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.

Dear Constant Reader,

In January and February I participate in the Boston Public Library Winter Reading Challenge — to read a book by an author from 6 different geographical areas of the world. As always, I end up reading new books that I wouldn’t necessarily have found otherwise.

Here’s this year’s list:

Africa: Binti: Home, Nnedi Okorafor (Nigeria)
I read Binti last year and was looking forward to her further adventures. Just a warning, no spoilers: make sure you have the third book ready to go as you’re not going to want to wait to read it.

The Americas: Turtle Island: Foods and Traditions of the Indigenous Peoples of North America, Sean Sherman (Turtle Island/North America)
This was probably my favorite book of the bunch. I learned so much about Indigenous foodways and regional foodstuffs. I’ve made a handful of recipes so far and all of them have been very good and worth making again.

Asia: Island Witch, Amanda Jayatissa (Sri Lanka)
This novel takes place in Sri Lanka during the Colonial era, but the theme of women’s rage is universal.

Europe: Strong Roots, Olia Hercules (Ukraine)
I have read a couple of her cookbooks (and cooked from them), but this is a memoir about her family and their roots in Ukraine. Of course, food is a thread running through the story.

The Middle East: Headscarves and Hymens: Why the Middle East Needs a Sexual Revolution, Mona Eltahawy (Egypt)
I read one of her books for last year’s challenge and this is just as powerful. It was published ten years ago, but is sadly still just as relevant.

Oceania: Leave the Girls Behind, Jacqueline Bublitz (Aotearoa/New Zealand and Australia)
I think this was my least favorite. It’s a thriller, which mostly takes place in New York, although there are some scenes in New Zealand. I learned very little about the author’s home, which to me is the whole point of this challenge. I felt like the thread of the plot got a bit tangled and knotted up and the ending did not satisfy me. Alas.

I just realized that only two of the authors on this list were new to me. One of my rules is no re-reads. Maybe next year I’ll add in only authors I’ve never read before, or at least a majority of them.

Have you read anything good this year?

These writings and other creative projects are supported by my 20 Patrons. Thank you so much! To become a Patron, go to my Patreon page. Or you can just tip me if you liked this.

Dear Constant Reader,

As usual, this summer I participated in the Boston Public Library’s summer reading challenge, BLP Bingo. And, like last year, I took on both challenges, the one with 12 books (and 12 other activities) and the one with 24 books. Technically, you only need to complete one line on the bingo card to claim victory, but I strive to overachieve. My personal rule is no re-reads (which made the Epistolary category a bit of a challenge*), unless specifically stated. Here’s what I read from June to August:

For the regular reading challenge:
Author of Color:The Black God’s Drums by P. Djèlí Clark
Indigenous Author: Where They Last Saw Her by Marcie R. Rendon
Book with a Green Cover: Killer High: A History of War in Six Drugs by Peter Andreas
Suggestion from Library Staff: A Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking by T. Kingfisher
LGBTQ+ Author: You Wanna Be on Top?: A Memoir of Makeovers, Manipulation, and Not Becoming America’s Next Top Model by Sarah Hartshorne
Book Published in 2025: Never Flinch by Stephen King
Teen or Children’s Book: Another by Paul Tremblay
Book About an Immigrant: When the Angels Left the Old Country by Sacha Lamb
Anthology or Short Story Collection: Roald Dahl’s Book of Ghost Stories by various authors
Banned or Challenged Book: Flamer by Mike Curato
Disabled or Neurodivergent Author: The Undetectables by Courtney Smyth
Book in Translation: The Aosawa Murders by Riku Onda (translated by Alison Watts)

These were the Read More categories:
Book Set in the ’70s: Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng
Graphic Novel: Relish: My Life in the Kitchen by Lucy Knisley
Book by an Activist: They Called Us Enemy by George Takei
Nonhuman Protagonist: A Sweet Sting of Salt by Rose Sutherland
Trans or Nonbinary Author: Cleavage: Men, Women, and the Space Between Us by Jennifer Finney Boylan
Page to Screen: The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux
First Nations Author: Taaqtumi: An Anthology of Arctic Horror Stories by various authors
2nd Person POV: Candelaria by Melissa Lozada-Oliva
Suggestion from Library Staff: Death in the Cards by Mia P. Manansala
Epistolary: Piranesi by Susana Clarke
Asian American Author: Mỹ Documents by Kevin Nguyen
Reread a Childhood Favorite: The House with a Clock in its Walls by John Bellairs
Found Family: The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart
Autistic Author: All the Little Bird-Hearts by Viktoria Lloyd-Barlow
Book with a Name in the Title: The Return of Ellie Black by Emiko Jean
Genre You Don’t Often Read: Lawless: How the Supreme Court Runs on Conservative Grievance, Fringe Theories, and Bad Vibes by Leah Litman
Debut Novel: Hungry Bones by Louise Hung
Book from your TBR: A Day at the Dragon Shelter by various authors
Book about an Animal: A Cat’s Tale: A Journey Through Feline History by Baba the Cat
Time Travel: To Say Nothing of the Dog by Connie Willis
Book Set in Latin America: The Ruins by Scott Smith
Afrofuturism: The Ephemora Collector by Stacy Nathaniel Jackson
Novella: Coup de Grâce by Sofia Ajram
Book About an Artist: The Lady from the Black Lagoon: Hollywood Monsters and the Lost Legacy of Milicent Patrick by Mallory O’Meara

