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Posts tagged Sports

Top 5 Most Popular Works of Gay Fiction for the Kindle

Nov04
2012 Written by Shelly

Yesterday, I did my “at least every two weeks” review of highly reader rated gay and lesbian fiction for the Amazon Kindle (and just about any other device that can read a Kindle file…which is just about every computing device any more). Those books tend to stay on the list for a long time. They have lot’s of 4+ to 5 star reader ratings over a long period since their publication. Only occasionally does a new book crack the top ten.

To keep things interesting and to see what may be jumping onto the highly rated lists, I always run lists of the top 5 current best selling (most popular) Kindle works too. On the lesbian side of the equation, which I wrote about yesterday, the 5 books are typically different from the top 10 highly rated but they do tend to stay on the popularity list for at least of few weeks or more. They also jump on and off the list for a few months before being completely replaced.

It’s different with the guys. While the gay, “highly rated” list is pretty stagnate, that’s definitely NOT the case with the popularity list! If a book is on the gay “trending popular list for more than two weeks, it’s likely because there’s a slow down in new material to the Kindle marketplace. The guys read A LOT. They’re not reading thrown together crap either. Books that make the trending popular list do so because they’re getting decent reviews and so more people are buying them. Word gets around and it gets around quickly!

Now, the dirty little secret of the popular gay fiction for the Kindle is that a lot of it is written by straight women for other women. Yes, you read that right! So, while gay men are buying this stuff, straight women are also. Most of the stuff that hit’s the “popular” list is written for a wide spectrum of drama/romance readers. Keeping that in mind, here are this weeks top 5:

1. The Absolutist by John Boyne. This one, and only this one has been a “long term resident of the “trending popular” list. It’s been hanging around, off and on, since its publication in July of this year.

2. by Ryan Quinn – a brand new book to this list. It was published in May and it’s Quinn’s 1st novel. It’s not only doing well in the “Gay Fiction” category for the Kindle; it’s doing even better in the “Sports Fiction” category. Way to go Ryan Quinn!

3. But For You (A Matter of Time) from Mary Calmes – one of those female writers I mentioned above. Actually, Mary is quite a prolific and popular writer of gay romantic fiction. This book, published only in October, jumped right onto the list because of the popularity of her books. It’s been here a few weeks.

4. Reflash (Assassin/Shifter) by Sandrine Gasq-Dion, a highly popular author and no stranger to this list. In fact, at present Gasq-Dion has 3 more books in the top 10 on the popular list at least one of which is a part of this series. Though this is the first appearance for this book, which came out in October, the author truly has the hottest hand right now!

And last, but by no means least, we have a book that been here a few weeks…

5. An Unconventional Courtship by Scotty Cade. Cade is an out gay man and a writer of several popular works of gay fiction. This one, like several others here, was released in October.

So, there you have it! To keep up with the latest most popular works in gay Kindle fiction, just click the link!

Posted in Books, Fiction, Gay, Kindle - Tagged , , , , , , ,

Friday Movie Review: Ready? Ok! Starring Lurie Poston

Apr27
2012 Written by Shelly

We’ve talked about some heavy subjects lately. It’s time for a bit of levity and comedy. It’s time for a cheerleader movie with a gay twist!

Today, I present the 2009 DVD release, Ready? OK! starring Carrie Preston as single mom Andrea, Michael Emerson as her gay neighbor Charlie, Lurie Poston as “Andrea’s” 10 year old son and Catholic school cheerleader wanna be Josh, and also John G. Preston and Tara Karsian. This was written and directed by James Vasquez.

Is the ending predictable here? Totally! Does it matter? Not at all! This is a great little  comedy grounded in a reality that anyone with children will be familiar with. It’s about the struggles of a mother who’s trying to figure it all out and those of a young man who just wants to be accepted by everyone for who he is – regardless of what that means. Other family issues, of course, present themselves too. Overall, I think a lot of us, especially those with kids, can relate to this movie. It doesn’t matter if our children are gay or straight. They all struggle to belong and for love and acceptance in their pre-teen and teen years. It’s all in here.

The humor comes primarily from adult reactions to Josh. Everyone is, of course different and all are puzzling to him but it’s a puzzle he intends to solve.

