Good Reads & Views

Monster, She Wrote: The Women Who Pioneered Horror and Speculative Fiction by Lisa Kroger and Melanie R. Anderson
Nonfiction

What it’s about: You may know Mary Shelley and Shirley Jackson as pioneers in the horror genre, but have you heard of Margaret Cavendish, “the Kardashian of her day,” author of a speculative fiction book from the 1600s? How about Pauline E. Hopkins, “the single most productive black woman writer at the turn of the century”? Learn about these authors and many more in this eye-opening book.

Why you should read it: The book has an engaging, breezy style and uses illustrations and quotes to help bring this creation to life. The authors chosen are fascinating and loosely grouped by theme. Segments on each author discuss their lives and their most famous work plus there are notes and even more reading suggestions in the back.

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A Spark of Light by Jodi Picoult
Fiction

What it’s about: Picoult tells the story of the lives of men and women inside a woman’s reproductive health services clinic, as a disgruntled man rushes inside, opens fire, and takes all who remain alive inside hostage.

Why you might like it: The stories of these lives and how they become intertwined is told in a reverse chronological order. The novel starts at 5pm, nearing the end of the hostage situation. You’re introduced to characters who have died, and as you read you learn who they are and how they met their demise. It can be a little confusing, and hard to get used to, but, in the end, it made for very effective story telling. Picoult did extensive research while writing this book, talking with pro-life activists, pro-choice advocates, women who have sought abortions, as well as the doctors and nurses who helped with those kinds of procedures. It is a hot-button issue, more now than ever, and Picoult dives into this subject matter with dignity, grace, and respect for BOTH sides.

From the author: “Honestly, I do not believe we, as a society, will ever agree on this issue. The stakes are too high, and both sides operate from places of unshakable belief. But I do think that the first step is to talk to each other-and more important, to listen. We may not see eye to eye, but we can respect each other’s opinions and find the truth in them. Perhaps in those honest conversations, instead of demonizing each other, we might see each other as imperfect humans, doing our best” (364).

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Everyone’s a Aliebn When Ur a Aliebn Too by Jomny Sun
Nonfiction

What it’s about: An endearing extraterrestrial being lands on earth, encounters all sorts of creatures, and is completely befuddled by earthlings. This charming and wise graphic novel about a stranger in a strange land explores the mysteries of humanity.

Why you might like it: If you’d enjoy reading a mash-up of Are You My Mother? and The Little Prince, then this book is for you. Also, if you think you’d like a self-improvement book disguised as a graphic novel about a confused but wise extraterrestrial, then pick up this book.

You might also like: Jonny Sun (aka Jomny Sun) illustrates the charming book Gmorning, Gnight!: Little Pep Talks for You and Me by Lin-Manuel Miranda.

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Dead Blondes and Bad Mothers: Monstrosity, Patriarchy, and the Fear of Female Power by Sady Doyle
Nonfiction

Why It’s Significant: Sady Doyle (author of Trainwreck) offers a sweeping analysis of monstrous women across history and in contemporary society, touching on everything from the biblical figure Lilith and Daphne Du Maurier’s Rebecca to the Laci Peterson case and the My Favorite Murder podcast. Doyle smartly links all these examples to the patriarchy, proving how depictions of beastly females often help enforce traditional gender roles and demean strong women. The subject matter is often gruesome and infuriating, but Doyle’s hilarious criticisms of popular media provide hope. Worth it for her feminist analysis of Jurassic Park and her acerbic takedown of Species alone.

Reviewers Say: “Some people take a scalpel to the heart of media culture; Sady Doyle brings a bone saw, a melon baller, and a machete.”—Andi Zeisler, author of We Were Feminists Once

You Might Also Like: Other important texts about the monstrous feminine, like the work of Barbara Creed or Julia Kristeva, or recent horror films directed by women, like The Babadook or Raw.

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The River by Peter Heller
Fiction

Why it’s about: A late summer wilderness canoe trip challenges the friendship and survival skills of two college friends as they attempt to avoid white-water hazards and outrace a wildfire. And then they encounter a man alone, who says he lost his wife in the fog. When the friends find her, she is so severely injured she can’t explain what happened. Was it the husband, or something else? Part heart-pounding adventure story, part lyrical and elegant nature writing, this is taut storytelling that will grip you to the very end.

Reviewers say: “The real delight is the nature writing. The River is a fiction addition to the New Landscape writing of Robert Macfarlane and Rebecca Solnit, prose so vivid and engaging that a city-dwelling reviewer can feel the clammy cold of a fog over a river or the heat of subterranean tree roots burning underfoot in the aftermath of a fire.” Denise Mina, New York Times, 4-9-19

Want a taste? “Late August, a clear night becoming cold. There was no aurora borealis, just the dense sparks of the stars blown from their own ancient fire.” Or this, “And the eagles. They seemed to mark the canoe's progress from the gray spires of dead spruce, spaced downriver like watchmen on some lost frontier...”

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The Song of a Wounded Heart by Lora Jones
Nonfiction

What is it? This is an inspiring and gut-wrenching true story of a very dear person in my life. It’s a testimony of how God loved and cared for her after losing her husband and two children in a weather-related car accident, leaving her the only survivor.

Personal Note About the Book: Reading Lora’s story raised my spirits in my own healing journey as it was clear to see that all her encounters with God involved healing and redemption.

