Kim Pritekel & Alex Ross – Wild: The Wild Will Tame You

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WildTame

When six-year-old Abel Cohen wanders off from her parents’ cabin in the woods of Maine, she is rescued by Zac Lipton, a girl barely older than herself, who knows her way through the trees because they are where she has spent her entire life. That meeting sparks a summer-long friendship filled with laughter, stories, adventures and, of course, spinning. 

Fourteen years later they meet again, and after a rocky introduction, strengthen that bond of friendship formed so many years ago. Abel loves introducing Zac to the world she’s barely glimpsed from her overlook in the woods, and Zac, in turn, shares her love of the outdoors. Together they explore not just their surroundings, but their fears, hopes and feelings.

When Abel nears the end of college and her regular trips to the cabin, will she be able to convince Zac to leave her beloved woods and join her in the bustling city of Boston? Or will Zac decide to remain in her comfort zone, hidden behind the branches and tree trunks, safe from the chaos of civilization?

REVIEW
Raaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaawr!

Sorry, I couldn’t resist.

If you ever wished to read to a Tarzan-type of story featuring women who love women, swing your way over to Wild: The Wild Will Tame You. This book has been on my “to read” list for awhile, and I just got around to finishing it last night.

Prior to reading les-fic, I spent most of my time in the world of classics and magic realism. It took me a few books to wrap my head around the concept of the “new adult” genre as a sub-category within les-fic. The les-fic that I knew prior to 2013 was just… well… fiction. Judging by book sales and reviews, “new adult” seems to be gaining some dominance in the market.  Perhaps, this can be attributed to some of the more recent pivotal changes in our laws and society’s perception of sexuality. Maybe? Well, I’m just glad to see that our stories are diversifying. Variety is the spice of life… and literature.

Wild: The Wild Will Tame You seems to fit very nicely into this “new adult” category. It’s a sweet story about a girl and her not-so-imaginary friend from the forest, and their adventures in luuuuurve.

The story is told from a third person perspective. Wild: The Wild Will Tame You has an interesting narration, since the world is seen and experienced so differently between the two main characters. From the perspective of Zac, the readers see the innocence and the child-like qualities in her thought patterns. She reminded me of Ariel from The Little Mermaid, minus the fork and the scary octopus woman. There’s a wonder and bewilderment in all new things that Abel shows her, and the tentative steps that Zac takes outside of her beloved forest and into city life is steadied by the woman she’s loved all her life. From Abel’s perspective, the world is very much like the world that most of us live in: school, job, cars, vacations, etc. When Zac brings Abel deep into her forest, you can truly sense that it’s a special place that is far from civilization, but unfortunately, not a place where they can continue to grow the love that they have for each other.

I really enjoyed reading this book, and I loved it’s message. This book shows its readers that home is not always the place you come from. Home is where the heart is.

SOUNDTRACK
1. Animal Collective – Leaf House
2. Wild Ones – Dim the Lights
3. Active Child – 1999
4. Sia – I’m in Here
5. Scavenger Hunt – Lost
6. Little Daylight – Love Stories
7. On and On – Drifting
8. Betty Who – Missing You
9. Alfred Hall – Someplace Beautiful
10. Band of Horses – No One’s Gonna Love You
11. Feist – Mushaboom
12. Temper Trap – Sweet Disposition
13. A Boy and His Kite – Cover Your Tracks
14. Passion Pit – Live To Tell The Tale

CHEERS!
This book would be best served with a….

BLACKBERRY SMASH
-4 blackberries
-8 mint leaves
-1 oz of lemon juice
-1/2 oz of honey
-2 oz of rye whiskey

Muddle all the ingredients together and serve. Blackberries can be substituted with other berries, just make sure it ain’t random berries you find out in the wilderness while camping.

Andrea Bramhall – Nightingale

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Nightingale

When Charlie Porter meets Hazaar Alim her first year of university, she’s instantly smitten. Hazaar has it all: beauty, talent, and brains. What she doesn’t realize is that Hazaar’s future has already been decided, and Charlie has no place in it.

Hazaar desperately wants to break her traditions and stay with Charlie, but when forced to choose, she chooses her family over love. When she realizes the choice she made is the worst one possible, it’s too late.

Years later, while working in Pakistan as a diplomat and negotiator, Charlie receives a phone call from a woman who says her British sister-in-law is to be killed for the family’s honor and asks if someone can save her. 

Charlie and Hazaar are on a collision course with destiny. If they make it out alive, can they believe in their love once again?

REVIEW
Before you dive into this book, I suggest you take a deep breath. And make sure you have a box of Kleenex near you. You’ll be reaching for it every few pages.

Don’t say I didn’t warn you!

