Read some stuff! Bought some books (the sideways stack)! Did some knitting! Brainstormed and plotted a book! Many things this month! I was wrapping up my horror/romance quests, so that's mostly what's accounted for here (with a NaNo prep nonfic fungal aside).
Photos with reviews linked:
CRAFT ★★★★ Horror Quest Adjacent (I think it's cute that the author didn't think this was Horror™ when she finished writing it lol). I'm definitely keeping an eye out for her future work--great little collection, loved the frame narrative.
THE ONLY GOOD INDIANS ★★★★ Reread for Horror Quest! Holds up very well, does neat structural things. I love SJG.
SPREAD ME ★★★½ I will follow Sarah Gailey to the ends of the earth, which apparently includes a terrifying patch of desert. Erotic horror isn't usually my jam, but I am here for body horror, so. Net win.
THE LADY'S GUIDE TO CELESTIAL MECHANICS ★★★½ (Stand-in pages out book for this; I returned my library copy already.) More Romance Quest! Historical! Science and art! Lesbians! Legiblest of genre beats!
ENTANGLED ★★★ I wanted this to be Good, and it was Just Fine™. Had promise, didn't deliver for me :/
AMBER BEACH ★★ Last structural installment of Romance Quest! I got what I wanted out of it but I can't say that I recommend it haha.
WHIRLWIND ROMANCE - 169/269 pages read. Enjoying these weird dark little stories so far (though I did think it was A Novel when I put it on my list this year and uh. It's not.)
Now, if y'all will excuse me, I have my own weird dark little book to write this month, I'll see you on the other side >:D
Under the Cut: A Note About ~*★Stars★*~
Historically, I have been Very Bad™ about assigning things Star Ratings, because it's so Vibes Heavy for me and therefore Contingent Upon my Whims. (Example: I don't like that stars are Odd, because that makes three the midpoint and things are rarely so truly mid for me)(I have hacked my way around this with a ½, which is really only applicable for me at ★★★ and up). Here is, generally, how I conceptualize stars:
★ - This was Bad. I would actively recommend that you do NOT read this one, no redeeming qualities whatsoever, not worth the slog. Save Yourself, It's Too Late For Me. Book goes in the garbage (donate bin).
★★ - This was Not Good. I would not recommend it, but it wasn't a total waste or wash--something in here held my interest/kept my attention/sparked some joy. I will not be rereading this ever. Save Yourself (Or Join Me In Suffering, That Seems Like A Cool Bonding Activity).
★★★ - This was Good/Fine/Okay/Meh. I don't care about this enough to recommend it one way or another. Perfectly serviceable book, held my interest, I probably enjoyed myself (or at least didn't actively loathe the reading). I don't have especially strong feelings. You probably don't need to save yourself from this one--if it sounds like your jam, give it a shot! Just didn't resonate with me particularly powerfully. I probably won't reread this unless I'm after something in particular.
★★★½ - I liked this! I'll probably recommend it if I know it matches someone's vibes or specific requests, but I didn't commit to a star rating on Goodreads. More likely to reread, but not guaranteed.
★★★★ - I really enjoyed this!! I would recommend it (sometimes with caveats about content warnings or such--I tend to like weird fucked up funny shit, and I don't have many hard readerly NO's). Not a perfect book for me by any means, but Very Good. This is something I would reread! Join me!!
★★★★★ - I LOVED THE SHIT OUT OF THIS, IT REWIRED MY BRAIN, WILL RECOMMEND TO ANYONE AND EVERYONE AT THE SLIGHTEST PROVOCATION (content warning caveats still apply--see 4-star disclaimer). Excellent book, I'll reread it regularly, I'll buy copies for all my friends, I'll try to convince all of Booklr to read it, PLEASE join me!!
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🦇 This BOOK. If you love speculative horror with a healthy dose of the uncanny, you’re going to want to pick this one up. I was utterly entranced by it, especially because of the interlocking short story format. I loved that each story highlighted a bit more of the character of the writer, and that we got to know her through the short stories she wrote for the devil. Absolutely adored the devil’s characterization here, too. 5/5 ⭐️
Craft: Stories I Wrote For the Devil by Ananda Lima
i don't have the physical book in front of me so i don't know who it was, but i have to start by just kissing the person who designed this cover so noisily on the cheek like an overly familiar auntie. i fucking love this cover so much, and it makes me have just the tiniest sliver of regret that i never got into book design like i thought i wanted to in grad school.
whew, glad i got that out of the way. now i can just scream like a tea kettle about how incredible this book is. i'm not even sure where to start. the prose is so easy, as in Lima makes it look easy, it's the reading equivalent of sinking into a hot tub. and even better, it's not actually a light read—Craft presents stories within stories, each with elements of magical realism, each connected by Brazilian immigrant experiences: those of "the writer," a recurring character of the frame narrative, and those of the characters she writes. the outermost layers of this onion of stories also feature frequent encounters with the Devil—flirtatious, world-weary, magical, tender. exactly the best kind of Devil, imo, and his mild interventions delighted me every time.
also, the section that was just feedback the writer received from peers in a writing workshop, about a story we only get to know through that feedback, made me laugh harder than i have in ages. i'm SUPER EXCITED about my upcoming workshop experience and don't anticipate the feedback being comically oblivious, but that section of Craft did bring me right back to every creative writing class i took in college. just so, so keenly observed. fantastic!
the deets
how i read it: an e-galley from NetGalley, which i'm only a little bit behind on this time! i'm definitely buying this book asap, i'd love to actually mark it up with some tabs to really study how the structure is working.
try this if you: love magical realism, dig a nuanced perspective on immigrant experiences, have ever been in a writing group, or think Lucifer actually did nothing wrong.
some bits i really liked: i'm just a big fan of his
The Devil looked around the living room with a face that said, "Not bad." The Devil, who had been forever banished from home with nothing but a condemned soul, for reasons she couldn't quite make sense of, after trying Saint Augustine, Wikipedia, and even the Bible.
___
The writer narrowed her eyes at him but smiled. The Devil sat down where the man had been. The AC was suddenly working again, and the Devil's warmth was pleasant. The air smelled faintly of someone freshly showered, a little like Peter, a subtle soapy sweetness. The Devil's legs were nicely contained within the boundaries of his own seat. She wanted to hug him but couldn't. She said he looked good.
___
Now at the DMV, he looked at her book sitting on her lap and raised his eyebrow with a suspicious expression. He asked if she had to be into that stuff, might he suggest Nyssa or, more recently, Kotsko, the romantics, or so many others instead of that guy—he pointed to Saint Augustine on the cover with a bitter expression.
pub date: June 18, 2024! seriously go get this book it's a stunner!
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