This archive contains book reviews written by myself and guest writers. Topics are all over the board: fiction, non-fiction, poetry, plus size related, writing related books and more.
“Books are the plane, and the train, and the road. They are the destination, and the journey. They are home.” ~ Anna Quindlen
Auster’s voice is relaxed, honest and comfortable to listen to as he continues with Twenty Days reading Hawthorne’s “account of a man taking care of his child by himself”. Hawthorne wrote about his interactions and observations of his five year old son Julian during a three week period in 1851 while his wife and daughter…
In White Oleander, Janet Fitch describes the Santa Ana blossoms as desert survivalists, as “delicate poisonous blooms” with “dagger green leaves”. Throughout this novel, the words sing a poetic duet with the reader and, from her opening description, I was humming along. “Oleander time” is a time when white oleanders blossom and “lovers who kill…
Rita Farro worked with what she affectionately calls “gifted” women (or women any size over 10) for over a decade; first as a fabric store owner, then as a workshop presenter. The knowledge behind Life is Not a Dress Size also comes from her personal experience at being gifted herself. This book is about working…
Women have always had a peculiar relationship with their bodies. Peculiar in the sense they are taught from an early age to obsess about it. From early pigtails and bobby socks to low-rise jeans and demi-bras. Not to mention the money put in to soften, color, and pluck every inch of our body if need…
Allison Penny considers herself unfortunate because she’s overweight and her features don’t fall into the realm of what society deems attractive. She works as a cleaning lady with an ethnic family. Lucky for her, her only duty is emptying the garbage cans. Not a dream job but it pays the bills. “Destitute, depressed, and almost…
When Cunt first came out and Inga Muscio would find herself in social settings accosted by “So, what do you do?” questions, how she’d answer would pretty much be determined by her impression of the person asking. Usually, it was something like: I’m a writer of a women’s studies book” rather than blurting out, “I…
Wendy Shanker has written for national women’s magazines, she’s hosted fashion shows, she’s traveled far and wide to gather the data she’s compiled for the The Fat Girl’s Guide to Life. Ok, maybe not “far and wide” but she has first hand experience. She’s 32 years old and she has been fat most of her…
Fulk de Galliard is a giant among men both in stature and of honor. He loves his family and his horse. His downfall is his burning temper. A temper so strong he accidentally killed his older brother. No amount of physical torture from his king or his fellow knights is enough to appease the guilt…