Imagine a world where men and women, well educated with Master's degrees and PhDs, choose to reject the high stress, consumerist corporate world in favour of tending to kith and kin. Imagine houses with gardens overflowing with fruits and vegetables, a small chicken coop in the backyard and pantries and cupboards bursting with homemade goods. For Shannon Hayes, author of Radical Homemakers: Reclaiming Domesticity from a Consumer Culture this world is a hard fought reality.

Growing up in a decidedly conventional family, when I came across One Big Happy Family, a collection of essays on family and love, my interest was immediately peaked.

If you have ever lived in a big city, then you have most likely experienced being bombarded with leaflets by a passionate activist while walking down the street. How many times have you dismissed these activists as extremists or radicals with slogans? There is no denying that our world is in need of change, however the passion of an activist may not easily translate to the masses, making it potentially impossible to affect change. In their rush to sway the world to their cause, a person's passion may eclipse the clarity and intelligence required in communicating the importance of a cause.

It is increasingly difficult to find fiction for young girls which does not promote a material lifestyle, such as getting the latest designer bag or the newest beauty product to help your lips look plumper and eyes look bigger. In a world dominated by waif-like women and the need for more, more, more, Cleavage: Breakaway Fiction for Real Girls is a refreshing compilation of 15 new short stories. Each story revolves on strong, young females who yearn to break away from the arbitrary beauty ideals imposed upon them. Cleavage tackles a variety of topics, from love and sex, to body image and even discovering that your mother is completely waxed bare 'down there.'