Month: December 2012

Marcia reviews Gravel Queen by Tea Benduhn

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GravelQueen

Gravel Queen

By Tea Benduhn

2003

“The dark screen begins to fade into image as the music rises. There’s a round yellowish girl with dark hair driving a beat-up blue pickup truck with some rust around the fenders. That’s me.”

As a former teen who still dedicates most of her reading time to YA lit, I’ve read every top list of lesbian YA I could get my hands on. A lot of great books continue to receive recognition for being groundbreaking, well-written, and top-selling. But one of my favorites continues to slip under the radar. Gravel Queen by Tea Benduhn is about a trio of friends: Aurin, our narrator, a lesbian who is interested in all things visible through a camera lens; Fred, a rather sassy and free-wheeling gay teen; and Kenney, a heterosexual girl with a strong will and a penchant for secrets.

All appears peachy in this little group. Each member has their role: Kenney takes charge and Aurin and Fred trail behind. When new-girl Nelia enters the story, a new addition who throws the balance of things isn’t exactly welcomed by Kenney. Especially when Aurin falls for quiet, dancer Nelia and wants to spend more and more time with her potential girlfriend, and less and less with controlling Kenney.

Despite being Bendhun’s first novel, I found (and still find) the prose to be crisp, the descriptions clear, and the dialogue and characterization authentic and moving.

There is absolutely a place in the lesbian YA canon for the many ways discovering our sexualities can shape those already-tumultuous teenage years. In fact, without an unsupervised internet, books snuck from the library, or peered at in corners of bookstores may be the only place some young lesbians are able to read about someone going through the same thing they are. But what about those girls who have already taken that step, who hit the end of those novels and wonder what comes next?

Aurin, while certainly interested in girls, has a life that consists of other things. She has rich relationships with her friends, spends time thinking about film and even frames her life in scenes and scripts. She has a family. She goes to school, plays, works, and laughs. She’s already taken the hard step, but that doesn’t mean working through emotional entanglements, navigating life as an out teen, and falling in love aren’t just as important.

 

Hannah interviews Yolanda Wallace about her book Month of Sundays

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Being somewhat of a foodie myself, a review of Month of Sundays by Yolanda Wallace on Goodreads caught my attention as it mentioned ‘the delicious dishes that Yolanda described’. I soon read the book and sure enough enjoyed the description of the numerous meals the two main characters delight in throughout the novel.

When she realises that her best friends have set her up for a blind date, Rachel is appalled. She certainly does not feel ready for another involvement after an eight-year relationship which ended in a disaster. Besides she finds that famous chef Griffin is totally out of her league.

In fact both women are attracted to each other but neither wants to get involved in a solid relationship, albeit for different reasons. Griffin suggests a Month of Sundays so that they might get to know each other better without rushing things.

‘One date each Sunday for the next…’ She paused while she did the math in her head. Seven and a half months. I get to know you while I peel the onion one layer at a time. I woo you not with my body but with my mind. Something, I have to say, would be a first for me.’

Yolanda Wallace’s book is a yummy and feel good novel and, rather than offer spoilers, I have chosen to interview the author. Thank you Yolanda for your time and availability; it has been a pleasure to interview you.

Yolanda Wallace, can you introduce yourself in a few words?

As I say in my bio, I am not a professional writer, but I play one in my spare time. I am a banker by day and a writer by night. The night shift is much more fun!

As a child and teenager what were the books that made an impression on you?

As a child, my favorite book was Pippi Longstocking. I loved her feistiness and independent spirit. As a teenager, I borrowed my teacher’s copy of Rita Mae Brown’s Rubyfruit Jungle, which introduced me to a world I had only just begun to imagine.


What are your favorite authors today and do you think their writings influence your own?

I don’t have any favorite authors, per se. I read anything that strikes my fancy. When I was younger, I adored Stephen King and I think his style rubbed off on me a bit, but I think (I hope) I have developed my own over the years.


Who are your favorite lesbian authors?

I love the work of all my lesbian contemporaries, especially Radclyffe, Kim Baldwin and Xenia Alexiou! Nothing’s hotter than a sexy lesbian super spy.

Is Month of Sundays your first novel?  

Month of Sundays is my fourth published novel with Bold Strokes Books, following In Medias Res, Rum Spring, and Lucky Loser.

–What inspired you to write your first book?

I was inspired to write my first novel In Medias Res by a news article I read while in vacation in Key West, Florida. The article detailed the travails of a man who claimed he had been mugged and had lost his memory. He said he couldn’t remember anything about himself, but he knew he was gay. I wanted to explore what makes a person who they are–how they feel or what they learn.

Would you say that you write lesbian fiction or novels where lesbians are the main characters?