Other reviews of this are generally positive but there is no middle ground. Those that were not positive were very negative with most of those comments centered around the fact that viewers saw a similar short at gay and lesbian film festivals and felt this was just a too extended version of that. It’s not. That one was written and directed by Anthony Meindl with a slightly different premise. Is this one a knock off? Possibly but, my opinion, it’s better. The Meindl short does not appear to be currently available for retail sale or streaming so that you can judge for yourself. My apologies!

Posted in Comedy, Gay, Movies, Teen - Tagged , , , , , , , ,

Fiction Monday: Rounding Third by Walter G. Meyer

Apr09
2012 Written by Shelly

I was drawn to the book being reviewed today, Rounding Third for 3 reasons: 1.) I’m a huge baseball fan. 2.) I’m pretty familiar with author Walter G. Meyer who is a fairly famous native of Western, PA (a suburb of Pittsburgh to be exact) in fiction circles and 3.) He’s a Penn State alum.

Meyer lives in Southern California but he didn’t always. His familial roots are near mine, we both attended “that school” (though he graduated from there and me from somewhere else) and, I dare  say, we’re close in age. I’ve read some of his archived articles and such over the past several years and he pops up and comments from time to time on articles on sites that I frequent. He’s no stranger. I feel like I know him at least a little bit. I hadn’t read any of his books though so I wanted to rectify that.

Rounding Third is a book about first love. It’s set in high school between teen boys. It’s really not just a book for teens though. It’s a great story, period, that has received high marks and high praise from many adult reviewers.

Disclaimer: Be advised, there’s an intense abuse story line present in the book. Actually, it’s the crux of the story. This is not, in my humble opinion, for the under 13 set but it’s certainly recommended reading for those in high school and most certainly for young gay males and those that care about them.

Posted in Books, Fiction, Gay - Tagged , , , , ,

Going to London for the Olympic Games? Gay? Here’s Some Help…

Mar21
2012 Written by Shelly

I don’t just write for this blog. I do have other interests besides LGBT related books and media. If you’ve been reading a while, then you know that I’m a sports nut. One of my biggest must see sporting events is the Olympic Games. Summer or winter, it doesn’t matter. I’m a junkie when it comes to the Olympics. I watch every minute I possibly can. Someday I’ll actually get to see them in person! It’s not possible this year…oh well!

I have, for a few years, dabbled on the user generated content site Squidoo. Users build “lenses” about their passions. About four years ago, I published a lens about my pug dog which has now evolved to be about pugs in general. I added another “Duel” lens about pugs a couple years ago so people could debate fawn pugs versus black pugs. Fun stuff if you’re a pug fan! Finally, a couple or three years ago, I added a lens devoted to my eBay business. The last has become more important to me as a sort of marketing tool since I now use this domain for my LGBT book and related media review blog rather than as a showcase for my business.

How does this love for the Olympics tie in with Squidoo? Well, I gotta tell ya, I have, under Shelly’sLGBT, started a whole new set of Squidoo lenses that showcase everything I do here on this site. It gives this site some much needed back linking and exposure and it gives me a way to play with the organization of topics in a forum that draws loads of traffic to see what people are interested in and what they aren’t. As a result of spending time on Squidoo working on ideas for this blog and site, I started “playing with” my other lenses again after a lot of neglect over the past year. I’m so pumped about the Olympics coming in July that I started – for fun and Squidoo points – building Olympics lenses as the “Olympics Junkie” under my other ID where I have the pug lenses and such. I never imagined for a minute there would be crossover. I was very wrong!

I’m not sure how it happened. I do link to this blog from my original Squidoo Profile page. Of course, all of my Olympics lenses are readily available on that page. Maybe someone clicked the link to this blog. Maybe someone was just looking at my Olympic Venues lens and clicked a book I had posted about visiting for the games –  Webster’s Guide to the 2012 London Summer Olympics: Bids, Venues, Organization, and More - and then, when that book link took them to Amazon.com, they ended up buying a second book too that I had never posted on the lens; Time Out Shortlist London 2012 from the folks who previously produced a very successful version for Paris and who produce many LGBT specific travel guides. Other than the link to this site, I had never mixed the functions of the two sets of lenses!

Now, after getting an overview of the book, I have to say that Time Out Shortlist London 2012 is not “exclusively” for the gay and lesbian traveler. Frankly, it’s for anyone that likes nightlife and finding things a little off the beaten path and so forth. Obviously, London being the very worldly city that it is, and the very gay friendly city that it is, this type of guide is definitely a plus for the LGBT traveler that wants something just a little more than even the very good Damron’s guides can provide with the added bonus of highlighting the Olympic Games and events that will be going on in London at the time of the games.

