Armistead Maupin on Michael Tolliver Lives

On a recent foray on YouTube we came across a clip (if 48 minutes can be called a clip) of Armistead Maupin discussing his latest offering, Michael Tolliver Lives.

This Authors@Google clip is a great way to get to know Armistead Maupin and the first book chosen by the Rainbow Readers book group. I hope you find it as interesting and entertaining as we did. For anyone who may be debating whether a YouTube clip approaching 50 minutes is worth checking out we can wholeheartedly recommend Mr Maupin as being every bit as entertaining as his books.

 

What’s on your bookshelf?

Rainbow Readers are already starting to create quite a bit of interest in and around the Lancaster and Morecambe area.

We are getting emails and enquiries through from a wide variety of sources all wanting to know more about the book group. Hopefully the next few meeting s will see the group grow to encompass people with a wide variety of tastes and backgrounds that will help create a superb range of books for the future.

If you have any ideas about future books then please let us know, as an LGBT based group there is bound to be some choices which reflect members of the group and their identity, but there will also be a good selection of other books I’m sure.

As you sit there thinking of what you may want to suggest why not go to your bookshelf and see what hidden gem you have tucked away. Maybe there’s a book that has a certain significance, or perhaps it was just a great read from start to finish.

                                                     

As for me I love Mitch Albom’s Tuesdays with Morrie. It was a Christmas present nearly 10 years ago and every now and then I will revisit it and lose myself in its pure magic as it tells the story surrounding one man’s love and respect for his dying former college tutor. Another really hard hitting book, and funnily enough a present from the same person, is Chris Kitch’s Pavement For My Pillow. This is a story of a real struggle for survival, the fight against drugs and prostitution and how the hopeless became the hopeful.

Please let us know what your favourites are so that even if we don’t discuss these as a reading group others may perhaps be pointed in the direction of a book that otherwise they may not have come across.

 

 

Rainbow Readers on Buying Books

The one thing that all the members of the Rainbow Readers (Lancaster’s only LGBT book group) have in common is their love of books. But after a quick straw poll with other members of the book group it seemed to be pretty much split as to how our members prefer to buy their books.

I suppose if you are lucky enough to live in a large city like Manchester or London you will not have a shortage of large, good or interesting bookshops. The Morecambe Bay area is lucky to have two Waterstone’s branches in Lancaster and one of the largest second hand book shops in the north west of England in Carnforth. Hardly a wide choice but at least we have got access to a fairly ready supply of literature.

There are other places that you can look of course for instance Lancaster University has a great bookshop and if you want to travel a bit further a field there is a really nice little bookshop (Henry Roberts Bookshop) in Kendal. I guess however one of the largest threats to traditional bookshops, especially in less urban areas, is the internet.

Whilst I am keen to support local shops with my purchases I do struggle to come to terms with the cost of books. As a for instance, I have just purchased The Hours by Michael Cunningham in readiness for Rainbow Readers Lancaster’s second meeting. The book was located on Amazon and was purchased, brand new, for the princely sum of 1p! The postage has cost another £2.75 but it still means I bought my brand new book for only £2.76.

Waterstone’s are currently selling the book for the RRP of £7.99 and they show their online price as £5.59. Without going through the whole process of registering with them online I don’t know if there is any extra cost for postage.

Saving money on books and CD’s by buying online is fairly commonplace now and for the more price conscious amongst us it is obviously not a bad ting. The flip side to all this is that buying from Amazon, eBay or any of the other new and second hand online retailers isn’t exactly a satisfying retail experience.

There is something quite unique about being able to browse through thousands of books at your own leisure. Treating yourself to this wonderful indulgence is quite unique. Losing yourself in your favourite section of the books shop where as your eyes scan a packed shelf you suddenly set sight upon a real gem, something you just wouldn’t have spotted with a clearly focused online search.

There is also another advantage of shopping in an actual books shop. You can seek advice, check out the very latest literary wonders to hit the shelves and occasionally get to go to a book signing, reading or other event that they may be promoting.

The verdict is pretty much that whilst book shops have been hit hard by the shopping antics of the more fickle amongst us nothing can replace a visit to the book shop.

 

 

Home of the Rainbow Readers

Being a book group makes Rainbow Readers a pretty portable sort of entity. For the moment we have chosen the Sun Hotel on Church Street in Lancaster to be home.

It has already hosted our first event at the start of this month, and unless we need to move to a bigger venue it is probably going to become a regular venue for some time to come. The Sun has a nice welcoming atmosphere and is easy to reach for most people and probably most importantly it can cope with bigger numbers as the group continues to grow.

Everyone at the Lancaster Rainbow Readers looks forward to seeing you soon.

 

What sort of books will Rainbow Readers choose?

Each month the Rainbow Readers will choose a new book to read, review, dissect, ponder and fingers crossed, enjoy.

Based in Lancaster in the north west of England and we are looking to fill a gap in the local gay social calendar  and hope that over time we will grow to become an established local event that will also be able to link up with other local events.

If you have any suggestions for future books then let us know. Our first book was Michael Tolliver Lives by Armistead Maupin. The next one that we have chosen is The Hours by Michael Cunningham. What we choose in the future is very much down to you.

 

Just because we are primarily a LGBT based book group doesn’t mean that books need to have a gay theme. After all there’s nothing wrong with a bit of diversity! So horror or humour, biography or romance, it’s your group so please feel free to shout.  

If you want to contact us then please either post a comment on this blog or send us an email to rainbowreaderslancaster@googlemail.com.