Not on purpose, I've taken such a huge break from reading short fiction, a format I'm otherwise very attached to reading and writing. And THIS. Was thNot on purpose, I've taken such a huge break from reading short fiction, a format I'm otherwise very attached to reading and writing. And THIS. Was the perfect way to return to it. Billy-Ray Belcourt can just WRITE the hell out of anything, and while there's a quietness and a normalcy to these stories, they carry an emotional and philosophical punch that resonates with our conceptions of love and family through the lens of indigenous life under colonialism. I'm not a re-reader, but this begs to be read again with fancy annotation supplies at the ready.
No notes! If you read one story collection this year, it needs to be this....more
I'd kind of ignored this being allllll over literary/horror BookTok, as folklore horror (or horror in general) isn't really my thing. And admittedly dI'd kind of ignored this being allllll over literary/horror BookTok, as folklore horror (or horror in general) isn't really my thing. And admittedly didn't know what to expect when going into this. It is a really strong debut. Multiple POV novel in which a mother carves out her dead child's lung and it grows into a monster-human-thing that accompanies the cast in their grief, with discovery and queerness and perception of the body eventually moving to the front row. It wasn't as much about grief as I expected, which I maybe liked, but that created an emotional distance I was unsure about. The separate POVs are strong on their own and still create an impressive whole....more
Hell yes to the visibility of annoying messy women in their forties, going through their shit with no direction, perimenopausal af, still rockin' theiHell yes to the visibility of annoying messy women in their forties, going through their shit with no direction, perimenopausal af, still rockin' their shit and being disgusting and going after younger mediocre white men to further their own main character-ness, the protag is familiar and not, relatable and also WTF she sends nudes to her friend group chat?! It's weird, but let's not dwell on that! Let's also not dwell too much on the suburban white woman-ness because I otherwise enjoyed it and appreciate it existing as a coming-of-middle-age novel, as yet another of a growing collection of books that asks, I got the house, husband and kids, where tf do I go from here?...more
I've followed Villarreal's work as a poet for a while and was excited she'd written a memoir. Structurally, this reminds me a lot of White Magic by ElI've followed Villarreal's work as a poet for a while and was excited she'd written a memoir. Structurally, this reminds me a lot of White Magic by Elissa Washuta and Creep by Myriam Gurba, which are both excellent non-linear accounts that combine memoir, cultural criticism, histories of race, and pop culture. Did this one on audio and it did not disappoint....more
This is suuuuuuch a good meditation on vulnerability and the idea that self discovery, change, and growth sometimes requires a change in the love we hThis is suuuuuuch a good meditation on vulnerability and the idea that self discovery, change, and growth sometimes requires a change in the love we have for each other. Love can still be there after change and it can be different, and that can be okay....more
Disclaimer here, I listened to this on audio, which probably greatly affected my enjoyment. Though I don't know in which direction, haha. I'm3.5 stars
Disclaimer here, I listened to this on audio, which probably greatly affected my enjoyment. Though I don't know in which direction, haha. I'm just admittedly terrible at "being read to" and am trying to improve my focus for audiobooks. Yerba Buena is a cool little queer, adult-coming-of-age novel that I suspect audiobook lovers would enjoy, for all its sensory details hinging on food, cocktails, flower arrangements, and the yerba buena plant. It is a multi-character story that bounces around a bit, albeit in a mostly chronological way, following Sara and Emilie as they navigate existence together while also trying to reconcile with their pasts.
The structural balance felt off, to me. I definitely enjoyed some segments more than others. The story of Sara and Grant, even though I wanted to shake Grant...hard, was very readable, whereas other parts of the narrative felt more bogged down in details. Again, maybe this would have been a better experience for me as a print book. But it was hard at times to figure out what the book wanted me to focus on - Sara and Emilie or their pasts. Coming-of-age is messy like that, though.
When you cut a hole into my skull Do you hate what you see? Like I do
boygenius "Souvenir"
Pretty sold on this by the end, but man I wish I'd flipped to tWhen you cut a hole into my skull Do you hate what you see? Like I do
boygenius "Souvenir"
Pretty sold on this by the end, but man I wish I'd flipped to the Acknowledgements pages first, where, coincidently, Austin revealed the book's protag was inspired by a song I recently had on repeat for a week straight (brb, spending another week unpacking that).
This one's for my anxiety and non-neurotypical girlies. Enid is a fascinating character. She fears bald men, is obsessed with true crime podcasts, is deaf in one ear, uses dating apps to meet women, and is deeply paranoid that someone is following/watching her. She's kind of no one and everyone, irritating in her lack of social cues but also stressfully relatable. A lot of the time she is verrrrry, like so many, in her own head about things.
