What I’m Reading
I finished Diavola, by Jennifer Thorne, which I loved. Her previous novel, Lute, is one of my recent favorites, and Diavola now joins that list. A family vacation in Italy goes incredibly wrong.
I listened to the audiobook of The Purple Diaries, by Joseph Egan, which came highly recommended by a bookish friend. It’s about actor Mary Astor, and the scandal that broke when Astor’s husband attempted to blackmail her with the contents of her secret diary. Trigger warnings for awful, awful men.
I’m about halfway through Bird Suit, by Sydney Hegele, author of short story collection, The Pump. So far, the vibes are erotic, feminist, and odd.
I am also completely obsessed with the epic novel, Ours, by Phillip B. Williams. It’s a 23-hour audiobook, expertly narrated by Joniece Abbott-Pratt (who also narrated one of the best books of this year so far, Tananarive Due’s The Reformatory). Fans of Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah, and Victor LaValle will love this deeply weird tale of “an enigmatic woman named Saint, a fearsome conjuror who, in the 1830s, annihilates plantations all over Arkansas to rescue the people enslaved there.” She’s got a staff made of snakes! She’s fucking brilliant!
I’m also almost done with Mouth, a debut collection of short stories from Puloma Ghosh. The stories are super strange, and centered around women, so I obviously love them.
What I Bought
I had the pleasure of visiting Mysterious Galaxy, an indie bookstore in San Diego, and bought all the things. Notably, a signed edition of Christina Henry’s Lost Boy, one of my favorite books ever.
I try to keep an eye on the British comedy scene, but a lot of books by Brit comedians don’t get published widely in the US. But I managed to grab Katy Wix’s Delicacy, and Phil Wang’s Sidesplitter.
Wonderful artist Katy Horan has released an amazing series of author illustration prints on her website. I want all of them, but I grabbed Shirley Jackson and Toni Morrison for now.
California Reading 