July, August, and September reading.
Striding Folly, Dorothy L. Sayers
A chess match with a mysterious antagonist, a grisly practical joke, and a contentious prize-winning fruit all have their significance in these short and atmospheric stories about the later years of Lord Peter Wimsey. These stories made a Sunday afternoon when I wasn’t feeling very well much more endurable.
The Gentle Wind, Hilda Nickson
This romance novel roams from a mid-century office to a suburban family dwelling. It’s an innocent affair until it isn’t. The novel is tactfully tame but does carry some graver considerations. I probably wouldn’t have picked it for myself but I grabbed it from my sister’s donate pile and it was a quick read with some unique characterizations.
Hawkes Harbour, S.E. Hinton
I was surprised to find this author in the horror section of my local used bookstore. As the author of The Outsiders, Hinton is firmly associated with young adult books in my mind. Intrigued, I bought it to read at the beach.
Sailors and psychiatrists, arcanists and undead, this is somewhat of a modern day tale of Renfield. It’s fast-paced, switching back and forth between present and past as the strands of the mystery are untangled. While I enjoyed reading it, I found this book a bit uneven in its story and execution.
Beren and Lúthien & The Children of Húrin, J.R.R. Tolkien
You know, if the seven sons of Fëanor were as interested in taking the Silmarils away from Morgoth as they were from literally anyone else who got them, The Silmarillion would be a shorter book. There would also be a total of two less elven kinslayings. Which still leaves them with one, but that’s roughly a 66% decrease, which, statistically speaking, would be an unprecedented drop in elf fatalities. There would also perhaps still be seven sons instead of what we’re left with at the end, which is–hm, let me do a quick finger tally–one.
But we’re not talking about The Silmarillion, I hear you say.
But, yes, we are. I read these as companion novels interspersed with my re-read of the The Silmarillion, so the whole mythology is very tightly interconnected in my mind. I may have to write a review of my experience doing this…
In the meantime, you could get the highlights in a fun musical form from BardOfArda on YouTube.
It’s Not You, It’s the World, Joanna Cheek, M.D.
In a world where more and more people are increasingly burned out, stressed out, crippled with anxiety, depression, and what-have-you, maybe it’s time to start looking at them as symptoms of a wider problem–the world. If the environment is dangerous, a healthy person’s body would start giving them warning signals, which is what Joanna Cheek posits is going on with our minds and emotions.
As a self-help book, there does tend to be a bit of repetition and unnecessary rehashing of information in various ways throughout. Cheek’s identification of what exactly contributes to the world’s ills may also not be universally agreed upon. However, I appreciated her practical suggestions about managing your own systems and doing what you can. Because while the increasingly human-unfriendly society may be the main issue, it doesn’t mean there is nothing people can do on an individual level to improve their outlook and sphere of influence.
The Mysterious Affair at Styles, Agatha Christie
A visit to a country house and a complex assortment of relations and outsiders, all with grievances about an old lady and the specifics of her will–what would the English mystery novel be without it? Murder soon follows and who should just happen to be in town but Hercule Poirot!
This is the first Hercule Poirot that I’ve read, though I’ve watched quite a few of the movies, old and new alike. I’m excited to continue the series!
Tales of Terror and Mystery, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
From Roman catacombs and quiet revenge driving its victims to madness, to beasts in the sky or in the earth below, Doyle puts out his atmospheric skills on full display. He really is a master of the short story form, reminiscent of gloomy Poe or fantastical Lovecraft. But what he does best and in his own inimitable style is of course the mystery, of which there are several in this varied and enjoyable collection.
Something Wicked This Way Comes, Ray Bradbury
A magical carnival blows in on ragged black clouds one October night bringing promise and menace to a quiet prairie town. Two boys and the library custodian find themselves in a struggle for the town’s soul, as much as for their own.
I have only ever read Fahrenheit 451 by Bradbury, but I did love it. I was so happy to also love reading this one! I must look for more of his books.
Focus on the 90%, Darci Lang
Everyone has good and bad in their lives–as much as 90% of good for every 10% of bad, according to Darci Lang. But of the two we tend to focus on the lesser part that is bad. If we shift our focus, whether looking at ourselves, others, or our circumstances, we can gain agency and actually be happier despite nothing materially changing. Or is it we who have changed?
While this book sometimes tended toward repetition (as I’m noticing self-help books do), Lang has a good storytelling style making this an easy read as well as a good reminder.
Pygmalion, George Bernard Shaw
This is the play behind the hit musical production and movie, My Fair Lady. Who can forget Eliza Doolittle’s transcription-defying exclamations once they have been heard? Written with more than simply stage directions between acts, Shaw’s Pygmalion is a full experience to read, full of wit and whimsy.
Funny connection: I watched the movie Stage Door (1937) soon after finishing this play and what should come up but the myth of Pygmalion and Galatea (cited by a womanizing skeezeball promising to “mould” young actresses).
The Fall of Gondolin, J.R.R. Tolkien
Ignoring a problem and hoping it goes away seems like a good idea until the fire-breathing dragons and mechanical serpents full of brimstone roll up to your crib.
And if the sea god goes to the trouble of sending you a warning, despite all the rest of the gods abandoning you, maybe you should listen to it. Because let’s face it, you can’t count on the eagles to show up until it’s time to pick your broken body off the mountainside after all the heavy lifting has already been done. We know this from the movies.
That was a little more manageable than last quarter. Sitting at twelve books this quarter, I read seven of fiction, two of non-fiction, two story collections, and one play.
