politics, sex, and religion; transports us to Washington, the Kremlin, the South Bronx, Salt Lake City and Antarctica; deals with Jews, Mormons, WASPs, blacks; switches between realism and fantasy, from the tragedy of AIDS to the camp comedy of drag queens to the death or at least absconding of God Angels in America is the broadest, deepest, most searching American play of our time." But in fact he has been there so often that he seems to have passed right through it Angels , so much a cry in the dark about AIDS when it was written, seems now to be as much about the Earth’s potentially fatal illness as gay men’s.” –Jesse Green, New York.
Reviews
"One of the best things I've ever read."
"Kushner's masterpiece is still very relevant to all aspects of American culture."
"It's character-driven, it's funny despite its heartbreaking subject matter, it handles an historical figure in such a way as to make him larger than life. I've been seeing this more and more recently; authors trying to insert message drama (or fiction or poetry or...) by making the characters who have to put up with it slap the speaker into senselessness. Now that I've spent three hundred words on Louis and Belize's painful, conversation in Act Three, I'll say that the rest of the play is just plain awesome. The characters jump off the page, the pace is fast (despite there being almost no action), the dialogue is, in the main, witty and interesting."
"A wonderful and epic story."
"A modern classic."
"But Tony Kushner did an excellent job with this masterpiece."
"An absolute classic for anyone interested in American theater, gender studies, or just a spectacular play to read."
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M. Butterfly: With an Afterword by the Playwright
M. Butterfly is one of the most compelling, explosive, and slyly humorous dramas ever to light the Broadway stage, a work of unrivaled brilliance, illuminating the conflict between men and women, the differences between East and West, racial stereotypes—and the shadows we cast around our most cherished illusions. Hwang adapted the play for a 1993 film directed by David Cronenberg, starring Jeremy Irons and John Lone. John Lithgow and B. D. Wong recreate their original roles from the Tony Award-winning production of M. Butterfly.
Reviews
"I used it to study in my Asian literature class and I'd read it again."
"I really loved everything about this play."
"This play is a very high spirited read."
"It explores the nature and extent of love and how it borders on, and influences, self knowledge."
"I loved this play and would recommend Chin'glish as another must-read by Hwang."
"The story is well written and showing the differences between the eastern women and western women."
"A fascinating, visceral take on the conflation of racism and sexism that is Orientalism."
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Angels in America: A Gay Fantasia on National Themes: Revised and Complete Edition
A revised edition of one of the most influential plays of our time, published with a new foreword by the author. Tony Kushner's Angels in America is that rare entity: a work for the stage that is profoundly moving yet very funny, highly theatrical yet steeped in traditional literary values, and most of all deeply American in its attitudes and political concerns. These stories are contrasted with that of Roy Cohn (a fictional re-creation of the infamous American conservative ideologue who died of AIDS in 1986) and his attempts to remain in the closet while trying to find some sort of personal salvation in his beliefs. But such a summary does not do justice to Kushner's grand plan, which mixes magical realism with political speeches, high comedy with painful tragedy, and stitches it all together with a daring sense of irony and a moral vision that demands respect and attention. The most ambitious America play of our time: an epic that ranges from earth to heaven; focuses on politics, sex, and religion; transports us to Washington, the Kremlin, the South Bronx, Salt Lake City and Antarctica; deals with Jews, Mormons, WASPs, blacks; switches between realism and fantasy, from the tragedy of AIDS to the camp comedy of drag queens to the death or at least absconding of God Angels in America is the broadest, deepest, most searching American play of our time."
Reviews
"One of the best things I've ever read."
"Kushner's masterpiece is still very relevant to all aspects of American culture."
"It's character-driven, it's funny despite its heartbreaking subject matter, it handles an historical figure in such a way as to make him larger than life. I've been seeing this more and more recently; authors trying to insert message drama (or fiction or poetry or...) by making the characters who have to put up with it slap the speaker into senselessness. Now that I've spent three hundred words on Louis and Belize's painful, conversation in Act Three, I'll say that the rest of the play is just plain awesome. The characters jump off the page, the pace is fast (despite there being almost no action), the dialogue is, in the main, witty and interesting."
"A wonderful and epic story."
"A modern classic."
"But Tony Kushner did an excellent job with this masterpiece."
"An absolute classic for anyone interested in American theater, gender studies, or just a spectacular play to read."
Find Best Price at Amazon

