review: mark alders - mama's heart [glbt]

i bought this as m/m, but it isn't really. i still view m/m as primarily erotica, and while this has some sex, it's not particularly erotic. i am trying to be fair to it even though it wasn't what i expected, especially not coming from extasy books, and described on the author's site as "sizzling and action packed" -- i guess he was being sarcastic, but not knowing him it just felt seriously misleading.

so that's what it is not. what is it then? it's an quiet little story about a boy's coming of age and growing up, with a wee bit of what could be seen as paranormal from his loving mother. but it's not a real coming of age story either, because it feels too light, too short; i remained at too much of a distance from the main character to feel his anguish. it's got more of a vignette feel even though it covers a much greater time span than a vignette usually does. it is well-written, and there was definitely an attraction there for me. i liked the depiction of both the mother and the father, and especially the quiet interplay between the mother and the main character. i sort of enjoyed it overall, but i'm unlikely to reread it.

oh, and warning: character death. it didn't hit me particularly hard because i stayed remote from the characters, looking into their lives from the frame of the vignette, but still.

head barely above water

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crud gone.

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extracted the "dailies" from the scrapbook backup, and am starting to prep high-res versions to upload to smugmug.

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both vincent and bear are settling in nicely. bear has his favourite basket, and today vincent curled up in the *poing*'s recliner for the first time. he's also filling out nicely; no longer feels like i could break him in two if i touch his hips. he's very cuddly as well; really loves being petted.

Freddie Mercury 5 September 1946 – 24 November 1991

bohemian rhapsody. muppets. best tribute ever.

via many on twitter.