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962 reviews by:
speculativebecky
The stories in this collection are strange and engrossing, but leave a lot unsaid. Were Moses and Gaspar… cats? Was the titular Houseguest a human, or a dog? These questions and many more swirl in my mind as I set out to put interpretations to the contents of this collection. Ceaselessly unsettling, I was surprised that these stories mostly felt short of actually making me feel spooked. I think I personally require a greater deal of specificity for a story to give me chills, but if undefined lurking horrors are your thing this collection will be totally up your alley. Populated with significant he’s and she’s, much is left up to the reader’s imagination to follow into the characters’ terror, and to the reader’s interpretation of whether the looming dangers are in the characters’ minds or actually occurring. This collection was very interior and cerebral, and while I feel a little less haunted than I expected going in, these stories have left me a mountain of swirling thoughts to sort through.
I always wonder after reading something billed as “terrifying” whether I just don’t scare easily enough from books, or if I haven’t yet found the right read.
I always wonder after reading something billed as “terrifying” whether I just don’t scare easily enough from books, or if I haven’t yet found the right read.
Mongrels by Stephen Graham Jones is billed as a horror novel, but I don’t see it. My guesses are this label arises from the werewolf subject matter, or Jones’ reputation as a writer of horror. (And just like that I’m back on my old complaint about how author expectations confuse genre, like Stephen King’s Elevation infuriatingly winning last year’s Goodreads Choice Award for Horror, though it's not remotely horror!) Genre is complicated, and yeah I wrote recently about how I don’t scare easily from books, but I’d argue a book can fail to scare you and still feel like horror, and this book conversely had some big scary vibes, but it didn’t feel like horror. Before I go further, I want to clarify that none of this is to say that this book fell short for me, I ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT.
At one point while reading I described this novel to my husband as like Jesmin Ward’s Salvage the Bones but with werewolves, which is honestly an imperfect comparison (and not just because he hasn’t even read that novel
At one point while reading I described this novel to my husband as like Jesmin Ward’s Salvage the Bones but with werewolves, which is honestly an imperfect comparison (and not just because he hasn’t even read that novel
I’m completely impressed with translations of poetry that preserve both the rhyme scheme and meaning of the original. Major props to Dorothea Prall Radin and George Z. Patrick for accomplishing this unimaginable task! As someone unaccustomed to reading verse, this book was quite an undertaking, and I enjoyed and was distracted by the poetry of this novel in equal measure.
I admit I never grew at all attached to our protagonist, Eugene, but fortunately for me the star of this novel is arguably the wonderful Tatyana, who makes it all worthwhile. It took me around half the book to become interested and engaged, but then how captivating this novel became! I encourage anyone attempting this text to persevere, there’s a lot of setup followed by excellent action and gripping emotion.
I complained a lot about this book to my husband as I trudged through the first half, but now I'm already itching to read it again. I feel swept up by the story, and my brain beats in time with the verse. I know a reread will improve my understanding and pull out more of the richness of this great novel. Maybe meet me back here same time next year?
I admit I never grew at all attached to our protagonist, Eugene, but fortunately for me the star of this novel is arguably the wonderful Tatyana, who makes it all worthwhile. It took me around half the book to become interested and engaged, but then how captivating this novel became! I encourage anyone attempting this text to persevere, there’s a lot of setup followed by excellent action and gripping emotion.
I complained a lot about this book to my husband as I trudged through the first half, but now I'm already itching to read it again. I feel swept up by the story, and my brain beats in time with the verse. I know a reread will improve my understanding and pull out more of the richness of this great novel. Maybe meet me back here same time next year?
I liked this short story despite still not really liking short stories much. A neat concept and well done non-human characters.
Esmé Weijun Wang's essay collection delves into her experience with mental illness, specifically her eventual diagnosis of schizoaffective disorder. She's a deft writer, and coalesces her own experience with research and writing about mental illness from a broad swath of sources.
I learned so much from this collection, especially striking was reading about mental illness treatment in the US. In 'Toward a Pathology of the Possessed' and 'On the Ward' she expounds on involuntary commitment, and the subjectivity of assessing a person's competence to make decisions. Her essay 'Perdition Days' describing the period of time she was convinced she was dead was exquisitely crafted, a rare window into this terrifying experience.
I was impressed by her essays' skillful, poignant endings. Her story in 'The Choice of Children' of working as a counselor at a camp for children with bipolar disorder, coupled with thoughts on her not having her own children was a favorite. I described the essay to my husband, and to my surprise, as I read the last two paragraphs aloud to him they hit me so hard I choked down tears as I recited the words.
I loved this collection, and definitely recommend it. Cw for discussions of suicide and rape.
I learned so much from this collection, especially striking was reading about mental illness treatment in the US. In 'Toward a Pathology of the Possessed' and 'On the Ward' she expounds on involuntary commitment, and the subjectivity of assessing a person's competence to make decisions. Her essay 'Perdition Days' describing the period of time she was convinced she was dead was exquisitely crafted, a rare window into this terrifying experience.
