About

I’m a writer based in Melbourne. Pronouns: he/him. This is my blog for talking about all things books, reading and writing, from a queer perspective. As such I have decided to give books a gay rating, unrelated to the quality of the book, on how gay they are.

What the gay rating means:

0/5 – No discernible queer characters or themes.

1/5 – No queer characters or themes but may have camp elements, especially if read against the grain. Jane Austen when you’re feeling generous.

2/5 – May have named queer characters, but they play a minor role. Superficial engagement with queer themes.

3/5 – Substantial, named queer characters (even if closeted or coded) and queer themes. Think Brideshead Revisited.

4/5 – Mostly centred on openly queer characters and themes. May have non-explicit queer sex.

5/5 – These books are queer from front to back and top to bottom. Dominated by queer characters and completely engaged with queer themes. May have explicit queer sex. These books are out to turn your children.

Books rated 3 or above are certified gay. You can find them here.

In 2015 I co-authored a non-fiction guide to climate change adaptation, The Handbook: surviving and living with climate change. You can find our website here. I present a radio show about oceans, Out Of The Blue, on 3CR. I also (occasionally) blog about walking and nature at Track Notes, which you can find here.

You can contact me at jhwhitmore [at] gmail [dot] com.