Tag: Book Review

Books, Fiction

Complexities of Being an Artist in We Play Ourselves

RaeAnna

Jen Silverman’s novel "We Play Ourselves" is a sharp, humour-filled exploration of the human condition... specifically pertaining to being a queer writer navigating scandal and ambition in her thirties. Running from New York to L.A., Cass encounters a diverse cast of characters, including a filmmaker documenting teenage girls' reinterpretation of the cult classic Fight Club. Silverman skillfully weaves themes of success, joy, criticism, and being human, keeping readers; attention while questioning the nature of good intentions against the backdrop of life's complexity.

Books, Fiction

Lesbian Love, Affair of Poisons, and Abuse in The Disenchantment by Celia Bell

RaeAnna

The world needs more queer literature, so I'm glad this exists and was published. Ultimately, I'm disenchanted with The Disenchantment by Celia Bell. Muddy and meandering, it leaves the reader bored and a little confused.

Books, NonFiction, Travel

Dame Traveler by Nastasia Yakoub; Exploration of the Feminine Gaze

RaeAnna

"Dame Traveler" curated by Nastasia Yakoub is a visually-driven book, highlighting women through their travel experiences. Yakoub creates a platform and community for women from around the world to display their perspectives on culture, architecture, nature, and water and fosters representation and autonomy in a world that is only just beginning to give women space to exist fully.

Books, NonFiction

Humanity of Horses in Sarah Maslin Nir’s Horse Crazy

RaeAnna

Sarah Maslin Nir explores the humanity of horses and her connection to an animal that gave her a sense of belonging when she couldn't find it in the world or her family. For her it was horses, for me it was dogs, but we all need to feel we belong to someone, even if that someone is a horse.

Books, Fiction

Prevailing Impacts of Cishet Normativity in Torrey Peters’ Detransition, Baby

RaeAnna

Detransition, Baby by Torrey Peters allows readers into the daily struggle of what that looks like for queer and trans women from the very first page with humor, tenacity, and the mundane acceptance that this is life.

Books, Fiction

Claustrophobic and Voyeuristic Nature of High Society in Gervais Hagerty’s In Polite Company

RaeAnna

In her debut novel, Hagerty creates a moving and captivating piece about the limitations placed on women to stay the course and not make waves. In Polite Company is all the things one could hope for in a book about existing in the claustrophobic and voyeuristic society of the rich and powerful. It's good, but it's not great.