October Reads
Nov. 1st, 2023 11:22 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
royalblue31October was a good reading month. I'd initially wanted to do an all-horror-and-horroresque theme to celebrate the season, but as the month went on, I ended up veering off into poetry and nostalgia.
Here are the eight books I read: Children of Paradise by Camilla Grudova; My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite; Life of the Party by Olivia Gatwood; Step by Wicked Step by Anne Fine; Dream Work by Mary Oliver; Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia; The Tulip Touch by Anne Fine; and Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood by Trevor Noah.
Children of Paradise by Camilla Grudova
Children of Paradise is a horror novel about the employees of The Paradise, their unnamed city's oldest cinema. Narrator Holly is the latest addition to the crew, and as she slowly finds her place in their family of misfits, she also finds her place in Paradise. Paradise is definitely haunted, and overall the book is littered with the eery and unknown. There are three specific horror sequences that I don't think I'll ever forget about, so this was a satisfyingly creepy read. It was impressively picturesque for such a short novel.
My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite
I've been trying to read this book for almost an entire year now, so I was very pleased to finally get my hands on a copy. It's pretty much what it says on the tin: main character Korede's sister is, indeed, a serial killer. I really enjoyed this book. The chapters were short but thematic, and the story jumped around a little between the linear plot and "character" chapters dedicated to understanding Korede and her sister Ayoola. I liked that Ayoola wasn't a two-dimensional just-for-kicks kind of serial killer. I liked the ending. A fun read all around.
Life of the Party by Olivia Gatwood
Life of the Party is a collection of poems. I'm trying my best to start reading more poetry, and honestly, I can't remember why I decided to start with this collection, but I did. (Was it the cover? Because that it is a beautiful cover.) Learning to read and appreciate poetry is like learning to dance in that I don't know how to, but I want to, and that I sort of can tell when it's good even if I don't know what makes it good. I want to learn even if I feel awkward in the process. Goodreads describes Life of the Party as "a dazzling debut collection of raw and explosive poems about growing up in a sexist, sensationalized world." That seems just about right.
Step by Wicked Step by Anne Fine
This is where nostalgia struck. Back when I was in elementary school, we would have one library period a week where we would get to go to this small room with all these grade-appropriate books, and then by the end of the period we were required to check out one book. Step by Wicked Step wasn't my first Anne Fine, that would be The Tulip Touch (see below), but from then on I think I must have spent the entire year cycling through all the different Anne Fine books we had in that library room. Eventually, before moving, I had to go 'round the different secondhand bookstores in my city, hoping to find copies that I could bring with me on the move. I did manage quite a few. Sadly, I lost a bunch of them after a termite incident (No, I am still not over Book Plague 2022). Anyway—onto the book. My few choice words reading it now, as an "adult": this is the breakfast club for middle schoolers, and hey, look at this collection of short stories hiding behind a campfire storytelling session. The Step in the title refers to Step-parents and step-siblings, since our roster of characters who, under ordinary circumstances would never be caught hanging out together, collide after strangely being grouped together on a school trip. Turns out, they have more in common than they think. I think what I really appreciate about Anne Fine's works is that she never demonizes any of the parties involved. Everyone comes off well-rounded and complex, and the idea that this is geared towards middle graders and can be so incredibly compassionate about what it takes to be human and feel human emotions and have human experiences never ceases to amaze me.
Dream Work by Mary Oliver
Reading Mary Oliver is humbling, in that she is spectacularly talented and writes beautifully, and reading her makes me feel like an idiot. But I love it. I'm a masochist that way. I'm slowly paving my way through everything she's written, so there'll be a lot of Mary Oliver in the coming months. I am also currently reading A Poetry Handbook: A Prose Guide to Understanding and Writing Poetry. It is so insightful and again I feel very, very dumb, but also very, very fortunate to be able to read this.
I leave you three excerpts from A Poetry Handbook:
Shots fire, Ms Oliver. Shots fired.
Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
This is not the first time I've tried reading this book. It got better as it went on. As a horror novel, it kinda dips its fingers into creepy, but never goes full out. At times, it was more like a mystery, a puzzle the main character is trying to solve. But Noemi Tabada is spunky and charming, and I enjoyed following her around. I liked the ending!
The Tulip Touch by Anne Fine
The book that started it all. Decades later this book still captivates me. Interestingly enough, there's a bit of an argument about how based on its subject matter no one should categorize The Tulip Touch as a children's book. It's too dark, too gritty, too real, too sad. Essentially, new girl Natalie moves into a new town when she's young, and, like young people do, immediately offers her hand in friendship to first other child she meets. Enter Tulip, whose upbringing and environment couldn't be anymore different from Natalie's. At first, Natalie finds her alluring, but as the years go by and Tulip grows more and more destructive and abusive, Natalie wants to pull away. I highly recommend this book.
Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood by Trevor Noah
I tried reading this before and never made it past the first chapter. Coming back to it now, I wonder why that was. This book is great! I was a fan of Trevor Noah's Netflix specials, but there are times when I read this book and wonder: Oh, wow, is this the same guy? Because it's almost like looking at the other side of the moon. There's a lot of crime in this book, in many shapes and forms, and there's a lot of heart, too. You really feel the love and respect Trevor has for his mother. Really, this book is about the both of them. I kept thinking: Gilmore Girls, but it's Trevor and Patricia.
