Savidge Reads’ Top Ten LGBT Books…

As I mentioned yesterday I am in a little bit of a reading funk. So I was routing through my bookshelves, and preparing for the event I have coming next Tuesday, I thought that I would make a little video of my personal top ten LGBT themed books. This is by no means what I think are the best LGBT themed books, it is a list of the ones that have a special place in my heart from my young teens all the way to now. So have a gander if you fancy it…

I know there are some celebrated books and authors missing yet these are the ten books that I mentioned.

Pilcrow – Adam Mars Jones
The Song of Achilles – Madeline Miller
Running With Scissors – Augusten Burroughs
The Proof of Love – Catherine Hall
A Single Man – Christopher Isherwood
My Policeman – Bethan Roberts
In Cold Blood – Truman Capote
Skin Lane – Neil Bartlett
A Boy’s Own Story – Edmund White
Tales of the City – Armistead Maupin

I am aware I have missed some of my favourite authors like Stella Duffy, Sarah Waters, Geoff Ryman, etc, lots and lots of Green Carnation books, nonfiction and classics, the latter mainly as I am playing catch up with Larry Kramer and Radclyffe Hall etc.

That is of course where you come in… What are the books you love with LGBT themes? Which books have I missed and might I have read and need to re-read (I feel I need to pick up ‘Rough Music’ by Patrick Gale again at some point) or try for the first time? Which of you the books I mention have you read? Who is coming to Leeds on Tuesday for my scary solo event? Who is currently reading ‘Tales of the City’, which I will be picking up to re-read today, to discuss on Friday on the blog? Lots of questions for you there.

National Libraries Day 2013

I thought as I am a huge fan of libraries and the importance of them I would just let you know/remind you, in case you didn’t as it doesn’t seem that publicised this year, that today is National Libraries Day! I have already been to mine and returned and renewed a few titles, maxed out my loan allowance and donated some lovely pristine hardcover books. I have to admit that when I was there you wouldn’t have known it was National Library Day which was a bit saddening and so I made this small video to you all of a library plea…

Apologies for the whispering, but it is the library after all, the shifty eyes (I thought I was going to get caught and either be thrown out by a librarian or thought a weirdo by a passing member of the public. Hopefully though you get the message… GO AND USE YOUR LIBRARY NOW!

Thank you, I will be back later with a library loot post!

Savidge Reads Library Loot #1

So I thought I would try something new and different today, well its new and different for me, by doing a Vlog post. I have often admired Eva of A Striped Armchair’s video posts of what she has recently gotten from the library and thought ‘well why don’t I give that a whirl myself’. So the other day I plumped myself down in front of my phone and have made a little (well its nine minutes, so maybe grab a cuppa) video for you all of my latest library loot. Get ready for the word ‘awkward’ a lot and some nervous rambling here and there…

Would you have liked a list of these books below? If so I will add one when I am back in the UK. Most importantly though does a post every now and again like this one work for you? Do you like a random video to watch now and again or is the whole thing not your bag? If you do like them would a ‘library loot’ post or a post of ‘books incoming’ be better? Let me know your thoughts