ceLEStial books

If you haven't read E.J. Noyes's debut novel Ask, Tell then my message to you is...read it! I don't tend to gravitate toward romance novels, but I started this book and finished it in the same day because it wouldn't let me stop reading. E.J. is a fellow Australian like myself and so I was really pleased to be able to steal some of her time for this interview. 1. Let's start off with the important stuff. Beer or wine? Can I say gin? No? Okay… I live in Queensland where beer is mandatory, particularly in summer. I’d go for an ice-cold amber ale, like Ruby Tuesday.   2. If you could have a meal with one of the characters in Ask, Tell , who would it be and why?   I think Sabine’s sister, Jana would be seriously fun to spend time with. I imagine the (boozy) meal would start with deep discussions about movies and music and philosophy, segue to whispered observations about fellow diners and probably end with her chucking food at someone. Th...

Ask, Tell by E.J. Noyes My rating: 5 of 5 stars "I live with constant noise and dirt. I live with the omnipresent smell of diesel, dust and aircraft fuel. I live with other people’s blood on my uniform." I started and finished this book in a day because it demanded my attention. The historical context, characters and wonderful writing refused to let me go. Noyes clearly undertook a mammoth amount of research. Her protagonist, a surgeon living and working in Afghanistan at the height of American intervention, is completely believable. I was totally engrossed. Sabine struggles with what so many people have struggled with: she's a person who is otherwise comfortable with being a lesbian, yet having to work within a system that forces her to repress her identity or face dire social, familial and financial consequences. The fact that she's a talented doctor who saves peoples lives every day is overlooked by an institution obsessed with rules, in thi...