The Booklist

My goal since about 2010 has been to read 100 books within the span of a year; unfortunately, despite my best efforts, I’ve never really been able to make it past 60 or so, but I’m still aiming for that nice round 100. Here’s what I’m reading these days – the good, the bad, and everything in between.

 

Short Stories

  • Small Changes Over Long Periods of Time – K.M. Sparza, 1/6/20
    • One of the most innovative takes on vampires I’ve seen in a very, very long time. Our protagonist – Finley, a transgender man who is turned against his will, in a time where being both trans and a vampire is highly illegal – has to make the decision on whether or not to continue with their transition into a creature of the night. 
  • Body Map: Mouth Cave – Amber Sparks, 1/17/20
    • I hesitate to put this one under a heading that will ultimately be filled with a lot of fiction, but still: Amber Sparks’ retelling of her experience – and the aftermath – as a victim of medical abuse at the hands of her dentist is positively haunting.
  • The Rose MacGregor Drinking and Admiration Society – T. Kingfisher, 2/5/20
    • T. Kingfisher has written some of my favorite retellings of fairy tales in the world, and Rose MacGregor can find itself added to an already extensive list. For all the fans of Tam Lin, and the Janets of the world who maybe found themselves a little more roughshod than what the Seelie Court expected, this one is for you.

 

Fiction

 

Nonfiction

  • My Friend Anna: The True Story of a Fake Heiress – Rachel DeLoache Williams, 1/15/20
    • Jessica Pressler at The Cut has already delved deeply into the circus surrounding Anna Sorokin, who under the alias “Anna Delvey” scammed New York’s social elite out of thousands of dollars, but Rachel DeLoache Williams’ firsthand account of her friendship – and it’s tumultuous end – with the fake heiress was an engaging read.
  • Lost Girls: An Unsolved American Mystery – Robert Kolker, 1/31/20
    • There’s an entire thinkpiece to be written about the public’s voyeuristic fascination with true crime stories, but Robert Kolker’s account of the five victims of the Long Island Serial Killer – five women, similar in appearance, all sex workers, who were abducted after advertising their services on Craigslist – and the painful, drawn-out aftermath endured by their friends and family, highlights the unfair circumstances these women faced in a way that is truthful, careful, and above all, respectful. I for one am looking forward to the Netflix movie based on the book coming out in March.