#but he can't plot and scheme and rationalise

[maximura]

[pinktinselmonstrosity]

everything i read in october!

time for another slightly late monthly reading round-up! this month i tried to read mostly spooky/horror novels, and i was... kind of successful? anyway whatever let's get into it

The Night Manager by John Le Carré

I was really excited to read this one, but I ended up feeling slightly let down. It cuts quite jarringly between a James Bond-esque ridiculous and glamorous espionage plot (private islands, beautiful women, jewels, etc) and a very very boring storyline about bureaucrats having meetings about it back in London. The thing I love about Le Carré is that he usually strikes a good balance between these two vibes, with exciting yet believable plots, but this one just... didn't do that for me. Notably, this was his first novel after the end of the Cold War, and I think that sense of confusion really comes through - everyone, including the author, is really struggling to rationalise the security services continuing to exist post-Cold War. It was interesting but ultimately not my favourite.

Rouge by Mona Awad

This was the first of my spooky books of the month, and it was pretty good. I don't know how to explain it because the plots have nothing in common, but its vibe really reminded me of Twin Peaks - there's this surreal quality to every character that is quite similar. The plot didn't massively hold up for me, but I enjoyed the vibe and the characters, and found the overall message of critiquing the beauty industry and the way it preys on people really interesting. It's worth reading just for mirror demon Tom Cruise!

Carmilla by Sheridan Le Fanu

I can't believe I waited this long to read this! Really a quintessential Gothic novel that introduces a very early version of a vampire. And she's a lesbian! I read this essentially in one sitting, it was a great time.

Brainwrms by Alison Rumfitt

I have mixed feelings about this one, because the horror elements of it are genuinely fantastic (I love horror and thought nothing could shock me anymore, but this. yeah this fucking shocked me) but the plot is really nonsensical. It's about a trans woman, Frankie, whose life is falling apart after surviving a transphobic terrorist attack, but meets and falls in love with a person called Vanya. Over the course of the book it's revealed that Vanya has a fetish for being infested with parasites. Both characters are very complex, and even though they do some shitty things I found myself really invested in them and their relationship.

Oh and also, Vanya is part of a cult of transphobes who are all infested with literal brain worms (which are possibly some kind of interdimensional being?) and participate in orgies while murdering trans women (possibly?). This aspect of the plot is what I'm really unsure about - it just didn't really seem to make sense or add much to the story, and it was much less fleshed out than the relationship between Frankie and Vanya, to the extent that (as you can see from my summary) I wasn't really sure at all what was going on. Overall, it was a good piece of horror media, although I have to stress that it comes with a HUGE content warning that should be respected. Like, really really read at your own risk.

Sheep's Clothing by Celia Dale

I chose this book for October because the other book of Dale's that I've read, A Helping Hand, was definitely a horror novel. This one turned out to be more of a crime novel, so didn't really fulfill the spooky quota, but was still really good.

Currently Reading & On My Radar

It's about two women, Janice and Grace, who meet in prison and plan a money-making scheme for when they're released, following the two women as the scheme starts to fall apart and they go their separate ways. Janice meets a nice man and decides to settle down and start an honest life; Grace meets a nice man and decides to try to steal all of his money. It was really good, and I actually found myself wishing it was longer. I definitely could have spent more time with these characters, and find myself really wondering what happened to them after the book ended.

I am currently reading Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood, and am really enjoying it! I bought it about a year ago because I was doing a module on using science fiction as a historical source, and it wasn't on our curriculum but our professor talked about it all the time. Just now getting around to it and I can totally see how it fits in with that module - very prescient.

It might just be a reactive backswing after a month of frankly quite depressing books, but I'm really in the mood for romance in November. I have Bridget Jones's Diary on my shelf, which will hit the spot I think! I'm also thinking of rereading (gasp) The Improbability of Love, which is one of my all-time favourites and might be what I need right now. I might also try to find a Nancy Mitford or something when I'm next at home.

As always, if you made it this far then pls reply with a book you've liked recently!! or one you've disliked, or something you're looking forward to reading, or anything! ok ily bye ❤️