March’s Reads
March had me at a concerted effort to improve my reading, and a reminder to myself that I have Audible and audiobooks because of disabilities and days where it is very difficult to read. My efforts led to an improvement in book numbers and coverage as I remembered as well that not every book has to be a thousand page manifesto. Another thing I did in March was record failure, in the form of my first DNF of the year. “The Grandmother” did not work for me; I found its lack of empathy in the face of violent familial death simply too unbelievable to swallow.
In terms of reading material then, March is once again much more eclectic, with horror still high on the importance list but other genres back in the mix. “Invisible Women” by Caroline Criado-Perez was another re-read for me but anyway should be mandatory reading everywhere in my opinion. The differences in the lives of men and women are inherent in every part of policy making, and it really does impact all our lives, even when you think it doesn’t. “A Stroke of the Pen” was a fun read that I enjoyed for nostalgic reasons, it was good to hear a young Terry Pratchett’s voice. Similarly, Maureen Johnson’s “Your Guide to Not Getting Murdered in a Quaint English Village” is highly recognisable humour to someone who grew up in one. There are two manga on the list this month, both Volume 1, both thoroughly enjoyable, though I have to admit, “Ghost Reaper Girl” pipped it for me due to the combined humour horror content. I’ll be trying the next volume of both in upcoming months.
The best read for March was not only anticipated, but a highly planned read and a cult bestseller in Japan. Inspired by the true crime story of ‘The Konkatsu Killer’, Kanae Kijima, Butter has a very different from Western novels, has some amazing depictions of food, and I actually ended up buying a new rice cooker after salivating at some of the descriptions. I am hugely interested in true crime anyway, so this novel (which is not the true crime story), was absolutely fascinating. I also very much enjoy translated fiction, so this novel hit more than one checkbox for me.
The one that has stayed with me the most from March, and honestly, made up rather ironically for my disappointment over Gibbet Hill last month, is without a doubt the classic vampire story “Carmilla” by J. Sheridan Le Fanu. It has achieved this by making me doubt the status of Dracula as the original vampire classic at all. “Carmilla” predates Dracula, it has an all female cast and a solid LGBTQIA+ romance, and much of the Dracula basics clearly originate here? Okay so now I want a Carmilla main character to pervade mainstream literature either instead of Dracula, or in the same way Dracula has. Surely it’s only fair? She was there first after all.
A weird, fun little read spattered with dark humor, “The Eyes are the Best Part” was a surprise great read for March. A book club read that really shone, it does not take itself too seriously, has plenty of dark events that will keep the reader interested, and is just a little off the edge of sane. This one made me interested in Korean food!
Finally, an honourable mention to another classic, “The Haunting of Hill House” by Shirley Jackson. The sensation of fear throughout this relatively short story is unshakeable, and there are questions left even after it ends. Unbelievably, this was my first time reading this classic, and I felt it really summed up the horrific atmosphere of sinister place. Great to see a true horror master at the height of their power.