Many of these were picked from the suggestion lists at the BPL, but some were recommendations from others: 

• The Morbid Curiosity Podcast Discord recommended a bunch of great books, but To Say Nothing of the Dog was a stand-out. Thanks, Butts! Also, two of the members are also authors appearing in A Day at the Dragon Shelter.
• Roald Dahl’s Book of Ghost Stories and The Ruins were selections for the Slightly Sinister Book Club.
• I read The Phantom of the Opera to prepare for my trip to Masquerade.
• Scratch suggested When the Angels Left the Old Country, specifically as an audio book. He was right.
• I was absolutely reading Sarah Hartshorne’s ANTM memoir as soon as it arrived, but finding a category was a challenge, until I read one particular section. (Sarah is an old friend and I’d had this book on preorder since she announced the release date)
• I knew I was going to read Hungry Bones — I’ve been following Louise since “Creepy Corner” on XOJane. I asked her via her Patreon, if she wanted her book to fulfill “Debut Novel” or “Asian American Author” and to recommend a book for the other category.  She picked the former and recommended Mỹ Documents for the latter.

Top 10 favorite books (in alphabetical order)
A Cat’s Tale
A Day at the Dragon Shelter
Hungry Bones
Never Flinch
A Sweet Sting of Salt
They Called Us Enemy/Mỹ Documents (yes, this is two but I feel they should be read as a set)
To Say Nothing of the Dog
When the Angels Left the Old Country
A Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking
You Wanna Be on Top?

Have you read anything good this summer?

*The obvious choice being Dracula

These writings and other creative projects are supported by my 18 Patrons. Thank you so much! To become a Patron, go to my Patreon page. Or you can just tip me if you liked this.

Dear Constant Reader,

The Winter Reading Challenge at the Boston Public Library is finishing up this week. For the past three years the challenge has been Read the World: six books from authors from six different regions of the world in two months. I love these challenges because I end up reading books that I otherwise might never have known about. My personal rule is no re-reads, although I’m fine with choosing an author I’ve read before.

This year’s picks were:
Africa: The Djinn Waits a Hundred Years, Shubnum Khan (South Africa)
A gothic tale of love and loss in a crumbling mansion inhabited by an eclectic group of Indian-South Africans.

The Americas: Silver Nitrate, Silvia Moreno-Garcia (Mexico)
Devastasia recommended this one and she wasn’t wrong. Horror and movies, what’s not to love?

Asia: The Order of the Pure Moon Reflected in Water, Zen Cho (Mayalsia)
Two years ago I read Black Water Sister; this is a very different kind of story — historic fantasy rather than horror.

Europe: The Midwich Cuckoos, John Wyndham (England)
This was the monthly selection for the Slightly Sinister Book Club, so I was double-dipping. Classic British science fiction/horror.

The Middle East: The Seven Necessary Sins for Woman and Girls, Mona Eltahawy (Egypt)
The only non-fiction book. Powerful stuff. This took me the longest to read because I had to take breaks between chapters.

Oceania: Return to Blood, Michael Bennett (Aotearoa/New Zealand)
I read the first Hana Westerman book, Better the Blood last year and could not wait to dive into the sequel.

These writings and other creative projects are supported by my 19 Patrons. Thank you so much! To become a Patron, go to my Patreon page. Or you can just tip me if you liked this.

Dear Constant Reader,

As summer is wrapping up, so did the Boston Public Library Summer Reading Challenge. It’s in the form of a bingo board, so you can aim to fill out lines or go for all the squares (guess which one I did…). You had between June 1st and August 31st to fill out and turn in your card. There wasn’t any kind of prize, just a sense of personal satisfaction.