I would say I write novels where lesbians are the main characters. I make sure my characters interact with society as a whole instead of segregating them to one insular community. My way, I suppose, of letting straight readers know our “worlds” aren’t separate and frequently intersect.

Did you know right from the start that you wanted to write this sort of novels?

I have dabbled in writing since I was eight years old and always dreamed of writing my version of the Great American Novel one day. I didn’t know lesbian fiction novels existed until I was 17. When I got to college, I wrote my first short story that featured two female characters. I liked it, but I didn’t think I had enough life experience at that point to tackle my first full-fledged Sapphic novel. That came many years later. Now the ideas won’t stop coming!


How did you conceive the plot for Month of Sundays?

Month of Sundays actually began as a short story that featured an early version of the first chapter and ended at the chapter that takes place on New Year’s Eve. When I finished, the characters wouldn’t stop talking to me and I decided to expand the short story into a novel. I am a major foodie, so the premise of a culinary trip around the world came from one of my personal wish lists.

Did you draw your inspiration for the main characters (i.e. Rachel and Griffin, and to a lesser extent their friends) from real life? Or did you totally invent them?

I drew my inspiration for their surroundings from real life. Rachel’s apartment, for example was owned by friends of mine named Jane and Colleen, who my secondary characters are named after. The characters themselves, however, are products of my imagination. I wanted to feature a character who was a bundle of insecurities as most of us are, so I thought of a character struggling with issues of weight and self-esteem who meets a sexy, confident chef.

Do you have a favourite character in this novel? Which one?

My partner adores Jane because she says Jane is the quintessential best friend who pushes you to do all the things you say you don’t want to do but really do.
I’m partial to Griffin because her musical tastes are my own and she’s probably the most well-rounded character I’ve written so far.

How has the novel been welcomed so far?


I have received more positive feedback from this novel than any other. Its themes are universal and appear to have struck a chord with readers.

Casey reviews S/he by Minnie Bruce Pratt

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Do you know those books that come into your life exactly at the right time?  Minnie Bruce Pratt’s memoir S/he is just that book for me right now.  Although she’s a woman from quite a different time and place than me—she’s a white woman from the Southern States who came out as a lesbian in 1975—I found myself feeling like she was expressing a lot of what I’ve been thinking lately for myself in terms of my gender and sexual identity.  I would especially recommend this book if you’re a lover of butch/androgynous/masculine women and trans folks.  Also, I really appreciated it as a queer woman who’s (re)claiming and exploring femininity.  So if either of those things sound like you, then find yourself a copy of S/he.

You might know Pratt as the partner of Leslie Feinberg, author of the lesbian and trans classic Stone Butch Blues. Pratt is a powerhouse writer in her own right, though, and this beautifully written memoir is proof.  In fact, Pratt is a poet, and this work is extremely poetic, but not at all in an alienating way.   What Pratt wants the book to do, as she explains in the introduction, is to talk about feminist and queer theory in the real world.  She writes: “But we can not move theory into action unless we can find it in the eccentric and wandering ways of our daily life.  I have written the stories that follow to give theory flesh and breath.”  What is really great about the way that she does this is that Pratt mostly just actually tells stories and doesn’t directly refer to theory at all.  She just lets her writing speak for itself—and you lets you decide where and what the theory is.

The writing itself is phenomenal.  I find it interesting that Pratt writes that this book contains stories, because to me it felt like a collection of vignettes or sketches.  Each ‘story’ is only about a page long.  That’s shorter than even Ivan E. Coyote’s stories!  Also, these sketches don’t have the kind of narrative trajectory you expect from a short story.  They’re more like captured moments and memories, strung together through theme or association or sometimes for a reason I couldn’t quite figure out.  Pratt jumps back and forth in time, recounting her early heterosexual marriage, her coming out, her many lovers, her work—teaching at universities, writing, and as an activist, and her relationship with Leslie Feinberg.  As a reader you eventually absorb a lot about her life, but in a gradual, meandering kind of way.

Throughout the memoir, Pratt focuses on the policing of gender, of where the borders of masculinity and femininity are.  These boundaries, of course, intimately connected to the ones between hetero- and homosexuality.  Pratt also pays really close attention to race.  One thing I really identified with was Pratt’s expression of feeling not quite like a ‘real’ lesbian because she a) didn’t know she was queer from the time that she was five and b) she’s attracted to gender non-normative women.  She writes that the feeling that “No ‘real’ lesbian would be attracted to as much masculinity as I prefer in my lesbian lover” has plagued her.  Similarly, Pratt struggled with her gender identity and pressure to ‘look’ like one of these so-called real lesbians.  She chronicles her gender identity journey back to femme after dressing like a ‘lesbian’ for years in men’s clothes.

