In the tradition of High Fidelity and Empire Records, Girl Defective is the literary soundtrack to Skylark Martin's strange, mysterious, and extraordinary summer. This is the story of a wild girl and a ghost girl; a boy who knew nothing and a boy who thought he knew everything.
It's a story about Skylark Martin, who lives with her father and brother in a vintage record shop and is trying to find her place in the world. It's about ten-year-old Super Agent Gully and his case of a lifetime. And about beautiful, reckless, sharp-as-knives Nancy. It's about tragi-hot Luke, and just-plain-tragic Mia Casey. It's about the dark underbelly of a curious neighborhood. It's about summer, and weirdness, and mystery, and music.
And it's about life and death and grief and romance. All the good stuff.
Steal My Sunshine is a poignant tale set against the backdrop of a sweltering Melbourne heatwave. The protagonist, Hannah, finds her family life warping into something unrecognizable, filled with fear and uncertainty. The story delves deep into Hannah's struggle to address the issues plaguing her family, a task that seems monumental for someone who feels invisible and powerless.
Hannah's journey for solace leads her to two people who appear to have a grasp on the true essence of life: her rebellious best friend, Chloe, and her unconventional grandmother, Essie. Hannah's faithfulness to both is put to the test as she grapples with her growing attraction to Chloe's older brother and a harrowing secret from Essie that casts a new light on the family's disarray.
Amidst the personal turmoil, Steal My Sunshine also uncovers a distressing chapter of Australia's history—the enforced adoptions that compelled 'wayward girls' and single mothers to relinquish their babies. This practice, sanctioned by churches and hospitals, continued for many years, and its devastating effects are only now being recognized.
With a narrative that intertwines Hannah's personal conflicts and the broader societal issues, the novel is a testament to resilience and self-belief in the face of adversity and historical injustice.
Finding Freia Lockhart is Australian author Aimee Said's debut novel, featuring an authentic and fresh voice that resonates with young adult readers. Freia Lockhart is struggling to fit in at her high school. Her best friend, Kate, is fixated on joining the popular clique known as the Bs: Belinda, Bethanee, and Brianna. Freia feels like a turkey surrounded by flamingos when she's with the Bs, but she's determined to keep her friendship with Kate.
When Kate persuades Freia to try out for the school play, promising it will be an opportunity to mingle with the cute guys and the Bs, things don't go as planned. Freia ends up working on production lighting alongside the rumored bad boy, Daniel. As she gets to know Daniel, Freia realizes that first impressions can be misleading. When Daniel needs a friend, Freia takes a stand, risking her reputation and her tenuous position with the Bs to support him.
Amidst the drama and complexities of teenage life, Freia discovers a surprising new group of friends. Her dry wit and insightful observations about her peers, her 'ancient' parents, and life in general, will strike a chord with readers. The story of Freia Lockhart is a journey of self-discovery, embracing one's true identity, and understanding what really matters in life.
Unbearable Lightness: A Story of Loss and Gain is a searing, unflinchingly honest memoir by actress Portia de Rossi, where she shares the truth of her long battle to overcome anorexia and bulimia while living in the public eye. It details the new happiness and health she has found in recent years, including her coming out and her marriage to Ellen DeGeneres.
Portia de Rossi reveals the pain and illness that haunted her for decades, starting when she was a twelve-year-old girl working as a model in Australia, through her early rise to fame as a cast member of the hit television show Ally McBeal. All the while, she was terrified that the truth of her sexuality would be exposed in the tabloids. She alternately starved herself and binged, putting her life in danger and concealing the seriousness of her illness from herself and everyone around her.
The memoir explores the pivotal moments of her childhood that set her on the road to illness and describes the elaborate rituals around food that dominated hours of every day. She also reveals the heartache and fear that accompany a life lived in the closet, a sense of isolation that was only magnified by her unrelenting desire to be ever thinner. From her lowest point, Portia began the painful climb back to health and honesty, emerging as an outspoken and articulate advocate for gay rights and women's health issues.
Unbearable Lightness is a landmark book that inspires hope and nourishes the spirit, shining a bright light on the dark subject of eating disorders and the complex emotional truth surrounding food, weight, and body image.