Nightingale is a novel that defies labels. Other than “lesbian fiction”, it’s hard to place it in one solid genre.  It’s even difficult to define the characters as being one over the other, or one and not the other. Before I got down to reading the book, I was afraid that the story would be along the same vein as the movie, Not Without My Daughter. Thankfully, I was mistaken. The approach that Andrea Bramhall took with Nightingale is very different from the approach that David Rintels took for the screenplay, Not Without My Daughter.

In Not Without My Daughter, it’s very clear who the enemy is. The enemy is a domineering Muslim man who tricks his wife into following him into a country that is hostile towards Americans. It’s a place with a vastly different set of ethics and cultural values, where the mother/protagonist has absolutely no power and no rights as a woman. The message that the movie is asserting about Muslim men and Iranian society is disturbing, and though it is based on a true story, the screen-play aggressively pursues a storyline that is very black and white and doesn’t give any screen-time or credit to Muslim characters that didn’t fit the enemy archetype. I guess there’s only so much you can fit into two hours?

It made me appreciate Nightingale that much more. The author of this novel offered a balance perspective without making derogatory assertions of those who follow the Islamic faith. She was still able to bring awareness to the readers that these types of political and power struggles do exist around the world today, and that as women, we are still greatly impacted and vulnerable. As lesbian women, we are constantly stigmatized and marginalized. Our voices are often unheard and our stories are buried. Nightingale gives a voice to a very real and plausible situation that each of us could be faced with and what could potentially happen in the aftermath if we decide to choose duty before love.

Ultimately, this is a book about hope and enduring love. This is not just a love story between two women, but between two souls searching and reaching for each other even during their darkest hour. It is about women who are victims of circumstances that are beyond their control. Hazaar and Charlie surpass almost-impossible challenges they are faced with and in the end, find their way back to each other. Personally, Nightingale is one of my top ten. This book will leave you with a lasting impression and it’s a powerful love story that’s worth every second spent reading it.

SOUNDTRACK
1. Norah Jones – Nightingale
2. Roberta Flack – The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face
3. Death Cab for Cutie – I Will Follow You into the Dark
4. Adele – One and Only
5. Eva Cassidy – Autumn Leaves
6. The Dunwells – Communicate
7. Alicia Keys – Like You’ll Never See Me Again
8. Damien Rice – The Blower’s Daughter
9. John Mayer – War of My Life
10. Norah Jones – Come Away With Me

CHEERS!
This book would be best read with a cup of Earl Grey tea. Drinking booze with this book will make you an emo drunk, and no one likes emo drunks.

Melissa Brayden – Waiting in the Wings

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Waiting

If you don’t get lost, there’s a chance you may never be found.

Jenna McGovern has spent her whole life training for the stage. She’s taken dance classes, voice lessons, and even earned her performance degree from one of the most prestigious musical theater programs in the nation. At graduation, she’s stunned when a chance audition lands her a prime supporting role in the hottest Broadway routing production in the country. In more exciting news, Jenna discovers acclaimed television star Adrienne Kenyon is headlining the production. 

Jenna settles easily in to life on tour and has a promising career laid out in front of her, if only she plays her cards right. She’s waited for this opportunity her entire life and will let nothing stand in her way. The one thing she didn’t prepare for, however, was Adrienne. Her new costar is talented, beautiful, generous, and utmost professional. As the two women grow closer onstage and off, they must learn how to fit each other into a demanding lifestyle full of unexpected twists and difficult decisions. But is Jenna ready to sacrifice what she’s worked so hard for in exchange for a shot at something much deeper?

REVIEW
Out of the les-fic novels that I’ve read, these story-lines seem to be pretty common:

  • Teacher + Student
  • Lonely and married “heterosexual” female falls in love with her cool new lesbian friend
  • Hollywood A-List Actress x 2

Who hasn’t fallen in love with a teacher? Or a straight woman? (or two, or three… hundred) And raise your hand if you didn’t trip all over yourself when you found out that Portia de Rossi is gay.

Yeah, I see no hands raised.

This story though, is less Hollywood than it is New York Broadway. It’s written in the author’s biography that she’s a theater director in her home state, so she’s not just a storyteller that researched a topic and wrote about it on the fly. She’s a subject matter expert and it shows, not just in the details written of the theater acting world in Waiting in the Wings, but also in the execution of her writing style. An example of this would be the ending of Brayden’s novel, How Sweet It Is. The author has the ability to draw from her own personal experiences and expertise to create fresh, original stories for her readers to enjoy.

Has anyone watched the movie Tangled? There’s a scene in the movie that reminded me of one of the important messages gleaned from Waiting in the Wings:

Rapunzel: I’ve been looking out of a window for eighteen years, dreaming about what I might feel like when those lights rise in the sky. What if it’s not everything I dreamed it would be?
Flynn Rider: It will be.
Rapunzel: And what if it is? What do I do then?
Flynn Rider: Well, that’s the good part I guess. You get to go find a new dream.

