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No Straight Lines

Title: No Straight Lines: Four Decades of Queer Comics Editor: Justin Hall Pages: 312 Comic

Finished: December 29, 2018 Total Pages YTD: 8737

Should I read this?

A wonderful, broad look at queer comics and queer history. The collection is varied over many identities and provides such a variety of perspectives.

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Fluke

Title: Fluke: Or, I know why the winged whale sings Author: Christopher Moore Pages: 336 Satire

Finished: December 26, 2018 Total Pages YTD: 8425

Should I read this?

"Fluke" is Moore at his best--strange and funny and thoughtful, with interesting characters and a driving plot that always makes you want to know what's going to happen next. I would have given it five stars except for the one page of unprompted and then unaddressed anti-Chinese sentiment inserted about 2/3 of the way through the book.

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Annihilation

Title: Annihilation Author: Jeff Vandermeer Pages: 208 Speculative Fiction

Finished: December 21, 2018 Total Pages YTD: 8089

Should I read this? This book was pitched to me as similar to the Tarkovsky movie "Stalker" and I would agree. "Stalker" plus "Alien: Covenant" plus a more religiously philosophical PKD movie. I enjoyed it immensely, and read it all in one day, which probably heightened the book's affect. VanderMeer creates an incredible atmosphere, using a limited, unreliable narrator who is fully aware of how unreliable she is. The descriptions of the uncanny Area X and the beings there are PKD and King at their Lovecraftian best. I will be reading the rest of the Southern Reach trilogy

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Secondhand Souls

Title: Secondhand Souls Author: Christopher Moore Pages: 335 Satire

Finished: December 20, 2018 Total Pages YTD: 7881

Should I read this?

I enjoyed this book more than the first in the series ("A Dirty Job"), and found that the introduction and time spent with more characters other than Charlie Asher helped in large part. Much like Faust in "Faust Part 2," Charlie seems to start "Secondhand Souls" back earlier along his character growth track, though he catches up rather quickly. The plot was again very enjoyable and took a different route from the first book, which kept everything in that realm fresh. Moore is an absurdist, and as part of his writing style uses caricatures to create his absurdism. This can work well, in the case of Minty Fresh, where the character is, at first pass, utterly ridiculous, but who turns out to be full and round and aware to some extent of his own ridiculousness. Minty is fully-realized enough that his character doesn't become a racist caricature, and in text (in both books) calls out Charlie when he treads a line he shouldn't. Unfortunately, there are other characters who don't fare as well--Mrs. Ling is the most glaring examples, and I failed to mention her in my review of "A Dirty Job" because I hadn't decided yet if I was failing to extend the cover of satire and absurdism far enough. But despite the fact that her role is a positive one, she is not a character round or aware enough to be more than an caricature of anti-Asian stereotypes, and one whom the other character and narration don't see as problematic in the way Minty does when Charlie oversteps.

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A Dirty Job

Title: A Dirty Job Author: Christopher Moore Pages: 387 Satire

Finished: December 18, 2018 Total Pages YTD: 7546

Should I read this?

The plot of the book--the philosophical and metaphysical ideas within--are fabulous, absolutely in line with Moore's best works. Unfortunately, given the current political climate (and especially the internet climate and the rise of the toxic Red Pill and PUA adherents) a good portion of the narrative color has not aged well. This isn't an *old* book, but it's old enough that what may have been funny references to Beta Male mentality in 2006 are disconcerting and off-putting in a 2018 read. Again, the plot is amazing and I will read the sequel, but there were continual moments of uncomfortable cringes in narrative description throughout.

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Universal Harvester

Title: Universal Harvester Author: John Darnielle Pages: 214 Thriller

Finished: December 13, 2018 Total Pages YTD: 7159

Should I read this?

This book was described to me as perfectly encapsulating Midwestern Gothic, and I think that's right, and maybe the only way to describe it. Throughout the book, the reader feels what the characters do--the same sense of desire to know and fearfulness, almost a queasiness. The narrator is unreliable, but you know them by the end, and the ending is like a friendship that you had a long time ago, a friend you don't talk to anymore, but remember fondly and wonder about sometimes.

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Queer

Title: Queer: A Graphic HIstory Author: Meg-John Barker & Julia Scheele Pages: 176 Nonfiction - Graphic Novel

Finished: December 11 2018 Total Pages YTD: 6945

Should I read this?

Yes--if you have any interest in queer theory but find more academic approaches inaccessible, this is a great primer/overview of the idea of “queerness” and how it has grown in feminism, queer theory, and many other academic segments, as well as how it can be practically applied in real life. It includes a lot of references to academic authors, activists, and popular culture, as well as resources for deeper dives into any of the many specific topics summarized within.

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Demon

Title: Demon Author: Kristina Douglas Pages: 389 Supernatural Romance

Finished: December 9, 2018 Total Pages YTD: 6769

Should I read this?

cw rape, dubious consent, abuse, torture

Mmmmmmaybe. I’m actually a big fan of the world building that Douglas has done in this universe, with the fallen angels, nephilim, and Uriel/Heaven in particular. That kind of stuff is my jam and I’m into the overarching plot she’s created from Raziel and into Demon. I’m pretty sure I”m going to read Michael.

