5 Great Spy Novels That *Everyone* Should Read

Some spy stories are great works of literature that shouldn’t be passed over — even by readers not usually drawn to the genre.

I love reading spy novels of all kinds, but the ones I recommend here are truly exemplary. Not only are the authors superb English stylists, but each had worked in intelligence and/or wartime propaganda. Their stories are informed by firsthand experience from the WWI, WWII, and the Cold War.

My book recommendations are always based only on books I’ve actually read. There may be other great spy novels out there I haven’t read or haven’t even heard of. I’m confident in recommending these. Each one is well worth reading, even if you’ve never read any spy novel in your life. . . .

See full article on Medium:

https://medium.com/books-are-our-superpower/5-great-spy-novels-that-everyone-should-read-3cb185ad40b1?sk=6dd6f60037f2ed17ffa032a7bd3d80df

My 101 Favorite Novels — Suggested Readings for Your TBR List

In approximate order, I offer those novels that gave me the most memorable reading experiences of my life thus far. . . .

See full article on Medium:

https://medium.com/@johnpeytoncooke/my-101-favorite-novels-suggested-readings-for-your-tbr-list-302de1388a4b?sk=1ab1aedda9618899425fb850cc207bf6

My ‘Darkness at Noon’: The Enlightening Journey of a Used Book

My old copy of Arthur Koestler’s anti-totalitarian novel was given to someone else as a gift in 1941 — by a most interesting couple . . .

See full article on Medium:

https://medium.com/books-are-our-superpower/my-darkness-at-noon-the-enlightening-journey-of-a-used-book-9ad8b22b41be?sk=51911f49c3a2f1317fda11e1007f8db7

4 Brilliant Gay Novels by 3 Authors Who Left Us Too Soon 🌈

All of the novels I’m writing about here are by authors we lost to HIV/AIDS. If you’re a reader of LGBTQ+ literature, you may be saying to yourself, “Why did he leave out so-and-so?” The answer is, too many writers were lost. One could write a book about them. I’ll add more in future lists.

I’ve previously written about The Boys on the Rock, by John Fox (1952–1990), and collecting the work of Robert Ferro (1941–1988). Both also died from HIV/AIDS. Fox’s The Boys on the Rock and Ferro’s Second Son belong on this list. I’ll revisit Second Son in the future. There are so many others.

The four novels below are each set in different recognizable centers of gay life — London, New York City, and Los Angeles. Urban experiences, yes, but different vibes. The mood of each book matches its locale; the authors’ voices are authentic. . . .

See full article on Medium:

https://medium.com/prismnpen/4-brilliant-gay-novels-by-3-authors-who-left-us-too-soon-e8963e58c549?sk=83ec8a011e027f9b159d33ea18070f72

2 More Novels About Gay Men That *Everyone* Should Read

This is a follow-up of sorts to my previous article “5 Novels About Gay Men and Teens That *Everyone* Should Read.” What I’m doing in this series is recommending books that even non-LGBTQ+ people might find enjoyable, due to their quality and universality.

I don’t intend to stop here, so please keep your eyes peeled for future lists of LGBTQ+ book recommendations — primarily books about gay or bisexual men, since that’s my own main personal interest.

See full article on Medium:

https://medium.com/prismnpen/2-more-novels-about-gay-men-that-everyone-should-read-efbcef43230f?sk=39e96bebcb88ea072c420020e4ce4614

Reading Gay Secondhand Books — Unique Legacies for New Generations

I collect gay fiction, but I don’t consider myself a serious collector. I collect new books but also used or secondhand books. I don’t need them to be first editions. It doesn’t have to have a dust jacket. It doesn’t even need to be in good shape, as long as I can still read it.

A surprising amount of gay fiction remains out of print. Those that have come back into print are usually available only as trade paperbacks or e-books. I prefer hardcovers if I can get them.

So I go out cruising for books. Old hardcovers are my type. . . .

See full article on Medium:

https://medium.com/prismnpen/reading-gay-secondhand-books-unique-legacies-for-new-generations-9c1da6d5a81c?sk=7a83de2b329063007597ccbedf2ba83f 

East Meets West With a Vengeance in ‘The Singapore Grip’

As a fan of “East-meets-West” fiction, I’ve long wanted to read The Singapore Grip (1978), a historical novel by J. G. Farrell. I’ve visited Singapore several times and am fascinated by its older as well as its modern history.

All I knew going in to The Singapore Grip was that it was set mainly in Singapore in the years leading up to February 1942, when the Japanese Imperial forces overwhelmed the British in Malaya. I didn’t know what the central themes would be. 

