Peppermint Book Club: 7 Juicy Queer Reads From Secret Book Stuff
- Words by Peppermint
From stories of resistance that remind us the fight isn’t over yet to steamy tales and books that simply have queer characters without it being a big deal (a novel concept!), Amy Lovat and Laura Kebby give us seven of their favourite queer reads.
Hailing from Newcastle, Amy and Laura are the married couple behind Secret Book Stuff, an online business that helps bookworms find their perfect literary match (queer or not) with curated book gifts and book subscriptions. It’s the home of the very clever Secret Book Club, which takes the stress out of choosing what to read, with bloody great reads delivered to subscribers’ doorsteps every month.
Ready for Amy and Laura’s top picks? Here we go…
INSOMNIAC CITY BY BILL HAYES
Amy: “It’s hands-down one of our favourite books of all time. It’s a memoir of the photographer’s life in New York City and his long, romantic relationship with the late – and very famous – neurologist and writer Oliver Sacks. You’ll absolutely bawl your eyes out and every sentence will be worth it. I introduced this book to Laura when we first met and it’s now one of our shared faves that we revisit over and over.”
WOMEN BY CHLOE CALDWELL
Laura: “I discovered author Chloe Caldwell’s work in a book of essays that, funnily enough, Amy recommended to me many years ago. Chloe’s novella, Women, was published by a small press in the US originally, but it’s now so iconic that it was featured on an episode of The L Word: Generation Q. It absolutely punched me in the gut when I first read it. Women is a story of lust and love – Lena Dunham called it a ‘perfect primer for an explosive lesbian affair’. Chef’s kiss.”
DRESS REHEARSALS BY MADISON GODFREY
Laura: “This book of poetry is glorious and funny and relatable and just so damn good. Madison Godfrey writes about gender, sexuality, bodies, bands and a decade of performing womanhood in a confessional style that will have you clutching your chest, laughing out loud and shouting, ‘Yes, yes!’”
MISTAKES AND OTHER LOVERS BY AMY LOVAT
Laura: “Look, I’m a little biased since this is my wife’s debut novel – hey, Darl! – but it’s honestly the first book that popped into my mind when thinking about my favourite queer novels. The story follows a 23-year-old, El, who has broken up with her fiancé and is embroiled in a toxic, secret love affair with the married youth pastor of the local evangelical church. The beauty of Mistakes and Other Lovers is that El’s queerness isn’t at the forefront – her sexual fluidity is a quiet fact of her identity, not a problem to be solved.”
Read More – Peppermint Book Club: 22 Books by BIPOC Authors You Need to Read
SHE AND HER PRETTY FRIEND BY DANIELLE SCRIMSHAW
Amy: “This book is joyous, inside and out! She and Her Pretty Friend is part memoir, part historical deep-dive into lesbian and bisexual women’s relationships throughout history. Danielle writes about how colonisation altered ideas of sexuality and how women’s relationships have so often been downgraded – ‘she lived with her pretty friend and they were buried next to each other, but definitely weren’t ever in love LOL’. It’s so fascinating and a great read for anyone wanting to learn more about queer history.”
THE IN-BETWEEN BY CHRISTOS TSIOLKAS
Amy: “Christos Tsiolkas is one of my most loved Australian authors, starting with his debut novella Loaded, which was published in the 1990s and takes place over a 24-hour period in which a young man moves around Melbourne, having sex and taking drugs – adore that 90s grunge era of fiction! His latest novel, The In-Between, revisits those queer roots with a story of two heartbroken men in their fifties who meet on a dating app.”
THE BOY FROM THE MISH BY GARY LONESBOROUGH
Amy: “Written by Indigenous author Gary Lonesborough, this young-adult novel is just the most goddamn cute thing I’ve ever read. It’s sort of like the iconic Heartstopper, but it’s not a graphic novel. Two teen boys fall in love as they deal with family, culture and growing up.”
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Look, I don’t want to make anyone panic but IT’S DECEMBER!!! If you’re planning to give homemade gifts, you’re going to have to act fast. …
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🌻 The Paddington 🌻
This is a much-loved staple, created for Issue 50 in 2021. We love seeing the #PeppermintPaddingtonTop continually popping up in our feeds!
How stunning is our model Elon MelaninGoddessEfon – she told us it was one of the first times she had been asked to come to a shoot with her natural hair. 🌻
We worked with South African patternmaker Sarah Steenkamp of @FrenchNavyNow_ to create this wardrobe essential – the perfect puff-sleeve blouse. Raglan sleeves make it the ultimate beginner sew, plus the gorgeous back buttons let you add your own personal twist.