If you’re going to the games (or just interested in all things “Olympics”), there are a lot of great books out there. Check out some of the ones I recommend on my Olympics lenses and please, by all means, check out the travel guides Time Out offers for our community.

Aren’t crossover’s fun?!

   

Posted in Books, Gay, History, Lesbian, Nonfiction, Travel - Tagged , , , ,

Breaking the Surface: Greg Louganis

Feb09
2012 Written by Shelly

I’ve admitted before, I’m a sports junkie. I’ve also admitted that I go the most mad for the Olympic games, summer and winter. I watch every single minute I possibly can and I read everything on and off line that I can get my hands on. I’d rather go off to work on 2 hours of sleep than miss a minute of the games.

Several years ago, not long after I first came out, I spent a weekend on the road with a now ex-girlfriend shopping the world’s longest yard sale. We dropped our stuff in a hotel in Frankfurt, Kentucky one evening and headed out to a bar in Lexington that had been recommended to us. We got there a bit too early for anything interesting to be going on and so we decided to explore the neighborhood. After dinner at a 2nd LGBT friendly establishment we wandered up the street just looking around and we noticed some rainbow neon in the window of a 3rd bar. We headed in. We found ourselves in a bear bar. It was early in the evening and the guys were truly welcoming so we had a couple of beers there and watched some Olympic Diving with them. Men’s Olympic Diving. I never had so much fun watching the Olympics as I did watching it with a bunch of friendly bears critiquing the diving form and “entry” of a bunch of Speedo wearing Olympians.

Greg Louganis was one of my favorite world class athletes back in the day. He had though finished his competitive career and come out as gay by the time of that trip. His HIV status was well known. He revealed all in his 1995 biography and memoir authored together with Eric Marcus, Breaking the Surface.

Greg’s biography was republished in 2006. Six years later, it remains a sought after athlete bio for mainstream audiences and it’s a top 100 book among LGBT readers.

The Amazon.com review and synopsis:

Greg Louganis won back-to-back double gold medals at the 1984 and 1988 Olympics, and his amazing physique and handsome face should have made him a media superstar. Yet Louganis’s struggles with self-doubt lack of confidence held him back personally and professionally. He only achieved real happiness after coming out as an HIV-positive gay man. This is a thoughtful, sensitive portrait of a man whose insecurities nearly destroyed him, but who found the love and inner strength to save himself.

Greg now travels the country speaking about living with HIV. He’s left a trail of good reviews wherever he’s been. He’s changed from the man who lacked self confidence to one who motivates others who have been diagnosed with HIV to have hope and to believe in themselves.

In 1997 a made for TV movie was produced based on Greg’s book. It starred Mario Lopez as Greg in a powerful performance for the actor we all remember in Saved By the Bell and now as the MC of America’s Best Dance Crew.  The movie came out on DVD in 2003. 

Posted in Biography, Books, Gay, Memoir, Nonfiction - Tagged , ,

Fiction Monday: Mark A. Roeder and the Gay Youth Chronicles

Jan30
2012 Written by Shelly

Author of the Gay Youth Chronicles series of books, Mark A. Roeder, has quite a following among the queer teen to early 20′s something set – both gay and lesbian. Interestingly, he also has a strong – if not stronger – following among the gay male set between 30 and 60! No, there are no pedophile connotations there…get your mind out of the gutter, please. His books and story lines have appeal over such a wide range of ages because in Mark’s characters many of these men, and boys who would be men, see themselves.

Mark writes what he knows like most good fiction writers do. His two main characters in the book that was the origin of the series, Ancient Prejudice, Break to New Mutiny…, ”Mark” and “Taylor”, he admits portray a lot of his own background, personality and traits. Characters in his other books in the Gay Youth Chronicles series (24!) do as well. Too, his stories are set primarily in small town Indiana in the made up town of Verona. Mark grew up in a similar small town in southern Indiana (which he has since returned to) and he spent some time in a like area in northern Indiana.

Ancient Prejudice… was, as mentioned, the 1st book in what would later become the series. It has since been reworked and then re-titled as The Soccer Field Is Empty. Ancient Prejudice…  is actually no longer considered a part of the series but it is still available for sale. Roeder doesn’t explain why he changed the book but, a look at the reviews for the original story will lead you to guess that his intent was to silence the “older” critics in the crowd. The “bad” reviews all seemed to come from people who felt that the book was written in a style that effected the unpolished work of a 16-18 year old writer. While that may have been Roeder’s intent, pleasing your audience (both of them; young and old) is the only way to keep selling lots of books.

