Making a Dent
Currently reading:
The Hounding by Xenobe Purvis
Out There Screaming, edited by Jordan Peele
An American Sunrise by Joy Harjo
Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice [audiobook]
Books finished this week: 3
★★☆☆☆
Where this book came from: Purchased from Kew & Willow back in October 2024!
Why this book: I met up with my friend Melissa——hi, Melissa!——last weekend for a little show and reading date, and she asked what drew me to this book. Honestly, I don’t remember, but I can only assume it was the vampire element. As I explained to Melissa, I’m also very into the “old painting with bold modern font” cover trend (even if most books I’ve read that look like that have let me down . . .)
Thoughts: Wow, this was boring. And also confusing? There were some interesting takes on vampirism——the rules, the lore, the fact that a vampire apparently was able to get pregnant and give birth?? (Reneesme, this protagonist is not)——but this just really felt like #SadGirlLit with some light speculative elements tacked on. There are some good ideas here that felt wasted, too, like how the protagonist watches “what I eat in a day” videos while unable to ingest human food and also starving herself of her own nourishment. Overall, a thankfully short read, and a disappointing one. Plus, she barely ate!! False advertising.
★★★★★
Where this book came from: Purchased at the National Book Festival way back in 2023, exploring DC for a lovely weekend with my friend Maia (hi, Maia!).
Why this book: To be totally honest, I think this was another case of fully judging a book by its cover. Reading “queer mountain lion” in the flap copy helped, too.
Thoughts: At turns fun and funny and then moving and tragic, and incredibly imaginative throughout. LONG LIVE HECKIT.
★★★★☆
Where this book came from: My 2025 trip to New Orleans for Mardi Gras. I fully forgot where I bought each book in that haul (because there were . . . a lot of bookstores), but I found a Faulkner House Books bookmark in this one when I started reading, so let’s make an educated guess and assume it’s from there!
Why this book: Mango Street has been on my radar as a must-read classic. I think I finally bought it, though, because I read an excerpt in a craft book I was reading at the time. I was stopping at a ton of indie bookstores in New Orleans anyway, and though my usual style is to walk in and wander until something catches my eye, I figured it would be more productive to look for books from my TBR that were top-of-mind.
Thoughts: Impressively spare prose that conveyed so much. I love a story in vignettes, and this book brought the neighborhood to life with such excellent, clearly carefully chosen details. I can see myself rereading this one a few more times, to sink into the world Cisneros built and find inspiration in the impressive amount she can convey with so few words.
Library updates:
I felt like I was slacking a little bit on my reading at the start of this year, though I don’t think it’s actually my fault, and I’m trying not to judge myself too harshly. I’ve been trying to catch up on reading agent submissions at work and editing a ton, so that’s cut into my personal/fun reading time a bit, and after a few just-okay books from the Library, I also fell into a bit of a reading slump.
Thankfully, after enjoying Imposter and Yesteryear, I started to have some more hope. Those books were much-needed reminders that reading is fun, actually, and what it feels like when I’m excited to pick up a book and keep reading whenever I find myself with even a short stretch of spare time. I decided to dive into some shorter books this week (thus the three reviews above), to keep the momentum going and put a real dent in my Goodreads reading goal for the year. Happy to report that it seems to be working!
Anyhow, I’m going to keep the missive relatively short this week. First, because you have three new books to check out (you’re welcome). And second, because I’m trying to finish drafting a horror novella for an open submission call. I only have to submit a portion of the manuscript for consideration, but I want to have a full product ready to go . . . just in case. Also because I don’t think I’ll be able to edit the project effectively if I don’t know where it all goes.
Wish me luck!
Closing thoughts:
Read short books!!
