Whodunit
Currently reading:
The Quiet Tenant by Clémence Michallon
Playing in the Dark by Toni Morrison
Magicicada by Claire Milliken
Books finished this week: 4 (4??)
★★★☆☆
Where this book came from: AWP (thanks for snagging it for me, Meg!).
Why this book: I think it was literally the very first panel Meg and I went to at AWP, and we heard Kristen Arnett talk about this book and her work. And from that moment on, it was our mission to obtain the lesbian clown book.
Thoughts: I don’t know if I built the book up too much in my head based on the very simply “lesbian clown book” premise, but this didn’t quite deliver for me. I figured it would be more of a dark comedy rather than laugh-out-loud funny, and some of the details and circumstances were bleakly humorous. But there was, I don’t know, some spark missing from this for me. I understand that not all protagonists are “likable,” but you should at least want to follow them on their journey. But Cherry was just getting on my nerves most of the time. I agree with a review I saw on Goodreads, that said something about many times being so close to sinking into the story, but then never quite getting to that point. I was invested enough to finish reading, but I didn’t feel as connected to the characters or plot as I wanted to be.
★★★★★
Where this book came from: Faulkner House Books, on a recommendation for Glück from Bendy (hi, Bendy!).
Why this book: It was the only Glück they had.
Thoughts: Time again for the old “I don’t really know how to rate poetry/trust myself to even have an opinion on it” imposter syndrome! But I just really resonated with a lot of the lines here, and I’m a such a sucker for Hades and Persephone retellings and imagery, which reoccurred throughout this volume.
★★★★★
Where this book came from: The Two Lines Press booth at AWP!
Why this book: Just look at that cover art——gah!!! And a fantastic premise to match.
Thoughts: This is a book that maybe isn’t “horror” in the way I initially expected it to be. Descriptions aren’t gory or gross and there aren’t the book equivalent of jump scares on every page. But I loved the dual perspectives of the grandmother and granddaughter, and the slow unraveling of their stories——both separate and together——and the ways in which the house they shared was a curse. There’s so much to dig into in this book and I was on board to follow Martínez anywhere she wanted to bring me.
★★★★★
Where this book came from: McNally Jackson, on a specific mission to purchase this very book. I checked with the cashier who told me there was probably one copy in stock, though someone else had asked about it earlier. But guess who won??
Why this book: Another AWP legend: Meg and I heard Kate Folk discuss her her book on a panel and that was it.
Thoughts: To quote myself on Goodreads, mere moments after finishing the book, “How dare the abridged horny plane book make me emotional!!” Where do I even start with this book? I laughed out loud and/or snorted at so many lines, I was appalled by some of the shit Linda said, I felt seen (and then immediately uncomfortable) by some of the ways Linda felt and things she reflected on, and I got emotional in the last twenty-ish pages. Just . . . read this.
That sweet, sweet final copy of Sky Daddy at McNally Jackson.
Library updates:
What a week for reading! And a bunch of winners, to boot.
I got back earlier today from Hamptons Whodunit, the mystery and true crime festival out in East Hampton, where I spent two days in pretty much nonstop author panels, ate a ton of great food, and, yes, purchased more books. My mom joined me yesterday——mostly because there was a panel about the death of Natalie Wood, a star my mom loves——and we had a really nice time, despite plenty of wind and rain!
Hamptons food, clockwise starting from top left: udon carbonara at Kumiso; the remnants of my romantic dinner with Sky Daddy at Sam’s: Italian sausage over pasta and a glass of malbec; half a dozen oysters at Bostwick’s; dessert to top off my very bougie meal at East Hampton Grill.
These are all the words my brain can conjure for you right now. I gave you four book reviews above——what more do you want from me?
Closing thoughts:
Let the book reviews speak for themselves.
Total books read from the Moratorium Library: 144
(Total books added to the Moratorium Library: 299)
I was in Midtown (seeing John Proctor is the Villain——my god, see it) this week and stopped by McNally Jackson for Sky Daddy, and then I saw Dr. No on a table and I needed it.
And then it was time for Hamptons Whodunit, and I can’t be in East Hampton——specifically for a bookish event, no less——and not stop at Book Hampton. (My mom got me the copy of Little Sister, and Fried Green Tomatoes was a belated birthday gift from her, too, but I’m counting both toward the Library numbers because I’m a good person.)
Note to self: back-to-back literary events are very bad for the Library and also your wallet!!
