ju

This book reads as if the entire thing is Act 1, except like, Act 1 of about 5 different books. That is to say, the characters show no growth and the author loved to go on tangents. Take, for example, the fact that she spent 4 pages explaining how Ichigo is definitely not appropriation, as to (one can assume) not get her characters cancelled IRL and effectively taking the reader out of the fantasy of a novel set in the 1990s.

I had to suspend a lot of disbelief to buy the relationship between Sam and Sadie, especially while it was platonic. If I bumped into someone at 21 who I used to play games with as a primary school kid, the interaction probably wouldn't go further than a 'hey' and 'what are you up to now'. It's unclear why they cared so much about each other, which then didn't give the rest of the book much of a leg to stand on. Things I also did not like:- The book not giving weight to Dov's sexual assault of Sadie (and his Israeliness) - Torturous repetition- Awkwardly placed sex stuff- Marx's death: forced, random, motive ridiculous.- Sam in general. the loner thing got tired and annoying

One star, because I did devour the first chapter, and the writing was beautiful at times.

Strawberry Hills Forever

I read this chapter, coincidentally, at Prince Alfred Park, in clear view of the Strawberry Hills post office where I work. I always thought this place was a stray corner of Sydney, tbh. The way strangers picture Strawberry Hills makes me smile. I don't blame them- I pictured it the same before I started working here 3 years ago. More heritage-y, more shrubby and warm with lots of cats and bakeries. Instead I'm surrounded by bin chickens and their garbage stench. I'm in and out of this post office all the time, but now I think of Vanessa while I tediously stand in line to collect my parcels. I wonder if she still visits. I know nothing of her but I bought this book a couple years ago at a zine fair in Marrickville, largely because of the name and because I buy anything with strawberries on it.

Violet Slaughter

This is what I dreamt my teenagehood to be.

Sometimes You Just Feel Like Spending Two Days as a Rabbit

How sweet to know teenagers were walking the streets dressed as animals even before I was born. I have a strong visual of these two days in my mind

Objects

And another reason I was drawn to buying this book was Vanessa telling me at the stall that the book was no longer in print. I wanted to look after it, like a museum archivist. I've always stubbornly held onto things to preserve the memory that they hold, whether mine or a stranger's. This chapter speaks to my sentimentality for objects.

The Velodrome and the Olympia

I google Olympia. Google suggestion: Olympia milk bar. Click.

Olympia Milk Bar. Permanently closed.

Facebook: Olympia Milk Bar Fanclub. For lovers on the Olympia Milk Bar on Stanmore Road.

Sydney Morning Herald, published 3 hours ago: Inside Plans to restore Sydney's iconic Milk Bar in Stanmore.

Sometimes I think I have psychic powers.

Laughter and the sound of teacups

Saw Vanessa Berry mentioned in a reddit thread today, I feel genuinely psychic
Finding Strawberry Hills Forever on a random day out in Marrickville had to be cosmic

Parts of the book felt validating and I know I can reference them when I'm struggling. Beyond the kind words though, the only tangible thing it changed for me was how I feel about environmentalism/activism and outsourcing. Realistically I don't think I'll be implementing any of her systems- they're mostly not for me as someone with physical barriers as opposed the the cognitive barriers the author deals with. I disagree with the sweeping ‘laziness doesn't exist' philosophy and the repeated idea of care tasks being ‘morally neutral' is not something that really clicked for me, I mean, I don't think anyone is claiming having a sink full of dishes is morally charged, it's just...objectively gross and non functional? Still glad I read this- the mindset shifts were compassionate and refreshing even if they didn't change my life right away

Admittedly I thought Yellowface was going to be another case of stale diaspora fiction (which the booked called me out on) but was pleasantly surprised- June's monologue is funny and the pacing kept me hooked. Reading an Asian-centric story from the perspective of a white woman was also a refreshing twist. It was fun, I just didn't love the ending- it's like the story took a surreal and cartoonish turn and I couldn't reasonably believe any of those events took place in the same universe as the rest of the book. I was waiting for the author to go “sike, it was just a dream” but it wasn't. It was also so repetitive at points. Anyway, this book still got me out of a reading slump and I haven't read a book this fast since I was a kid, so that says a lot.

