Everything I read in July, 2023!

This year, I set my Goodreads reading goal at 80 books. I expected to have an average-to-slower reading year for some reason. As it turns out, I’ve already passed my first goal of 80 and so I’ve readjusted to 120. Considering I’m on sabbatical for the next five months, it’s more than likely I’ll exceed that mark, too, making this year my biggest reading year in a decade, at least (since I started tracking with the Goodreads Reading Challenge).

Quite a bit of this year’s reading has been manga and graphic novels, though, entire volumes of which I can read in a single day, so it’s not like this is the “most” I’ve ever read (by page-length), but it will almost surely be the highest total book count. That’s fun, especially when I’m reading things I end up really enjoying. (For instance, I just finished reading TJ Klune’s Wolfsong, which lived up to all the hype for me. I can’t include it in this post since I finished the book in August, not July, and I’ll probably also give it its own spotlight, because I think it deserves it.)

Anway, here’s what I read in July 2023!

Fiction

Camp Damascus by Chuck Tingle: I received this one as an ARC and was happy to read it before its release date. (The book is now available everywhere!) This one is a paranormal horror that deals with the trauma of forced religious conversion for LGBTQ+ youth. It’s at times horrifying and thrilling, as one would expect from a horror novel, but it’s also a unique take on the coming-of-age and coming out experiences.

Different for Boys by Patrick Ness: I’m not sure if I’d classify this one as a novella or short story. Perhaps a very short novella. Too short, in my opinion, because I was loving the story and felt it deserved, and needed, so much more. The illustrations are great, and it took me back to A Moster Calls, which I love so much. This one is a coming-of-age and coming out story that is both touching and hopeful, but it doesn’t skirt the darkness. Its ending was abrupt and left me wanting more. That’s probably good, though, right?

The Magic Strings of Frankie Presto by Mitch Albom: Thoughts are here. One of my favorites so far this year.

The Saturday Night Ghost Club by Craig Davidson: Thoughts are here. Not what people say it is!

Nick and Charlie: A Heartstopper Novella by Alice Oseman: What a joy to read a fully developed version of Nick and Charlie’s story, first developed in the Heartstopper graphic novels! This one adds all sorts of angst and tension. The big question is, does young love—and first love—last? Is it supposed to? After reading this one, I discovered that some of Oseman’s other novels, like Solitaire, are about this same universe and even include some Nick and Charlie. . . so of course I’ve run out and bought those books, too!

Clown in a Cornfield by Adam Cesare: I’ve been reading a lot of horror, lately, and have quite a few more on my stack that I picked up recently. This is a fun slasher, in the young adult category. Its politics are at the forefront, which has been a turn-off for some readers, but I didn’t mind it (probably because I agree with its politics, to be fair.) Fans of Scream and I Know What You Did Last Summer are going to like this one.

God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater by Kurt Vonnegut: I love Vonnegut so much. He remains one of my favorite writers and thinkers of the twentieth century, in the way Twain remains my favorite of the century prior. Who is the Twain or Vonnegut today? (I look to Ocean Vuong in terms of sheer thought and talent, though he’s certainly not the humorist these other two are. Perhaps we’re still waiting?) Anyway, Rosewater is a favorite of many of my friends, and it does have some of my favorite lines, for instance the “welcome to Earth” line I cherish so much. “You’ve got to be kind!” It’s not my favorite of his novels, though I do adore the message and the story had me laughing out loud in many places. What does a good man do with unlimited wealth? He goes insane! At least, the world is bound to see him that way.

Patron Saint of Nothing by Randy Ribay: This is a brilliantly written young adult mystery/thriller that’s based on real sociopolitical affairs in the Philippines under Duterte. Ribay’s protagonist, Jay, a high school senior, travels to the Philippines after the mysterious death of his beloved cousin. Everyone in the family refuses to explain how or why Jay’s cousin died. There was no funeral, no remembrance, and even his name seems to be forbidden. Jay is determined to find out why, and what he finds will break his heart but lead him to discover so much more about himself, his family, and his heritage than he could have ever imagined. This was a marvelous journey. This was my eighth book completed for the TBR Year 10 Challenge.

The Alchemy of Moonlight by David Ferraro: My last book of July and first book of August were both about supernatural creatures of the same type. Who’d have guessed!? It’s not typically in my area of interest, but I enjoyed this fantastical retelling of Anne Radcliffe’s Mysteries of Udolpho (even though I’ve never managed to get all the way through that novel; I’m going to try again this autumn!) In this one, billed as a gay gothic romance, our young protagonist is disguising himself to avoid the machinations of his aunt, who threatens to send him to an asylum and deny him his inheritance, all because of his sexual “deviancy.” While in disguise, he ends up falling for two men, one a doctor’s apprentice, the other a count and heir to a powerful family. What follows is a mysterious, eerie, dangerous, supernatural romance that fits both the capital and lower-case “romance” genres. The book’s pacing is a bit off and some of the story is predictable, but it’s great fun, the characters become lovable, and there’s a nice mix of classic gothic romance with contemporary updates.

