Welcome to October!
It’s the unofficial offiical start of fall! After taking some summer weeks off it’s time to ease back into the newsletter rhythm. I thought I’d start by sharing a reading list. Let’s call it the Fall Reading List of Mostly Fiction But Some Non-Fiction Titles As Well. Or something like that….
A few months ago I asked folks on Threads for fiction recommendations writtent by BIPOC or queer authors. I was surprised with all of the suggestions! I picked up a number of them, mostly through the library app called Libby. (If you haven’t discovered Libby and are OK reading on a device like your phone or tablet you need to check it out. Libby is like robbing a bookstore online. This is generally how I feel every time I borrow a book from the library….)
Without further ado, here is my fall reading list consisting of mostly fiction titles but with the odd non-fiction standout as well. In rough descending order based on my preference….
Everything Sad is Untrue – Khosrou (Daniel) Nayeri – YA Fiction/Memoire
Synopsis: At the front of a middle school classroom in Oklahoma, a boy named Khosrou (whom everyone calls “Daniel”) stands, trying to tell a story. His story. But no one believes a word he says. To them he is a dark-skinned, hairy-armed boy with a big butt whose lunch smells funny; who makes things up and talks about poop too much.
My Take: I listened to this in audiobook (I don’t listen to many audiobooks) narrated by the author which probably gave the book an additional level of detail and immersion. It’s a beautifully heartbreaking story. Worth the time.
The Inheritance of Orquidea Divine – Zoraida Córdova – Fantasy
Synopsis: The Montoyas are used to a life without explanations. They know better than to ask why the pantry never seems to run low or empty, or why their matriarch won’t ever leave their home in Four Rivers—even for graduations, weddings, or baptisms. But when Orquídea Divina invites them to her funeral and to collect their inheritance, they hope to learn the secrets that she has held onto so tightly their whole lives. Instead, Orquídea is transformed, leaving them with more questions than answers.
My Take: Wonderful book with a side of magic. It has shades of ‘Water for Elephants’ but I might be making the connection because the flashback scenes take place in a travelling circus.
The Island of Missing Trees – Elif Shack – Literary Fiction
Synopsis: Two teenagers, a Greek Cypriot and a Turkish Cypriot, meet at a taverna on the island they both call home. In the taverna, hidden beneath garlands of garlic, chili peppers and creeping honeysuckle, Kostas and Defne grow in their forbidden love for each other. A fig tree stretches through a cavity in the roof, and this tree bears witness to their hushed, happy meetings and eventually, to their silent, surreptitious departures. The tree is there when war breaks out, when the capital is reduced to ashes and rubble, and when the teenagers vanish. Decades later, Kostas returns. He is a botanist looking for native species, but really, he’s searching for lost love.
My Take: Beautifully written love story with a side of Cypriot history.
Legendborn Series – Tracy Deonn – YA Fantasy
After her mother dies in an accident, sixteen-year-old Bree Matthews wants nothing to do with her family memories or childhood home. A residential program for bright high schoolers at UNC–Chapel Hill seems like the perfect escape—until Bree witnesses a magical attack her very first night on campus.
A flying demon feeding on human energies.
A secret society of so called “Legendborn” students that hunt the creatures down.
And a mysterious teenage mage who calls himself a “Merlin” and who attempts—and fails—to wipe Bree’s memory of everything she saw.
My Take: A re-imagination of King Arthurs Knight’s Table with a Black teen lead. I didn’t particularly relate to the setting of an American college campus, but the rest was fine, good in fact. One of those books where the second in the series is better than the first. Opens an expansive world for future books as well.
The House in the Cerulean Sea – T.J. Klune – YA Fantasy LGBTQ
Synopsis: Linus Baker leads a quiet, solitary life. At forty, he lives in a tiny house with a devious cat and his old records. As a Case Worker at the Department in Charge Of Magical Youth, he spends his days overseeing the well-being of children in government-sanctioned orphanages. When Linus is unexpectedly summoned by Extremely Upper Management he’s given a curious and highly classified assignment: travel to Marsyas Island Orphanage, where six dangerous children reside: a gnome, a sprite, a wyvern, an unidentifiable green blob, a were-Pomeranian, and the Antichrist. Linus must set aside his fears and determine whether or not they’re likely to bring about the end of days. But the children aren’t the only secret the island keeps.
My Take: I love the world and the ideas here and will look for the sequel. A quick and kind read. The sequel is more on the nose and less exciting but something the intended age audience should read.
The Cartographers – Peng Shepherd – Fantasy/Magical Realism
Synopsis: Nell Young’s whole life and greatest passion is cartography. Her father, Dr. Daniel Young, is a legend in the field and Nell’s personal hero. But she hasn’t seen or spoken to him ever since he cruelly fired her and destroyed her reputation after an argument over an old, cheap gas station highway map. But when Dr. Young is found dead in his office at the New York Public Library, with the very same seemingly worthless map hidden in his desk, Nell can’t resist investigating. To her surprise, she soon discovers that the map is incredibly valuable and exceedingly rare. In fact, she may now have the only copy left in existence… because a mysterious collector has been hunting down and destroying every last one—along with anyone who gets in the way.
