Reading Log: October & November Issue.
A look into the books I've read these past few months.
So, I lied. Yesterday was supposed to be an Author Spotlight. I actually don’t have one ready yet, but what I do have is this: A reading log. (and the release radar we put up earlier)
Wait, so what does that mean exactly? Well let me lay it down straight— I’m not doing full blog-post reviews anymore. I’ll still be reading books, posting reviews on Social Media, Amazon, & Goodreads of course. However, I’ve been feeling too overwhelmed to keep the blog-posts going.
Which brings us to this, a mash-everything-together into a Reading Log— where I go over the books I’ve read each month, and my thoughts on each.
For this particular issue, you may have noted the clear inclusion of both October & November. And uh, yep, you’ll also note that some books included aren’t necessarily indie.
I’ve started listening to more Audiobooks, and checking them out from my library. Naturally some end up falling out of the indie scope, but I found them compelling enough to include anyway. However, let’s just going over each one I’ve read.
Maybe Blue by Melanie Cole: So, this is actually the last book I did a full review on here at Substack, and you can read it here. However, to sum up my thoughts:
There’s a lot of depth to Melanie’s writing, and you can feel it every step of the way. With beautiful use of language and structure, Maybe Blue is a collection worth reading through multiple times. And while it’s not the collection’s only theme, spirituality plays a huge role— crafting something relatable for those who share in Melanie’s religious beliefs, without necessarily alienating others. I gave this read a 5/5.
Forget Me Not by Ellie Terrie: This read is short, but ultimately captivating in its storytelling. The book follows Calliope June, a girl who once again must adjust and try to fit in at a new school. Which is difficult when you have Tourette syndrome. I really enjoyed this one, and as I noted previously when talking about it:
”Reading stories centered around characters with Tourette Syndrome is very important to me, and how it ties to my family history. And Ellie Terry, who has Tourette Syndrome, offers a fantastic intro into learning more about the condition, and the importance of being kind and understanding towards others— even if you don’t know why they make silly little noises, or twitch their face seemingly at random.”Let Sleeping Gods Lie by Ben Schenkman: I consider myself a decent fan of Ben’s work, and reading about various folklores and mythologies. So, when I found out that he was writing about Native American folklore, I knew I had to give it a shot.
Overall, I found Ben’s writing and storytelling capabilities just as compelling in this book. Resonating with its characters, and drawn to the story despite some pacing issues, I think this is an adventure worth reading. It did have some pacing issues in my opinion, but I’d still recommend it to anyone interested in reading about other folklores. I gave this one a 4/5.
1000 Words by Jami Attenberg: This one was intriguing listening to, as it contains essays from over 60 different writers. It can be a little difficult keeping track of who wrote what when you’re listening, but that didn’t stop this book from being a good one.
Many of the essays drew from each writer’s life experiences, from dealing with issues like discrimination, existing in the pandemic, and much more. It’s a really inspiring guide that made me think about how I too could push myself to write a 1000 words everyday. And I highly recommend listening, or reading this book if you need a little push yourself.The Serpent’s Rise by LM Sypher: This was a book I felt drawn to based on the cover alone— reminding me of something like The Lightning Thief. And while it’s recommended not to judge a book by its cover, I’m glad I did. This one was fantastic!
As you can read in my notes there, LM Sypher does an incredible job at creating such a fantastic story. So much so, that it was difficult for me stop reading anytime I picked up the book. Over all, L.M.’s dive into different Mesoamerican mythologies is beautifully done, and I really can’t wait for the next one to come out. I give this one a 5/5.
Yours Truly by James R. Haggerty: This one is an obituary writing guide from someone who writes them for a living. I actually started listening to it by accident, hastily looking up “writing” audiobooks on Libby. However, I’m really glad I ended up going through with this one.
As someone who thinks a lot about life and time, I never really stop to think about people’s actual life stories— and this book offers an incredibly deep look into not only the writing process for those, but gives glimpses into a variety of other people’s lives through the essays written by the book’s author.
And yeah, that’s everything for my reading log from the past two months. A healthy mix between physical reads and audio listening. Let me know down in the comments what you think of this format, and what books you have recently read, too! Buh-bye now!