Oh, The Glamourous Life!

Dear Constant Reader,

Once again I participated in the Boston Public Library’s summer reading challenge and once again I read a book in every category on both bingo boards. There was a great reward for a blackout bingo board this year — you got to pick any book in the library and sign a bookplate that would be put into it. I chose Night Shift by Stephen King — one of the most perfect collections of short stories, in my opinion.

As usual, none of these were re-reads (except the one that had to be) and most of them were from BPL suggestions. A couple of those suggestions I thought didn’t fit the theme as well as I would have liked, and thus chose something else. So I ended up reading more than planned. And as usual, some hits, some misses, and a bunch of books I never would have read otherwise.

Links will take you to Bookshop.org (where I have an affiliate account).

Regular Bingo
About a Revolution: Blood in the Machine: The Origins of the Rebellion Against Big Tech by Brian Merchant
Author of Color: Chain of Ideas: The Origins of Our Authoritarian Age by Ibram X. Kendi
Banned Book: Me and White Supremacy: Combat Racism, Change the World, and Become a Good Ancestor by Layla F. Saad
Disabled Not Unabled Pick: The Scald-Crow by Grace Daly
Graphic Format: Fangs by Sarah Andersen
Indigenous Author: Legendary Frybread Drive-in: Intertribal Stories edited by Cynthia Leitch Smith
New Release: Shut Up and Read: A Memoir from Harriett’s Bookshop by Jeannine A. Cook
Orange Cover: They Never Learn by Layne Fargo
Page to Screen: Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman
Staff Recommendation: Mooncakes by Suzanne Walker
Under 250 Pages: Automatic Noodle by Annalee Newitz
We Are Pride Pick: Someone You Can Build a Nest In by John Wiswell (this was almost my “Love Story” choice)

Read More Bingo
A Love Story: When the Museum Is Closed by Emi Yagi
About Libraries: Dinner at the Night Library by Hika Harada
Armchair Travel: The Skies Belong to Us: Love and Terror in the Golden Age of Hijacking by Brendan I. Koerner
Boston History: The Combat Zone: Murder, Race, and Boston’s Struggle for Justice by Jan Brogan
Buddy Read: Japanese Gothic: A Folk Horror Novel of Japanese Mythology, Murder, and Family Duty Across Two Timelines by Kylie Lee Baker
Climate Change: The Unworthy by Agustina Bazterrica
Dual Timelines: The Bewitching by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Family Saga: Feeding Ghosts by Tessa Hulls
Floral Cover: Blood on Her Tongue by Johanna van Veen
From your TBR: The Night Birds by Christopher Golden
Gothic: The Graceview Patient by Caitlin Starling
Graphic Memoir: How to Be Ace: A Memoir of Growing Up Asexual by Rebecca Burgess
Makes You Laugh: Slayers of Old by Jim C. Hines
Multiple POVs: Dead But Dreaming of Electric Sheep by Paul Tremblay
Outside Your Comfort Zone: Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke and Other Misfortunes by Eric LaRocca
Over 500 Pages: To Shape a Dragon’s Breath by Moniquill Blackgoose (this category counted for two squares)
Reread a Favorite: The Body by Stephen King, read by Wil Wheaton
Retelling: James by Percival Everett
Set at Sea: The Spanish Diplomat’s Secret by Nev March
Set in New England: Murder at Breakheart Hill Farm: The Shocking 1900 Case That Gripped Boston’s North Shore by Douglas L. Heath and Alison C. Simcox
Space Exploration: Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Staff Recommendation: The Possession of Alba Díaz by Isabel Cañas
Transgender Author: Peter Darling by S. A. Chant

My top books, in alphabetical order are:
Automatic Noodle: A charming short novel about a team of robots who open a hand-pulled noodle shop.
The Bewitching: Another good one from Silvia Moreno-Garcia. Set in Massachusetts and Mexico during three different timelines.
Blood in the Machine: I will never again use “Luddite” as an insult. I learned so much about the Industrial Revolution and cottage industries and stockings.
The Body: I wouldn’t actually call this a favorite. I mean, it’s good, but it’s not my favorite Stephen King work. It’s not even my favorite in Different Seasons. And I’m not sure I’ve even read it since Stand By Me came out. However, this audiobook was read by Wil Wheaton and it was amazing! I can’t imagine anyone more perfect to narrate this story.
Dead But Dreaming of Electric Sheep: I loved the alternating chapter structure, which told the same events from two points of view, one of which was (at first) completely bizarre. Also, fuck AI.
James: I heard so many good things about this book and they were all correct. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn as told by Jim.
Legendary Frybread Drive-in: I love shared-universe short-story collections and this one is very nicely done. There are little cross-over cameos in many of the stories.
Slayers of Old: Funny, set in Salem (with shout-outs to a couple of actual businesses), and eldritch horrors. Right up my alley.
To Shape a Dragon’s Breath: An alternate nineteenth century America and the culture clash when an Indigenous girl bonds with a new-born dragon and must attend the colonizers’ dragon academy. Although this was for the over 500 pages category, I read it in like 4 days. Very much looking forward to the second book.

Honorable mention to:
Atmosphere for best use of a David Bowie lyric, which made me cry.
The Scald-Crow for a creative solution a folk-tale hero would be proud of.
When the Museum is Closed: for showing that Latin can be a useful language to learn.

Did you read anything good this summer?

These writings and other creative projects are supported by my 16 Patrons. I appreciate you all so much! To become a Patron, go to my Patreon page.