Who Is She?
Updated Saturday, May 31, 2026, at approximately 10am, after rereading the previous evening's (tipsy) review of ALL FOURS and cringing.
Also to add the new book I'm currently reading.
Currently reading:
Bloom by Delilah S. Dawson
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: 2
★★☆☆☆
Where this book came from: Purchased at Love and Legends during one of their Quiet Reading Nights earlier this year.
Why this book: The cover called to me from across the store, and the flap copy delivered the killing blow. (Also, I think we got a store credit to use, so.)
Thoughts: I won’t mince words: this one was an enormous disappointment. I did honestly like a lot of the characters——Temperance, Robin (Robin!!), Thomas——and their POVs, but any goodwill this book built up for me was absolutely ruined by Pete Darling. I loathe that man. And, yes, sure, maybe that’s a sign of good writing, that the author was able to do what they intended. But he wasn’t a good or complex character, or even a particularly interesting one; he was a blunt instrument, being bad and awful in obvious ways. As a counterpoint (no spoilers), I enjoyed the sisters’ grandfather, who clearly loved his granddaughters and wanted them to be happy, but still held some oppressive beliefs. He wasn’t perfect; he was complex. Overall, such an excellent premise, totally ruined by focusing on men (gross). I know Virgin Suicides (one of the comp titles for this one) gives the narrative to men, too, but that book worked for me——maybe because of the collective narration, versus being in individual heads for this story? Whatever it is, The Hounding just deeply did not work for me.
★★★☆☆
Where this book came from: Split Rock Books, in Cold Spring, while staying in the same room I’m staying in this weekend. Did I Blue-skeedo into this book??
Why this book: Honestly? I saw it everywhere and didn’t care, but then Brit Lower said she loved it, and I will follow Helly R. anywhere.
Thoughts: This was fine, and I mostly enjoyed it! I am not a litfic girlie, but I devoured this book in basically one weekend. I just wanted to keep reading, constantly, no matter where I was or what I was doing. Did I learn any of the things I was supposed to or walk away with the intended lessons? Probably not. Do I want to redo my apartment like the motel room in this novel? YES.
Library updates:
Live from Cold Spring, it’s Sunday morning! I’m back in the mountains this weekend, for the first time in a long time (for me), and it’s been somehow both productive and relaxing. Lots of writing and reading done, a few submissions completed, and I hiked?? Who is she?
It’s amazing what you can accomplish when you’re not under constant stress. I know this isn’t a revelation——I don’t think it’s really even an original idea for me, as I half-remember writing on this or a similar topic pretty recently——but it’s worth repeating. And “stress” doesn’t have to mean an especially chaotic time at work or family issues or a friend fight or having a messy apartment you really, really need to clean. I feel stressed just having to get to the office a couple days a week and plan laundry and food shopping around my time at home. Fuck, I feel stressed just existing.
But take that away, and look what you can do! And what a privilege it is.
Closing thoughts:
Find a few times a week——or even just one short time——to do something for yourself. Read, watch a show, finish a project, submit an application, share a story with a friend——if it feels like a vacation, it’s the right thing to be doing.
Total books read from the Moratorium Library: 210
(Total books added to the Moratorium Library: 440)
You already know I went to Split Rock Books.