Non-Fiction

Radical Compassion by Tara Brach: Brach is a Buddhist teacher whose work on mindfulness and recovery follows the RAIN approach: Recognize, Allow, Investigate, Nurture. I thoroughly enjoyed and appreciated this perspective on living and healing, on mindfulness and (secular) Buddhism as a positive force for living well every day. This is the first work from Brach that I’ve read or encountered, but I will definitely be seeking out more.  

The Heartstopper Yearbook by Alice Oseman: This was not what I expected at all! I figured it would be another installment in the graphic novel series, but it’s actually a kind of memoir on Oseman’s craft, specific to the creation and development of Heartstopper, including art, story, and adaptation. I think big fans of the Heartstopper universe will really appreciate this one.

Why I Write by George Orwell: Thoughts are here. One of my favorite essays is in this one.

The Nation Must Awake: My Witness to the Tulsa Race Massacre of 1921 by Mary E. Jones Parrish: This is an important and woefully forgotten piece of historical journalism. A first-hand account to the destruction of “Black Wall Street” by the white residents of Tulsa, aided by the complicity of local law enforcement and citizen militia. Following Parrish’s own account are the accounts she took in the days following from dozens of other residents and witnesses, of all races. It’s a terrible shame on all of us that this cursed event was forgotten from history for so long, so much so that even born-and-raised-residents of Tulsa never heard of it. Of course, “forgotten” is the wrong word. It’s not forgotten when it’s intentional.

Manga & Graphic Novels

Love is an Illusion, Vol. 3 by Fargo: I absolutely loved the first volume in this Omega-verse series, but then kind of loathed the second one, where I found one of the main characters to be beyond insufferable. Don’t get me wrong, I’m okay with a book where the characters are horrible and unlikable, if it serves the story well. In Vol. 2, I just thought everything was kind of lame. Volume 3, though, brings back some of the charm and romance of the first volume, and I’m so glad, because now I get to look forward to the next installment again! (I wasn’t even sure I’d be reading this one, so I’m glad I took the chance.)

Heartstopper, Volumes 2-4 by Alice Oseman: Oh, how I adore this series. I came back to it after re-watching the first season of Heartstopper in preparation for season two. Since season one covers volumes one and two, I felt it was time to revisit the later volumes before season two and the big visit to Paris (and all the conflict that reveals itself later in this story). I “rated” all four volumes in this series with perfect scores, so I didn’t feel the need to separate these. I can’t wait for volume five to release later this year. I hear it’s the concluding chapter, but hopefully not “the end” for Nick and Charlie!

Megumi & Tsugumi, Vol. 3 by Mitsuru Si. This is probably one of my top two or three current favorite BL manga series. While I didn’t enjoy this one as much as the first two, I still loved it and gave it a solid four out of five stars. Megumi and Tsugumi, having finally entered an official “relationship” now must struggle with jealousies, rivalries, and all that comes with a new relationship, on top of the fact that, of course, Tsugumi continues to refuse to take medication to suppress his “heat.” What will happen in volume four? Will “the bite” finally come?

Poetry

The Moon Before Morning by W.S. Merwin: This is the first Merwin collection I’ve read, and I found it to be a pleasant experience, but not my favorite. I picked this one up while browsing the poetry section at Barnes & Noble for a gift for someone whose spouse had recently passed. Some of the poems I scanned stood out to me, so I got the book for myself, but it didn’t resonate with me the way I thought it would. The poems also didn’t seem to match the book’s description, to me. That said, Merwin has a recognizable and admirable poetic voice, and it was nice to sit with a poet of confidence.

What We Lost in the Swamp by Grant Chemidlin: This is the second book in this month’s queue that I purchased largely on the recommendation of Tik Tok’s “Book Tok,” and it’s the second one that, well, didn’t go over so well. I have since stopped listening to Book Tok (but that doesn’t mean people should stop following my Book Tok account, which is much more trustworthy, I promise!) Anyway, I didn’t hate this one, but I didn’t love it. I was interested in its presentation as a coming out collection, one that deals, also, with coping from the fallout of homophobia and judgement, fear, etc. There is certainly some of that, but what I’ve been finding in a lot of contemporary poetry collections is that, well, they don’t seem like poetry to me. I miss form. I miss stylization. I’m tired of reading peoples journal entries broken into supposed verses for…effect? It’s not working anymore. (Hence why I’ve returned to Merwin and Limon and others.)

The Carrying by Ada Limon: Speaking of Limon! She’s poet laureate for a reason. I’ve had two or three of her collections sitting on my nightstand for months and months, one of which I bought a long time ago, and two of which I bought after hearing hear in conversation with Krista Tippet on the On Being podcast. Her poems about living through pain are most touching, and her craft shines.

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