More popular books in the series include the 2003 book, This Time Around which features two gay teens in a battle with a televangelist over gay youth centers, And the mystery/suspense/thriller themed books like Outfield Menace, Someone Is Watching and Masked Destiny among a few others.

The most recent book in the series is the January 2011 book, A Better Place which has a gay teen romance theme that features the school outcast and the popular, “has it all” captain of the football team. Mark Roeder promises more books soon.

These books all have their negative adult critics but, overall, reaction to the work from adults is positive. Reactions from the teenage core audience are extremely positive.

               

Posted in Books, Fiction, Gay, Teen - Tagged , , , , , , , ,

Great Girls High School Basketball in Central Ohio

Dec17
2011 Written by Shelly

Well, I lied. Maybe I didn’t so much lie as get sidetracked…

Before I left for the first of my two jobs Thursday morning, I picked one of the local free papers that gets delivered once a week up off the driveway. I tossed it in the car. At my full time job in the late afternoon/evenings, I’m allowed to read between calls. I figured I’d see if there was anything in there worth skimming. As it turns out, there was an article in that paper about the girls high school basketball team at my sons high school. They, despite levy issues that eliminated some sports two years ago that drove lots of kids to other schools, have made the playoffs the last two years but been eliminated early. This year, they were off to a 6-0 overall start and slated against the “team to beat” in their conference for Friday (last) night. The game was portrayed as having “playoff implications” and as being a “playoff preview” between two unbeaten teams.

If you read anything I posted last month, you know I’m a sports junkie. Well, I remember thinking on Thursday that if I was going to catch a game this season, that would be the one to catch. My wife, who’s really not much of a sports fan in total, LOVES high school sports and still supports athletics at the school she went to, and where our nieces still go, up in farm country. My son on the other hand, is not much into sports that don’t involve some sort of military related conditioning (another story for another day). I figured getting to go would be a crap shoot and I quickly forgot the whole idea as call volume increased at my job after people started getting off work from their jobs.

As it turns out, my wife was reading some basketball news about her high school alma mater during her lunch break Thursday and she ran across a highlighted article about the match up I just mentioned. SHE, not I, brought up yesterday morning that she would like to go to the game. The Boy, was not interested as he felt it would be no fun since the boys were playing an away game against the same school and he felt the crowd would be there. We went last night without him.

We had a GREAT time watching a great match-up among a pretty strong crowd for an early season girls game (one side of a large gym nearly filled and a very raucous student pep section on the other side…with guys in togas…go figure). We made a new friend in the form of a Sr. defensive stars mom who filled us in on all sorts of insider info. “Our team” won convincingly, plus we won a boatload of cookies courtesy of the wrestling team, from the athletic boosters silent auction. It was an awesome night and we’re both glad we went, even as tired as we were. We made sure to keep The Boy posted as to what he was missing via text too. He was kicking himself a bit.

No, this post has nothing whatsoever to do with LGBT books or other media. There’s more to life than books and digital images. It’s nice to get out there and enjoy it once in awhile. I’ll get back to the reviews tomorrow.

Here’s the upcoming schedule. Maybe we’ll see you at the game!

CENTRAL CROSSING

Coach: Neil Hohman, third season

Nov. 29 – vs. Pickerington Central, W 49-36
*Dec. 2 – vs. Westland, W 51-37
Dec. 3 – at Ready, W 45-36
*Dec. 6 – at Dublin Coffman, W 43-40
*Dec. 9 – vs. Hilliard Darby, W 50-35
Dec. 13 – vs. Westerville Central W 53-36
*Dec. 16 – vs. Hilliard Davidson W 48-33
Dec. 17 – at Grove City
*Dec. 20 – at Upper Arlington
Dec. 28 – vs. Mifflin
*Jan. 3 – at Worthington Kilbourne
*Jan. 6 – vs. Thomas Worthington
*Jan. 12 – at Westland
Jan. 17 – vs. Groveport
*Jan. 20 – vs. Dublin Coffman
*Jan. 24 – at Hilliard Darby
*Jan. 27 – at Hilliard Davidson
*Feb. 3 – vs. Upper Arlington
*Feb. 7 – vs. Worthington Kilbourne
*Feb. 10 – at Thomas Worthington
*OCC-Central game

