Pearl S. Buck (June 26, 1892 - March 6, 1973)

Pearl S. Buck (June 26, 1892 - March 6, 1973) also known as Sai Zhen Zhu, was a prolific American sinologist and Pulitzer Prize-winning American writer. She wrote also with the pen name of John Sedges. In 1938, she became the first American woman to be awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature, "for her rich and truly epic descriptions of peasant life in China and for her biographical masterpieces." With no irony, she has been described in China as a Chinese writer.

Pearl Comfort Sydenstricker Buck was born in Hillsboro, West Virginia to Caroline (Stulting; 1857-1921) and Absalom Sydenstricker, a Southern Presbyterian missionary. The family was sent to Zhenjiang, China in 1892 when Pearl was 3 months old. She was raised in China and was tutored by a Confucian scholar named Mr. Kung. She was taught English as a second language by her mother and tutor.

The Boxer Uprising greatly affected Pearl Buck and her family. Buck wrote that during this time, …her eight-year-old childhood … split apart. Her Chinese friends deserted her and her family, and there were not as many Western visitors as there once were. The streets [of China] were alive with rumors- many … based on fact- of brutality to missionaries … Buck’s father was a missionary, so Buck’s mother, her little sister, and herself were …evacuated to the relative safety of Shanghai, where they spent nearly a year as refugees… (The Good Earth, Introduction) In July 1901, Buck and her family sailed to San Francisco. Not until the following year did the Sydenstrickers return to China.

( Read more... )

First Book - East Wind: West Wind (1930)

Last Book - The Rainbow (1974)

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pearl_S._Buck

Edge of Seventeen (1998) directed by David Moreton

A teenager copes with his sexuality on the last day of school in 1984. It shows him coping with being gay and being with friends.

Director: David Moreton

Writer: Todd Stephens

Release Date: 14 June 1998 (New York Lesbian and Gay Film Festival, USA)

Genres: Comedy, Drama, Romance

Storyline: A 17-year-old rediscovers his sexuality in this 1980s story about coming out and its social consequences. Eric (Chris Stafford) takes a job at an amusement park and meets Rod (Andersen Gabrych) -- but finds out too late that his crush just wants sex. He seeks consolation at the local gay bar, only to be used again. As he continues to question his sexual orientation, a female friend (Tina Holmes) volunteers to be his next partner.

Awards: 2000 GLAAD Media Award Nomination as Outstanding Film (Limited Release), GLAAD Media Awards
2000 Independent Spirit Award Nomination as Best Debut Performance to Chris Stafford, Independent Spirit Awards
1998 Audience Award as Outstanding Narrative Feature to David Moreton, L.A. Outfest
1998 Grand Jury Award as Outstanding Actor in a Feature Film to Chris Stafford, as Outstanding American Narrative Feature to David Moreton, as Outstanding Screenwriting to Todd Stephens, L.A. Outfest
1998 Audience Award as Best Feature to David Moreton, San Francisco International Lesbian & Gay Film Festival

@IMDb
@Amazon: Edge of Seventeen (1995)
@Netflix
@Wolfe Video

 

( more pics )

Cast (in credits order)
Chris Stafford ... Eric
Tina Holmes ... Maggie
Andersen Gabrych ... Rod
Stephanie McVay ... Mom
Lea DeLaria ... Angie
John Eby ... Dad
Antonio Carriero ... Andy
Jason Lockhart ... Steve (as Jason Scheingross)
Tony Maietta ... Gregg
Jeff Fryer ... Jonathan
( rest of the cast )

     
Eric & Rod

Edge of Seventeen (1998) directed by David Moreton

A teenager copes with his sexuality on the last day of school in 1984. It shows him coping with being gay and being with friends.

Director: David Moreton

Writer: Todd Stephens

Release Date: 14 June 1998 (New York Lesbian and Gay Film Festival, USA)

Genres: Comedy, Drama, Romance

Storyline: A 17-year-old rediscovers his sexuality in this 1980s story about coming out and its social consequences. Eric (Chris Stafford) takes a job at an amusement park and meets Rod (Andersen Gabrych) -- but finds out too late that his crush just wants sex. He seeks consolation at the local gay bar, only to be used again. As he continues to question his sexual orientation, a female friend (Tina Holmes) volunteers to be his next partner.