But why?
To answer that question, Nell embarks on a dangerous journey to reveal a dark family secret and discovers the true power that lies in maps…
My Take: I really liked the concept of this one although the ending felt a little rushed. A satisfying and intriguing read.
The Marrow Thieves – Cherie Dimaline – YA Dystopian Fantasy
Synopsis: In a futuristic world ravaged by global warming, people have lost the ability to dream, and the dreamlessness has led to widespread madness. The only people still able to dream are North America’s Indigenous people, and it is their marrow that holds the cure for the rest of the world. But getting the marrow, and dreams, means death for the unwilling donors. Driven to flight, a fifteen-year-old and his companions struggle for survival, attempt to reunite with loved ones and take refuge from the “recruiters” who seek them out to bring them to the marrow-stealing “factories.”
My Take: The concept is really strong but it wasn’t fleshed out enough. Readers will follow a rag-tag group of folks in the woods for the majority of this one. Still worth picking up as it is the first in a series. I have yet to read the sequel (or prequel?)
A Master of Djinn – P. Djèlí Clark – Fantasy
Synopsis: Cairo, 1912: Though Fatma el-Sha’arawi is the youngest woman working for the Ministry of Alchemy, Enchantments and Supernatural Entities, she’s certainly not a rookie, especially after preventing the destruction of the universe last summer. So when someone murders a secret brotherhood dedicated to one of the most famous men in history, al-Jahiz, Agent Fatma is called onto the case. Al-Jahiz transformed the world 50 years ago when he opened up the veil between the magical and mundane realms, before vanishing into the unknown. This murderer claims to be al-Jahiz, returned to condemn the modern age for its social oppressions. His dangerous magical abilities instigate unrest in the streets of Cairo that threaten to spill over onto the global stage.
My Take: This is one of those books that leaves me asking, “can writers write about any character and topic even when it’s out of their wheelhouse/experience?” It can be problematic when writers go beyond their expertise in chracter development. Sure, authors can build characters outside of their own worldview/experience. But I can’t shake why a Black man from America wrote a story about a queer muslim woman from Cairo. The entire story and main characters lack a certain depth because of it. The overall universe and story were worth the read though.
The White Tiger – Arvin Adiga – Literary Fiction
Synopsis: Balram Halwai is a complicated man. Servant. Philosopher. Entrepreneur. Murderer. Over the course of seven nights, by the scattered light of a preposterous chandelier, Balram tells us the terrible and transfixing story of how he came to be a success in life—having nothing but his own wits to help him along.
My Take: I chose this title because I want to start reading authors from regions where my ancestors are from. I have read few, if any, Indian authors. The setting here is immersive and the story ends with a twist. A bit dull in the middle.
Mexican Gothic – Silvia Moreno-Garcia – Horror
Synopsis: After receiving a frantic letter from her newly-wed cousin begging for someone to save her from a mysterious doom, Noemí Taboada heads to High Place, a distant house in the Mexican countryside. She’s not sure what she will find—her cousin’s husband, a handsome Englishman, is a stranger, and Noemí knows little about the region.
My take: Kinda creepy. Definitely weird reveal.
The Only Good Indians – Stephen Graham Jones – Horror
Synopsis: Seamlessly blending classic horror and a dramatic narrative with sharp social commentary, The Only Good Indians follows four American Indian men after a disturbing event from their youth puts them in a desperate struggle for their lives. Tracked by an entity bent on revenge, these childhood friends are helpless as the culture and traditions they left behind catch up to them in a violent, vengeful way.
My Take: Often I read books on recommendation without reading the synopsis or the back cover. For this one I jumped right in and then nearly halfway through, when the book really strated to develop pace, I realized I was reading HORROR. So only read this one if you’re into that, if you catch my drift,.
Honorable Mentions:
The Reformatory – Tananarive Due – Horror/Historical Fiction
Recitatif – Toni Morrison – Short Story
Yellowface – R.F. Huang
Non fiction
Chop Suey Nation: The Legion Cafe and Other Stories from Canada’s Chinese Restaurants – Ann Hui
I mentioned eralier I’m reading more books about my people. This ons specifically about the Chinese diaspora that came to Canada at the turn of last century, specifically the families that started Chinese resturartants in the most obscure places. This book (built from a newspaper article in the Globe) follows one woman’s journey to discover why Canada (the US will be similar) has so many Chinese resturarants in the oddest places around the country that are simultaneously unique but the same. This tracks with my own familial story. My Chinese side immigrated to Canada at the turn of the last century and setup a restaurant in a backwater hick town in central Alberta. The book itself falls flat concept wise, the point was to travel across the country visiting all these restaurants, but for some reason everything from Manitoba to NewFoundland was cut (Canada is a BIG place). But her discovery of her father’s story matches closely to my own family so there was a lot to glean from the narrative flashbacks.
Kat Armas – And her 40 day devotional
The Hero and the Whore – Camille Hernandez
That’s it for reading, pick one or two and enjoy this fall!