#booksivereadin2023

[houl]

The Road by Cormac McCarthy #5 of 2023 5 stars . A reread of this in preparation to teach it again, and it’s still one of the most poignant and moving stories I’ve read. A father and son trudge the wasteland of a destroyed world, heading south. For those who like: Slow, meandering stories; Crying like a child at the uncaring nature of the world; The constant presence of death; Gutted babies on spits; Cannibalism. . Please also enjoy my heavily scrawled and tabbed copy . #theroad #cormacmccarthy #minimonotonebookclub #booksivereadin2023 #booksivedrawnim2023 #booksreillustrated #bookstagram #houlart #houl https://www.instagram.com/p/CpCUhV-BwIk/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[houl]

Seven Empty Houses by Samanta Schweblin Book 4 of 2023 4 stars . Surreal and sad. Seven stories of empty families, empty lives and the houses they reside in. For those who like: Picking through other peoples houses and judging them; Stripping off nude and hosing your partner; Escaping small talk by wandering off into the night; Feelings of emptiness; Waiting to die. . #sevenemptyhouses #samantaschweblin #minimonotonebookclub #booksivereadin2023 #booksivedrawnim2023 #booksreillustrated #bookstagram #houlart #houl https://www.instagram.com/p/CowJZr9B95b/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[houl]

Seven Empty Houses by Samanta Schweblin Book 4 of 2023 4 stars . Surreal and sad. Seven stories of empty families, empty lives and the houses they reside in. For those who like: Picking through other peoples houses and judging them; Stripping off nude and hosing your partner; Escaping small talk by wandering off into the night; Feelings of emptiness; Waiting to die. . #sevenemptyhouses #samantaschweblin #minimonotonebookclub #booksivereadin2023 #booksivedrawnim2023 #booksreillustrated #bookstagram #houlart #houl https://www.instagram.com/p/CowJZr9B95b/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[houl]

The Wall by John Lanchester Book 3 of 2023 3 stars . Promising then plain. A dystopian metaphor for racism and nationalism quickly abandons its core point and turns into a different novel altogether. For those that like: The Nights Watch parts of ASOIAF but with women as well; YA disguised as Literary Fiction; Bland dystopias; Thinly veiled metaphors. . #thewall #johnlanchester #minimonotonebookclub #booksivereadin2023 #booksivedrawnim2023 #booksreillustrated #bookstagram #houlart #houl https://www.instagram.com/p/CoG_98ShAlL/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[houl]

Those Across The River by Christopher Buehlman Book 2 of 2023 3.5 stars . Ominous and uncomfortable. A well-written horror story set in the post WWI American South tainted by just a little bit too many sex scenes and old-timey racism for my taste Recommended for those who enjoy: The Lottery by Shirley Jackson; Fresh takes on old horror tropes; Stories that could have been avoided by listening to clear and direct advice; Stories about men coping with PTSD; Stories about men who have lots of sex with their young wife, like lots and lots, and she’s so young, and they have sex. . #thoseacrosstheriver #christopherbuehlman #minimonotonebookclub #booksivereadin2023 #booksivedrawnim2023 #booksreillustrated #bookstagram #houlart #houl https://www.instagram.com/p/CoCIWBJBTXT/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[houl]

Mouthful of Birds by Samanta Schweblin Book 1 of 2023 4 stars . Violent and delightful. Not quite horror, not quite fantasy, but completely brilliant. Recommended for those who enjoy: Argentinian short stories; Finding fantasy in the mundane; The artistic merit of murder; Digging for the sheer pleasure of it; The taste of birds. . #mouthfulofbirds #samantaschweblin #minimonotonebookclub #booksivereadin2023 #booksivedrawnim2023 #booksreillustrated #bookstagram #houlart #houl https://www.instagram.com/p/Cn_h5ZVhCHo/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=