Like Rapunzel in Tangled, Jenna pursues one dream to find another. Jenna ventures out into her new world with innocence and naivete. Eventually, she finds the way to her heart and her home. It’s normal if you want to give this book a big hug when you’re done. It’s really that cute and heartwarming.

Waiting in the Wings is a wonderful introduction to Melissa Brayden’s work, and I guarantee that when you put down this one down, you’ll be reaching for more!

SOUNDTRACK
1. Great Good Fine Ok – Not Going Home
2. The Hunts – Make This Leap
3. Babe – Make It Real
4. Meghan Trainor feat. John Legend – Like I’m Gonna Lose You
5. Matthew Koma – Clarity (Live at the Cherrytree House)
6. William Fitzsimmons – So This Is Goodbye
7. For the Foxes – Running Back to You
8. Jewel – You Were Meant For Me
9. Grace Weber – Everything to Me
10. Alicia Keys – That’s When I Knew

CHEERS!
This book would be best served with a….

FRANCIS COPPOLA DIAMOND COLLECTION CLARET 2009

Lyn Gardner – Mistletoe

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MistleToe2

Four-year-old Diana Clarke sends her wish to Santa Claus, but lost in the lining of a sack, it isn’t discovered for thirty years. Now, Santa has a problem. No child’s wish has ever gone unanswered, but the child isn’t a child anymore.

Believing there is nothing in Santa’s Village to satisfy the little girl’s wish now that she’s an adult, he calls on a Higher Power and is given a suggestion. Although most of Santa’s workshops contain only toys for boys and girls, there is one that holds a possible solution to his problem. Learning that Diana will be attending three upcoming Christmas parties, Santa calls on his lead elf to deliver three sprigs of mistletoe, hoping that under one, Diana Clarke will find what she asked for thirty years ago.

REVIEW
Brrrrrrrrrrrr. Baby, it’s cold outside! Speaking of which, Tina Fey and Kenan Thompson recently performed a Christmas sketch on SNL with this song. Have you seen it? Well, if you haven’t… Kenan plays… wait for it… Bill Cosby. The joy that I felt listening to that tune was sapped completely after watching that episode. I’m still cringing. Anyone who knows me well, knows that I love Christmas. I’m obsessed. When I hear the rhythmic sound of bells, or choruses of “Ding! Dong! Ding! Dong!”, I think I go into some kind of holiday hysteria, which is probably the reason why I didn’t pay attention to what the heck the song was saying. I’m just surprised that it took 75 years for someone in the world to notice the lyrics and point out the creep factor.

Anyway, on to the review…

I’ve read both Ice and Give Me A Reason by Lyn Gardner, so I had an idea of what to expect before I picked up Mistletoe. This was a much anticipated Christmas read for me and it sure didn’t disappoint. What I didn’t expect though is the whimsical, light-hearted humor that I found within its pages. Gardner has an intense style of writing, and she portrays her characters’ personalities to be very bold and passionate. The characters in this story were quite a bit softer (marshmallows, in comparison to Toni from Give Me A Reason and Alex from Ice) but they fit the tone of a Christmas story. Christmas stories shouldn’t be too heavy. The holidays are stressful enough with all the shopping, and the weird relatives visiting, and the god awful traffic. Right?!

What I’ve grown to appreciate with the author’s pairings in her novels, is that one of the two is always gender-ambiguous. You never really know exactly where they fit on the feminine/masculine scale. We all have our own preferences when it comes to the type of books we read and the types of characters we identify with and gravitate toward, just as we have our own preferences on who we choose as our lovers. By being gender-ambiguous, the books appeal to a larger audience of readers. The novels feel more inclusive and welcoming to readers across the gender and sexuality spectrum, so it is more about the story than it is about our own pre-conceived notions and expectations based on societal norms.

This story isn’t just about finding your soulmate or two women falling in love. It’s about the magic of Christmas, and how love touches our lives and brings us together as a beautiful tapestry. The author covers all the holiday bases: love, happiness, cheer, family, miracles, and the joy of giving.

Now, if only Santa can find my letter in the lining of the sack too….

SOUNDTRACK
1. Marie Digby – Bring Me Love
2. Michael Buble – All I Want For Christmas is You
3. Puppini Sisters – Step into Christmas
4. Ella Fitzgerald – Sleigh Ride
5. Nat King Cole – The Christmas Song
6. She & Him – The Christmas Waltz
7. Louis Armstrong – Cool Yule
8. Burl Ives – A Holly Jolly Christmas
9. Dean Martin – Let it Snow
10. Bing Crosby – I’ll Be Home For Christmas
11. Stevie Wonder – What Christmas Means To Me
12. Puppini Sisters – Here Comes Santa Claus

CHEERS!
This book would be best served with a….

JUSTIN SYRAH 2013