Awards: 2000 GLAAD Media Award Nomination as Outstanding Film (Limited Release), GLAAD Media Awards
2000 Independent Spirit Award Nomination as Best Debut Performance to Chris Stafford, Independent Spirit Awards
1998 Audience Award as Outstanding Narrative Feature to David Moreton, L.A. Outfest
1998 Grand Jury Award as Outstanding Actor in a Feature Film to Chris Stafford, as Outstanding American Narrative Feature to David Moreton, as Outstanding Screenwriting to Todd Stephens, L.A. Outfest
1998 Audience Award as Best Feature to David Moreton, San Francisco International Lesbian & Gay Film Festival

@IMDb
@Amazon: Edge of Seventeen (1995)
@Netflix
@Wolfe Video

 

( more pics )

Cast (in credits order)
Chris Stafford ... Eric
Tina Holmes ... Maggie
Andersen Gabrych ... Rod
Stephanie McVay ... Mom
Lea DeLaria ... Angie
John Eby ... Dad
Antonio Carriero ... Andy
Jason Lockhart ... Steve (as Jason Scheingross)
Tony Maietta ... Gregg
Jeff Fryer ... Jonathan
( rest of the cast )

     
Eric & Rod

Thrace by Penelope Friday

Let Tsygons Be Tsygons: In this novella Peneleope Friday plans out the setting for all the anthology. Gielgud is a futuristic space galaxy where terrans (humans from planet earth) built colonies. Thrace is the capital city of Gielgud. Jed is a just graduate doctor who has to find a place where to do his internee years and since he is not exactly “elite” the only place he finds is a clinic in Thrace, a clinic that supposedly should care both of humans than aliens.

What probably irked me a lot, and I’m sure the author did that consciously, is that the “aliens” are not aliens at all; it’s humans who went on their land, and it’s not that Tsygons are different, they are who they are, and it’s not humans who have to accept them, it’s Tsygons who should agree to humans on their planet. In a way or the other, as usual racism takes over and Tsygons become the aliens: they have 3 eyes, a tail, and no-sex. That is probably the second point I liked of the story: this is not really a gay romance since Jed, human and man, falls in love for V367L, nickname “V”, who is no man or woman, zie is V.

If you are thinking this will be a kinky story of sex between different species, forget it; the love story between Jed and V is almost innocent, kisses and cuddles, and the only little kink is the V’s tail that has to be placed in the contest. Indeed the story is more about the concept of acceptance and breed ethic than a love story, but this is not something that diminishes the fascination I felt for the futuristic world Penelope Friday built.

Electric High: As in the previous novella the author didn’t indulge in the kinky factor, and told basically a sci-fiction story with ethics, in this second novella she told a very ordinary love story. Rayme is a bartender in a Tsygon pick-up bar and he is gay. He has also no issue at all to have intra-species relationships and so he could be well a candidate to fall in love with an alien, but the author decided to give him an old fashioned affair with another human, Zeth, a patron of the joint. The following story is as ordinary as it can be, long night where Zeth waits for Rayme’s shift to end and long morning spent in bed. The only trouble to their story is again very ordinary and simple, Zeth is not so generous with info on his life and job, and Rayme realizes he has fallen in love with a complete stranger.

An Equal Opportunity Murderer: And as if the author heard my previous comment in the last novella she explores the sexual side of interracial relationships between humans and aliens, and this time she gives us details. The plot about two fellow case workers, the futuristic word for cops, one human one alien, investigating on a strange series of murders, moves soon on their private relationship. Nick is wondering how he fell in love with X7612 “X”; Nick is bisexual, so it’s not that he has nothing against the idea of having a love affair with a man, but what troubles Nick is that he cannot really assign a gender to X, in a way Nick needs to categorize his feelings, and X is unsettling him.

I really liked how the author welcomed the readers into this strange world, leading them step by step until the final stage, into the bedroom.

http://s317925213.e-shop.info/shop/category_8-7-0/Thrace-by-Penelope-Friday.html?shop_param=cid%3D%26

Reading List:

 

http://www.librarything.com/catalog_bottom.php?tag=reading list&view=elisa.rolle

Best Bisexual/Transgender Sci-Fi / Paranormal / Fantasy (2° place) Thrace by Penelope Friday

Let Tsygons Be Tsygons: In this novella Peneleope Friday plans out the setting for all the anthology. Gielgud is a futuristic space galaxy where terrans (humans from planet earth) built colonies. Thrace is the capital city of Gielgud. Jed is a just graduate doctor who has to find a place where to do his internee years and since he is not exactly “elite” the only place he finds is a clinic in Thrace, a clinic that supposedly should care both of humans than aliens.

What probably irked me a lot, and I’m sure the author did that consciously, is that the “aliens” are not aliens at all; it’s humans who went on their land, and it’s not that Tsygons are different, they are who they are, and it’s not humans who have to accept them, it’s Tsygons who should agree to humans on their planet. In a way or the other, as usual racism takes over and Tsygons become the aliens: they have 3 eyes, a tail, and no-sex. That is probably the second point I liked of the story: this is not really a gay romance since Jed, human and man, falls in love for V367L, nickname “V”, who is no man or woman, zie is V.

If you are thinking this will be a kinky story of sex between different species, forget it; the love story between Jed and V is almost innocent, kisses and cuddles, and the only little kink is the V’s tail that has to be placed in the contest. Indeed the story is more about the concept of acceptance and breed ethic than a love story, but this is not something that diminishes the fascination I felt for the futuristic world Penelope Friday built.

