#2020reading

[sentrymetal]

28 complete. 2.5/5 #meh #2020reading #augustenburroughs #runningwithscissors #quasibiographical #mentalillness https://www.instagram.com/p/CAGPSxSpy6d/?igshid=kk0axhbxv4ar

[jeffstern]

Shirley Jackson - The Haunting of Hill House

This was a fun read, which I enjoyed more than I expected to. When book club was discussing what to read next, one member was talking about how she only wanted to read horror lately, and I suggested that we read some Shirley Jackson because I’d been hearing her name mentioned a bunch lately, most recently in an interview that Cameron Esposito had done with Carmen Maria Mchado on her podcast Queery. It was a very interesting interview, and got me interested in reading Jackson, and horror in general, in a way that I haven’t been before. I’ve always thought of horror as being like gorey/scary movies - something I don’t want to see as well as emotions I don’t want to feel. I don’t “get” wanting to be scared. But the way that Machado was describing it had more to do with liminal spaces, not quite belonging, and things not being quite “right” but never being sure if that’s things or just your own perception - and not being able to trust your own perception as well. I don’t know - I’m paraphrasing from memory - but all of this stuff seemed much more interesting to me than being scared of a slasher, monster, or the like. And like most people my age, I’d read Jackson’s short story The Lottery in high school and enjoyed it a lot.

I really enjoyed this book, and was lucky to have paired it with Machado’s recent memoir, In the Dream House. Jackson creates interesting characters, and there are lots of moments where you’re not sure whose perception to trust, or what has actually just happened. There are a lot of times that I felt a similar mood to some of Ottessa Moshfegh’s work - a sort of creepy vibe  around characters who on their surface don’t seem creepy at all, but rather lonely and a bit misfit. There are lots of good articles/critiques about this book out there, I read a few after we finished our discussion, and I don’t have any insights beyond what they offer, but I would certainly say that this was a fun read, and I’ve already bought another Shirley Jackson book to read, hopefully in the near future. 

A final note - I didn’t watch the Netflix series based on the book, though a few people in book club did, and they resoundingly said the book was different, and just a point of inspiration for the tv series (which they had mixed opinions on).

[jeffstern]

Jessica Q. Stark - Savage Pageant

I re-read this with book club, and got a bit more out of it thanks to reading with others. In particular, it was fun to dig into the psychogeography stuff, but also to hear about other folks' memories of some of the stuff Jessica describes in California.

Reading this also led to choosing Guy Debord's The Society of the Spectacle as our next book.

[jeffstern]

Isabel Wilkerson - The Warmth of Other Suns

We read this for book club, finally, after considering it for many years. A few of us, myself included, were a bit concerned that being a Pulitzer prize winner and receiving so many accolades, this would be dense and/or difficult and/or boring and/or just not as good as everyone says. I'm averse to non-fiction generally, and historical stuff in particular, so I was especially skeptical about whether I would like this or it would be a slog.

Thankfully, I was pleasantly surprised at how quickly this book went by. Wilkerson's choices in how to structure the book made things move quickly, conveying lots of information primarily through the stories of 3 people who left the Deep South for better fortunes in other areas of the country. Factual tidbits and historical deep dives were included among the 3 personal narratives at just the right times, and while the writing was good, it was the pacing, narrative structure, and attention to detail that I appreciated the most. 

I learned a lot from this, despite being relatively familiar with the historical broad strokes and concepts, such as Jim Crow, tenant farming, redlining, etc. However, hearing about this at an individual, personal level really demonstrates just how difficult it was for people to leave - even decades after slaves were given their "freedom" - an example I'm thinking of is how people who were deciding to go north (or west, in some cases) often had to keep this info from employers (for fear of being found out), from acquaintances (for fear of word traveling), and even family members, and when the time came to leave they would often buy a bus or train ticket to a nearby town where nobody knew them, before eventually purchasing a ticket to their final destinations. This is one small example, hopefully not a spoiler, but instead a taste of some of the logistical details that Wilkerson includes that make this whole book feel much more human and comprehensive than I had expected or even hoped. I think that everyone in book club liked this also, though a few felt like Ida Mae's story/voice was a bit muted. If you do read this (and I'd recommend it to most people), I definitely encourage folks to check out the book's website, where you can see some photos of the people profiled in the text.

[penelopecat]

I’m always excited to see new work from Ed Brubaker & @artofseanphillips and I was really looking forward to this new series about a good guy with a complicated past helping people with their problems, set in the 1980s. I particularly liked how this is being told in a series of graphic novels, rather than told as a serialized story in monthly comics. And I loved it! As usual for these creators, they’ve given me something both familiar and new at the same time. This is the book I needed last night, and I’m excited we only have to wait a few months until the next volume. #thismakesmehappy #books #2020reading #comics #graphicnovel #reckless #imagecomics #edbrubaker #seanphillips #edbrubakerseanphillips #crimecomics https://www.instagram.com/p/CJ_XS2bJvgo/?igshid=1ab2qvxkq0tyo

[penelopecat]

New favorite superhero comic! The title of this first volume, Grin & Gritty, says it all! @karl_kesel and @david_hahn_art have created something that feels both warm & cozy, evoking memories of the comics I loved as a kid (without feeling retro) and also new and unpredictable. I loved this tale of a young thief turned superhero (OR IS SHE?!?) and I can’t wait for the next volume, which is launching on Kickstarter pretty soon. #thismakesmehappy #books #2020reading #comics #graphicnovel #impossiblejones #superheroes #karlkesel #davidhahn https://www.instagram.com/p/CJ7kfcSpx9K/?igshid=sg4xdz3tuz5

[gadgetgirl71]

2020 Book Round Up

My 2020 Book Round UP. #2020, #2020Reading, #2020ReadingStats, #BookBub, #BookCovers, #BookObsessed, #BookRatings, #Books, #BookStats, #FavouriteCover, #FavourtieBook, #GoodReads, #NetGalley, #NetGalleyuk, #Reading, #ReadingChallenge

Well I for one have to say that I’m so glad to see the back of 2020. However during 2020 I did read some really good books. So to round up my 2020 reading journey I have gathered lots of different stats about the books I’ve read. Most of you will probably know that I love my book stats, and I’ve come up with the same list that I used for my 2019 round up. I hope you enjoy looking at them just as…

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[penelopecat]

Now that my interest in @boom_studios Firefly comics has been reignited, I’m getting caught up on the ongoing series. I had read the first four issues collected here before, and liked them, but I just kind of drifted away. Now I’m back, and I’d forgotten how well Greg Pak and Dan McDaid capture the feel of the series in these pages. The characters are all clearly recognizable in both dialogue and art, and they do a great job of capturing the “sci fi but mostly western” tone of the show. Knowing that eventually the series will tell new stories beyond the end of the movie motivates me to keep going, and I’m glad I decided to come back to this series. And that’s the end of my 2020 reading! #thismakesmehappy #books #2020reading #comics #graphicnovel #firefly #josswhedon #gregpak #danmcdaid #serenity https://www.instagram.com/p/CJgvrywJ0br/?igshid=1637rgitwhq11