Book picks similar to
Utsukushii Koto by Narise Konohara
romance
japanese
bl
translated
In the Absence of Men
Philippe Besson - 2001
It also dares to introduce an asthmatic middle-aged Proust into its masterfully manipulated plot and invents a series of deeply felt letters written by him to the novel's young protagonist, Vincent de l'Etoile. In the summer of 1916, the emotionally precocious Vincent, who is the same age as the century, awakens to the possibilities of both erotic and platonic love. In the course of one week-at literary salons, at the Ritz, in cork-lined rooms-Vincent launches an intense friendship with the celebrated Proust, while at his parents' house in Paris he embarks on a sensual journey with Arthur Vales, the soldier son of a family servant, on leave from the front. Unknowingly, Vincent is also beginning a passage into a manhood that will be haunted by the secret he uncovers behind the love he bears for a doomed French infantryman and a famous middle-aged Jewish writer.
Paul's Dream
Rowan McBride - 2007
An up-and-coming lawyer, he has no time to dwell on the mazes, puzzles, and riddles he solves while asleep. He has no interest in dreams, or anything that might derail his career.Until Kian shows up. Sensual, playful, he claims that Paul rescued him four years ago. Now he's determined to repay him with the one thing he knows best: sex laced with ... magic.Kian is unlike any man Paul has encountered. He won’t go away, for one. The fact that Paul doesn’t remember him doesn’t deter his mission of seduction in the least. But soon enough, Paul finds that this strange, carnal creature has the ability to melt his ice with a touch, to bring out a sweetness Paul didn’t even know he had.As Kian becomes a part of his life, Paul finds himself more and more attached. Forgotten dreams, buried memories, and the dangerous obsession of another conspire to tear them apart. Is he strong enough to endure a trial by fire in order to keep them together?
Sputnik Sweetheart
Haruki Murakami - 1999
But whereas Miu is glamorous and successful, Sumire is an aspiring writer who dresses in an oversized second-hand coat and heavy boots like a character in a Kerouac novel.Sumire spends hours on the phone talking to her best friend K about the big questions in life: what is sexual desire, and should she ever tell Miu how she feels for her? Meanwhile K wonders whether he should confess his own unrequited love for Sumire.Then, a desperate Miu calls from a small Greek island: Sumire has mysteriously vanished...
Lone Stars
Justin Deabler - 2021
Julian Warner, a father at last, wrestles with a question his husband posed: what will you tell our son about the people you came from, now that they're gone? Finding the answers takes Julian back in time to Eisenhower's immigration border raids, an epistolary love affair during the Vietnam War, crumbling marriages, queer migrations to Cambridge and New York, up to the disorienting polarization of Obama's second term. And in these answers lies a hope: that by uncloseting ourselves--as immigrants, smart women, gay people--we find power in empathy.
Out of My Mind
M.L. Rhodes - 2007
But lately, Rafferty’s imagination has been creating fantasies about Nick—more specifically, about Nick and him together—that have shocked Rafferty. Detailed erotic scenarios a thirty-something, set-in-his-ways straight man shouldn’t be imagining. He’s been struggling to keep them secret, afraid that if Nick discovers the truth it will end their friendship. But with each passing day it’s getting harder and harder to pretend Nick is “just” a friend. And harder and harder for Rafferty to come to terms with the possibility he might not be as straight as he’s always believed.Nick’s always known he’s gay and he’s had deep feelings for Rafferty for years. But after a difficult experience at his former police precinct in Boston, he decided when he moved to Maine to keep his sexual orientation under wraps on the job. He wants to be acknowledged at work for what he can do, not who he’s doing. And with Rafferty being straight, there’s always been a clear-cut line that Nick’s known he can’t cross with his unsuspecting partner and best friend. And yet...for the past few months it’s become difficult to remember that line. He’s not sure why, he just knows that for the first time in four years his heart and his body are urging him to go for what he really wants...Rafferty.When a stormy weekend trip on Rafferty’s boat gives birth to an unexpected night of passion, will it be the spark they need to forge a new and deeper relationship? Or will Nick’s past and Rafferty’s fear drive a wedge between them that will destroy not only their barely-begun love affair, but their partnership and friendship as well?
Off Balance
Jay Hogan - 2020
Not to Painted Bay. Not to his family’s struggling mussel farm. Not to his jerk of a brother. Not with his entire life plan in shreds. And certainly not into the tempting arms of MORGAN WIPENE, the older, ruggedly handsome fisheries officer who seems determined to screw with Judah’s intention to wallow in peace.But dreams are fickle things. Shatter them and it’s hard to pick up the pieces. Hard to believe. Hard to start again.But the hardest thing of all? Finding the courage to trust in love and build a new dream where you least expected it.
好きって言わせて? [Sukitte Iwasete?]
