The May Book Round Up

Ahh May – a slower month for reading but I read all available in one series (more to come) and a rather large tomb at the end, so I feel good about it all. There was a lot of rain this month and a lot of distracting myself, so I’ve also played a lot of video games (Disney Dreamlight Valley, if you’re curious) while listening to these. All of these were audio except for This is Pleasure and Bad Behavior, though the latter is included in the Audible Plus library, if you’re curious, and I think Gaitskill’s reading of “Secretary” is excellent (though found her difficult as a reader of other stories in the collection).

1. Once I finished Broken Country, I started looking for more by Clare Leslie Hall and found Days You Were Mine, and a second book (number 4 below). It was another gorgeously human, messy, and tragic story about adoption, depression, and a mother’s protection. Note, there is suicide in this book so take caution if you pick it up.
2. This was another short book in the Scholastic collection. Girl Under a Red Moon: Growing Up During China’s Cultural Revolution tells the story of a young girl navigating the constantly changing rules and consequences handed down during the cultural revolution. Honestly, it was a bit boring near the end – I think I’d enjoy a more traditional novelization of this topic as I’ve read a memoir in the past. This is meant to be youth/young adult and it feels it.
3. Ah Mary Gaitskill. The author of the story of the same name, that inspired the film Secretary. Told from the point of view of both a FMC and MMC, This is Pleasure: A Story, explores the complex and contradictory feelings surrounding “Me Too” stories. It takes a really interesting look at the human emotions behind an accusation and the mindsets of the people involved. There is also spanking mentioned here – a theme for Gaitskill it seems. Hm.
4. This is the third book by Clare Leslie Hall that I found. Pictures of Him is yet another messy human story, this one of love and heartbreak and growth. Her writing is so vivid and really captures how non-linear life can be, and the puzzle pieces that make it up. It also touches on mental health struggles.
5. The next four are actually the first four in a delightfully hilarious series about a group of Sept- and Octo-genarians who investigate old (and new!) unsolved murders for fun, in their retirement community. The Thursday Murder Club (#1) was absolutely hilarious and introduces us to the primary voices.
6. Next up, The Man Who Died Twice (#2) – the stories are so intricate and the plots rich without being gratuitous.
7. Then, The Bullet That Missed (#3) had a particularly enjoyable plot, with it’s stolen jewels and government corruption!
8. And lastly – for now (book 5 comes out in September!) The Last Devil to Die (#4) brings their investigating a little closer to home and personal life, as the characters grapple with love, loss, and dementia, with a hardy amount of government corruption and murder solving continued on from The Bullet That Missed.
9. I’ve read other books by Lisa See (Lady Tan’s Circle of Women, The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane) so when I saw she had a novel about the Haenyeo living on the Korean Island of Jeju, I had to read The Island of Sea Women. This went right to the heart of my favorite literary themes – colonial & post-colonial feminist literature with a focus on the mother-daughter relationship and generational trauma. It’s beautifully told and I learned a lot about the various occupations of the Korean Peninsula and Jeju in particular.
10. I must admit, I didn’t read all of this one, but many, and the most important. I finally picked up the short story collection Bad Behavior by Mary Gaitskill, which contains the Secretary short story. I read it primarily for a Discord book club I run, but I’d been wanting to read it for ages so the book club was just conveniently placed. I was really surprised by the differences between the film and the story and I enjoyed reading bits and pieces of interviews Gaitskill did about “Secretary”, to understand her views. It’s a good story, nonetheless, but while the film is one of growth – a coming-of-age if you will, and ultimately a love story with a happy (if not uncomplicated) ending, the story is the telling of a young woman’s source of trauma. Gaitskill has since written a sequel to the story, which I will read soon, which explores this further.

So far in June I have read four works, including two novellas. I am still working my way through RBG’s memoir (honestly, it’s rough because it’s a lot of reading of her speeches and papers, etc), but I am also reading another novel by Lisa See, China Dolls as well as starting the beloved Discworld series by Terry Pratchett. It’s my understanding that they can be read in any order, but at least for the first few, I will start in published order to get my footing and am thus beginning with The Colour of Magic. I never used to like fantasy but I have lately so this came recommended by my husband and others. I also intend to finally finish Warrior Girl Unearthed this month, and two shorter books I have out from the library.

What are you reading? What do you think I should read?

-M