See full article on Medium:

https://medium.com/books-are-our-superpower/east-meets-west-with-a-vengeance-in-the-singapore-grip-b151b2589232?sk=a7d1b898e8c15f99037b7f999b4065f7

5 Great Novels by Women About Gay and Bisexual Men

Since I started writing on Medium, I’ve been sharing my love of gay novels — primarily novels about gay men. I’ve found to my surprise that many of the books I recommend are new to many readers.

Here, I highlight some amazing novels about gay men that were written by women. These are relatively famous works that have remained popular over the years. They deserve all the praise they’ve received. . . .

See full article on Medium:

https://medium.com/prismnpen/5-great-novels-by-women-about-gay-and-bisexual-men-9aa553ce8166?sk=15dab00e0f702948c9daa86bc74d108a 

Turning Business Travel Into a Pleasure: The Volcanic Ash Incident

When Eyjafjallajökull erupted in 2010 and grounded all flights in Europe, I grabbed a train and headed for Paris.

In 2010, from April 15–21, the volcano Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland erupted on a much larger scale than an earlier event on March 20th. I was living in London, but at the time I was in Basel, Switzerland, on a business trip. The ash cloud from Eyjafjallajökull was so massive it shut down all air travel across Europe for several days. No one knew when flights would resume.

I was scheduled to depart Basel on the morning of Friday, April 16th, to return to London. I heard about the volcano on the news before I went to bed, and woke up to find my flight was cancelled (as well as all other flights across Europe) due to the ash cloud. I was unable to get a flight home until early the next week, if I was lucky. The situation was unpredictable. . . .

See full article on Medium:

https://medium.com/travel-memoirs/how-a-volcanic-eruption-gave-me-a-full-day-at-the-louvre-648ddcc8326f?sk=2ed3f2650926aacc2ccaf5747e7d0628

6 More Novels About “East-Meets-West” — From the Western Perspective

I’m a big fan of “East-Meets-West” stories, and very happy to share more recommendations of novels from the Western POV.

My first piece on this topic is “5 Great Novels About ‘East-Meets-West’ — From the Western Perspective”. See my original introduction there for more context. (For recommendations of novels from Asian authors, please see “5 Novels of 20th Century Asia — From the “Eastern” Perspective”)

See full article on Medium:

https://medium.com/books-are-our-superpower/6-more-novels-about-east-meets-west-from-the-western-perspective-dd613f4f1eaf?sk=84f9aa3a85e7f493dd02c98892e510fa

Keep Feeling Fascination — in Older Novels

I prefer old novels to new ones. Why is that, and how am I ever going to get through my TBR list???

See full article on Medium:

https://medium.com/books-are-our-superpower/keep-feeling-fascination-in-older-novels-dbfc9cea2d47?sk=ac4fa53fa1f86226c00dee99def8518f

5 *Huge* Novels I Read Last Year

I’ve often avoided *huge* novels because I’m a slow reader, and I always read every word. I never skim, and I don’t even want to improve my reading speed. I prefer reading this way.

I tend to read about 25 novels a year, but if I tackle a really large book, finishing it may take me a month or two. If I do finish it, that means it was terrific. There’s no way I’d give one or two stars to a huge novel, because I never would have made it more than 10% of the way before giving up.

In the last few years, I’ve told myself I was missing out by avoiding long novels. So I’ve made it a point to catch up with a few.

Here are the biggest novels I read in 2023, all of which I recommend. . . .

See full article on Medium:

https://medium.com/books-are-our-superpower/5-huge-novels-i-read-last-year-25581fa99185?sk=ef0dab6290c6b2db281413d4e451d986

‘The Lord Won’t Mind’: A Gay Classic, No Matter What Anyone Says

The November-December 2023 issue of Gay & Lesbian Review features an interesting essay by Andrew Holleran on Gordon Merrick, inspired by a 2022 nonfiction book by Joseph M. Ortiz, Gordon Merrick and The Great Gay American Novel, published by Lexington Books.

I’ve not yet read Ortiz’s book, which looks terrific, by the way. But Holleran’s essay sparked my interest in finally reading Merrick’s first gay novel, The Lord Won’t Mind, which has long been sitting among the TBR LGBTQI+ books on my Kindle . . . all these years, and I’d never read him at all. . . .

