The Storm by Shelley Thrasher

I'm rather torn with my feelings on this one. I LOVE the uniqueness of it. A lesbian romance during WWI, here at home in Texas between a strong woman and a weak woman who wishes she were strong. It's almost a coming of age tale but older women rebelling against the confines and rules of society.


Jaq is a former ambulance driver who walks around with guilt weighing heavily on her. She feels responsible for a few deaths. Her grandmother, a man named Henry, and later in the book, others. I can't reveal beyond that without giving important stuff away. This was an interesting and very sad twist.

She wants the lovely farm wife, Molly, but Molly is married with a child. Jaq's own marriage is a sham on the verge of annulment. There's no way Molly can walk away from her son Patrick, even if she were to get the gumption to actually do something against her darned mother in law's wishes. See, her MIL runs the show. At first, I could figure out why the MIL had so many parts. She was irritating and mean and evil. I kept asking, "Why is she a main figure in this story?" When I got the author's notes, I understood. Despite my dislike of her and her opinions, she was a strong woman in her own right.

To avoid going on and on, there's a war going on, past issues being battle, a young woman feeling things she doesn't think she should be feeling, a meddlesome MIL, an alcoholic wanting to go back and fight, but recovering from wounds. Lots of things going on here.

Liked: That Molly finally sees the light, sorta. I don't think she would have if fate hadn't intervened, but at least she registers to vote. Liked Jaq, her dressing as a man, her working on cars, her attitude overall. Her side story about the storm and the war and the nun.

Disliked: The POV shifts a lot, too much. I had to read over passages at times as it was she, she, she, but I couldn't figure out WHICH she it was. Lots of long monologues of people talking to themselves or animals. Lots of stories from the past TOLD instead of shown. The MIL...lots of her parts were unnecessary. Molly was just irritating in her weakness. It was constantly, "If my MIL and hubby agree....If they let me do this." As I said, even in the end, I doubt she wouldn't had the backbone had fate not intervened. Also, bit long-winded at times, the narrative.

Three bikes. Had some issues, but I would read more from Bold Strokes and this author.

Favorite line: "Strong women are simply that--strong--whether they wear a skirt or pants. They're merely being themselves, not trying to be like men. And if they happen to love other women, that's their right."

I received this thru netgalley.

Debonair Dyke by Roxy Harte

This was a very eye-opening book for someone who has never read about transgender issues before. It introduced me to a new world as far as the difficulties a person of transgender gender faces on a daily basis: how people perceive them, judge them, treat them, the rude questions. I mean, on some level, I know life isn't peachy for them, but just how far it is taken wasn't clear to me.

Danni left small town Kansas to get away from the hate and rules that were holding her back from being her. She lives the high-life in NYC, taking a new woman or women to bed every night by night and doing the college/speech/educating thing by day. Her goal in life seems to be 1. getting laid and 2. educating the rest of the world about transgender studies, etc.

But then she's called back to Kansas for her ill father, and it all comes crashing down, or does it? Maybe she was called there for a reason.

Enter gossip, hate crimes, discrimination, love, and self doubt. Run the garage? Date Jessica? Make a stand? Stay in po-dunk, hateful Kansas where she doesn't feel she can be herself or go back to NYC where she can? But can she leave some things behind? After all, one has to go back and face the trouble to heal from it, right?

"I've studied, I've theorized, I've lectured, I've educated. I'm seeing it now. Just now. That was all practice runs. This is the real deal. This is the part of the world that I need to be talking to, educating, changing."

She stays and she makes a difference, but like anything that really makes an impact, it's not easy. A shocking secret is revealed in the end, a misunderstanding is corrected, and though it has a happy ending, it's clear the path isn't paved in gold for Danni or Jessica.

The story really resonated with me for many reasons and it was incredibly well-written. I do have one quibble though. Two. 1. I didn't really get the strap on. I've never read a book in which a woman wore a strap on and will be the first to admit I'm ignorant and a poor judge, but what really confused me was Jessica. She couldn't be with Danni at first because of the strap on ("I don't like boys.") so her suddenly begging for it the second time around was strange and unexplained. I felt there was something psychological there I was missing. My second quibble: I felt all the women constantly throwing themselves at Danni was odd and slightly preposterous. It was instant. Immediate. I mean, just saunter into the garage, tear your pants off, and beg her to you know...immediate. *arches brow*

Four bikes.

The More I Owe You by Michael Sledge

First of all, right off the bat, I gotta say, for two women that obviously made enough impact on the world in the 1950s to go down in history and even have a novel written about their romance, they sure did live very dull lives. (That's if this book is anything to go by.)

Elizabeth Bishop, the heroine of this tale, was a real American poet. This novel is about her love affair with Lota de Macedo Soares, a Brazilian architect. During a bad time in her life, Elizabeth travels to Brazil. She is an alcoholic, has various ailments, suffers from bad memories regarding her mentally ill mother, and really, just fades into the background of this story.

If you are looking for a story about Elizabeth Bishop, this may not be for you. Lota de Macedo Soares def steals the show. Her character is so strong where Elizabeth is so weak.. Lota controls everything. What she commands, Elizabeth does. Lota is obsessed with architecture and is building her house.. Much... TOO MUCH of this book is about that bloody house.

And the story goes somewhat like this: (AFTER Lota dumps her live in partner and demands Elizabeth moves in with her) The women talk about poetry, they talk about the house, they get a flat tire, they talk about poetry, they talk about the house, Elizabeth gets sick, they talk about the house.. and between all this talk of the house, the book goes on and on and on about Brazilian flora and fawna and roads and other people's houses.

I made it to 40% and after falling asleep twice, I called it quits.

There's one thing keeping this from being a mere one star book tho. I laughed my butt off for half an hour upon reading this bit here:

Elizabeth: "If you watch any Brazilian man for five minutes, you'll see him scratching and adjusting himself. It's as if they're constantly arranging flowers in a vase."

Lota: "Those aren't flowers. Those are the jewells of Brazil! If they didn't keep grabbing their balls, they'd forget they were men. That's the problem with this country: The men have to keep reminding themselves they are men, and the women are even worse. They have no balls, either!"

I bought this book from Amazon.