Here are the eight books I read: Children of Paradise by Camilla Grudova; My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite; Life of the Party by Olivia Gatwood; Step by Wicked Step by Anne Fine; Dream Work by Mary Oliver; Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia; The Tulip Touch by Anne Fine; and Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood by Trevor Noah.
Children of Paradise by Camilla Grudova
Children of Paradise is a horror novel about the employees of The Paradise, their unnamed city's oldest cinema. Narrator Holly is the latest addition to the crew, and as she slowly finds her place in their family of misfits, she also finds her place in Paradise. Paradise is definitely haunted, and overall the book is littered with the eery and unknown. There are three specific horror sequences that I don't think I'll ever forget about, so this was a satisfyingly creepy read. It was impressively picturesque for such a short novel.
My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite
I've been trying to read this book for almost an entire year now, so I was very pleased to finally get my hands on a copy. It's pretty much what it says on the tin: main character Korede's sister is, indeed, a serial killer. I really enjoyed this book. The chapters were short but thematic, and the story jumped around a little between the linear plot and "character" chapters dedicated to understanding Korede and her sister Ayoola. I liked that Ayoola wasn't a two-dimensional just-for-kicks kind of serial killer. I liked the ending. A fun read all around.
Life of the Party by Olivia Gatwood
Life of the Party is a collection of poems. I'm trying my best to start reading more poetry, and honestly, I can't remember why I decided to start with this collection, but I did. (Was it the cover? Because that it is a beautiful cover.) Learning to read and appreciate poetry is like learning to dance in that I don't know how to, but I want to, and that I sort of can tell when it's good even if I don't know what makes it good. I want to learn even if I feel awkward in the process. Goodreads describes Life of the Party as "a dazzling debut collection of raw and explosive poems about growing up in a sexist, sensationalized world." That seems just about right.
Step by Wicked Step by Anne Fine
This is where nostalgia struck. Back when I was in elementary school, we would have one library period a week where we would get to go to this small room with all these grade-appropriate books, and then by the end of the period we were required to check out one book. Step by Wicked Step wasn't my first Anne Fine, that would be The Tulip Touch (see below), but from then on I think I must have spent the entire year cycling through all the different Anne Fine books we had in that library room. Eventually, before moving, I had to go 'round the different secondhand bookstores in my city, hoping to find copies that I could bring with me on the move. I did manage quite a few. Sadly, I lost a bunch of them after a termite incident (No, I am still not over Book Plague 2022). Anyway—onto the book. My few choice words reading it now, as an "adult": this is the breakfast club for middle schoolers, and hey, look at this collection of short stories hiding behind a campfire storytelling session. The Step in the title refers to Step-parents and step-siblings, since our roster of characters who, under ordinary circumstances would never be caught hanging out together, collide after strangely being grouped together on a school trip. Turns out, they have more in common than they think. I think what I really appreciate about Anne Fine's works is that she never demonizes any of the parties involved. Everyone comes off well-rounded and complex, and the idea that this is geared towards middle graders and can be so incredibly compassionate about what it takes to be human and feel human emotions and have human experiences never ceases to amaze me.
Dream Work by Mary Oliver
Reading Mary Oliver is humbling, in that she is spectacularly talented and writes beautifully, and reading her makes me feel like an idiot. But I love it. I'm a masochist that way. I'm slowly paving my way through everything she's written, so there'll be a lot of Mary Oliver in the coming months. I am also currently reading A Poetry Handbook: A Prose Guide to Understanding and Writing Poetry. It is so insightful and again I feel very, very dumb, but also very, very fortunate to be able to read this.
I leave you three excerpts from A Poetry Handbook:
Remember also that there is more poetry being written and published these days than anyone could possibly keep up with. Students who consider it necessary to keep abreast of current publications will never have time to become acquainted with the voices of the past.
But perhaps you would argue that, since you want to be a contemporary poet, you do not want to be too much under the influence of what is old...It is an error. The truly contemporary creative force is something that is built out of the past, but with a difference.
Most of what calls itself contemporary is built, whether it knows it or not, out of a desire to be liked.
Shots fire, Ms Oliver. Shots fired.
Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
This is not the first time I've tried reading this book. It got better as it went on. As a horror novel, it kinda dips its fingers into creepy, but never goes full out. At times, it was more like a mystery, a puzzle the main character is trying to solve. But Noemi Tabada is spunky and charming, and I enjoyed following her around. I liked the ending!
The Tulip Touch by Anne Fine
The book that started it all. Decades later this book still captivates me. Interestingly enough, there's a bit of an argument about how based on its subject matter no one should categorize The Tulip Touch as a children's book. It's too dark, too gritty, too real, too sad. Essentially, new girl Natalie moves into a new town when she's young, and, like young people do, immediately offers her hand in friendship to first other child she meets. Enter Tulip, whose upbringing and environment couldn't be anymore different from Natalie's. At first, Natalie finds her alluring, but as the years go by and Tulip grows more and more destructive and abusive, Natalie wants to pull away. I highly recommend this book.
Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood by Trevor Noah
I tried reading this before and never made it past the first chapter. Coming back to it now, I wonder why that was. This book is great! I was a fan of Trevor Noah's Netflix specials, but there are times when I read this book and wonder: Oh, wow, is this the same guy? Because it's almost like looking at the other side of the moon. There's a lot of crime in this book, in many shapes and forms, and there's a lot of heart, too. You really feel the love and respect Trevor has for his mother. Really, this book is about the both of them. I kept thinking: Gilmore Girls, but it's Trevor and Patricia.
