January Wrap-Up and TBR

The New Year has bought me excellent fortune with my reading. I'm in the process of creating the habit of reading in my spare time, rather than doom scrolling on my phone. I used to find it so difficult to put the phone down and it would be even more difficult to pick up a book, but now I'm in a place where its becoming less and less of an effort to do. I can't even explain how happy I am that I can do something I enjoy out of want rather than forcing myself to do it. Anyway, this month has been great not only in regards to the quantity of reading, but the quality as well. I've had so many great reads this month from a wide range of genre's (kind of, a wide range for me anyway), and I've found some authors who I will definitely be revisiting and keeping an eye out for. So, here's the summary:

Haunted by Chuck Palahniuk (★★★★★)

Haunted follows a group of writers who sign up for a 'writing retreat' in order to create a masterpiece, but it soon falls apart, with each of the writers getting more and more depraved in order to write the perfect story. This narrative is told through short stories, and I absolutely loved it. It's been on my list for a while and I was put off by the number of pages (412), which may not seem like a lot, but it is for me. Overall, a really grim and dark book. It was everything I thought it would be. Highly recommend, but not for those with a weak stomach.

You've Lost a Lot of Blood by Eric LaRocca (★★★)

You've Lost a Lot of Blood follows a woman who has been commissioned to work on a video game. It's a lot more than that but it's kind of difficult to explain? The narrative is intercut with letters and other narratives, but there were some really good horror elements in this. I love LaRocca and I think everything he writes always instils this feeling of dread within me. I read a review of this book that said 'no plot, just vibes' and I have to agree (to some extent). I do see where LaRocca was going with this, and that's not to say that what's there is bad, because it's not. The vibes were so good, and it is definitely a book I would re-read.

They Were Here Before Us by Eric LaRocca (★★★★★)

They Were Here Before Us contains a series of short nature-based horror stories and this might be my favourite book by Eric LaRocca (although Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke will always have a place in my heart). It was super short, and each of the stories were so delightfully sickening and beautiful that I couldn't not like it. I was so upset when it was over. LaRocca is such a talented writer and I really think this book brings something valuable to the nature horror sphere. If you're wanted to get into LaRocca's writing and I had to suggest one book (although difficult to choose between his classics) I would have to say this one.

Snuff by Chuck Palahniuk (★★★★.5)

Snuff follows three men as they wait for their turn to have sex with Cassie Wright, a retiring porn star who is attempting to break records by sleeping with 600 men in one video. Each of the men expects Cassie to die during filming, hence the name. I listened to this as an audiobook, and it was surprisingly entertaining. There was a fair bit of depth to it, and although you only focus on three characters, a lot unfolds in the grander scheme of things, rather than character wise (although I wouldn't say there is necessarily a lot of character development, each of the men leave the story somewhat changed, whether it's for the better or the worse). I was more attracted to this narrative because of the plot, to be honest the main male characters, whilst they were somewhat entertaining, were somewhat lack lustre (but I think it benefited the story as a whole). This book is surprisingly relevant to today, take that how you will. The narration wasn't particularly anything special, but it was an oddly fun(for want of a better word) read. The depiction of misogyny is surprisingly accurate, and I was quite pleased with the realism of that. Overall, I do recommend this book, particularly the audiobook version, although I will be looking for a physical copy to add to my shelf.

Acts of Service by Lillian Fishman (★★)

Acts of Service follows Eve, a woman in a queer relationship who meets a couple and becomes sexually involved with them. I can't say I was a fan of this book by any means. There were some aspects that I liked, but it just became too infuriating to enjoy it. I was close to DNF'ing it, but by that point I only had fifty or so pages left so I just powered through. The characters were so unlikeable and had no redeeming qualities about them, they were just insufferable from start to end. I gave this book a two because I was highly influenced by a StoryGraph review that said:

'I would give it 2 stars, but I just can’t give any queer story 2 stars.' (even though I did, in fact, give it two stars) But then again, there was another review that sums up perfectly my thoughts:

'If you told me this was written by a recently divorced middle-aged cishet man, I'd believe you'

Overall this book was boring and felt like, as another review put it 'an attempt at conversion therapy', which I can see to an extent. I think in large part I only gave this view two stars because I wanted to enjoy it so badly, but I can't figure out whether that rating is sincere or not.

Simpatía by Rodrigo Blanco Calderón (Translated by Noel Hernández González, Daniel Hahn) (★★★)

Simpatía follows a man who inherits his father-in-laws house and money after his death under the promise that he will turn it into a rescue home for dogs. Much like Acts of Service (although nowhere near to the same extent) this book fell a little short for me. There were some really interesting characters and the plot was interesting, it didn't live up to my expectations and the other reviews that I'd read (my fault on that one). The main character, in my opinion, was quite unlikeable, although you couldn't help but root for him. The other characters, however, were brilliant, and I felt that they carried the book. I think the plot for this book went from interesting to boring so often that I got whiplash, but despite that I would recommend it. I think it's a good palette cleanser, and I also think that my negative review was impacted by my previous read (you know my thoughts on that I'm sure).

