I Love These too…

Beyonce- Why Don't You Love Me

"Why Don't You Love Me" - Beyoncé from Beyoncé on Vimeo.

Not soo crazy bout the song but the video is one big glass of vintage served cold.  obviously I want all the clothes in this video…..

Lesbian Lit.: Malinda Lo's "Ash"

Since Malinda Lo's Ash hit book shelves last year, YA reviewers and bookworm bloggers alike have descended on the tantalizing, exotic concept of the "lesbian re-telling of the classic Cinderalla tale."

LOOK! LESBIANS! IN A YA NOVEL! EVERYONE, LET'S ALL POINT AND STARE AT THE BOOK ABOUT TO GET BANNED ACROSS THE STATES! ZOMG!! I READ IT FIRST!!!

With their blunt penchant for reductionism, these reviewers pare down the novel's honest portrayal of adolescent mourning and erase the intricacies of Lo's rich lore for the abridged "GIRL-ON-GIRL ACTION/FANTASY CINDERELLA NOVEL!!" angle. Yes, two women find the magnetism of first love with one another, but to ignore the other aspects of the novel is to lose the vibrancy of the story overall.

*Sigh*

Despite the initial, lesbian-induced frenzy of the novel's release, Ash promises an impressive, sweeping narrative for fans of the fantasy genre and for readers interested in YA literary titles. The overarching Cinderella tale offers comforting, familiar ground for readers to drift through even as Lo augments the original with her own world's storytelling. The human world and the fairy realm bleed into each other and provide ample space for the title character, Ash, to navigate her grief after losing both parents and falling victim to the cruelty of her stepmother. Over the course of the novel, Ash rediscovers her capacity to love and her desire to live -- and then, she must decide between a world of fairy tales and her one chance at true love.

It's a mesmerizing read, almost quiet and breathy with its language. I imagine most readers will consume this novel in a weekend, if not a single sitting. Of course, I imagine young lesbians might find a piece of themselves in the introverted Ash or the confident Huntress, Kasia. It's a romantic, complex novel I wish I could have accessed when I was an adolescent. I can think of no higher compliment to pay the book than that wish.

***

Side note: Readers might recall how I'd investigated the state of the local library's lesbian literature selection and vowed to dive into those texts for the sake of this blog. Ash is the first book I placed a hold on and, given the length of the queue in January, I just received it now.

Yes.

A suburban library is attracting other ladies with Sapphic-inclinations to their catalogue. I wonder if this is the reason behind their flood of queer acquisitions in the last handful of years. Methinks a book club is in order for the future...

I Actually need these shoes…

Brauche UNBEDINGT!!!

Retro Post

It's Retro Night here at Cute, Queer, Canadian. There are detailed, modern posts in the works for the week ahead, but I thought a little retro action would be fun as well.

This post hearkens back to the old LiveJournal account. I maintained that space for the length of those undergrad years after which I abandoned it for this delightful, very gay format. I created a series of semi-secret, "Q Cru" posts as an outlet for all the gaieties of third- and fourth-year.

And now, I invite readers to scan over one of the cuter posts from back then.

This one was written October 9th, 2007 after a quick jaunt to the local, on-campus convenience store for some sweets. *Teehee*

***

Despite my awful hair day (and I do mean AWFUL..... as in, I already need another hair cut and it's only the start of October)........ but yes, DESPITE that nonsense --

I came within inches of becoming the knight(ess?) to a couple of British ladies who couldn't get the finicky doors to the East apartments open. Mmm hmmm!

As I was approaching the doors (on my way for candy.... and yes, it was well worth the trip for some chocolate-covered ju jubes. Haha, so much sugar), my little ears picked up the British accent. *Sigh* They were laughing over the fact that neither of them could move the key/pick the RIGHT key for the lock. So, naturally, being the lovely girl that I am, I arrived just in the nick of time to help them out of this little jam *Devil horns rise from under her glowing halo*

All I needed was the "So-rreh, cud you open tha daah fahr'us?" (or, "Sorry, could you open the door for us" to anyone who doesn't speak 'British phonetics'). And I was JUST about to unlock the door when some guy came down the stairs, saw us all standing there, and then pushed the door open for us. Whatever, buddy. Thanks. Those were not YOUR British girls. Geeze. :p

.... If I had beaten him to the door, I would have let them go first and totally played the gentleman. ;)

***

Ah, the younger Moffatt. I do miss that aspect of school. I miss those random crushes you'd discover across campus or through classes and such. The adult world does not seem to encourage this as readily. I think we could gain quite a lot if we returned to those giggly, bubbly days.

*Content sigh*

Oops…

courtesy of Fabulous Mag.

SHE DID IT, KIDS!

I am proud to announce The Advocate's arrival in the Top 25 Finalists for The Best Travel Job Ever. At the stroke of midnight last night, our favourite, feisty traveller secured her spot at No. 18. With all the active voting of her fans, the outpouring of support from around the world, and her tireless campaigning efforts, The Advocate has arrived at the final round of voting.

Now, we leave it with the judges of The Best Travel Job Ever to decide.

This post is to thank every reader who clicked over to The Advocate's profile and voted. Heck, even if you took the time to watch her main video and her peripheral videos over at (No)things (Ad)ventured, I thank you profusely. She's a gem of a friend and I want to see her out there exploring the wide world and absorbing all the adventure in this life. It's what she loves most and I am so proud to know both friends and strangers have supported her and voted for her throughout the process.

Special thanks go to the lovely ladies over at The Adventures of Kara & Jessica who dedicated more than one post to the campaign. I've been a follower of these ladies since both our blogs launched and their generous, gorgeous response to this campaign left The Advocate and I ecstatic. And, another special thanks to all the readers of Kara and Jessica's blog who voted and lent their energies to the task at hand. You are brilliant and you best prepare for some adventurous vlogs from The Advocate.

I will keep everyone posted on the results in the weeks to come. I am sending all the best vibes I can muster and I hope you will do the same.

Thank you all, again -- you've proven why I have the best readers imaginable.