pickI don‘t often engage with horror stories because I don‘t have much of a stomach for them. This was a compelling read, though; it‘s as much an exploration of the day-to-day discomforts that haunt a marriage as it is an account of the purchase of a haunted house. It‘s truly frightening at times, though less so than, say, House of Leaves or I‘m Thinking of Ending Things. Readers are privy to first POV for both husband and wife- a great choice.
Currently reading. This pick was on the Chicago Review of Books Best of 2017 as compiled by Adam Morgan; he wrote: “My favorite haunted house novel since House of Leaves.” Though I have my issues with HoL, I was intrigued.
pickI finished this novel last night and thought it was exceptional. If you're looking for an unsettling deep character dive (maybe for a spooky October pick?) take this one for a spin. It's the story of a young woman (Eileen) written in first POV. You're right there with her in all her sharp, darkly funny, and grotesque glory as she journeys through the days leading up to her hasty departure from her hometown "X-Ville."
pickThis is a collection of vignettes about the satellite characters surrounding Lucy Barton (from Strout's novel "My Name is Lucy Barton"), which I haven't read. Some chapters resonate more deeply than others, and for varying reasons. 'Cracked' is truly disturbing (especially in the context of Weinstein's sexual assaults), while 'Mississippi Mary' is lighter and more traditionally charming than the others.
I'm so ready to start this novel for the monthly book club meeting at First Draft (a bar within a Phoenix independent bookseller, Changing Hands). I've wanted to read it for awhile now!
About halfway through this one for BookRiot's "2017 Read Harder" challenge. Task 1 for January is to "read a book about sports." I'm actually enjoying it a lot, which surprises me a bit because I'm not a football gal. But from a craft perspective, I appreciate Bachelder's deft handling of multiple POVs. In brief, it's about a group of middle-aged men who meet annually to recreate an infamously disastrous football play.
Happy Holidays, Litsy folk! This is my Christmas Eve pick- I'm starting it tonight. I've spotted it on a few "Best of 2016" lists; apparently the prose is very beautiful. Have y'all read this one? ???
pick2016 was a year of (largely) great reads for me. I've just finished the "The Lightkeepers," and knew from damn near page one that it was at the top of my list. It's the story of Miranda, mid-thirties nature photographer, who is perpetually mourning a great loss. She seeks solace on a hostile island off the coast of California, where the seasons are marked by different marine life. This story is filled with tragedy, mystery, and unyielding beauty.
pickI enjoyed learning more about The Tempest throughout this book. I thought that the parallels to the play were interesting and thoughtfully developed, though maybe a little clunky at times. The ending was a little too tidy for my taste- no consequences for "Prospero." That said, I appreciated the portrayal of a grieving man working to re-establish meaning in his life (with an eye toward vengeance) after his calling has been wrested away from him.
I've always been a sucker for M. Atwood's matter-of-fact writing style.
pickThis wasn't an easy book to put down. The characters were so well-drawn, it was impossible not to be fully immersed in their world (which was a painful experience most of the time, but awe-inspiring in its strength). I think the decision to make the railroad physical was fascinating, but for me it resulted in a partial neglect of the humanity behind the Underground Railroad - the steadfast devotion that many people had toward helping others.
In a book filled with powerful and heartrending passages, this section was for me one of those that elicited the most emotion...grief, shock, and other feelings very difficult to identify and process.
pickThis was definitely a pick for me! I learned a lot from this book- about adventure, romance, intuition, wild-ness, Nature, inner fortitude... and on a craft level, about writing a fantasy novel & about gradual, mindful character development. I was very moved by the protagonist Agnieszka's loyalty to her family, her friends, her home, and herself. She is unflinchingly true to her principles and her intuition as she endeavors to save her homeland.
"Uprooted" has been my camping companion in Moab, Utah ⛺️?
