Not My Genre
Breaking out of the genre rut.
I’m not particularly married to any genre, though as a Millennial woman who has listened to The High Low (RIP) religiously, I’m fond of Sad Girl novels and Sally Rooney-adjacent stories. That being said, I’m not opposed to any genre, and this week’s selection is a real mixed bag. First, horror, a category I don’t usually gravitate towards (I like my books to lull me to sleep not induce nightmares) and second, fantasy (which I find to be hit and miss).
All these books have in common is that I enjoyed them. But I think that’s enough.
Earlier
The Final Girl Support Group by Grady Hendrix
My friend Kate (hi Kate) recommended Hendrix’s body of work to me and I was intrigued by the titles (My Best Friend's Exorcism/ The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires) so decided to put my horror reservations aside. I found the premise of The Final Girl interesting and while there’s a lot of gore, there’s also pertinent points about our culture’s obsession with horror (the real, frenzy-in-the-media kind) and the commercialisation of violence against women.
Now
Piranesi by Susanna Clarke
Stupidly, I thought I knew what this book was about from the cover; two minutes in I had no idea what was going on and realised I shouldn’t judge a book by it’s cover. Five minutes in I decided to go back to page one and start again. Go in with no expectations and don’t for a second think you’ve solved the riddles laid out by Clarke. This is one of the most imaginative and beautiful books I’ve ever read and if you’re someone who avoids fantasy, I suggest seeking this out and letting it change your mind.
Later
Against the Loveless World by Susan Abulhawa
I’ve made a point to track down Palestinian authors recently and I’ve got two books on my tbr list: Against the Loveless World by Susan Abulhawa and The Parisian by Isabella Hammad. My reading these books obviously does very little to help those who are in need and have been suffering for too long, but I hope that by learning about this conflict I can at least approach the present more educated and aware than I have been previously.
Enjoy!