DESERT ISLAND CASTAWAYS: A.E. Lister
Our favorite MM authors a.k.a. castaways are asked, what books, songs and luxury item would they take to a desert island?
This is a monthly series inspired by LezReviewBooks.com’s ‘Desert Island Books’, which in turn is based on BBC’s ‘Desert Island Discs’.
The rules are fairly simple:
List up to ten books, a playlist and one luxury item that you couldn’t do without on a desert island.
Any type of book can be selected, but I ask that at least half are LGBT+ books. Choices should be justified in a paragraph or two. Any number of songs and any type of music is allowed. The luxury item must be inanimate and of no use in escaping the island or allowing communication from outside.
Let’s welcome our March castaway, A.E. Lister!
DESERT ISLAND BOOKS
Middlemarch by George Eliot – my love of classic literature is why this is so important. This book is massive and so well-written and descriptive of the society of the time. It has been described as the only novel ever written for grown-ups because the themes are excessively relevant and the execution so mature. I also love that George Eliot was a woman writing as a man.
Summer Sisters by Judy Blume – this one I reread over and over. Perfectly captures the insecurity and fun of being an adolescent girl in a world of changing alliances, unpredictable parents and sudden opportunities. Blume deftly brings the beauty of summer in Martha’s Vinyard to life, and it reminds me of my own summers spent by the sea in Liverpool, Nova Scotia.
Afterlife by Paul Monette – having grown up with the spectre of HIV and AIDS, this story of three AIDS widowers, Steven, Sonny and Dell, who each deal with their grief in different ways, was a touching and heartfelt look into what so many gay men and their lovers endured during the eighties. It was the first book I’d ever read that featured sex between men on page, written by a man who loved other men, and it was eye opening and revelatory.
The Gold Diggers by Paul Monette – This book was a super fun read and read more like a screenplay than a novel. I could visualize it as an amazing movie. Again, I enjoyed the own-voices sex scenes, and they gave me a good view of how gay men could be intimate with one another.
Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice –So homoerotic it has to be considered lgbtq+, this book was seductive and moody, the perfect read for a sixteen year-old enby fledgling writer! Definitely a formative read for me.
The Vampire Lestat by Anne Rice – More fun than Interview but still full of barely concealed queer themes. Lestat is a force to be reckoned with.
The Beauty Trilogy by Anne Rice (writing as AN Roquelaure) – these books led me down an erotic path from which I never recovered. The pony play scenes especially stayed with me, and led me to write my own series, The Braided Crop Ranch books, where men play pony and trainers teach them how to behave.
Arden St. Ives series by Alexis Hall (How to Bang a Billionaire, How to Blow it with a Billionaire, How to Belong with a Billionaire)- I’m counting this as one choice,even though it is technically three books, because it is one long story that just takes the billionaire boyfriend trope and turns it on its head. Both Arden and the billionaire in question are fleshed out, deeply engaging characters, as is the billionaire’s sister, who forms an intense friendship with Arden. Arden’s family and one of the billionaire’s friends/employees is also fantastic. The character of George is also noteworthy. Fantastic reads, all three of them.
DESERT ISLAND PLAYLIST:
Fields of Gold, Sting (First dance with hubs at our wedding)
Chi Mi Na Marbheanna, The Rankin Family
Little Lion Man, Mumford and Sons
Father and Son, Cat Stevens/Yusuf
Brandy, Looking Glass
Lola, The Kinks
Tainted Love, Soft Cell
Rasputin, Boney M
She’s Always A Women, Billy Joel
Your Song, Elton John
Heat Above, Greta Van Fleet
Welcome to the Internet, Bo Burnham
LUXURY ITEM
Since I can’t bring my husband, I can at least bring my Endy mattress. I refuse to sleep on the ground anymore.
ABOUT A.E. LISTER
Alison Lister is a Canadian non-binary author. They write very sexy, diverse, and unique stories (contemporary/historical/paranormal) with a dash of romance, as AE Lister, and Young Adult LGBTQ+ romance as Alison Lister.
She/he/they
Facebook | Website | Instagram
A big thank you to A.E. Lister for joining us on this month’s Desert Island Castaways!
Check out our other Castaways:
Natalina Reis
V.L. Locey
J.P. Jackson
A.E. Wasp
Elle Keaton.
Elouise East
J.K. Jones
Colette Davison
B.A. Tortuga
Casey Cox
Amanda Meuwissen
A.M. Johnson
Becca Seymour
Alexa Piper
Rick R. Reed
C.P. Harris
K.L. Hiers
Hope you enjoyed this post. Don’t forget to check out next month’s Castaway.
What books would you take with you to a desert island?
What’s on your desert island playlist?
Who would you like to be the next Castaway?
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