Growing up in a Catholic family and Catholic environment as a lesbian had its challenges. As a young girl, I thought that I would become a religious sister because the idea of living in a community of women seemed much preferable to getting married. You know, back when I thought that getting married automatically includedRead More
Emily Joy reviews Nottingham by Anna Burke
“They will remember when Nottingham’s daughters rose up against you when no one else dared.” Let’s talk about medieval queer women. Okay, actually, let’s talk about Nottingham by Anna Burke. This is the fourth lesbian Robin Hood retelling I’ve read, and I think this one is my favorite. All of them had some things IRead More
Emily Joy reviews Marian by Ella Lyons
Trigger warning for sexual assault Marian by Ella Lyons is the very first lesbian Robin Hood retelling I read back in 2017, and I thought it was time to share my thoughts, after reviewing two other retellings for the Lesbrary. This book spurred me into reading as many lesbian Robin Hood novels as I couldRead More
Emily Joy reviews We Used To Be Friends by Amy Spalding
We Used To Be Friends by Amy Spalding tackles a topic that I don’t see often in fiction — friend breakups. I’ve experienced a few friend breakups, and this book hits all the right notes. Kat and James have been best friends since kindergarten, and had what seemed like an unbreakable friendship until senior yearRead More
Emily Joy reviews Heart of Sherwood by Edale Lane
Another lesbian Robin Hood retelling has arrived on the scene of my favorite niche. Usually, my Kindle does a poor job making recommendations for me, but in this particular instance, it was absolutely correct in advertising this book to me. As a self-professed amateur Robin Hood scholar and enthusiast, anything that combines my favorite EnglishRead More
Emily Joy reviews Women in the Shadows by Ann Bannon
I’ve steadily been making way through the Beebo Brinker Chronicles, a classic lesbian pulp series by Ann Bannon, for quite some time. Women in the Shadows is the third book in that series and by far the most difficult to read so far. This review, by nature of being for the third book in aRead More
Emily Joy reviews The War Outside by Monica Hesse
The War Outside by Monica Hesse is a historical fiction novel set inside an American internment camp during WWII. It follows the friendship of two young prisoners, Haruko and Margot, as they deal with discrimination, family conflict, and their own growing feelings for each other. This book takes a look at a lesser known partRead More
Emily Joy reviews Outlaw by Niamh Murphy
Niamh Murphy had me with the title: Outlaw: A Lesbian Retelling of Robyn Hood. I didn’t need any more incentive to purchase this for my Kindle. Whenever there’s a new book with the promise of both lesbians and Robin Hood, I am bound to read it. My two primary reading interests are Robin Hood andRead More
Emily Joy reviews Tokyo Love by Rica Takashima
Trigger warning for some transphobia In Tokyo Love, Rica Takashima explores a semi-autobiographical story of recently-out college-age lesbian, and what it was like to be queer in Tokyo in the 1990s before dating apps and online LGBTQ communities became more commonplace. This book is an omnibus of a serial manga she created originally for the lesbian magazine Anise(nowRead More
Emily Joy reviews The Daylight Gate by Jeannette Winterson
Trigger warnings for sexual assault and pedophilia I must first admit that I am new to Jeanette Winterson’s books. Previously, I’ve only read Oranges Are Not The Only Fruit, and I know that she is a well-known lesbian author. Otherwise, I don’t know much. I picked up The Daylight Gate because I wanted to knowRead More