Melanie

Lists/Top 10s

food and drink

Potions Class is in Session: Five Healing Drinks You Can Make at Home

Unlike most medicines, these drinks taste great, and they can all be made easily with common ingredients and kitchen equipment. Let’s get started!

Melanie —

Mar 15, 2016

novel

read a f-cking book

lgbt book reviews

Read A F*cking Book: “The Mystics of Mile End”

In Sigal Samuel’s The Mystics of Mile End, three members of the Meyer family encounter Jewish mysticism, and are drawn apart in their very different quests for the divine.

Melanie —

Feb 12, 2016

Hidden Gems of Queer Lit

Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha

lgbt book reviews

Hidden Gems of Queer Lit: Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha’s “Dirty River”

“This memoir will appeal to those seeking a gritty, glorious, multi-layered story of homecoming and self-healing.”

Melanie —

Jan 5, 2016

Hidden Gems of Queer Lit

novel

lgbt book reviews

Hidden Gems of Queer Lit: Leigh Matthews’ “Don’t Bang the Barista!”

If smart, well-written theatrics are your thing, you’re in for a fun ride with Don’t Bang the Barista!

Melanie —

Dec 29, 2015

Hidden Gems of Queer Lit

read a f-cking book

lgbt book reviews

Hidden Gems of Queer Lit: Deb Jannerson’s “Rabbit Rabbit”

In 26 slight pages, Rabbit Rabbit chronicles a personal unraveling, offering insightful treatment of the intricate connections between family and trauma.

Melanie —

Nov 17, 2015

Hidden Gems of Queer Lit

read a f-cking book

lgbt book reviews

Hidden Gems of Queer Lit: “Fledgling” and Queer Black Vampire Mythology

If you’re interested in seeing the complexities of polyamorous relationships interpreted through the lens of speculative fiction, or in reading a quietly queer sci-fi great’s exploration of sexual fluidity, Fledgling…

Melanie —

Nov 3, 2015

Hidden Gems of Queer Lit

read a f-cking book

lgbt book reviews

Hidden Gems of Queer Lit: “The Gilda Stories” and Queer Black Vampire Myth

The Gilda Stories was published in 1991 and hasn’t been out of print since — it uses the vampire myth to tackle new themes, including Black American life and queerness.

Melanie —

Oct 22, 2015

Hidden Gems of Queer Lit

novel

lgbt book reviews

Hidden Gems of Queer Lit: Meredith Maran’s “A Theory of Small Earthquakes”

A Theory of Small Earthquakes is a novel about bisexuality, family, and secrets, with a narrative that’s quite different from the typical work of women’s fiction.

Melanie —

Oct 6, 2015

Hidden Gems of Queer Lit

read a f-cking book

literature

Hidden Gems of Queer Lit: Meliza Bañales’ “Life Is Wonderful, People Are Terrific”

Can you resist a title as snarky as Life Is Wonderful, People Are Terrific? I couldn’t, especially when the book was written by spoken-word champion and award-winning filmmaker Meliza Bañales.

Melanie —

Sep 24, 2015

Hidden Gems of Queer Lit

read a f-cking book

literature

Hidden Gems of Queer Lit: Colleen McKee’s “Nine Kinds of Wrong”

I’d known for a while that my colleague Colleen McKee had a book out, and one day I bought a copy from her in the break room. When I learned…

Melanie —

Sep 10, 2015

Hidden Gems of Queer Lit

nonfiction

lgbt book reviews

Hidden Gems of Queer Lit: Rae Theodore’s “Leaving Normal: Adventures in Gender”

A smart and eloquent memoir about becoming butch, Leaving Normal: Adventures in Gender will resonate if you have a proud copy of Stone Butch Blues on your shelf, or listen…

Melanie —

Aug 27, 2015

Hidden Gems of Queer Lit

read a f-cking book

lgbt book reviews

Hidden Gems of Queer Lit: Jennica Harper’s “What It Feels Like for a Girl”

What It Feels Like for a Girl centers on two 13-year-olds who meet in gym class: the narrator, addressed in a piercing second person that has the effect of melding…

Melanie —

Aug 13, 2015