Pyre by Perumal Murugal (Translated by Aniruddhan Vasudevan) (★★★★★)

I honestly don't even know how to describe this book and how it made me feel. The book follows Saroja and Kumaresan, a young newlywed couple who return to Kumaresan's village to live with his family. This book talks about the social stigma surrounding marriage, particularly due to the involvement of social status or castes, which is essentially a social hierarchy based on occupation and economic status. Saroja is from a different caste, and that in itself presents not only a danger to their marriage, but a danger to their lives. The depiction of the female experience in this book is so empathetic and realistic that the fact it is written by a man was sincerely surprising to me. I don't think I've ever read a book where the women are depicted in such a way. I know it may be too early to say this, but Pyre is already my book of the year. I highly doubt that anything can top this, for me anyway, and I am looing forward to reading his other work.

Anya's Ghost by Vera Brosgol (★★★★)

Anya's Ghost follows Anya, a high school student, who ends up falling down a well and 'befriending' (it's complicated) a ghost. It deals with body issues, heritage and racism. I loved the protagonist, and I thought she was such a great character. I haven't read a graphic novel in ages, and so this was such a refreshing read for me. I loved the art style in this book, and I highly recommend it (it's also pretty short and only took me an hour to read).

Chlorine by Jade Song (★★★★.5)

Chlorine follows Ren, a swimmer, and her experiences with competitive swimming. I don't want to say too much, because I'm worried I'll spoil it. I loved this! It was another audiobook, and the narrator was pretty good, but I do think if I had physically read it, it would have been a 5 star read (I don't know if that makes any sense). It was the perfect mix of coming-of-age, everyday narratives and horror. I highly recommend it for anyone to read as it tackles a lot of issues such as grooming, racism and self-harm. Overall, a great read, and I will be looking out for more work from Jade Song (and also a physical copy of the book as well).

Negotiating with the Dead by Margaret Atwood (★★)

Negotiating with the Dead is a memoir/ non-fiction book about Atwood's experiences with writing as well as general advice surrounding the craft. I usually love Atwood's work, and it felt so wrong giving this anything lower than a 4, but I just didn't feel very compelled when reading it. I loved her personal anecdotes and the personality that she put into the work, but a lot of the other content felt very 'samey' and quite frankly boring. There was, however, some good advice in this book, but I mostly got it from Atwood's anecdotes rather than her deconstruction of the craft.

Assembly by Natasha Brown (★★★★.25)

Assembly follows a Black British woman who navigates her life in the bleakest of times (modern day UK), with the 'main' setting of the novel being at a garden party hosted by her boyfriends rich family. The voice of the narrator in this book was amazing, and I loved the prose of it. I think it is definitely a book that should be read by everyone, not only is it relatable in terms of the narrator's financial struggles etc, but there is so much to dissect that it stays on your mind for a while. I read this book in one session, and I was gripped the entire time. My only gripe with it is that sometimes the narrative jumps around and it becomes difficult to decipher at points, but otherwise, it's another book that I highly recommend.

All's Well by Mona Awad (★★★.5)

All's Well follows Miranda Fitch, a college teacher with a chronic illness, who is in charge of the schools theatre programme. As the title suggests, Miranda wants this years production to be of All's Well That Ends Well by William Shakespeare, much to the disappointment of her students. This novel was alright, and it was another one that I definitely think would have a higher rating if I read it physically rather than listened to it (the way the narrator said Fitch really got on my nerves, as well as the repetition of 'am I right?', which would have been fine reading it, but listening to it really got to me). I really enjoyed it though, I love Mona Awad (I met her last year and she is as iconic as I thought she would be, if not more). I definitely want to re-read this with a physical copy, especially because some of the magical realism elements were slightly confusing to listen to. Overall, a good read.

The List by Yomi Adegoke (★★★)

The last book of the month is The List, which follows Ola and Michael, who have recently become engaged. After a list is published on twitter of industry abusers, Ola is shocked to find Michael's name on there, listed due to harassment. The whole premise is about their relationship afterwards, and how it effects their lives. This is one of those books that I think is better as an audiobook (which is how I read it), as the narrators were excellent and made it a really engaging read. I think there were some elements of the writing and plot that were really lacking for me, but, again, the narration made up for it. I don't know if I would recommend physically reading it, but I would definitely recommend listening to it.

As for next month's line up, I can't be completely sure what I'll read. I've been using the library more often, and picking up based on what I feel in that moment, so for now, it's uncertain. What is certain, however, is that I will be reading two more Perumal Murugan books, and I am so excited for it.

I hope your reading has been going well, and I look forward to next month's wrap-up.

All the best,

Talia