 

 

 

 

Posted in General Life Posts

Friday Movie Review: Personal Best starring Mariel Hemingway

Nov25
2011 Written by Shelly

I admitted a couple of weeks ago that I’m a sports junkie. I did several posts that revolved around sports related books to include biographies and a top ten LGBT related sports book list. After the top ten list, I vowed to not post anything sports related for a little while. I meant book…

I’ve never addressed any sports themed movies in the LGBT genre, and no, you can’t count But I’m a Cheerleader! True, the young woman in the lead role plays the part of a cheerleader but the movie isn’t about cheering. If you want to watch a something with queer cheerleaders that has more to do with cheer-leading (but only a little more…), watch the TV series Glee. Anyway, I digress. I watch sports movies – lots of them. Few are gay or lesbian themed though some have LGBT characters or subtext involving gay and lesbian themes or characters.

For me, one movie stands out as A) a great sports movie, B) a great drama, and C) a well done lesbian romance story. That movie is (as if you haven’t already checked out today’s title): Personal Best starring Mariel Hemingway, Olympic sprinter Patrice Donnelly and Scott Glenn. It was directed by the incomparable Robert Towne.

The Amazon.com Review:

It takes a lot to win. This movie is usually considered a classic of lesbian cinema, and that’s too bad: its true sensuality lies in powerful erotic associations with running and the sheer pain of competition. The film opens with a memorable close-up of sweat dripping on tarmac, an early glimpse of a visual style which evolves throughout the picture into almost pornographic slow-motion sequences of high jumps, shot puts, and running legs.

The story follows a young runner (Mariel Hemingway) from a clueless start in the 1976 Olympic trials through a vexed affair with her mentor-competitor (Olympic runner Patrice Donnelly) to a final, triumphant qualifying race for the boycotted 1980 Moscow games. The human elements are told in an almost documentary style, giving an honest, complicated look at the blossoming of friendship into love against the near-military backdrop of world-class competitive sports. Hemingway and Donnelly can act, and their drive to win is compelling, both on the field and in their personal lives. But what really makes the film worth watching are the races–stunning images, beautiful editing, and the timeless drama of athletic endeavor. –Grant Balfour

The only thing Mr. Balfour missed in his original review was a mention of the role of Scott Glenn who plays the coach who falls for Troy (Hemingway) himself and who does much to get in between the two lovers. His acting was also superb.

One other thing I would like to note, Patrice Donnelly is/was a trained world class runner. She was not a trained actress. You would never guess that watching this movie. Many actors could take lessons from Ms. Donnelly! There’s something to be said for playing characters that you know…much as there is to be said about writing what you know…

I love this movie. As for which shelf to put it on, “Sports” or “LGBT”, I haven’t decided. I don’t really need to. It stands up very well in either case.

Posted in Drama, Lesbian, Movies, Romance - Tagged , , ,

Top 10 LGBT Non-fiction Sports Related Books

Nov03
2011 Written by Shelly

I had planned today’s post about a week ago. If you noticed, I’ve focused several recent posts on books about gays and lesbians in sports. One was a biography, one was more a historical look at a period in the world of tennis and one was a general reference on all things sports. If you look at the “Sports” page under the non-fiction heading, you’ll see several biographies. I’ve read most of those. My intention is to eventually review them all.

I love sports and, since it’s my blog, I can technically write about whatever I want whenever I want meaning that if I wanted it to only cover LGBT related sports books and videos, I could do that. Even though I love gays in the game, I personally would get bored and so would most of my regular readers. So, I promise, this is the last sports related post for a bit. I’ll mix in those biographies that I’ve read, slowly, over much time.

Following are my top ten picks (in no particular order) for books that feature all things sports as they are related to you my queer brothers and sisters. Some are from reviews I’ve done the past few weeks. A couple of biographies that I haven’t reviewed yet are in the list and there are a few surprises in the list. And no, to answer the question that’s bound to be asked, I did review Johnny Weir’s biography and I enjoyed it, but it’s not in my top 10. Sorry big time Weir fans.

Enjoy!

1.  Wrestling Reality: The Life and Mind of Chris Kanyon Wrestling’s Gay Superstar by WWE star Chris Kanyon and also by Ryan Clark. – Of course, we could still argue that wresting in this fashion is really more entertainment than sport. My take? They’re athletes following a script to entertain, ergo, it’s a scripted sport.