Best Gay Drama

Angels in America: A Gay Fantasia on National Themes: Revised and Complete Edition
A monumental, subversive, altogether remarkable masterwork Details of specific catastrophes may have changed since this Reagan-era AIDS epic won the Pulitzer and the Tony, but the real cosmic and human obsessions—power, religion, sex, responsibility, the future of the world—are as perilous, yet as falling-down funny, as ever.” –Linda Winer, Newsday. It ranks as nothing less than one of the greatest plays of the twentieth century." One of the most honored American plays in history, Angels in America was awarded two Tony Awards for Best Play and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. ; A Bright Room Called Day ; Homebody/Kabul ; Caroline, or Change , a musical with composer Jeanine Tesori; and The Intelligent Homosexual’s Guide to Capitalism and Socialism with a Key to the Scriptures . His books include The Art of Maurice Sendak: 1980 to the Present; Brundibar , with illustrations by Maurice Sendak; and Wrestling with Zion: Progressive Jewish-American Responses to the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict , co-edited with Alisa Solomon. The most ambitious America play of our time: an epic that ranges from earth to heaven; focuses on politics, sex, and religion; transports us to Washington, the Kremlin, the South Bronx, Salt Lake City and Antarctica; deals with Jews, Mormons, WASPs, blacks; switches between realism and fantasy, from the tragedy of AIDS to the camp comedy of drag queens to the death or at least absconding of God Angels in America is the broadest, deepest, most searching American play of our time." But in fact he has been there so often that he seems to have passed right through it Angels , so much a cry in the dark about AIDS when it was written, seems now to be as much about the Earth’s potentially fatal illness as gay men’s.” –Jesse Green, New York.
Reviews
"One of the best things I've ever read."
"Kushner's masterpiece is still very relevant to all aspects of American culture."
"It's character-driven, it's funny despite its heartbreaking subject matter, it handles an historical figure in such a way as to make him larger than life. I've been seeing this more and more recently; authors trying to insert message drama (or fiction or poetry or...) by making the characters who have to put up with it slap the speaker into senselessness. Now that I've spent three hundred words on Louis and Belize's painful, conversation in Act Three, I'll say that the rest of the play is just plain awesome. The characters jump off the page, the pace is fast (despite there being almost no action), the dialogue is, in the main, witty and interesting."
"A wonderful and epic story."
"A modern classic."
"But Tony Kushner did an excellent job with this masterpiece."
"An absolute classic for anyone interested in American theater, gender studies, or just a spectacular play to read."
Find Best Price at Amazon

Best Lesbian Drama

Connect the Dots (Serial Killer Series Book 3)
She brings together a diverse group of women who each have a personal connection to a serial killer, and each woman brings a specific skill to the task. Chief of Security Casey Dennis, Dr. Celine Aponte, Arson Investigator Jordyn Stringfellow and bestselling author Roberta Witherspoon have all joined the team.
Reviews
"I have read all three stories so far and you can't put them down. Yo can read any as a stand alone but r get the dull effect redeem in order."
"I'm so glad I waited until book 4 was released to read this one because of the ending."
"Couldn't wait to get my eyes on this book and well worth the wait!!!"
"Being emotionally involved in the lives of the strong women."
"This is a really wonderful book."
"I hope I don't have to wait FOREVER until the next book."
"I'm loving this series but I was kinda hoping Bobbie and Scottie will got together but it's looks like she died so hope in the next book Bobbie finds love hope we don't have to wait long for the next book waiting for the seventh book of Aidan and Vicky it'll be so cool if the author can somehow integrate these characters with this series along with theirs."
"Omg I love these books and all I'm gonna say is.....omg I hate cliff hangers lol. Now I shall spend each day waiting impatiently for the next book."
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Best Gay & Lesbian Erotica

