Different for Girls by Jacquie Lawrence, is a fast-paced and vibrant read that will keep you turning the pages and gasping for more. Featuring a smorgasbord of central characters, its hard to not feel completely engulfed by Lawrence’s world including bar owner Cam and drug user Fran, stay-at-home-mother Brooke and wandering-eyed Nicole, their GBFs and babyRead More
Jess reviews Southern Girl by Renée J. Lukas
Southern Girl by Renée J. Lukas is an engaging portrait of a girl (and her family) from before birth through to the start of adulthood. The novel begins with a brief snapshot of the protagonist’s parents: Carolyn, a New England lobster fisherman’s daughter and Dan, a Southern preacher’s protégé arriving at their ‘together’ house inRead More
Jess van Netten reviews Carry the Sky by Kate Gray
If you enjoy being drawn into a story, so that every breathe you breath is in time with the characters, then Carry The Sky by Kate Gray is a must-read. I was immediately entranced with the skilful beauty of Gray’s poetic sentence structure. Her freedom from traditional prose constraints allows the independent expressions to grabRead More
Jess reviews Facing the Music by Jennifer Knapp
Despite the recent conservative controversy surrounding Vicky Beeching’s coming out, the Christian community is no stranger to revered spiritual musicians coming out. Jennifer Knapp’s memoir Facing The Music is a soul-searching, earnest examination of the Christian music scene and self discovery including her own coming out in 2010. Knapp begins her life as a twin in aRead More
Jess reviews Babyji by Abha Dawesar
Babyji (2005) by Abha Dawesar is an atypical ‘coming of age’ novel featuring an academically gifted, sexually empowered female protagonist Anamika Sharma. Dawesar returns to her Indian roots, placing Anamika in the heart of a class-divided Delhi, juggling the pressures of being both a student and a lover. This is an unapologetic exploration of theRead More
Jess reviews Coal To Diamonds by Beth Ditto (with Michelle Tea)
Coal To Diamonds (2012) is Beth Ditto’s raw and demanding memoir. Written with Michelle Tea, Ditto holds nothing back, sharing family history, The Gossip’s gossip and her thoughts on the world at large. I’ll be honest, I went into Coal To Diamonds with no expectations. I didn’t know about the band The Gossip (sorry fans),Read More
Jess reviews Fire and Ice by Gaelle Cathy
Fire and Ice, by Gaelle Cathy, follows the love story of Emma, a student from Manhattan, and Charlie, a glass blower from New Hampshire. Emma had been stringing along three very different men prior to her family’s temporary move to the ‘countryside’ and the fresh air seems to drastically alter her sexual preference. Sexual tension knocksRead More