2. Man in the Middle by former NBA star John Amaechi. This was previously recommended on the “Sports” and “Biographies” pages. It will be reviewed at a later time.

3. Alone in the Trenches by former NFL football player, Esera Tuaolo. This was previously recommended on the “Sports” and “Biographies” pages. It will be reviewed at a later time.

4. Inside Out: Straight Talk from a Gay Jock by former MLB player (pitcher) Mark Tewksbury. This was previously recommended on the “Sports” and “Biographies” pages. It will be reviewed at a later time.

4. Strong Women, Deep Closets: Lesbians and Homophobia in Sport a 1998 – but still relevant – classic by former athlete and coach Pat Griffin.

5. Muscle Boys: Gay Gym Culture by Erick Alvarez. Please see my October 26th, 2011 review.

6. Breaking the Surface by World and Olympic diving champion Greg Louganis. This was previously recommended on the “Sports” and “Biographies” pages. It will be reviewed at a later time.

7. David Kopay Story by former NFL football star David Kopay and also by Perry Deane Young. This was previously recommended on the “Sports” and “Biographies” pages. It will be reviewed at a later time.

8. Outsports Revolution: Truth & Myth in the World of Gay Sports by Cyd Zeigler and Jim Buzinski. Please see my November 2nd, 2011 review.

9. The Lavender Locker Room: 3000 Years of Great Athletes Whose Sexual Orientation Was Different by novelist and Outsports contributor, Patricia Nell Warren.

And last, but by no means least…no particular order, remember:

10. A Terrible Splendor: Three Extraordinary Men, a World Poised for War, and the Greatest Tennis Match Ever Played by Marshall Jon Fisher.Please see my October 27th, 2011 review.

Posted in Biography, Books, Gay, History, Lesbian, Memoir, Nonfiction - Tagged , , ,

Outsports Revolution: Truth and Myth in the World of Gay Sports

Nov02
2011 Written by Shelly

As in tune as I am with the world of sports, and mind you I can talk Big Ten Football, Major League Baseball, NFL Football and NASCAR with just about anyone, I was not familiar until very recently with the Outsports website. It just never even crossed my gaydar. Why did no one ever clue me about that site?

If you’re not familiar either, Outsports.com is the definitive internet home for all things related to lesbians and gays in sports. Period. It’s been called the “ESPN of gay sports” and “ESPN for homos”. WAY BACK in 2007 (yes, it’s been around that long – actually since 2000…amazing…I was clueless) the creators of Outsports.com published the book, Outsports Revolution: Truth & Myth in the World of Gay Sports.

The publishers synopsis of the book and one “professional” review:

Outsports.com has been called “ESPN for homos” and receives over two million hits per month. Now, the founders of this groundbreaking website offer an in-depth and entertaining compendium on the issues surrounding gays and lesbians in the sporting world.

The Outsports Revolution chronicles the development and rise of the Outsports.com brand and outlines its impact on the world of gay sports. Through more than twenty-five chapters, the book introduces you to both famous out athletes along with the unsung, unknown trailblazers who have helped others come out. With points of view from such figures as the MLB’s Billy Bean, the NFL’s Esera Tuaolo, and Greg Louganis—as well as Molly Lenore, a former college football player who transitioned to a woman and now plays gay flag football; Brian Fell, a two-time NCAA track and field star; and sports professional Larry Felzer, who organized Gay Community Night for the Philadelphia Phillies—this guide chronicles all the issues on this hotly debated subject. Learn about athletes who have come out of the closet and of the impact their revelation has had on their particular sport, the proliferation of gay sporting leagues throughout the country, the myth about why gay men can’t play sports, and many other subjects.

Cyd Zeigler and Jim Buzinski are recognized worldwide as the leaders in gay-sports reporting and co-founded Outsports.com in 2000. Together they have appeared on numerous television programs, including ESPN, Fox Sports, and CNN. They have been profiled in hundreds of magazines and newspapers, including The Wall Street Journal, Chicago Tribune, The New York Times, and Sports Illustrated.