I thought I was collecting stories about how women see Shah Rukh Khan and his films. In fact, I was collecting narratives of how they saw themselves and those around them.

First of all, I went on a journey to get a hard copy of this book as it wasn't available in any bookstore in Sydney, Aurangabad OR Mumbai, and trying to find a bookstore in Mumbai was whole day activity in itself- so I'm glad I ended up liking it. Took me a long time to finish, because the book gets statistic heavy at times, and I was more interested in the storytelling. I am fascinated by how Shrayana documented these stories of fandom over so many years, including her own, but the collation of them is so special. I loved reading about these women! Our mutual love for Shahrukh made me feel they were close to my heart. Sidenote that I superr appreciated the inclusion of annexures at the end.

But I still watch each new Shah Rukh interview and each new film...We are comrades for life.

i didn't connect much with the audiobook so switched to hard copy when it was gifted to me (thank u aditi!) i enjoyed the way this was written. i never really followed britney spears' career so the pre-conservatorship portion was interesting to me too. the voice felt authentic. i was exhausted just reading the ways life continued to wear her down throughout the book and felt really sad. i wanted more on the Free Britney movement as this was a pretty big pop culture moment from the public's perspective. i'm also disappointed there was no word on the VMAs lipsyncing scandal :(

I stepped into this book with my only introduction to Wendy Whitely being Wilson's article in Good Weekend, Wendy Whiteley on life, death and why she doesn't paint. I had heard of Wendy's Secret Garden reccomended as a spot for solitude, dates and enjoying views of the harbour but was unaware of Wendy or Brett's careers I loved reading this and enjoyed every moment of getting to know about the woman and story behind the Lavender Bay garden. During my reading I visited Lavender Bay for the first time, scouring sites mentioned in the book as well as attended Whitely and Wilson's talk at All About Women in the Sydney Opera House.

i agree with some of the other reviews in that the book could've used more reflection (i would be interested to hear what present day Jennette has to say about The Creator and her abusive ex boyfriends), but i rlly enjoyed reading jennette's memoir and i'm glad she has been able to heal. she's funny, and an engaging narrator

I'm mixed about this one- it was underwhelming to start and underwhelming to end but I was engrossed by everything in between. Besides maybe Kit's gay awakening, which felt unnatural and rushed and most definitely like she was being tokenised. Still fun to read though.

I liked The Other Half of You, but not consistently.

The book's main character, Bani Adam, isn't the book's most likeable. I instead took an instant liking to Sahara, and it's the memories that surface between her and Bani that made me want to keep reading past all of Bani's boxing and family shenanigans. As a Muslim who has lived in both the Glebe area and Western Sydney, the setting of the book felt familiar and warm-I loved being able to map out the story in my head, from Aladdin's Kebabs to Victoria Park.

Michael Mohammed Ahmad portrays love, tenderness and intimacy- both between lovers, and between father and son- so beautifully it made my heart burst.

I told her I had a big broken nose. She said she didn't care about looks, so I asked her to meet me in person. “I'm not that pretty either,” she warned. That was the first time I wanted to hold her.

is

Greer

Butler

I'll start with my only negative and it's the long winded and preachy passages about gender, race and sexuality that are scattered throughout. Although central dicussions to the story the way in which they're intertwined feels awkward and out of character for both Evelyn and Monique, as if Reid's voice took over. The cringe doesn't last too long though because it was coupled with enough of a beautifully crafted story for me to give this 5 stars. I have The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo to thank for rekindling my love of reading ✨

interesting women and valuable perspectives ❤️ thank you sarah for curating these stories

Omg I cannot finish this!! My last straw:

He comes back and slowly pushes a semi-hard rubber something inside me. It feels alright. I make the only noise I can think of to make.
“Meow.”
“Fuck yeah, kinky cat lady!”

dnf. feels extremely dated- i'm not sure if that's the point- but i would've liked to see Meyer use her second chance to revise her portrayal of Edward in a 2020 iteration of Twilight. it was also extremely drawn out, which was annoying to sit through considering i already knew the plot