I was impressed by her essays' skillful, poignant endings. Her story in 'The Choice of Children' of working as a counselor at a camp for children with bipolar disorder, coupled with thoughts on her not having her own children was a favorite. I described the essay to my husband, and to my surprise, as I read the last two paragraphs aloud to him they hit me so hard I choked down tears as I recited the words.
I loved this collection, and definitely recommend it. Cw for discussions of suicide and rape.
New favorite.
Piatote is Nez Perce, and an associate professor of Native American studies at UC Berkeley. She speaks brilliantly about colonialism and the violence against Native families that persists today, and this ongoing war is a theme in her creative works as well. Also, her passion for Indigenous language rejuvenation is in evidence thought this collection. Alongside these vital topics, Piatote crafts vibrant characters and richly metaphoric writing. I was stunned by her description of a woman reacting to news that her brother has been injured: guilty relieved at how this new crisis disrupts the pain of a recently splintered relationship, she reflects on a poster reading "direct pressure stops bleeding." How profoundly that statement applies for not only literal bleeding, but emotional devastation as well.
Her first person stories are triumphs, quickly establishing the perspective of the narrator. A favorite was Katydid, in which a woman weaves together a story about her new love and how her relationship with an old friend crumbled years earlier. My mind was absolutely exploded by the final piece in this collection, a clever and heart-racing retelling of Antigone.
My taste in short stories tends to gravitate more towards speculative, especially sci fi or weird stuff, so for a contemporary/literary collection to captivate me like this is rare and special.
Piatote is Nez Perce, and an associate professor of Native American studies at UC Berkeley. She speaks brilliantly about colonialism and the violence against Native families that persists today, and this ongoing war is a theme in her creative works as well. Also, her passion for Indigenous language rejuvenation is in evidence thought this collection. Alongside these vital topics, Piatote crafts vibrant characters and richly metaphoric writing. I was stunned by her description of a woman reacting to news that her brother has been injured: guilty relieved at how this new crisis disrupts the pain of a recently splintered relationship, she reflects on a poster reading "direct pressure stops bleeding." How profoundly that statement applies for not only literal bleeding, but emotional devastation as well.
Her first person stories are triumphs, quickly establishing the perspective of the narrator. A favorite was Katydid, in which a woman weaves together a story about her new love and how her relationship with an old friend crumbled years earlier. My mind was absolutely exploded by the final piece in this collection, a clever and heart-racing retelling of Antigone.
My taste in short stories tends to gravitate more towards speculative, especially sci fi or weird stuff, so for a contemporary/literary collection to captivate me like this is rare and special.
This gripping and hearty satire is set in a powerfully racist near future America. The protagonist and narrator is a Black man obsessed with making shareholder at his law firm, so he can afford to purchase demelanization treatment for his preteen mixed-race son. His well realized fears and flaws, and his passionate love for his family are strong driving forces in the narrative.
This book is so smart and literary, the kind of book where you catch enough neat little references to other works that you know an equal number are probably whizzing by unnoticed. The worldbuilding is also commendable; an unspecified amount of time has passed between now and this story’s setting, and there are so many details that make America feel alternately foreign and familiar. It’s clearly a world that’s shaped by its past, which is an exciting experience when the past is, for the reader, an imagined future. I also loved Ruffin’s rhythm in this story, leveraging the words and sentences to immerse the reader in the narrator’s mental state when it’s tested and straining around the edges.
I read several reviews that felt this novel was too long, and in the middle I knew exactly what they were talking about as the pace seemed to slooow waaay dooown. I found one major plot decision super frustrating, but the ending was so right. Overall I’m quite enamoured with this book. Ruffin’s next novel is definitely an auto-buy for me!
This book is so smart and literary, the kind of book where you catch enough neat little references to other works that you know an equal number are probably whizzing by unnoticed. The worldbuilding is also commendable; an unspecified amount of time has passed between now and this story’s setting, and there are so many details that make America feel alternately foreign and familiar. It’s clearly a world that’s shaped by its past, which is an exciting experience when the past is, for the reader, an imagined future. I also loved Ruffin’s rhythm in this story, leveraging the words and sentences to immerse the reader in the narrator’s mental state when it’s tested and straining around the edges.
I read several reviews that felt this novel was too long, and in the middle I knew exactly what they were talking about as the pace seemed to slooow waaay dooown. I found one major plot decision super frustrating, but the ending was so right. Overall I’m quite enamoured with this book. Ruffin’s next novel is definitely an auto-buy for me!
Nosrat's friendly and knowledgeable style of instruction was truly fun to read. Even though I have a passing familiarity with many of the concepts in this book I feel I learned a lot, especially in the ways she breaks down why different techniques are used to achieve their results.
My favorite aspect of this book was learning Nosrat's story. Her introduction describing the beginning of her life of cooking was an exciting read, and I loved every single personal story about her culinary career she weaves throughout. I would 100% read her whole memoir if she were to write one!
My favorite aspect of this book was learning Nosrat's story. Her introduction describing the beginning of her life of cooking was an exciting read, and I loved every single personal story about her culinary career she weaves throughout. I would 100% read her whole memoir if she were to write one!