When Khiyali introduced me to Mackenzi Lee via The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue, I was shall we say, not quite ready for the Age of Enlightenment. If the title had not already raised my eyebrow, the first page made me almost fall backwards in the bookstore. But it quickly became one of my favorite novels to recommend especially to young people. So my excitement by the announcement of her latest work of historical fiction, Lady Like, was eclipsed only by Khiyali’s. Her review follows. As luck would have it, I got the chance to tag along on a visit to Shibden Hall, the home of Anne Lister, and to walk around the hills of Halifax and see the view from Beacon Hill. A quote from Anne Lister’s famous, voluminous diaries, appears in the front

Back to the book. Over to Khiyali:

I’ve long been a fan of Mackenzi Lee’s Gentleman’s Guide series. So when my mother revealed that she had acquired an advance copy of Lee’s latest, Lady Like, I jumped at the chance to take a look. The book begins promisingly with a quote from renowned lesbian diarist Anne Lister, and it delivers.

From sapphic Shakespeare to burgeoning self-determination, the novel is at once cozy, exciting, and cathartic. It retains elements from the Guide series – delicious queer romance, delightful sentence structure, and exciting dialogue – and it felt significantly more lighthearted. This is not to say the stakes are low – far from it. Our heroines encounter terrifying, heartwrenching, but ultimately adventurous challenges on their way to the future. In brief, Lady Like serves up all the feels. Snuggle up with it and a sweet treat this fall, and let me know what you think.

You, Me, and a Story
Suresh Ediga
46 pages

The wheels on the bus go round and round!  goes a popular children’s ditty.  But what if the wheels stop turning?  What if people stop breathing?  Such are the questions that Suresh Ediga explored with his children when talking with them about such issues as the disaster in Bhopal, in which a pesticide factory exploded, leaking tons of toxic fumes, killing thousands instantly and poisoning the ground and water for decades.  This makes the first story in his collection, You, Me & a Story.  

The family that reads together! From left, Sireesha, Suresh, Surina, Suhash each holding a copy of You, Me & a Story.

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