This book is so beautifully written, as evidenced by this lovely homage to that most scrumptious of beverages ☕️
Woohoo! It's here! Just in time for my 8 hour road trip to Arches National Park tomorrow 💕🚙🏞📚
pickThis is the story of a young woman who attempts to assert control over her circumstances by murdering men who try to overpower her and those she loves. As mentioned in a previous blurb, I loved the use of figurative language here. The heroine is sardonic and full of spark. I didn't love the parallels to Jane Eyre, though- I didn't understand their narrative purpose. Overall, though, it was an entertaining read with an engaging protagonist.
May or may not be reading between sets at LA Fitness 😏🤓 Nerd girl alert (...and proud of it!)
pickThis is a gorgeous read, and a noteworthy contribution to the magical realism canon. Peregrine, a writer and grade school teacher in San Francisco, is overtaken by an irrepressible writing streak as his city is subjected to day after day of torrential downpour. He submits bits and pieces of his latest work to a mysterious literary magazine and is subsequently accused of plagiarizing the family history of an irate woman whom he's never met before.
Every chapter of "Writing Fiction" has a few short stories at the end to illustrate the presented concepts. At the end of the chapter on "Characterization" is Tobias Wolff's short piece, "Bullet in the Brain." This is the first time I've read it, and damned if it isn't now one of my new favorites. Ever read it?
Writing characters/living life
I love the use of figurative language in this book! ?
Other favorites include:
"Aunt Patience had a very wide frog's visage with a ruddy complexion and lips like a seam in stone-masonry." ?
Can't quite remember how this one ended up on my TBR list, but I've started it today! 🙌🏼
bailedWell, I'm ashamed to admit that I ultimately had to remove this book from my TBR list without finishing it. There were portions of it that I thoroughly enjoyed, but ultimately the disjointed effect of multiple POVs and styles of narration threw me out of the text. I appreciated the masterful use of suspense and horror, though.
pickThis book was chosen as the September read for the First Draft book club in Tempe, Arizona. As an epistolary novel, the plot unfolds through a series of diary entries and letters penned by Colonel Allen Forrester and his wife, Sophie Forrester, both of whom are on individual odysseys to find the titular "bright edge". Sophie attempts to come to terms with great loss, while Allen endeavors to survive the beautiful and menacing Alaskan wilderness.
I've been meaning to read this book for years! I've finally picked it up from the Tempe library. So far it's been a little unsettling reading it alone at home, though! 😳
A reminder for difficult times- without darkness, we can't fully appreciate the light. (Quote: Ivey, 201)
Hopefully this wild, goose-desire will settle someday
Discerning meaning from Fitzgerald's use of specific and intentional punctuation...so interesting! 🔎
I'm anxious to start recreationally writing more often, both for the joy of developing a writing practice and also in an effort to become a better reader! This book was a staff pick at Changing Hands and was recommended because it helped the bookseller improve in both areas. Have you found a book that's helped to strengthen your writing and/or reading practices? I particularly loved Anne Lamott's "Bird by Bird" #writestuffreadstuff
Earlier in this passage, the character Sophie is writing about bats in her diary. She concludes with..."We catch only glimpses, a burst of movement, a flap of wings, yet it is life itself beating at shadow's edge. It is the unfolding of potential; all of what we might experience and see and learn awaits us." (Ivey, 41) This book is filled with gripping testaments to the characters' sense of wonder- it's lovely.
Earlier in this passage, the character Sophie is writing about bats in her diary. She concludes with..."We catch only glimpses, a burst of movement, a flap of wings, yet it is life itself beating at shadow's edge. It is the unfolding of potential; all of what we might experience and see and learn awaits us." (Ivey, 41) This book is filled with gripping testaments to the characters' sense of wonder- it's lovely.
About to begin this novel for a monthly book club at "Changing Hands", one of the local booksellers in the Phoenix area. One of the locations has a bar attached, cleverly named "First Draft", where the monthly meetings are held. I haven't attended a meeting yet and am really excited to finally make it to one. This novel is set in Alaska and follows Colonel Allen Forrester as he guides a contingent of men on a journey through the wilderness ??