I loved this book.  In fact, I take back what I said about this book being for queer women attracted to masculinity/androgyny and/or who are exploring femininity.  It’s for everyone.  The beauty of this passage should explain why:

Under you I watch your eyes, all I have to cling to, that hold me steady as my body becomes molten, all words melted down into sensation.  I become nowhere and everything as you tell me over and over that you love me.  Thought dissolves, thought turns to feathers of ash rising from a fire.  I am nothing and everywhere as I carry us into the depths of my body.

Anna M. reviews Girl Friends Complete Collection v.1 by Milk Morinaga

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During an idle moment at work, I pulled the first volume of the Girl Friends manga collection by Milk Morinaga off the shelf and devoured it in one sitting. The book is classified as young adult (despite a bit of nudity) and I have seen it described online as “schoolgirl yuri.” The shy, bookish Mariko often eats lunch by herself until the outgoing Akko sweeps her up into instant friendship, as well as helping her discover her own sense of style. The transformation of Mariko from a girl who has never picked out her own clothing to one who has friends and a social life outside of school is actually rather sweet, despite the fact that it’s such a well-played trope.

However, Mari soon begins to suspect that the feelings she has for Akko are developing into something more than simple friendship. If you appreciate drama, and unrequited love, and misunderstandings that would be easily resolved if people just talked to each other, all set against a backdrop of Japanese schoolgirls, then Girl Friends is for you. Despite occasionally wanting to throttle the main characters, I did enjoy reading the book, except for the part when they went on a completely unnecessary diet together. I would definitely recommend this book to someone who wanted to try out yuri manga.

It’s a thick book, but be warned that the story cuts off right in the middle–just when Mariko has been dating a boy and Akko is trying to figure out why this bothers her so much–and the second volume isn’t due until January 2013. A little googling will yield results for those who don’t want to wait.

Link Round Up: Nov 20 – Dec 4

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SpitandPassion    SorryTree   PoolHopping

Autostraddle posted

Casey the Canadian Lesbrarian posted My Top Ten Favourite Authors: All Women, Mostly Queer, Some Canadian.

pig 5 6

Elisa posted LGBT Ebook and Print Releases November, 2012 and Rainbow Awards: And the award goes to… (includes several lesbian categories).

F/F Fan Fiction Reader’s Corner posted Why do we NEED F/F Fan Fiction ….. ?

Lambda Literary posted

lesbian meets books nyc posted Pass the Chaos, Lesbian Edition.

HeartBlock79

Okazu posted

Shelly’s LGBT Book Review Blog posted Why I Write Lesbian Romance and Erotica by K’Anne Meinel.

Sistahs On the Shelf posted SOTS Books 2 Check Out – December 2012.

Women and Words posted Guest Blog and Book Giveaway from Melissa Brayden and Hootenanny 2012 List of Authors!

20    13   17

“The Best LGBT Books of 2012: 87 Authors Select Their Favorites” was posted at Band of Thebes.

Kiki Archer was interviewed at LGBTQ Culture.

Cheri Crystal posted The Next Big Thing – A Blog Hop Post.

Sarah Diemer posted

KB/KT Grant posted Announcing the 2013 Lesbian Fiction Appreciation Event!

Malinda Lo posted

11   10   12

Astray by Emma Donoghue was reviewed at Time Out New York.

Gay Dwarves of America by Anne Fleming was reviewed by Casey the Canadian Lesbrarian.

Sister Mischief by Laura Goode was reviewed at Queer Book Club.

Riot Lung by Leah Horlick was reviewed by Casey the Canadian Lesbrarian.

Ravensong by Lee Maracle was reviewed by Casey the Canadian Lesbrarian.

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Aftermath by Ann McMan was reviewed at The Rainbow Reader.

Poetry Is Dead was reviewed by Casey the Canadian Lesbrarian.

First Spring Grass Fire by Rae Spoon was reviewed by Casey the Canadian Lesbrarian.

Sister Spit: Writing, Rants & Reminiscence from the Road edited by Michelle Tea was reviewed at Lambda Literary.

The Dream of Doctor Bantam by Jeanne Thorton was reviewed at Lambda Literary.

Frozen by Carla Tomaso was reviewed at Lambda Literary.

Guest Lesbrarian Lindy Pratch reviews Gay Dwarves of America by Anne Fleming

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Anne Fleming’s Gay Dwarves of America is a collection of offbeat stories, most of them containing queer content. They are smart, funny and poignant. When Fleming was at the Vancouver Writers Fest last month, all but four copies of this book sold out at her first reading, so I feel lucky to have snapped one up. After her second event, Fleming signed pieces of paper instead.

To give you an idea of Fleming’s stylistic range within the collection, consider a) Backstock: The Musical, written as musical theatre set in the storage area of an outdoor equipment store; b) Puke Diary, hilarious excerpts from each family member about the occasions when they vomited, starting with Sarah the cat; and c) the self-descriptive Thirty-One One Word Stories, which is the only one that left me scratching my head a bit.

