Hiatus Highlights: Reading
Hello again!
Hi, friends,
I hope you’re all well. I’m very curious to hear what your summers looked like—mine, particularly at work, was bananas, hence the radio silence. On one hand, it was the first library summer in quite a few years that felt largely NOT weird, which was a relief; on the other, going from what felt like 25% to 135% was seriously exhausting.
Because I am who I am, I kept track of what I read, watched, and listened to… but three full months of media intake—even at lower levels than usual!—is way too much to send out in one chunk, so I’m breaking it down by category and highlighting a few of the, er… highlights.
Reading
Adult
A House with Good Bones, by T. Kingfisher—LOVED this one, and came away from it obsessed with roses and vultures. As I’m sure I’ve said, I love Kingfisher so much and will follow her anywhere.
The Hellbound Heart, by Clive Barker—what a joy to finally read the book that my beloved Hellraiser was based on, and what a joy to see that A) Barker pulled the majority of the dialogue straight from it into his screenplay, and B) he made the screenplay EVEN ICKIER than the original story. Nice work.
Lungfish, by Meghan Gillis—oh my god, BUMMERVILLE, but it made for a really good book group discussion at work. Genuinely fascinating how strong and personal our reactions were to it, and how each reader’s reaction was to an entirely different facet of the book.
My Heart is a Chainsaw, by Stephen Graham Jones—A BOOK OF MY HEART OMG OMG OMG. A patron told me some time ago that he thought I’d love it, and while I generally take that sort of thing with a grain of salt—most people tend to want to press their faves on everyone regardless of taste, heh—he actually has a pretty good handle on my vibe, given that every time he comes in we end up talking movies for 45-90 minutes.
Horror’s not a symptom, it’s a love affair.
—Stephen Graham Jones, My Heart is a Chainsaw
More Adult Books
Hammers on Bone, by Cassandra Khaw
A Song for Quiet, by Cassandra Khaw
The Widows of Malabar Hill, by Sujata Massey
The Spite House, by Johnny Compton
Deadline, by Gerry Boyle
Young Adult
The Box in the Woods and Nine Liars, by Maureen Johnson—I devoured these two, and then went back to read the original trilogy, so I read them all out of order but I DIDN’T CARE, they were an absolute blast and I read all five over the course of a week. However: I DETEST THE LOVE INTEREST AND WANT TO THROW HIM DOWN A WELL. While I don’t wish new trauma and heartbreak on poor Stevie, my fingers are still kind of half-crossed that he gets knocked off in the next installment omg he’s such a pain i hate him.
The Lake House, by Sarah Beth Durst—this one reads like a mashup of a survival story and a slasher and a story about the Power of Friendship, and as that’s one of my sweet spots, it was an exceedingly great fit.
The Cousins, by Karen M. McManus—finally read my first McManus, and A) I definitely see the appeal and B) immediately checked out two more, which is always a good indicator of how much I enjoyed something, heh.
Pride and Prejudice and Pittsburgh, by Rachael Lippincott—queer time travel romcom! particularly sweet in how all of the various male suitors end up HELPING these two ladies get their shit together and start smooching!
She lets out a gasp. When I turn, she’s staring at her phone, eyes wide. “What’s up?” I ask. “Archer finally get in touch?”
Milly shakes her head, her hand at her throat. “No. Oh no.”
My shoulders tense. I’ve never seen Milly look this rattled before, and I’ve been with her through two fake-identity reveals, including my own.
—Karen M. McManus, The Cousins
More Young Adult
Truly Devious, by Maureen Johnson
The Vanishing Stair, by Maureen Johnson
The Hand on the Wall, by Maureen Johnson
The Killing Code, by Ellie Marney
Dreaming Darkly, by Caitlin Kittredge
The Counselors, by Jessica Goodman
Pride and Premeditation, by Tirzah Price
Middle Grade & Chapter Books
The Seaside Corpse, by Marthe Jocelyn—I started this series a little lukewarm, but have loved it more and more with each installment, and am now very sad that it’s over. Also: Marthe Jocelyn has a WAY better understanding of the Poirot character than Kenneth Branagh, but THAT’S a conversation for ANOTHER DAY.
The Skull: A Tyrolean Folktale, by Jon Klassen—gorgeous and so sweet.
Deep and Dark and Dangerous, by Mary Downing Hahn
Absolutely Truly, by Heather Vogel Frederick
Yours Truly, by Heather Vogel Frederick
Wretched Waterpark, by Kiersten White
Vampiric Vacation, by Kiersten White
Comics, Graphic Novels, and Manga
Spy x Family: Volume 5, by Tatsuya Endo
And that’s what I read over the last few months—I guess I read more than it felt like I was reading? Part of it was definitely spurred by our summer reading program—the incentives we used this year were croc charm bracelets and one of those giant collaborative sticker mosaics, and hoo boy, stuff like that WORKS on me—and with summer over, we’ve just introduced the Reading Dragons program, and YEP, that’s working on me as well. I’m a sucker for collectibles, heh.
I’ll be back soon with an absolutely UNHINGED list of movies.
Hugs and/or high fives to all,
Leila
YAY Truly Devious!!! I love that series so much
The Barnhill is an excellent book club pick. And the Newfoundland book is totally worth the read - it's all about the economics and interpersonal dynamics in small, isolated communities and how those factors intersect with folkloric beliefs about witchcraft. Hot tip: if you've been cursed by a witch, you can break the spell by peeing in a bottle and put it in the oven. Which, ew. But desperate times, I guess?