First Quarter Reads

I'd like to say that I'm a consistent reader. *Like to say*. Unfortunately, because I have the attention span of a toddler looking at jangling keys in someone's hand, my personal reading periods are more of intense spurts rather than a consistent trend. That being said, hell it's been a great start to the year. I've managed, somehow, to slam down seven books so far this year. Part of the reason being I've shifted away from podcasts and back into audiobooks. Again, the attention span of ADD coke head who was slipped a not-so-small hit of meth... Right, anyway, carry on. In the spirit of the Halloween Horror marathon, let's strap in for some one-sentence reviews. 

0/5 = did not finish
1/5 = didn't like
2/5 = meh
3/5 = pretty good - would recommend with a disclaimer
4/5 = really good - would definitely recommend - no disclaimers
5/5 = book hangover. don't talk to me for a few days

We Ride Upon Sticks by Quan Barry
A troop of high school witches from Danvers Massachusetts channel their Salem ancestors to win states and survive senior year. 

3/5

​

The Mars Room by Rachel Kushner
A woman serving two life sentences grapples with the decisions that brought her behind bars and how to survive with her new family. 

​2/5

The Invisible Life of Addie Larue by V.E. Schwab
Addie LaRue crosses time and countries as reckons with the aftermath of a deal with the devil. 

4/5*Note here - this was a hard decision. So close to 5/5. So close. Regardless, the best book I've read this year... so far. 

Eat the Buddha by Barbara Demick 
A macro/micro look at the history of Tibet and its tumultuous relationship with China. 


​3/5

Waste: One Woman's Fight Against America's Dirty Secret by Catherine Coleman Flowers
An inspection into the rural mishaps and disparities of poverty and the effects it can have on basic human needs: a working septic system. 

​3/5

Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov 
A disturbing narrative about a guy who wants to have sex with children.... Seriously, I know I'm breaking the one-sentence rule here, but how the actual, ever-loving fuck did this book become a classic? Or even a book at all? Seriously...


1/5 

No One Asked for This: Essays by Cazzie David 
A collection of self-deprecating, bleak essays that could have been *could have* been funny. 


​2/5 

And that's the books so far! A couple other pieces I'd like to highlight that don't fall into the full blown novel or collection category. First, I'd like to highlight After Dinner Conversation, a monthly short story magazine that inspects the intersection of philosophy and ethics in often tragic settings and narratives. Browse their site, read something, and maybe spark a conversation or two. 

Speaking of short stories... I feel compelled to highlight one in particular: Halloween by Marian Crotty. Originally published in Crazyhorse and then reprinted in The Best American Short Stories 2020, this piece follows the summer fling of a high-school student and a college kid who's home for the summer. The emotion in the piece is real. It's visceral. And it's goddamn good. 

Till next time folks. Be well.