I haven't been reading as much lately (I went down a rabbit hole playing Master Detective Archives: Rain Code and stopped reading books), but I have hit a lucky streak of mostly excellent reads lately ^_^
Holy crap, I actively disliked A Room of One's Own. Her musings start well enough, but meander into confusing side quests early in. Her takes are elitist, shortsighted, and narrow-minded. She gatekeeps at every turn. The main takeaway I agree with is that oppression is a self-fulfilling prophesy. That when we use a broad brush to deem entire groups incapable or inferior, we rob those groups of the energy and freedom to explore what their highest potential is. In the end, my issue with this work is that Virginia Woolf made an inaccessible, dense work to convey a social message, defeating the purpose. I really wanted to like this, as it's considered a seminal work, but it felt more like a self-indulgence for the author than actually having a productive message.
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North Woods... This book reminds me of when I read Piranesi. For both, I struggled to start, but the more I read the more engrossed I became. To be honest, It was depressing at times. So MUCH yearning, and jilting, and betraying made me lose faith that people can happily love their one person forever and ever. But I adored the premise of stringing together vignettes of mixed formats (letters, songs, doctor's reports, articles, narrative, &c... I mean, etc.) to guide us through the history of this dwelling. Some parts had prose that made my heart sing in its lyricism. I especially feel this true of the way he described the natural world. But what makes this work stand out the most for me is that Mr Mason did not simply write a patchwork of stories. He wove details together deftly, in such a way that everything that happened before would entwine with later chapters. It merits a re-read due to the sheer amount of references I know I missed. Even the writing's voice/tone changed through the eras to give one a sense of time. Despite the initial sluggishness I felt, I am happy I pressed on with this book!
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The River has Roots was a fun, quick read. A whimsical fairy tale about two sisters with a deep love of language. The magic system is actually called grammar! It was refreshing to experience a wholesome tale of sisters, as often the archetype explores themes like jealousy, angst, etc. But Esther and Ysabel's dynamic was heartwarming and sweet. I really like tordotcom releases lately. They make me fall in love with reading again. Which makes me happy, because I don't often understand what I like to read. I have also realized too how much I adore fairy tales. Old, new, dark, joyful… I enjoy them in all their forms. The short story at the end, John Hollowback and the Witch was just as enjoyable. A cautionary tale with no preachiness, I feel the message was conveyed with grace.
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Best Wishes from the Full Moon Coffee Shop is like a soft blanket draped over one. It’s a warm mug of something rich, and bitter, and sweet. It’s easy to dismiss what I call “cute slice of life Japanese translated novels with cat on the cover” as frivolous little binge reads but underneath the cuteness, whimsy, and almost hallmark card saccharine quality… it’s hard to describe. They pull one into feeling cozy, and then suddenly, and with surgical precision, the words open a floodgate and one ends up crying and crying and crying. Not everyone likes these books. But every time I read one I realize that they are called healing novels for good reason, and no one’s scoffs could keep me away from my books with cats on the cover. I binged this one in one day and was hyped to find out that the series has 5 entries in Japan, so I hope we get more translations!
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But Not Too Bold by Hache Pueyo was such an odd novella and I enjoyed it thoroughly. It felt as if magical realism were twisted in a funhouse mirror. So instead of pure whimsy, its dissonance made me pause. There was one part that was a little incongruent to me, but otherwise I felt it was a wonderful read. Eerie, and even messed up looking at it through some angles... but with a tender heart beneath it all.
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Steal from a woman long enough, and a witch is what she’ll become.
– Amal El-Mohtar (John Hollowback and the Witch)