Kotetsuko Yamamoto - 2010
They were my old neighbors, the super popular twins. I, Ueto Shun, am in love with the younger twin, Eiji. We study at the same university and share an apartment, although I do not pay the rent... I live under the same roof, but... I am in trouble! I'm happy, but I find it problematic... The excitement of living with the person I love. I have to add that his older brother, Hidekazu, falls for a tsundere at first sight.Related series :Honto Yajuu x Sukitte Iwasete? Crossover
Medium, Sweet, Extra Shot of Geek
R. Cooper - 2013
An avowed geek, Tommy comes in daily to flirt, usually under the guise of Trekkie talk. Tavio hesitates; now that he's out of the army, he’s not sure how out he should be, or whether to take his chances on a geek devoted to sci-fi and comic books. But when Tommy compares him to an unemotional Vulcan, Tavio finally considers dating an out-and-proud nerd. Then Tommy surprises him again and introduces him to his daughter, whom Tommy loves even more than Star Trek or Tavio. Now Tavio has a whole new decision to make: Is he ready to romance a family man?
Forbidden Colors
Yukio Mishima - 1951
An aging, embittered novelist sets out to avenge himself on the women who have betrayed him. He finds the perfect instrument in Yuichi, a young man whose beauty makes him irresistible to women but who is just discovering his attraction to other men.As Yuichi's mentor presses him into a loveless marriage and a series of equally loveless philanderings, his protégé enters the gay underworld of postwar Japan. In that hidden society of parks and tearooms, prostitutes and aristocratic blackmailers, Yuichi is as defenseless as any of the women he preys on. Mordantly observed, intellectually provocative, and filled with icy eroticism, Forbidden Colors is a masterpiece.
重生之朗朗星空 [Rebirth of a Movie Star]
J112233 - 2015
He rejected his boss and stupidly engaged in a relationship which he thought was true love.He didn’t expect that he would get betrayed, die of a heart attack and trouble his boss to accompany him on his last journey.After his rebirth, he decided to give up on true love. As for his boss… since he wants something then just let him have it ba.So this little star after his rebirth collected his boss, and then it became a true love story with his boss.In between there are good friends/love rivals/scum men in the mix. A sweet story with a happy ending.
The Aristocrat and Desert Prince
Haruhi Tono - 2009
He was being sucked in—into blue eyes that seemed scooped from the Mediterranean itself. With such willful and vibrant eyes fixed on him, Takeyuki didn't know what to say. All he could do was stare back, unable to wrest his gaze away from the man.In his young life, Takeyuki has never really known hardship. The youngest son of a wealthy family, he has never had any difficulty getting anything he desired. Now, though, Takeyuki is enjoying his last month of freedom before he begins working at his father’s import company in Tokyo, and he has decided to spend that time with his brother and his sister-in-law in Cassina, a small country in the Middle East. Little does Takeyuki know that his prideful manner will soon land him in hot water! In Cassina, some dangers are very real and some people are not who they seem. For example, who exactly is the charming, majestic man who won’t stop staring at Takeyuki during their flight to Cassina, and why do his blue eyes make Takeyuki feel like his chest will burst?The Aristocrat and the Desert Prince explores one boy's journey of self-discovery in the deserts of the Middle East, following him as he discovers his sensual side and finds true love while escaping his humdrum destiny.
Levi
Bailey Bradford - 2012
But who knew shifting into a snow leopard and loping around in the woods could turn into such a steamy event?When Levi encounters a cougar shifter in the woods, the attraction is so hot it threatens to shoot off sparks. Levi has fantasised about having a stronger man than him want him, and he’s sure the cougar is just such a man. Which is why Levi lets himself get caught, and the intensity of their mating is only equaled by Levi’s confusion when the man shifts back into a cougar then turns tail and runs.Lyndon Hines has been running for months. Hunted, taunted, he didn’t know what else to do-until he met a man who made him realise that some things were worth fighting for. Two shifters, each a different breed, neither knowing much about their heritage, Levi and Lyndon come together and find the strength to take on the mad man who is out to end Lyndon’s life.Reader Advisory: This book is part of a series but can be read as a stand alone.
Disobedience
Naomi Alderman - 2006
The story begins with the death of the community's esteemed rabbi, which sets in motion plans for a memorial service and the search for a replacement. The rabbi's nephew and likely successor, Dovid, calls his cousin Ronit in New York to tell her that her father has died. Ronit, who left the community long ago to build a life for herself as a career woman, returns home when she hears the news, and her reappearance exposes tears in the fabric of the community.Steeped in Jewish philosophy and teachings, Disobedience is a perceptive and thoughtful exploration of the laws and practices that have governed Judaism for centuries, and continue to hold sway today. Throughout the novel, Alderman retells stories from the Torah -- Judaism's fundamental source -- and the interplay between these tales and the struggles of the novel's unique characters wields enormous power and wisdom, and will surely move readers to tears.
Café Latte Rhapsody
Touko Kawai - 2007
It was a love at first sight for Serizawa! However, Serizawa realizes that Keito is extremely shy and meek. What's holding him back? Can Keito overcome his shyness and show his true feelings?