Omg, it’s still freakin’ raining! It’s been raining non-stop here for weeks. Please tell me that it’s warm and dry somewhere in the world – I feel like I’m living in the middle of a swamp.
This month’s title is the first one I get to choose since the kick-off month of bookclub! And I had a book in mind (which rhymes with ‘Femina’, ahem) but unfortunately that book is not available for orders until the end of October, so I’ve chosen another excellent book for our reading pleasure…
SUMMER SKIN by Kirsty Eagar is a story about sex – in fact, it’s the story of blossoming love between a neo-riot grrl and a sexist pig, but it takes a deeper look at sexual relationships, intimacy, slut-shaming and hook-up culture in the world of modern college romance. “It’s all Girl meets Boy, Girl steals from Boy, seduces Boy, ties Boy to a chair and burns Boy’s stuff. Just your typical love story” as the blurb says.
Set in Brisbane (a strange land with which I’m personally familiar, having gone to UQ as an undergrad) it follows Jess Gordon, a Unity college girl, as she gets back at Mitch – a Knights boy – for the online humiliation of a college friend. But what Jess and Mitch didn’t count on is the way loathing can turn to lust, and how delightfully messy things can get when sex meets sexual politics.
The Sydney Morning Herald called SUMMER SKIN ‘a romance for our times’, and when I first read it, I was knocked out by Kirsty Eagar’s command of the twisty-turny complications of contemporary love. I’m setting up a Facebook chat with Kirsty Eagar for this month, so stay tuned for updates about it.
I hope you enjoy this month’s book! If you’d like to order it through our online friends, Boomerang Books, remember to use the ‘loveoz’ promotional code to receive free shipping. Now go forth and read!
xxEllie