Corrupted by Todd Young

Another easy read, a book that lasted a few hours. This is another gay-themed book about a high-school dropout - Bradley and how his life turned from bad to worse in a way due to his own fault and weakness.

Bradley dropped out of high-school because he got bullied by a stupid jock called Tom who shamed him in front of the entire school. Now Bradley is living from day to day with his friend Justin. Justin is taking advantage of Brad's crush for him and keeps hustling him for money, by playing a sexually ambiguous mind game.

From lack of money and lack of jobs Bradley turns to porn and a life of striptease and hustling. Being an orphan this was Brad's only chance of survival in New York and he keeps supporting his sexually confusing room mate. His life goes downhill with every bad choice he makes. This book is not a coming of age read, it is more of a story about compromise for a 19 year old in a harsh environment where sex and money play the main roles in his young life.

Though sexy at times and harsh from time to time, the book makes you feel glad that you do not have that life. The choices are somewhat immature and rushed, hence the title. It is a story about how people take advantage of the needy, corrupting them. This is definitely a good read though.

Cocktails and Cockpics - A Grindr Love Story by Chris Tracey

This novel is gay. I mean it: this is a gay novel. The action happens nowadays and it is reminiscent of the show "Friends". It is the story of 4 flat mates: the gay rich closeted and shy man, the slutty and mean gay guy who knows the scene, the fag hag who is secretly in love with one of the gay guys and the  straight guy  pretending to be gay in order to live in a nice apartment with cheap rent. You can guess the implications of this.

The novel is quite predictable, once you start knowing the characters. From the first quarter you will know how it ends. On the other hand, I believe it to capture a lot of the phases of gay life, so it is not about the destination, but the journey. Amazingly enough I found out that the scene and all the problems a gay man has are the same everywhere: from coming out, to finding a boyfriend and even discussing about having an open relationship.

The novel brings something I haven't seen before in the genre: no explicit sex scenes and the perspective of the fag hag. You might think that a book about a shy man who wants a boyfriend might lack substance, but you'd be wrong.  "What's perfect isn't perfection, it's what's enough for you and for me." - Peter (the main character) discussing his relationship with Dave (the boyfriend).

As a gay man I had asked myself the question: "What happens to gays in the end?".  Read the book and find out.

I haven't decided what new book to start, so check my blog later for an update. :)