Peter Who Once Loved Margaret opens: “I saw my Aunt Margaret, who died in China the year I was born, on West Hastings one morning last fall.” It’s not a ghost story.

“Of three stalls only one was occupied, by the owner of size seven-and-a-half shoes whose heels beggared the imagination. It took me right back to last season’s Canadian Idol and the mesmerizing drama of whether the poor young women with toes stuffed down a ski hill of a shoe into vicious little leather arrowheads would possibly make it through the three or four steps they were required to make so as not to incur the criticism of being Celine Dionesque comme Martha Joy, in my opinion the most talented of the year’s crop, MOR taste in music notwithstanding.”

In The Pear, a lonely parasitologist considers her feelings for another woman: “You’re too old for her, intimated the furtive wordless homunculus lodged in the crypt of my inner mind. You’re the wrong sex. I think. (The homunculus and I have ever been foggy on such matters.)”

Teenaged Jenny experiments with a femme fatale look in Unicycle Boys. Seeing her mirrored reflection made her suddenly feel sad and uncertain. “And then I took out my lipstick and fell all over again for its crimson plushness. Reapplying strongly-coloured lipstick, I’ve discovered, is a fail-safe curative.” (I wonder if Fleming knew my friend Helen, who also put on fresh lipstick whenever she needed reassurance. Helen said she unwisely accepted a ride from a drunk and, by the time she got home, she looked like a clown.)

In Soyez Blessé, a lesbian comes to terms with being dumped, her thoughts on marriage (a decade before Canada legalized same-sex marriage), and her newfound knowledge of her mother’s lesbianism. At her brother’s wedding: “Bless you, she wanted to say to everyone in the church. May you be blessed. She imagined herself doing it, saying it to everyone, and when she came to Monique’s relatives, she imagined herself speaking French, saying, ‘Soyez blessé,’ and then realized she would be saying, ‘Be wounded.’ Which of course was about as likely.”

Laughing is an excellent way to cope with life’s wounds… so read Fleming’s stories and feel great.

Lena reviews Gay Pride and Prejudice by Kate Christie (and Jane Austen)

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At this point, I’m kind of convinced that Kate Christie and I have some bizarre rainbow mind connection we’re not aware of yet.  Not only is “Gay Pride and Prejudice,” her delightful book, an idea I’ve had in the back of my head for several years, but it follows the same romantic trajectory that I would have used.  All I can say is, great minds think alike, and Christie has done such a marvelous job and I’m glad someone got around to gay adaptation of this story.  It’s about time.

Christie’s book follows the current trend of classic literature with a twist.  There’s been “Pride and Prejudice and Zombies” (which has since spawned a sequel and graphic novel), as well as “Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters,” and it seems fitting that someone’s updated a classic book to include something a bit more prevalent in contemporary culture.  Not to make sea monsters feel overlooked.

The book is great fun.  It’s clear that Christie worked to keep as much of Austen’s original language and while this edition does require a bit more exposition, the prose still retains Austen’s sparkling lightness.  Christie also does a wonderful job of letting the reader in on the joke while still giving them plenty to wonder about.  It’s refreshing to see a book about lesbian romance in which being a lesbian is not the big scandal or secret.  We are not on the edges of our seats wondering who is gay, but wondering who they will end up with.

What I liked most about reading this book was wondering in what ways it would deviate from the original.  All of the original elements are still there – a relationship initially based on pride and disdain, an unexpected declaration of love, family scandals, and some weddings – but they’re all tweaked slightly.  Discovering just how they would be tweaked and how much the plot would curve while still following the path we already know.

While I thoroughly enjoyed this book, I did have a couple small complaints.  The narrative did tend to leap from one character to another and it was hard to preserve Austen’s narrative style that was so daring at the time.  The original novel stays resolutely in omniscient until it leans gently towards a character and gets so close with its third person narrative that it dips into a stream of consciousness moment before springing away again.  I understand why Christie opted for a more roving close third, we would never have gotten anyone’s sexuality through dialogue and the novel would have been slowed down considerably.  And my other minor complaint does include a small spoiler.  It will be in the next paragraph.  I think that’s fair warning.

Because I’m a romantic, I was pretty bummed there wasn’t a first kiss scene.  It’s totally silly, and there probably isn’t one in the original book, but I still wanted it.  I was also kind of surprised, just because Christie had stayed pretty close to the Austen pastiche, that there was direct mention of sex.  But it was kind of fun.

That’s all for the spoilers.  “Gay Pride and Prejudice” is great fun to read and I’ve already told all my friends to read it twice.  I’m excited to see what’s next for Kate Christie, maybe even some more gay adaptations of classic literature.