On the standard card there are 25 squares: 12 for books, 6 for activities, and 6 for explorations (plus the center “free for all”). I am all about the books! (but I did the others too) Here are the book categories and what I read to fulfill them:

Indigenous Author: And Then She Fell by Alicia Elliot
Under 200 Pages: Let Me Tell You What I Mean by Joan Didion
Book with a Purple Cover: The Whispering Dark by Kelly Andrews
Author of Color: Misfortune Cookie by Vivian Chen
Banned or Challenged Book: Fun Home by Alison Bechdel
New England Author: Kitchen Yarns by Ann Hood
First in a Series: Arsenic and Adobo by Mia P. Manasala
Main Character Over 60: Killers of a Certain Age by Deanna Raybourn
LGBTQ+ Author: Into the Drowning Deep by Mira Grant
Award Winner: Savor by Fatima Ali
Children’s Chapter Book: The House that Whispers by Lin Thompson
Disabled or Neurodivergent Author: Floppy by Alyssa Graybeal

A bunch of these books filled multiple categories (e.g. Fun Home is also an LGBTQ+ Author and Award Winner) so there was a bit of a game to decide what went where.

This year there was also the “Read More” bingo card, which was all books, for those who didn’t want to “Experience a piece of art” or “Read outside your home” or other experiential challenges. Of course, I wanted to try this one too. The first twelve categories overlapped with the standard card.

Indigenous Author: New Native Kitchen by Chef Freddie Bitsoie & James O. Fraioli
Under 200 Pages: The Labyrinth’s Archivist by Day Al-Mohamed
Book with a Purple Cover: The Honor of Your Presence by Dave Eggers
Author of Color: Parable of the Sower by Octavis Butler
Banned or Challenged Book: The Complete Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi
New England Author: The Cabin at the End of the World by Paul Tremblay
First in a Series: A Spindle Splintered by Alix E. Harrow
Main Character Over 60: The Dinner Lady Detectives by Hannah Hendy
LGBTQ+ Author: Jonny Appleseed by Joshua Whitehead
Award Winner: Binti by Nnedi Okorafor
Children’s Chapter Book: The Storyteller by Brandon Hobson
Disabled or Neurodivergent Author: Please Do Not Touch This Exhibit by Jen Campbell

These categories were unique to the Read More challenge:

Book Published in the 1920s: Passing by Nella Larsen
Book with a One-Word Title: Shutter by Ramona Emerson
Debut Author: The September House by Carissa Orlando
Book About Social Justice: The Age of Grievance by Frank Bruni
Book in Translation: The Village of Eight Graves by Seishi Yokomizo
Young Adult Book: Reader, I Murdered Him by Betsy Cornwell
Poetry Collection: i shimmer sometimes too by Porsha Olayiwola
Genre You Don’t Often Read: Daring Greatly by Brené Brown
Memoir: Dust Tracks on a Road by Zora Neale Hurston
Classic Book: Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad
Unreliable Narrator: We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson
Book About a Road Trip: Trip of the Tongue by Elizabeth Little

It was only when I went to the wrap-up party at the Central Branch, that I learned I could have used some of the books I read for the first card for the second. You couldn’t use the same book more than once per card, not once only. Oh well…

I’m pretty impressed with myself — 36 books in 92 days. There were plenty of recommendations from the BPL for the 12 categories of the first card, which I used, but for the additional ones on the Read More card, I got recs from friends or just stumbled into stuff. Like, I was reading We Have Always Lived in the Castle for Under 200 Pages, when I suddenly realized the narrator was unreliable. Genre You Don’t Often Read was a challenge, as I’m pretty genre agnostic.  Book About a Road Trip also surprisingly hard for me to find, until I walked into one of the library branches and saw a display on just that subject.

My personal rule with these challenges is no re-reads*. I end up reading a lot of books I never would have otherwise picked up and some which I always meant to read. You can tell from my choices that I’m quite fond of mysteries, horror, and food writing and that I tend toward books written by women.

Someone asked me what my favorite book was and I just can’t winnow it down because I enjoyed many of them for different reasons. The best I can do is a Top 10:

The Age of Grievance
The Cabin at the End of the World
The Complete Persepolis
Daring Greatly
Dust Tracks on a Road
Fun Home
Killers of a Certain Age
Parable of the Sower
The September House
We Have Always Lived in the Castle

Did you read anything good over the summer? What books would you recommend for some of these categories?

*Technically Heart of Darkness should have been a reread as it was assigned in my AP English class. I never even opened the book. Don’t tell my mom… I mean, I guess it’s okay since I scored high enough on the AP test to get out of some college requirements and also won the high school English prize. But I’ve always felt a little guilty.

These writings and other creative projects are supported by my 19 Patrons. Thank you so much! To become a Patron, go to my Patreon page. Or you can just tip me if you liked this.