Electric High: As in the previous novella the author didn’t indulge in the kinky factor, and told basically a sci-fiction story with ethics, in this second novella she told a very ordinary love story. Rayme is a bartender in a Tsygon pick-up bar and he is gay. He has also no issue at all to have intra-species relationships and so he could be well a candidate to fall in love with an alien, but the author decided to give him an old fashioned affair with another human, Zeth, a patron of the joint. The following story is as ordinary as it can be, long night where Zeth waits for Rayme’s shift to end and long morning spent in bed. The only trouble to their story is again very ordinary and simple, Zeth is not so generous with info on his life and job, and Rayme realizes he has fallen in love with a complete stranger.

An Equal Opportunity Murderer: And as if the author heard my previous comment in the last novella she explores the sexual side of interracial relationships between humans and aliens, and this time she gives us details. The plot about two fellow case workers, the futuristic word for cops, one human one alien, investigating on a strange series of murders, moves soon on their private relationship. Nick is wondering how he fell in love with X7612 “X”; Nick is bisexual, so it’s not that he has nothing against the idea of having a love affair with a man, but what troubles Nick is that he cannot really assign a gender to X, in a way Nick needs to categorize his feelings, and X is unsettling him.

I really liked how the author welcomed the readers into this strange world, leading them step by step until the final stage, into the bedroom.

http://s317925213.e-shop.info/shop/category_8-7-0/Thrace-by-Penelope-Friday.html?shop_param=cid%3D%26



Reading List: http://www.librarything.com/catalog_bottom.php?tag=reading list&view=elisa.rolle

Beyond Reckless by Ava March

I have already had the chance to appreciated the M/M regency romance by Ava March and so it’s not news to me that they are indeed well planned and with just the right amount of details to allow the reader to fall into a past era without being overwhelmed.

In this case, a short story, the details are actually as much important as the story itself: two middle class men, already lovers, secretly met at a crowded ball and consume an illicit thirst right under the nose of their guest. From little hints here and there we learn that Rys and Martin are lovers for the last 4 years, that probably Martin is a little older than Rys and that he has to “rein” his rebellious lover. Rys is a wealthy man who is becoming even wealthier with the approaching of his 25 birthday and the inheritance from his late grandfather.

Rys is probably richer than Martin, but their relationship is not balanced by their pocket: Rys needs the strong hand that Martin is able to have upon him. Rys and Martin’s independently wealthy positions allow them to live their love, of course always preserving discretion; daring to have sex in an house full of guests is only an “innocent” way to live on the edge, to give to Rys that thrill he needs to be satisfied, and so to avoid bigger dangers.

As I told above, I also particularly liked the description Ava March did of the setting; basically writing about Rys searching his lover among the guests, Ava March describes also a typical XIX century ball and the mansion that is hosting it. All of this give even more interest to this short piece of regency romance.

http://www.amberquill.com/AmberAllure/BeyondReckless.html

Amazon Kindle: Beyond Reckless
Publisher: Amber Quill Press, LLC (November 27, 2010)

Reading List:

 

http://www.librarything.com/catalog_bottom.php?tag=reading list&view=elisa.rolle

Beyond Reckless by Ava March

I have already had the chance to appreciated the M/M regency romance by Ava March and so it’s not news to me that they are indeed well planned and with just the right amount of details to allow the reader to fall into a past era without being overwhelmed.

In this case, a short story, the details are actually as much important as the story itself: two middle class men, already lovers, secretly met at a crowded ball and consume an illicit thirst right under the nose of their guest. From little hints here and there we learn that Rys and Martin are lovers for the last 4 years, that probably Martin is a little older than Rys and that he has to “rein” his rebellious lover. Rys is a wealthy man who is becoming even wealthier with the approaching of his 25 birthday and the inheritance from his late grandfather.

Rys is probably richer than Martin, but their relationship is not balanced by their pocket: Rys needs the strong hand that Martin is able to have upon him. Rys and Martin’s independently wealthy positions allow them to live their love, of course always preserving discretion; daring to have sex in an house full of guests is only an “innocent” way to live on the edge, to give to Rys that thrill he needs to be satisfied, and so to avoid bigger dangers.

As I told above, I also particularly liked the description Ava March did of the setting; basically writing about Rys searching his lover among the guests, Ava March describes also a typical XIX century ball and the mansion that is hosting it. All of this give even more interest to this short piece of regency romance.

http://www.amberquill.com/AmberAllure/BeyondReckless.html

Amazon Kindle: Beyond Reckless
Publisher: Amber Quill Press, LLC (November 27, 2010)

Reading List:

 

http://www.librarything.com/catalog_bottom.php?tag=reading list&view=elisa.rolle