Pattern via the link in bio! 🪡
Photos: @KelleySheenan
Fabric: @Spoonflower
Model: MelaninGoddessEfon
“In the 1940’s, Norwegians made and wore red pointed hats with a tassel as a form of visual protest against Nazi occupation of their country. Within two years, the Nazis made these protest hats illegal and punishable by law to wear, make, or distribute. As purveyors of traditional craft, we felt it appropriate to revisit this design.”
Crafters have often been at the heart of many protest movements, often serving as a powerful means of political expression. @NeedleAndSkein, a yarn store in Minnesota, are helping to mobilise the craftivists of the world with a ‘Melt The Ice’ knitting pattern created by @Yarn_Cult (with a crochet pattern too), as a way of peaceful protest.
The proceeds from the $5 pattern will go to local immigrant aid organisations – or you can donate without buying the pattern.
Raise those needles, folks – art and craft can change the world. 🧶
Link in bio for the pattern.
Images: @Gather_Fiber @NeedleAndSkein @a2ina2 @KyraGiggles Sandi.204 @WhatTracyMakes AllieKnitsAway Auntabwi2
#MeltTheIce #Craftivism #Knitting #CraftForChange
TWO WEEKS TO GO! 🤩
"The most important shift is moving from volume-led buying to value-led curation – choosing fewer, better products with strong ethics, considered production and meaningful stories. Retailers have real influence here: what you buy signals what you stand for. At Life Instyle, this means using the event to discover and invest in small-scale, planet-considerate brands that align with your values and your customer’s conscience. Consumers don’t need more things; they need better things, and retailers play a key role in selecting, contextualising, and championing why those products matter."
Only two more weeks until @Life_Instyle – Australia`s leading boutique retail trade show. If you own a store, don`t miss this event! Connect with designers, source exquisite – and mindful – products, and see firsthand why this is Australia’s go-to trade show for creatives and retailers alike. And it`s free! ✨️
Life Instyle – Sydney/Eora Country
14-17 February 2026
ICC, Darling Harbour
Photos: @Samsette
#LifeInstyle #SustainableShopping #SustainableShop #RetailTradeEvent
Calling all sewists! 📞
Have you made the Peppermint Waratah Wrap Dress yet? Call *1800 I NEED THIS NOW to get making!
This gorgeous green number was modelled (and made) by the fabulous Lisa of @Tricky.Pockets 🙌🏼
If you need a nudge, @ePrintOnline are offering Peppermint sewists a huge 🌟 30% off ALL A0 printing 🌟 when you purchase the Special Release Waratah Wrap Dress pattern – how generous is that?!
Head to the link in bio now 📞
*Not a real number in case that wasn`t clear 😂
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8 Things to Know About January 26 - from @ClothingTheGaps:
Before you celebrate, take the time to learn the truth. January 26 is not a day of unity it’s a Day of Mourning and Survival for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
It marks the beginning of invasion, dispossession, and ongoing colonial violence. It’s time for truth-telling, not whitewashed history.
Stand in solidarity. Learn. Reflect. Act.
✊🏽 Blog written by Yorta Yorta woman Taneshia Atkinson.
🔗 Link in bio of @ClothingTheGaps to read the full blog
#ChangeTheDate #InvasionDay #SurvivalDay #AlwaysWasAlwaysWillBe #ClothingTheGaps
As the world careens towards AI seeping into our feeds, finds and even friend-zones, it`s becoming increasingly hard to ignore.
We just wanted to say that here at Peppermint, we are choosing to not print or publish AI-generated art, photos, words, videos or content.
Merriam-Webster’s human editors chose `slop` as the 2025 Word of the Year – they define it as “digital content of low quality that is produced usually in quantity by means of artificial intelligence.” The problem is, as AI increases in quality, it`s becoming more and more difficult to ascertain what`s real and what`s not.
Let`s be clear here, AI absolutely has its place in science, in climate modelling, in medical breakthroughs, in many places... but not in replacing the work of artists, writers and creatives.
Can we guarantee that everything we publish is AI-free? Honestly, not really. We know we are not using it to create content, but we are also relying on the artists, makers and contributors we work with, as well as our advertisers, to supply imagery, artwork or words created by humans. AI features are also creeping into programs and apps too, making it difficult to navigate. But we will do our best to avoid it and make a stand for the artists and creatives who have had their work stolen and used to train AI machines, and those who are now losing work as they are replaced by this energy-sapping, environment-destroying magic wand.
Could using it help our productivity and bottom line? Sure. And as a small business in a difficult landscape, that`s a hard one to turn down. We know other publishers who use AI to write stories, create recipes, produce photo shoots... but this one is important to us.
`Touch grass` was also a Merriam-Webster Word of the Year. We`ll happily stick with that as a theme, thanks very much. 🌿