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Everything I Need to Know I Learned from a Children’s Book edited by Anita Silvey
Nonfiction

What’s inside: Miniature essays about life lessons by various influencers. Celebrities, authors, and illustrators go into detail about how certain children’s books have influenced their life and career.

Why you might like it: Whether you’re a parent reading these books to your child now, or an empty nester revisiting these titles, you’re sure to feel a wave of nostalgia. As a parent, I am often looking for other lessons or deeper meanings in books to teach to my children, and it’s nice to read about other adults who feel the same. Even as an adult, the messages in books intended for children are so pure and honest, it really restores faith in humanity.

Want a taste? “Oz was not the real world, but it prepared me for the disasters and disappointments that lay ahead. I have always allowed myself to be guided by brains, heart, and courage…” (Hearn, 15).

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Inheritance: A Memoir of Paternity, Genealogy, and Love by Dani Shapiro
Nonfiction

About the Author: Dani Shapiro is the best-selling author of the memoirs, five novels and her short fiction, essays, and journalistic pieces have appeared in The New Yorker, Elle, The New York Times Book Review and many other publications. Dani has taught in the writing programs at Columbia, NYU, The New School and Wesleyan University. She lives in Connecticut with her family.

What it’s about: In 2016 the author received the results of a genealogy DNA test and learned that her father was not her biological father. This is the story of family secrets and a woman's urgent quest to unlock the story of her own identity.

What the reviewers say: "Profound... The true drama of Inheritance is not Shapiro’s discovery of her father’s identity but the meaning she makes of it...Shapiro’s account is beautifully written and deeply moving — it brought me to tears more than once."—Ruth Franklin, The New York Times Book Review

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Slime: How Algae Created Us, Plague Us, and Just Might Save Us by Ruth Kassinger
Nonfiction

What it’s about: The story of algae, the origins of life, and the multi-billion dollar industry with innovators, farmers and scientists all trying to use algae to solve our urgent energy problems.

Reviewers say: “A fun and fascinating deep dive into the natural history, current uses, and vast potential of algae. Who knew that the slimy green stuff we commonly encounter as seaweed and pond scum is a driving force behind all of life as we know it?...Accessible and enthralling” (Kirkus). "Even readers who never expected to enjoy a book about slime will find this an informative and charming primer to "the world's most powerful engines"" (Publishers Weekly).

Extras: Recipes for Dulse and Cheddar Scones, and Irish Moss Blancmange, among others.

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Burn For Me: A Hidden Legacy Novel by Ilona Andrews
Fiction

What it’s about: Nevada Baylor, a private investigator and truthseeker mage, has to track down a powerful fire mage. Connor “Mad Dog” Rogan, a powerful telekinetic mage, wants to find the same guy. After bumping into each other and sparring a few times, they join forces and uncover more than they bargained for, including a conspiracy and romance.

Why you should read it: Ilona Andrews is a husband and wife writing team who have some really cool fantasy series. This series features a sizzling romance and an alternate history Houston in which powerful mages called Primes clash outside the law. I just finished book four and can’t wait for the next installment!

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My Lobotomy by Howard Dully
Nonfiction

What it’s about: At only 12 years old, Howard Dully became the youngest person to receive a transorbital lobotomy. This memoir is a retelling of his childhood leading up to the procedure, the operation itself, and then his struggle to put the pieces together as to WHY his father let it happen to him.

Why it’s significant: This book really shows the reader how much times have changed regarding medical procedures, mental health and child abuse. Howard Dully lived with his father, stepmother, and two step brothers, and was regarded as a normal adolescent boy by many healthcare professionals. And yet, his stepmother berated him, punished him unjustly, and constantly took him to doctors until she found a way to “cure” him. Walter Freeman, a neurologist who specialized in lobotomies, decided he could cure him of any behavior issues, which resulted in his procedure. Dully spent the rest of his life trying to figure out why his father would let someone do that to him. He has suffered greatly in his adult life, both mentally and physically, because of it. Yes, he was able to overcome everything, and live a successful life.

Why you might like it: It’s a story of betrayal and overcoming the odds. Dully’s journey is truly remarkable and unbelievable.

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Frankissstein by Jeanette Winterson
Fiction

What it’s about: As the title suggests, Jeanette Winterson’s new novel is about Mary Shelley’s groundbreaking contribution to the science fiction genre, but Frankissstein is also a futuristic love story set in Britain after Brexit. Winterson weaves the origin story of Shelley’s work alongside a present narrative about the romantic relationship between a transgender surgeon named Ry Shelley and an AI expert named Victor Stein; Victor is experimenting with cryogenics, and Ry has access to spare body parts for scientific study. Along the way, the couple gets mixed up with a sexbot manufacturer named Ron Lord, a sneaky Vanity Fair reporter named Polly, and a skeptical evangelical named Claire—all contemporary counterparts to Mary Shelley’s 1816 cohort at Lake Geneva. Frankissstein is a funny, deep, and smart meditation on the existential quandaries of embodiment, mortality, and authorship. After all, who’s really the monster: the creation or the creator?

Book Buzz: Frankissstein was longlisted for the Booker Prize. You Might Also Like: The Stone Gods by Jeanette Winterson or The New Annotated Frankenstein, which discusses Shelley’s original 1818 text alongside the 1823 and 1831 revised versions.

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