#philosophy class {commentary}

[okiedokiedrjones]

The September House – Carissa Orlando

What fun. I *loved* this. (Go figure, it’s about a haunted house.) I really liked Margaret just rolling with the Tricksters. So funny. This book is incredibly funny. Until it isn’t. (It’s got the Behind the Mask factor going on and that’s one of my favorite movies of all time.) Margaret and Katherine’s relationship is hard because of the trauma of abuse. But, I feel it’s really well handled. The scenes where Katherine is dragging Margaret to all of the bars and motels and getting all of these weird messages is spectacular. Super fun. I recommend it.

[okiedokiedrjones]

Tell Me What You Did – Carter Wilson

Man. I wanted to like this. I really, really did. I have some genuine likes about this, but they don’t outweigh the dislikes. I don’t really like Carter’s pacing. I feel that it’s really wonky in places. Poe’s dad is my favorite character and frankly he reminds me of my dad, good and bad. The ending seems… I don’t know. Meh? I like the fact that you get to see what happens when the Final Girl actually murders the bad guy. That was really refreshing. And, man, I love Alice. Her story is really sad and reminds me of the Slenderman killings (which I think was the inspiration? Maybe?) It isn’t terrible but I wanted so much more than it gave me. I need to stop reading thrillers about podcasters, maybe.

[okiedokiedrjones]

Kill Creatures – Rory Power

I needed something lighter after finishing The Reformatory. This was definitely it. It’s pretty well paced. You get the knowledge that Nan killed the girls like… Chapter two or three? After that? It’s just a paranoid ride into madness. I loved it. I didn’t expect to. Luce is definitely a fun character once you get to the end. What an absolute trip.

[okiedokiedrjones]

The Reformatory – Tananarive Due

Oof. This one. I don’t even know where to start.

I put this audiobook on hold back in September. A few weeks ago, a friend of mine recommended and told me it was right up my alley (I told them “I thought so too.” after I told them how long I had been waiting on it.) Two days later? It was finally mine. Now, I tend to listen to my audiobooks at 2x speed. This audiobook was 21 hours (So, roughly 11 hours at 2x speed.)

I thought I would have to take this in steps because it is very heavy. The trauma of reform schools in the South are a bit of a generational trauma for my family. My great-grandmother’s siblings were sent off to the Boarding Schools in order to “kill the Indian”. It is heartbreaking to think about all of those kids who never made it home. And I have such a hard time reading books where children are fucking tortured. I finished this in a day. I started listening to it while cleaning, then in the car, then at work, then getting coffee in the morning. I need you to understand. I did not stop listening to this book for longer than an hour collectively once I started.

How do I even start on the actual review. The haints aren’t the scary part. The true horror is humans and how they treat others. The fact that we get the two siblings’ stories side by side basically is really nice. The horror of Jim Crow America never ceases to disgust me. I hated Haddock with such visceral fury. And it is terrifyingly accurate to how people acted. This is not one I would recommend lightly. But, I do recommended completely. Due has such a way with words and pacing that blows me away. (The Rider from Out There Screaming was also the same.) It is a book I will think about for years to come.

[okiedokiedrjones]

Ink – Jonathan Maberry

Yoooooooooo. I want more stories about Monk. I *need* more stories of Monk. I really liked all of these characters. The Lord of Flies was fucking creepy as hell. The concept of losing the memories tied to a tattoo really fascinated me. All of my tattoos have meaning and I know I would be heartbroken if I lost all of the things tied to them. But, again, I want just episodic stories of Monk. He was fantastic. He had great depth. The story about the faces (and the magic in them) is awesome. Another really good fantasy I’ve read this year.

[okiedokiedrjones]

The Changeling – Victor LaValle

Oh what fun. This was a delightful read. It’s incredibly sad and I usually don’t like dead kids as plot hooks, but I am familiar enough with the concept of Changelings that I figured it was at least worth a shot. I am really happy with it. It was a great blend of urban fantasy. The characters were also really neat. I liked how it starts with the story of how Apollo’s parents met and follows part of his childhood. The way that the relationship between Emma and Brian is described is definitely a good description of postpartum. Patrice is the best fucking ride or die bestie. I love his and Apollo’s relationship so much. I like North Brother Island and its description. This book is a great modern-fantasy. Highly recommend!

[okiedokiedrjones]

The Death of Jane Lawrence – Caitlin Starling

I am a simple man. I like haunted houses. I don’t know what to tell you. This was really interesting though. I think I like Starling as a writer because while it’s not blown-away amazing, it is compelling and well-written enough that I want to finish it. I had some dislike of Jane in the beginning, but after Augustine disappears, she suddenly becomes *way* more interesting. Very good. Very fun.

[okiedokiedrjones]

Gone Girl – Gillian Flynn

Yeah. Okay. This one is a guilty pleasure. It’s another reread. I wanted something I didn’t have to think too much about. I like Gillian Flynn’s characters. Because I think they are all just scummy, shitty people who deserve all the awful things that happens to them. I always hated how the movie adaptations made it seem like Amy was in the right and she was set free. She’s worse than Nick. She’s a fucking horrible person. And I kind of just like the fact they are bad people who deserve each other.