Three books on my keeper shelves:
• The Last Herald-Mage by Mercedes Lackey. This book was my first introduction to fantasy, Valdemar, and Ms. Lackey. It was also the first time I'd read anything involving gay characters. I was enthralled by Vanyel's story — how he dealt not only what he was and how he became a Herald but with his acceptance that he could love another man. It is a book (a compilation of the three Vanyel stories) that I have reread often.