See full article on Medium:

https://medium.com/prismnpen/the-lord-wont-mind-a-gay-classic-no-matter-what-anyone-says-16bcb0d1651f?sk=40f143e144c6e955767ea400ba51dbd7

5 Novels About Gay Men and Teens That *Everyone* Should Read

As a gay man, I’ve always enjoyed reading gay novels. Alas, the way the publishing industry works, this is viewed as its own genre. Book editors believe “gay novels” will or should only be read by gay readers.

These days, a plethora of books across the LGBTQI+ spectrum is helping blur the lines and broaden the interest in all stories of diverse sexual identity, beyond the heterosexual “norm.”

Many authors of considerable literary talent have written great novels about the gay male experience. But their work has often fallen into a so-called “gay ghetto” from which it is hard to escape — with a few notable exceptions, such as Call Me by Your Name (see #3 below).

The literary quality of these novels should make them of potential interest to everyone, regardless of the reader’s own sexual preference(s). In other words, anyone who loves great literature should give these books a try. . . .

See full article on Medium: 

https://medium.com/books-are-our-superpower/5-novels-about-gay-men-and-teens-that-everyone-should-read-bb876db47994?sk=ff9d62e23e7c427106c6d0908e374a19

5 Novels of 20th Century Asia — From the “Eastern” Perspective

I wrote a previous article exploring 5 Great Novels About “East-Meets-West” — From the Western Perspective. I intend to offer more on that topic soon. But as I mentioned there, I’m also a fan of fiction written about Asian cultures — by Asian writers — from the “Eastern” point of view, if you will.

Far too much Asian literature exists to be read in any one reader’s lifetime. Not enough of it has been translated into English, so at least that narrows the field somewhat for English readers like me. . . .

See full article on Medium:

https://medium.com/books-are-our-superpower/5-novels-of-20th-century-asia-from-the-eastern-perspective-548f1b77ceca?sk=368b5af370a12c85a7c5f52e29b6e82c

THE LURE OF THE UNKNOWN by Algernon Blackwood — A Review

The Lure of the Unknown: Essays on the Strange, a collection of essays and talks by Algernon Blackwood, was far more delightful than I’d expected.

Blackwood’s weird stories are among my favorites. But not all of his tales are “ghost stories” or “weird” or “queer” (in the old-fashioned sense). He also wrote children’s stories, and novels dealing with more spiritual, mystical, and psychic themes. . . .

See full article on Medium:

https://medium.com/@johnpeytoncooke/the-lure-of-the-unknown-by-algernon-blackwood-a-review-aae17e6bb5bc?sk=0ec16b5557438f8808df5a6962e1bc5c

5 Great Novels About “East-Meets-West” — From the Western Perspective

I have a few confessions to make. First, I’m a big fan of novels with an East-meets-West theme. Second, this is for excellent reasons — I’m from the West (USA) married to someone from the East (Malaysia). Third, try as I might, I’ll never be an Asian; I’ll always be the outsider looking in.

These are my 5 favorite novels of Asia from the Western perspective. They are not about Western powers but Western people living amid various cultures of Asia, often caught up in circumstances beyond their control.

See full article on Medium:

https://medium.com/books-are-our-superpower/5-great-novels-about-east-meets-west-from-the-western-perspective-689c7ec74eba?sk=e470249d2eedaab692eea774cd01cc3a

Venice Envy - 5 Great Novellas Set in the Floating City

Before I ever visited Venice, I had already been there any number of times in my imagination, via works of fiction such as The Wings of the Dove by Henry James, and Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh.

But in my view, at least, the very best stories of Venice are to be found in the five novellas listed below. . . .

See the full article here:

https://medium.com/books-are-our-superpower/venice-envy-5-great-novellas-set-in-the-floating-city-e8ecd8ca2a5c?sk=b514c0478e46fbc6443a1cedc2964083

Why Reading Matter Should Never Be Policed - Especially Not by Parents

Here in the bizzaro world of 2024, many school libraries and public libraries have been forced to remove books that conservative groups find objectionable (by their own obscure criteria), usually having to do with sex. The stated reasons have been to protect America’s youth. Many banned books include historical truths and social commentary conservatives find uncomfortable, but most are still banned under the pretext of explicit sex.

Many Americans object to such moves. Many also state that young people’s reading choices should be up to parents, not school boards or legislatures.

I object to all of the above — including leaving decisions up to the parents — based on my own personal experience. . . .

See this article on Medium via the following link:

https://medium.com/@johnpeytoncooke/why-reading-matter-should-never-be-policed-especially-not-by-parents-e5d6edf84f0c?sk=a292348223698ccefd19d36db1055487