September's bookshelf
Monthly reading roundup!
Night Film by Marisha Pessl
Synopsis in a sentence: disgraced journalist investigates a cult horror movie director and his daughters strange death. Â
The disappointment of a century! I was looking forward to reading this one for a while, and oh what a letdown. The book is littered with entirely unnecessary and cruel digs at various marginalized groups, and for what? For what reason? This book has little to do with oppression or marginalization; it’s not as if Pessl was writing about how stereotypes affect people, it was always clearly a reflection of her own biases (more in-depth review here). It had the potential to be great, but the multimedia elements, the lost/cursed media aspects were lost in an amalgamation of biases, bad writing, and flat characters. At one point while I was reading it, I had a dream that I wrote a list of pet peeves in books, and the only thing I remember writing was ‘overused single line sentences for emphasis.’ so, take that as you will. I clearly do not recommend wasting your time on this book. Instead, I’d recommend Silver Nitrate by Silvia Moreno-Garcia. Â
The Auctioneer by Joan Samson
Synopsis in a sentence: an auctioneer arrives in a small town and things begin to unravel.Â
Recommended by the one and only
, this was the perfect read for the beginning of September. It’s atmospheric, it’s full of dread, it’s a seeping kind of horror that feels claustrophobic. I particularly enjoyed its commentary on greed, complacency, the niceties of small towns, societal constraints, and on how something so banal, when taken to the extreme, becomes increasingly sinister. It is indeed a quiet, slow burn book, but it’s got enough creeping unease to keep you engaged.The Lonely Hearts Hotel by Heather O’NeilÂ
Synopsis in a sentence: two orphans grow up together & apart in Montreal during the Depression.
When I was 10 I was married in the cubby of a classroom with a pink & yellow plastic ring; this book feels like that memory. This one was gifted to me by a dear friend, and I did love it, but I am finding it rather hard to describe this one. It has the usual: beautiful writing, loveable, tragic characters, hard-hitting scenes, but I think it touches on something that’s wholly indescribable and that is that you spend your whole life coming to terms with the fact that the world will never be the same as it was when you were a kid; you spend your whole life coming to terms with growing up. Sometimes I find myself paralyzed with how much I miss being a kid. I don’t know if this is entirely normal, or because it’s one of the only times I remember not being depressed, or not being so aware of my own body or existence or place in the world, but it’s something I miss fiercely, and for that reason this book nearly made me cry. It kind of ripped me apart in a strange way, and I have a special place in my heart for books that can do that.
Beneath the Valley Oak by Sean Thomas McDonnell
Synopsis in a sentence: a collection of short, horror (adjacent) old Western stories.Â
By Substack’s very own
, I wholeheartedly recommend this collection of short stories. Each one is distinct, haunting, incredibly well crafted, and they all work well together as a collection. The pacing is not too slow and not too fast, giving you just enough time to get acquainted with the character and their surroundings, become unnerved, and move onto the next. It’s a perfect length and if you’re into short horror stories, or old Western stories, or better yet, both, get a physical copy here, or the ebook here!This Bridge Called My Back: Writings by Radical Women of Color edited by CherrÃe Moraga and Gloria E. Anzaldúa
Synopsis in a sentence: in the title!Â
One of, if not the most significant books I have ever read and likely will ever read in my lifetime. If you read one piece of intersectional feminist literature, let it be this book. Each section is composed of writings by women of color; essays, poems, and so on and so forth. Each piece explorers an aspect of identity, often intersecting ones and brings a different perspective to the book. It is a call to action for the future as much as it is an exploration of the past. Read this book! Especially if you’re not a woman of color; we must be endlessly facing our internal biases, endlessly correcting ourselves, endlessly learning how to be better.
Bringer of Dust by J.M RioÂ
Synopsis in a sentence: the second book in a trilogy about children with strange abilities and old, dreadful beings & secrets that come to light.
The sequel to Ordinary Monsters, which I reviewed a while go, I’d say this one was better, if not as good as the first one, which I did love. I, apparently, have a thing for books set in Victorian England, and for historical fantasy, and for unbelievably loveable characters. While the plot did get a bit convoluted, adding a bit too many aspects, perhaps, you’re still able to follow, and I particularly loved the exploration of this ‘other’ purgatory-like London and the physical aspects of it (what can I say, I love a good Place But Wrong in a book). As I said in my review of the first one, the characters are what set the book apart from other ones; they’re flawed and make bad choices but you root for them anyway because you have to! The friendships that form between them feel so intimate and sacred, and as a consequence (or a result of) the characters themselves feel nothing short of alive on the pages. Suffice to say I’d highly recommend this series.
That’s all for my September reads, what did you read & love or read & hated this month? I want to know! Take care of yourself.
This endorsement rocked me. I've been a fan of yours since I arrived on Substack. You are a fantastic writer, but more than that, you seem a genuinely kind soul. One of the reasons I wrote my story Dead Girl (not part of the Beneath the Valley Oak collection) is because of your strength--I see you. You call out things in this world that are wrong, even when it's hard to do so. So, I'm honored to have you recommend my book.
oooooh I need The Auctioneer - thanks for bringing it to our attention!