However. While Raziel had some of the ‘reluctant heroine + emotionally stunted hero’ trope, Demon...has a frightened, semi-amnesiac heroine and a male counterpart who is not only emotionally stunted, but who actively loathes and despises her or 5/6ths of the book, confused by his lust for her, and blaming in it on her demonic past (spoilers, she’s Lilith, but she actively doesn’t know or remember that and honestly, even if she did, the way Azazel treats her is cruel at best and abusive at worst). The Lilith myth is, perhaps surprisingly, overall treated very kindly, but the detail of her being repeatedly raped by demonic monsters is kept in (mention a few times, not described too explicitly).

I’ll be honest, this was a bit of a difficult read. I stuck with it mostly for the overarching plot, which isn’t something I say about most romance novels, but the ‘romance’ in this novel is...not good. The sex is written well--I believe Douglas is overall a good writer--but the romance doesn’t exist and the relationship is both not believable and abusive..

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Why I Killed Peter

Title: Why I Killed Peter Author: Olivier KA Pages: 112 Graphic Novel / Memoir

Finished: December 8, 2018 Total Pages YTD: 6380

Should I read this?

Yes, but tw for csa. This book is a purging memoir to help the author heal, and it really puts you in the place of the author, who was the victim of sexual assault by a priest when he was young. It lays out exactly why it happened, what ideas led to all parts of the event, and how it affected the author throughout his life. The art reflects the mood so well and it’s a very moving story

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Trigger Warning

Title: Trigger Warning Author: Neil Gaiman Pages: 310 Short Stories

Finished: December 4, 2018 Total Pages YTD: 6268

Should I read this?

No, probably not. I do like Neil Gaiman, and in general love him as a writer, but this collection was weak in my opinion. There were a few gems in there--”Click Clack the Rattlebag” and the last story, which takes place in the American Gods universe, but overall I wouldn’t spend the time. If you do decide to read it, I’d recommend skipping the introduction. Gaiman comes close to understanding what trigger warnings are, but takes a swerve before actually getting the point and ends up being incredibly dismissive and patronizing.

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Shiver

Title: Shiver Author: Junji Ito Pages: 393 Short Stories / Horror Manga

Finished: November 18, 2018 Total Pages YTD: 5958

Should I read this?

If you like Junji Ito’s other works, this one is an interesting collection. The stories are from a range of times and with a range of focuses, and include interesting writer’s notes after each one, which lets you get into Junji Ito’s process a little bit. Some of the stories really worked for me (the eternal dream and the blimps in particular) while others not so much.

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Her Body and Other Parties

Title: Her Body and Other Parties Author: Carmen Maria Machado Pages: 254 Short Stories / Horror

Finished: November 16, 2018 Total Pages YTD: 5565

Favorite Quote:

“ I keep thinking I can see the virus blooming on the horizon like a sunrise. I realize the world will continue to turn, even with no people on it. Maybe it will go a little faster. “

Should I read this?

It depends on what you’re looking for--I saw this recommended very heavily on Twitter as “horror reclaimed for women” which...it depends on what you mean by reclaimed and what you’re hoping to get out of that reclamation. The stories are all incredibly well-written, using either well-known scary stories (such as the girl with the green ribbon) or horror tropes (such as a spreading plague), the language is evocative, and all of the protagonists are women. They suffer, but because it is in their point of view their suffering is validated and understood and shared. This is a kind of reclamation to be sure. However, I was hoping not to see women’s suffering, even in horror, but rather taking the stories being turned inside out. Still, the writing is amazing.

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River of Teeth

Title: River of Teeth Author: Sarah Gailey Pages: 169 Alternative History / Crime Fiction

Finished: November 8, 2018 Total Pages YTD: 5311

Favorite Quote:

“ I regret nothing: it was worth it for the hats alone. ”

Should I read this?

YES everyone should read this if they like 1. capers, 2. a diverse and fascinating cast of characters, 3. hippos, and 4.  cowboys

I loved this. I loved this so much. I’m going to buy the other novella immediately and I want it to be a tv series.

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Bright We Burn

Title: Bright We Burn Author: Kiersten White Pages: 416 YA Historical Fiction

Finished: November 3, 2018 Total Pages YTD: 5142

Favorite Quote:

“ That is the thing with giving your heart. You never wait for someone to ask. You hold it out and hope they want it. ”

Should I read this?

If you like the story of Vlad the Impaler, yes--it’s a wonderful twist on the (somewhat?) familiar tale, the characters are fully fleshed out and realized within the historical setting, and this was a satisfying end to the trilogy--different than I thought it would end, but in a very good way!

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Half World

Title: Half World Author: Hiromi Goto Pages: 225 YA Fiction

Finished: October 24, 2018 Total Pages YTD: 4726

Favorite Quote:

“The vista that lay before her was like something out of a stranger’s dream.”

Should I read this?

Yes! Yes a thousand times yes! This is an amazing book--it reminded me of Spirited Away and Paprika and all the best YA fiction, it was so good in plot, characters, and writing style.

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The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl

Title: The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl: Squirrel Meets World Author: Shannon Hale and Dean Hale Pages: 324 YA Fiction

Finished: October 19, 2018 Total Pages YTD: 4501

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Now I Rise

Title: Now I Rise Author: Kiersten White Pages: 459 YA Historica lFIction

Finished: October 10, 2018 Total Pages YTD: 4177

Favorite quote:

“Mercy is the one thing I cannot afford. Not yet. When Wallachia is stable, when we have rebuilt, then yes. What we do now, we do so that someday mercy will be able to survive here.”