Try (Temptation Series Book 1)
He’s starting fresh and trying to get back on his feet with a new job at an upscale bar in downtown Chicago. Night after night Tate fends off the persistent advances of the undeniably charismatic man, but after an explosive moment in the bar, all bets are off as he finds his body stirring with a different desire than his mind. Ella Frank is a #1 Amazon Best-selling Author.
Reviews
"Logan enjoyed sex and it didn't matter to him if it was with a female or male, that was until he spotted the handsome bartender working at the bar near where his office was. I just put the latest book in the Temptation series involving Logan & Tate titled Tease on my pre-order list."
"In turn, Tate is no pushover either and challenges Logan every step of the way, his inner-strength shining through after enduring a marriage breakdown."
"These two men complement each other in more ways than one, Logan was able to help Tate find the strength that he always needed and Tate was able to help Logan find a love that he didn't even knew was missing in his life."
"I literally just finished reading this book and logged in to Amazon to leave this review. This is my third Ella Frank book and I am now in head over heels infatuation with her. She has this ability to suck you into any story she writes and you end the book with a huge hangover. Ella is very articulate and her words take you into the book like you are there, sitting at the bar, witnessing it all go down."
""Try" is the story of how Logan and Tate meet."
"I just fell in love with both Logan Mitchell and Tate Morrison - they were the best characters. Tate is a bartender at After Hours, a bar Logan likes to drink at. The chase is on - will Logan catch his prey or will Tate stand his ground?"
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Best Gay & Lesbian Poetry

New American Best Friend
One of the most recognizable young poets in America, Olivia Gatwood dazzles with her tribute to contemporary American womanhood in her debut book, New American Best Friend. Author of the chapbook Drunk Sugar and a recent graduate of Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, New York, Olivia has taught workshops on feminism, poetry and sexual health at foster homes, women's shelters, public schools and community centers nationwide.
Reviews
"This is is one of the best books of poetry I've seen in a very long time."
"The poems evoke emotion as good art should."
"I especially like the poem for the women of Long Island."
"Love the poetry, and dynamics of it all!"
"I can not say enough good things about this book."
"This book is fantastic."
"I loved these poems!"
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Best Gay & Lesbian Fiction

Call Me by Your Name: A Novel
Now a Major Motion Picture from Director Luca Guadagnino, Starring Armie Hammer and Timothée Chalamet, and Written by Three Time Academy Award Nominee James Ivory. A USA Today Bestseller. A Los Angeles Times Bestseller. A Vulture Book Club Pick. An Instant Classic and One of the Great Love Stories of Our Time Andre Aciman's Call Me by Your Name is the story of a sudden and powerful romance that blossoms between an adolescent boy and a summer guest at his parents’ cliffside mansion on the Italian Riviera. Elio—17, extremely well-read, sensitive and the son of a prominent expatriate professor—finds himself troublingly attracted to this year's visiting resident scholar, recruited by his father from an American university. Their shared literary interests and Jewishness help impart a sense of intimacy, and when they do consummate their passion in Oliver's room, they call each other by the other's name.
Reviews
"Set in 1988 and on the Italian Riviera, which adds to the charm and appeal of the novel, Call Me By Your Name is narrated by and tells the story of a seventeen-year-old American-Italian-Jewish youth, Elio Perlman, and his six-week, summer love affair with Oliver Ulliva, a university professor who is seven years older than Elio and who has been selected to live in Elio’s parents’ home as a guest “resident” while finishing a manuscript for publication as part of the parents’ way of aiding budding writers. Much of the first half of Call Me By Your Name has a “stream of consciousness” feeling to it as Elio, a very precocious and intelligent but shy young man, defies his better intuitions and finds himself more and more attracted to Oliver. By time both Elio and the reader are aware of Oliver’s true feelings toward the younger man, a new sense of urgency, an even greater feeling of sensuality and eroticism, and a more intense atmosphere of anxiety and impending doom enters the story—all of it exquisitely captured by Aciman’s exquisitely accomplished writing."
"An Achingly Beautiful Prose of Art. Winner of the 20th Lambda Literary Award. Call Me By Your Name by Andre Aciman. Is an Ethereal Masterpiece; A Mythical Gem of Queerdom. The Novel exudes the Transformative Power of Words, Language, and Imagery. with Disarming Clarity & Volatile Poignancy. The After Effects of this book is perfectly encapsulated. By the Immortal Words of Elio to Oliver. "All That Remains is Dreammaking and Strange Remembrance" pg199. The Audiobook narration by Armie Hammer is Eargasm Heaven!!"
"You felt like you were 17 again and feeling all those emotions of someone being the most important thing in the world to you."
"Looking forward to the movie."
"A bit slow at parts."
"I wanted to read the book before watching the movie, but somehow it never happened."
"Such a sweet and rewarding story about true love and friendship."
"Easy read!"
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Best Gay & Lesbian Literary Criticism

