Bookwormish, 4th quarter of 2018

[starfishstar]

A separate post about my entire year's worth of reading is coming soon, but first, here's that thing where I tell you my favorites from just this quarter year:


VERY TOP BOOK:

We Were Eight Years in Power: An American Tragedy by Ta-Nehisi Coates – It’s rare that I’m able to pick just one favorite out of a whole quarter year’s reading, but this is a book I’ve found myself recommending at every turn, so it deserves that honor. I think Ta-Nehisi Coates is one of our most brilliant current thinkers, and this book took me terrifyingly deep into the history and present of American racism. I feel like this book rewired my brain.


MORE TOP BOOKS: 

The Best We Could Do by Thi Bui – A truly excellent and moving memoir that interweaves the author’s experiences as a child immigrant in the US, with her parents’ wartime experiences in Vietnam, all seen through the prism of the author’s own shifting perspectives now that she’s a parent of her own child.

The Memory of Light by Francisco X. Stork – In recent months I’ve hit on some really fantastic examples of just how much the YA genre has to offer in powerful, empathetic examinations of mental health/illness… This is a beautiful portrait of a depressed teenager figuring out how to find meaning in life again.

Exit West by Mohsin Hamid – A reread; yup, still brilliant.

We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson – Also a reread; also still brilliant.

Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf – I don’t really know how to describe Virginia Woolf, since she’s so famously and obviously brilliant. I’m still trying to catch up on her canon.
 

EVEN MORE GOOD BOOKS:

The Dream Thieves by Maggie Stiefvater – I know I said I didn’t get all that into the first book of the series, but I’m invested now! This one’s a fascinating portrayal of masculinity in many forms.

Call Me By Your Name by André Aciman – Yes…I read this a second time within the same half year. Admittedly, the reread was for fic-writing canon-review purposes, but it’s still gorgeous! (Also, Aciman says “there is a happy ending at the end of the book itself except nobody sees it,” so I had to come back and check that out for myself…)

Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik – Overall I might actually prefer the short story version (which Novik later expanded into this novel), because it’s such a satisfyingly self-contained story arc. But in the novel she expanded this world in interesting ways, and gave us three strong heroines instead of one, and also made the main character’s Judaism even more overt and visible, which I appreciated. There’s a lovely scene of the whole family dancing the hora at a wedding, while strange plot-advancing fairy winter magic is happening, too.

Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier ­– Another classic I read when I was too young to retain much more from it than a striking image or two; this really is wonderfully gothic and creepy.

A Doll’s House by Henrik Ibsen – Another classic! I’ve still somehow never seen it performed, but at least I’ve read it now.

American Street by Ibi Zoboi – A story that unfolded in ways I didn’t expect, about a Haitian girl who comes to live with her American cousins, and finds the American dream not nearly as she expected.

Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman – At first this reads like just another amusing portrayal of a character with a quirky POV, but as you get deeper and deeper into Eleanor’s life, you develop such empathy for the incredible ways she’s survived. Reminded me in some ways of Ginny Moon.

Front Desk by Kelly Yang – A middle-grade novel that manages to be a feel-good story while also tackling tough topics of racism, immigration and poverty, and had me in tears at the heroine’s slightly improbable but highly deserved happy ending.

This Book Betrays My Brother by Kagiso Lesego Molope – I picked this up from a display shelf in the library on a whim, and I was impressed. Set in newly-post-apartheid South Africa, a girl witnesses her beloved, golden-boy brother do something terrible, and has to decide where her loyalties lie.

Well Wished by Franny Billingsley – Not as intricate as her other books (which are masterpieces!) but it’s neat to see how in this, her first novel, Billingsley’s themes and her playful way with language were already emerging. I am so sad that this amazing author has only written three novels!

Tash Hearts Tolstoy by Kathryn Ormsbee – A sweet portrayal of an asexual teen, with some fun fannish stuff, too.

Moxie by Jennifer Mathieu – A present-day teen gets inspired to fight sexism at her high school, by looking to her mom’s Riot Grrrl past. And yes, the thought that Riot Grrrls now count as the parent generation blows my mind.


HONORABLE MENTIONS:

Beauty and the Beast: Classic Tales About Animal Brides and Grooms from Around the World edited by Maria Tatar – As part of my slow but ongoing research to inform myself about folklore I hope to eventually incorporate into my own writing… I was hoping for more analysis and explication, which is mostly only in the introduction (the rest of the book is simply retellings of various tales) but it was still neat to see so many stories that play out similar themes, from all over the world.

Lethal White by Robert Galbraith (J. K. Rowling) – This one just didn’t grab me as much as the previous offerings in the series, but there’s no doubt JKR still knows how to write a narrative that keeps you turning pages. (And how to keep the reader hooked on the two leads’ UST!) FWIW, my ranking of the series stands at:
1, for its complexity and commitment to centering the survivor’s perspective: the third book, Career of Evil
2, for the same reason, the commitment to giving a voice back to the victim at the center of the mystery: the first book, The Cuckoo’s Calling
Tied for 3? I think? The Silkworm and Lethal White, both a bit forgettable and messy plot-wise
(But again, it’s not like I could ever not read this series.)

Watson and Holmes: A Study in Black by Karl Bollers, Rick Leonardi and Larry Stroman – I found the plot at times overly convoluted, more action movie/spy thriller than mystery, but I enjoyed the characters and their backstory, and I am definitely here for this Harlem update of Holmes and Watson!

Island of the Mad by Laurie R. King – I just have not been able to recapture the love I once harbored for this series, which makes it hard to look at it objectively. But this is actually a strong entry in the series, with a lot of sympathy for the queer and otherwise not-quite-society-conforming characters it visits in flapper-era Venice.


And I want to give one of my periodic shout-outs to some great short stories I’ve read recently, which can get lost in the shuffle when I only make note of the books:

 • “Help Me Follow My Sister into the Land of the Dead” by Carmen Maria Machado ­– She’s so brilliant, read everything by her, seriously.

• “Solitude” by Ursula K. Le Guin – I admire Le Guin and want so much to enjoy her work, but I’ve had trouble finding something I really loved…until now! This story is fantastic, so well thought out.

• “As Good As New” by Charlie Jane Anders – A very clever take on how one person can avert the apocalypse.

• “The Thing in the Walls Wants Your Small Change” by Virginia M. Mohlere – So charming and sweet!

• I’ve also been reading incredibly moving short works from a recs list I found of graphic novels about present-day refugee experiences. For example, Sea Prayer by Khaled Hosseini and Zenobia by Morten Dürr and Lars Horneman.

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Comments

[gracerene]

Agreed on Lethal White, and exciting that you're getting invested in The Raven Cycle! I loved that series. :D

[nerakrose]

You know, I'm always quietly impressed by the wide range and variety in your reading (and I guess now nor so quietly)! I've been eyeing 8 years in power for a while and you just may have convinced me to pick it up.