"I spent a lot of time growing up trying to seem normal. Sometimes I worry I neglected doing the internal work most people do while they're developing. I was too preoccupied camouflaging. I think I might be stunted because of it. I think I missed a step."
The masking is so real. The challenges of disability in everyday life (she often gets into minor altercations with strangers in public perceiving her as rude because she doesn't hear them saying, "Excuse me!") are so real. She fantasizes about having a single interaction with each person in her life and never seeing them again. She re-watches videos from her old YouTube channel and sometimes doesn't recognize herself (I found this wild, btw, and have been thinking a lot about how it would affect the self to regularly view one's old footage - something us pre-internet homies don't have experience with).
Last third of the book was the most engaging, imo, propelling towards discovery of the source of Enid's anxiety and maybe dissecting what it really means to be a terrible person, or what it means if you are one....more
Enjoyed this memoir-in-verse as much as I liked 100 Boyfriends. The format works well; I often think the mistake memoir writers make is thinking they Enjoyed this memoir-in-verse as much as I liked 100 Boyfriends. The format works well; I often think the mistake memoir writers make is thinking they need 250 pages of prose to tell their stories. Purnell is sharp and funny and smart and a badass storyteller....more
Admittedly biased because I have loved Kaveh Akbar for so long, he is one of my favorite poets that I've followed from his chapbook and Divedapper dayAdmittedly biased because I have loved Kaveh Akbar for so long, he is one of my favorite poets that I've followed from his chapbook and Divedapper days, I've been waiting for this novel for so long and might have *actually* screamed when I spotted the ARC of this nonchalantly sitting in the corner, AS THOUGH WAITING JUST FOR ME *CUE DRAMATIC INTERLUDE OF DESTINY*
Akbar's prose isn't poetic, the way say Ocean Vuong's prose is, but it has a strong impact on a story that is somehow both structured and meandering. I appreciated the inclusion of the real-life tragedy of Iranian Flight 655, a civilian aircraft that was shot down by U.S. air missiles in 1988. I suspect not a lot of people know about it, so the inclusion feels important. It's a book about mental health and addiction that somehow isn't depressing, just an examination of a search for meaning in life and, perhaps more importantly, in death. It's an ambitious novel that isn't perfect, and not everything it sets out to do works, but I truly enjoyed it for that ambition and as a great start to Akbar's hopefully ongoing prose career....more
My memoir kick continues. This was really good! A coming-of-age story about realizing one's queerness, coming out to others, and dating, Lamy4.5 stars
My memoir kick continues. This was really good! A coming-of-age story about realizing one's queerness, coming out to others, and dating, Lamya's story is honest and hopeful. Growing up in the Middle East and immigrating to the U.S. as an adult, we're also on this journey through a queer lens on the Quran, which Lamya is deeply invested in studying.
I didn't find the writing super engaging, but was still interested in Lamya's stories, about how hard and complicated it really is to come out, as well as how frustrating it is to hide her sexuality from her traditional Muslim family. So often, people who live in the margins have to toe the line between traditional communities they're raised in and found family that is more accepting, and Lamya does so without turning her back on one or the other. Her essay on dating includes analysis of a number of (non-)dates she goes on with straight women, there being less at stake when the prospect of an actual romantic relationship isn't on the table. Lamya doesn't have all the answers, but her self-perception seems honest and accurate....more
Loved the vibes. Madievsky's interview for the Otherppl Podcast gave a lot of insight, was interested to learn she is not at all like her main charactLoved the vibes. Madievsky's interview for the Otherppl Podcast gave a lot of insight, was interested to learn she is not at all like her main character, and that she took influence from Denis Johnson for the novel....more
Really good graphic novel that covers a lot of ground - anatomy development, social-emotional aspects of sex and relationships, gender and body differReally good graphic novel that covers a lot of ground - anatomy development, social-emotional aspects of sex and relationships, gender and body differences, consent, etc. Very inclusive, interactive, quick read. It feels more geared toward teens than elementary kids (the characters use slang and internet speak that is obviously meant to appeal to teens and that I'm fairly sure my 11yo wouldn't understand; also, the word "sex" is used a lot in the book before an actual definition is included, indicating this is probably more for kids who already have some idea of what sex is), so I wouldn't use it as a kid's first introduction to sex, growth, and development. But definitely a book I'll supplement with in the teen years....more
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