The Picture of Dorian Gray: An Annotated, Uncensored Edition
Wilde famously said that Dorian Gray “contains much of me”: Basil Hallward is “what I think I am,” Lord Henry “what the world thinks me,” and “Dorian what I would like to be—in other ages, perhaps.” Wilde’s comment suggests a backward glance to a Greek or Dorian Age, but also a forward-looking view to a more permissive time than his own, which saw Wilde sentenced to two years’ hard labor for gross indecency. Nicholas Frankel has done a great service to Oscar Wilde's readers in preparing this new edition of The Picture of Dorian Gray . ...This Harvard edition of the untouched typescript is thus a necessary acquisition for any serious student of Wilde's work...After this enthralling novel has left you shaken and disturbed, look for deeper understanding in Nicholas Frankel's superb annotated edition. He has skillfully restored Wilde's original version, and in the manner of other great annotated editions, supplied readers with everything anyone would need to know about Oscar Wilde, The Picture of Dorian Gray , and their lives and times...The entire product--novel and critical/biographical material--makes fascinating reading. It is not often that a piece of serious scholarship is accorded such deluxe treatment, and in this case it is a cause for real celebration, for Frankel has provided a wealth of supplemental material and visual matter, as well as a "Textual Introduction" and a series of notes that explain references and cultural context, help the reader understand the editing processes, and point out the passages that were singled out for deletion...This annotated version [is] a treasure for scholars and for anyone with a serious interest in Wilde, the 1890s, and Aestheticism. Splendid...Profusely illustrated and annotated, the edition's most interesting feature will be a comparison of the original hand-emended typescript with the two main published versions, each of which toned down the novel in a vain effort to avoid the notoriety that descended on both the work and its author...Frankel's edition is a major contribution to the studies of Wilde and of late Victorian legal, sexual, and social contexts...Required reading for students and scholars of Wilde and his period.
Reviews
"All these considered by igo and his close companions through conversation, high society, passion, intrigue culminating in a bizarre twist of plot that leave the reader ruminating on igo's thoughts and actions, and comparing their own with consideration."
"If you've been reading modern literature and are due for a break to read a classic, this is one you just can't continue on in life without reading."
"I'd have to say my favorite character is Lord Henry, a callous, opinionated loud mouth who is clueless, but believes he is smarter than everyone he meets."
"The story is definitely a classic, and for the low price of this edition it's worth having in the collection."
"This book has started me on my new literary journey - re-reading the classics."
"She is all he ever wanted until he tells her he loves her and her performance on stage fails."
"I was looking for why Wilde chose that word in the sentence, but could find the connection."
"I feel that is the way with most of the characters in this book."
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Best Gay & Lesbian Mystery & Thrillers

Bourbon Chase, The San Francisco Mystery Series, Book 1
While working a shift, Jen unwittingly becomes a witness in the investigation when she provides medical care to one of the suspects, defending her actions against criticism from Tommy and Amanda. As their relationship takes on a heightened intensity, Jen's world is thrown deeper into turmoil, forcing Jen and Amanda to make a decision that will change the trajectory of all their lives. 5 Stars, Amazon Customer Review "I enjoyed reading this story and getting to know the characters. 5 Stars, Goodreads - Janelle "As characters Tommy and Amanda worked to solve a murder,there were many intriguing twists and turns, and then there was romance; unexpected, steamy romance. 5 Stars, Goodreads - RJK "A fast-paced mystery with a solid romance sub-plot."
Reviews
"3.5 stars!"
"I have not sat and read a book for years."
"Another awesome read!"
"Great romance, great story, great job Alexi!"
"This book was different..."
"Another awesome book by Alexi Venice."
"Novel was interesting and fast-paced."
"I loved the direction Alexi took in this book."
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