On Bee's Bookshelf

This book is a place for queer women; and I absolutely loved it. Thomas explores queer history through six iconic locations that have been home to queer women, places of gathering, protest and celebration and coming together in a shared experience. It brings a blend of well researched archive documents and interviews that capture history, lore, and culture along with deeply personable writing and Thomas’ own thoughts and experience’s to make something very easy to read and utterly moreish. Exploring the sanctity of women’s spaces and queer spaces, we visit lesbian bars, boutique sex shops, feminist bookstores and rural lesbian communities — all places for women to exist safely and completely themselves for those precious moments. It explores race, sex, class, politics and how these different aspects affect the queer experience. But this book doesn’t want us to hide away in our gay spaces, just appreciates that having space to relate and be amongst people who share your experiences is i...

  From the ruins of Ancient Greece to the main stage of Rupauls Drag Race; queer as folklore is a magnificent new look at queer history and legend. Throughout history, queer folk have been forced to live in secrecy and shadows, telling stories about magic and fantasy to keep their dreams and hopes alive and giving way to lasting myths and tales of wonder that have prevailed through the years. Queer as Folk journeys into the tales of our history exposing the beautiful queerness that has always been there. We look at real lives, and magical stories from the past and see how for countless years, queerness has existed even if we didn’t have the words and why magical mythical creatures are such a prominent part of queer culture . Coward tells the stories well, stopping to think, showing excellent research and keeping an excellent pace - creating a narrative voice like your favourite teacher, informative, clear but with some fun and personality. At times I found the interjections and not...

Our narrator’s days are numbered. Estranged from his family, living alone with only his cat Cabbage for company, he was unprepared for the doctor’s diagnosis that he has only months to live. But before he can set about tackling his bucket list, the Devil appears with a special offer: in exchange for making one thing in the world disappear, he can have one extra day of life. And so begins a very bizarre week . . . If I had to sum up this book in one word, it would be peace. It was heart wrenchingly powerful and emotional, but when I turned the final page I was just left with such a sense of serenity and calm that was truly magical. ICDFTW is a moving tale with delicate and dreamlike storytelling that moves quietly and patiently, not in a rush but never too slow. Our narrator tells us what’s happened to him over the days leading to his death, with an enigmatic and intriguing voice, easy to follow and so personable and friendly in their direct speech to us that makes it impossible to not ...

This book is a place for queer women; and I absolutely loved it. Thomas explores queer history through six iconic locations that have been home to queer women, places of gathering, protest and celebration and coming together in a shared experience. It brings a blend of well researched archive documents and interviews that capture history, lore, and culture along with deeply personable writing and Thomas’ own thoughts and experience’s to make something very easy to read and utterly moreish. Exploring the sanctity of women’s spaces and queer spaces, we visit lesbian bars, boutique sex shops, feminist bookstores and rural lesbian communities — all places for women to exist safely and completely themselves for those precious moments. It explores race, sex, class, politics and how these different aspects affect the queer experience. But this book doesn’t want us to hide away in our gay spaces, just appreciates that having space to relate and be amongst people who share your experiences is i...

It was supposed to be a romantic getaway to New York City. Breanna's new boyfriend, Ty, took care of everything – the train tickets, the sightseeing itinerary, the four-story Jersey City rowhouse with the gorgeous view of the Manhattan skyline.  But then Bree wakes up one morning and discovers recently missing dog-walker Janelle Beckett dead in the foyer. Ty is gone, vanished without a trace. A Black woman alone in a strange city, Bree is stranded and out of her depth. There’s only one person she can turn to: her ex-best friend, a lawyer with whom she shares a very complicated past. As the police and a social media mob close in, all looking for #Justice4Janelle, Bree realises that the only way she can stay out of jail is if she finds out what really happened that night.   But when people see only what they want to see, can she uncover the truth hiding in plain sight? Missing White Woman has it all - harrowing intensity, masterfully crafted characters and a searing statement on...

  The follow up to the similarly named hit, this book continues baring the authors mind, soul and heart in a startling open, honest and raw account of her struggles with mental health, depression, body image and stress through deeply authentic recollections and transcripts from her appointments with her psychiatrist. Like the first, the transcripts aren’t the most stimulating parts to read as they are just a record of a conversation; but stay with it because it’s so worth it to not only see the authors own progression through relapse and recovery but to find an oddly comforting catharsis in knowing that it's not just you - someone else has gone through it and survived.  Much like it's predecessor, this isn't the most lighthearted of reads but Sehee's voice makes it so much easier, offering comfort and understanding throughout and always being a hopeful voice even in the darkest moments. This book is a testament to the fact that healing and recovery aren't linear, ea...

Mr Dean and I have a complicated relationship. I adore his writing but I absolutely hate the things he puts me through, the suspense, the fear and also the rather impatient anticipation when I’m waiting for a new book. I didn’t even read the blurb before jumping into this but immediately found myself pulled in by the fantastic world-building, the setup of a creeping tension and anxious energy. Taking a situation that would scare most people - living beneath the depths of the ocean and tapping into that fear, utilising the water almost as another character full of life and able to plot against us, with each small description or detail painting such a vivid picture. This entire tale takes place almost exclusively in a little tin capsule dangling in the abyss, and somehow the story keeps a brilliant pace and the scene feels electrifying, and even more claustrophobic when the bodies start to fall and there’s nowhere for them to fall. Our narrator is brilliant- explaining the rules and cust...