And a review of the book from the best selling novelist of The Front Runner: A Novel (said to be the first bestselling gay love story) and Outsports contributor Patricia Nell Warren:

Authors Jim Buzinski and Cyd Ziegler should get a gold medal for telling their sports tale with the candor, punch and wit that is now their trademark. From the day they founded Outsports.com, the website was striking a deep chord with many people, not only in the U.S. but also other countries. Why? Because it wasn’t just your standard political website focusing on “gay rights in sports.” Indeed, Outsports.com was an idea whose time had come — it broke new ground by covering all sports and sports issues across the world from an in-depth GLBT perspective. And it invited reader and athlete participation in different areas, like blogs and bulletin boards. After I started writing for Outsports.com, I’ve occasionally worked on the team that covers big events on a daily basis for the website’s rolling log — from the Olympics to the FIFA World Cup. Today we have the book that breathes the spirit of what this unique sports publication is all about. ~ Patricia Nell Warren

Posted in Books, Gay, Lesbian, Nonfiction - Tagged , ,

Welcome to My World by US Figure Skater Johnny Weir

Nov01
2011 Written by Shelly

I mentioned the other day that I’m a sports junkie. I’m fanatical about a certain pro football team that shall remain nameless here for the sake of not sparking major arguments. Another thing I’m fanatical about is the Olympics. I watch every minute that I can of both the summer and winter Olympic Games. The sport doesn’t matter. I have preferences of course but if the games are on, I’ll be watching.

During the winter games, the biggest spectacle is, of course, the figure skating competition – on and off the ice. One of skating’s most well known, flamboyant stars and the ultimate provider of a great deal of spectacle is none other than US skater Johnny Weir.

Weir’s January 2011 memoir of his first 25 years (his words), Welcome to My World,
isn’t quite the tell all that his myriad fans were hoping for but it is, nonetheless, quite an interesting look into the life of a world class athlete. Weir hasn’t retired from competitive figure skating, though he did not skate during the 2010-11 season and he does not intend to skate competitively this season. Perhaps keeping his competitive options open is the reason he chose not to “dish” dirt about his competitors and about the machinations of the of the United States Figure Skating Association (USFSA), the International Skating Union (ISU)  and the judging bodies. I can’t say I blame him if he does intend to compete again.

Johnny’s book is written in his own voice. While some would complain about poor grammar or lax editing, it feels very authentic to read. My only complaint is that he leaves a few holes that I wish he had filled in. It’s understandable that he doesn’t want to burn bridges but I found several times that he would mention something about a person or an event with no precursor information and no outcome info either. He left me wondering a few times. Hopefully his next memoir fills in the blanks.

If you’re a Johnny Weir fan, you’ll enjoy this book.

Posted in Biography, Books, Gay, Nonfiction - Tagged ,

Site Updates and Additions – LGBT Activism, Sports, Entertainment

Oct29
2011 Written by Shelly

It’s hard to believe that it’s only been 5 months since I transitioned the “old” Shelly’s Bookstore website from a group of static pages about my eBay business to this thriving, growing book review blog and site. The word “growth” does not even begin to describe what’s happening to my little book review corner of the web!

One of the issues I face as a blogger is finding a way to make the books I recommend available to you in an easy to browse format. In the beginning, most people came to the blog page of this site because they were drawn by a feed or a ping about a post. As time has passed, more and more people come to the site via the major search engines. They land on either a single post for a specific review rather than on the main blog page (which only shows the last 10-12 posts) or, increasingly, they land on a static topic page like “Biographies” or “Lesbian Fiction”. I created these topic pages to make it easier to browse and find books.

One area that has proved to be a constant breeding ground for new static pages is the broad “Non-fiction” category. There is a main non-fiction page. On it, I point the reader to the links for all of the sub-categories under non-fiction and then, after that, I list non-fiction books that have been reviewed that don’t fit in any of the previously existing subcategories. As I start to accumulate a lot of listed books I start creating new categories for them. That’s what happened last night!

I worked late last night setting up two new LGBT related non-fiction category pages:

Then, after I created those pages and moved content from the main non-fiction page and, in the case of “sports”, from the biography page, I realized that I had a lot of entertainment industry biographies that were mentioned on the bio page but that were not included on the entertainment page. Back to the drawing board I went to get those on said entertainment page where they’ll, hopefully, be well received.

So there you have it, two new categories and an updated one!

Oh, and one more thing: Be prepared to see lots of additions to the sports page in the future. I’m definitely a sports nut and I’ve got some great reviews lined up and coming soon.

 

Posted in Activism, Books, Entertainment - Tagged , , , ,

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