October 2022 Reads
Trevor Noah made me late on this month's newsletter, sorrynotsorry--bumper crop of awesome October books tho
First off let me address a few elephants crammed into this small digital room:
1) I did not buy podcasting equipment, and so, like last month, I have not included an audio version here.
2) I once again wanted to write longer reviews of literally every book I read this past month, but it is hard, and I just didn’t get to it, so, just know that even though I didn’t highlight some of these, it’s not their fault. They’re super great, and you should read them all immediately if at all possible (I mean, if you want, no pressure).
3) Speaking of fault: This is a day late because of Trevor Noah being too freaking awesome. My cool-as-hell wife, Ally, snagged us tickets to be in the audience as Trevor Noah taped Tuesday’s episode of The Daily Show live from Atlanta (he’s in Atlanta all this week). So, a) I’m bragging about it. Obviously. I was there, and it was incredible. And b) it’s *Trevor’s* (I think first-name basis is appropriate now) fault that I was too excited and stood in line too long and hadn’t already finished this ahead of time like a prudent person would have. Anyway, if you watch Tuesday, November 1st’s episode, you probably won’t see us because we were kind of tucked away in the back, but just know that we are a part of the cheers and applause you hear throughout. I’m putting it on my CV right now.
Okay, tomfooleries aside, below is the list of 11 books I finished in October (9 novels, 2 nonfictions), microviews of each, and 5 reviews of my favorite favorites, since they were all my favorite this month. Killing darlings is one thing, but not writing reviews of them? Extremely messed up, and I feel VERY guilty.
The Books, in the order I read them:
Seveneves (2015) by Neal Stephenson - Novel (Sci-Fi)
Hard sci-fi that answers the question: what would happen if the moon suddenly and inexplicably blew up? Compelling characters and a race against time to salvage a piece of the human race, lots of orbital mechanics, some politics, and a tiny little 5,000 year time jump near the end (yowzah).
A Map for the Missing (2022) by Belinda Huijuan Tang - Novel (Literary Fiction)
A Chinese émigré in the U.S. gets a call from his mother back in China that his father is missing, so he makes the journey back after being gone for 15 years, using alternating timelines to dig into past and present, asking us to reflect on the decisions we make and the things we don’t know about the people in our lives.
Welcome to Dunder Mifflin: The Ultimate Oral History of The Office (2021) by Brian Baumgartner and Ben Silverman - Nonfiction
Brian Baumgartner, who plays Kevin on the U.S. version of The Office, pulls from tons of interviews with cast and crew that he has done for his podcast The Office Deep Dive to put together the story of The Office from inception to finale, with lots of great insights and nostalgia for fans of the show (like me).
Something New Under the Sun (2021) by Alexandra Kleeman - Novel (Literary Fiction)
What starts as a mostly realistic tale of a novelist awash in Hollywood as a PA on the set of the film adaptation supposedly based on his novel slowly reveals itself to be steeped in just as much surrealism as Kleeman’s previous novel: California’s privatized not-quite-water (“WAT-R”), a climate-disaster obsessed wife that may have joined an eco-cult, a lead actress with a history of going off the rails, mysterious dementia-like symptoms among people of all ages, etc.
All This Could Be Different (2022) by Sarah Thankam Mathews (Literary Fiction)
Obama in the White House, a recession dragging everyone around her down, Sneha grabs onto the lifeline of a somewhat dubious job offer that comes with an apartment managed by a lunatic: explores gender, revolution, family, otherness, and friendship.
Cult Classic (2022) by Sloane Crosley (Literary Fiction)
Hovering on the edge of Kleeman-esque surrealism without really ever crossing the line, this novel from Crosley (whom I only knew through her hilarious essay collections) follows a woman who is engaged but with some cooling feet who suddenly finds herself running into all of her exes all of a sudden–a lot more going on, but that setup should be enough to sway you.
What the Fireflies Knew (2022) by Kai Harris (Literary Fiction)
Coming of age tale told from the perspective of a young Black girl, K.B. who just recently found her father’s body after dying of an overdose, and whose mother is now dropping her off along with her older sister to stay with their grandfather for the summer. Harris nails the 10-year-old-narratorial voice as K.B. navigates neighborly racism, family secrets and rifts, a teenage sister pulling away, and the interest and danger of boys.
Diary of a Void (2022) by Emi Yagi, translated by David Boyd and Lucy North (Literary Fiction)
A Japanese office worker, fed up with being overburdened by additional “women’s” domestic tasks outside of her job description, sort of stumbles into pretending she’s pregnant, and then has to navigate the fallout as the pregnancy slowly has to become more real to both her and the people in her life.
The Trees (2021) by Percival Everett (Literary Fiction/Mystery)
Set up as a detective novel following the investigation of a spate of white folks with racist ties coming up murdered under mysterious circumstances in Money, Mississippi, things soon get more fantastical, pointed, and allegorical as it becomes apparent that what started locally seems to be spreading.
The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma (2014) by Bessel Van Der Kolk - Nonfiction
Mixing scientific research and approachable story-telling, this has quickly become a foundational text in trauma and its treatment—super helpful as a fiction writer who will be addressing trauma in his novel, but also as an instructor of students, many of whom have probably experienced trauma. Highly recommend.
Seven Deaths of an Empire (2021) by G. R. Matthews - Novel (Fantasy)
The October pick for the sci-fi/fantasy book club I’m part of: Game of Thrones-esque fantasy (minus the depictions of rape and most of the homophobia/sexism of the GoT universe, which is a nice change of pace), set in a Roman Empire style word in which the Emperor has died and the succession is fraught. Alternating between a sometimes insufferable (naïve and whiny, though I was less bothered than some of the other book clubbers) young magician coming of age as he helps escort the Emperor’s body back to the capital and an aging General trying to hold the empire together. Seems like it’ll be the first book in a series.
My Top Five (in no particular order):
Seveneves (2015) by Neal Stephenson - Novel (Sci-Fi)
This was the September pick for the Sci-Fi/Fantasy book club I’m in, but I didn’t finish until October, so here we are. It’s a pretty weighty tome, coming in at 861 pages for the paperback edition I read, but it does the big thing in the opening chapter (something we don’t really understand causes the moon to break up into seven large chunks), and then I was not-at-all-arm-twistingly compelled to keep reading to find out what would happen next. This is hard sci-fi, with lots of science and physics and orbital mechanics and theorizing as to how to sustain human life in space, and it was all super fascinating. Occasionally a little overly pedantic in my humble opinion, but it never really bothered me, and the good far outweighed the bad. Honestly, one of my main critiques of the early bits is that it seems a little optimistic about the human race’s ability to pull together and work to save itself, given the response to COVID, particularly in this country. However, as it went on, it seemed to get a bit more “realistic” for this pessimist, with the uglier parts of human nature rearing their baffling heads. The characters are great. There’s a Neil deGrasse Tyson-ish guy, a robotics expert on the international space station (ISS—dubbed “Izzy”), a Russian cosmonaut, an American President, and a whole host of other characters big and small who play roles as the growing emergency and the attempts to save a remnant of humanity progress. Part 1, as things unfold and the true scope of what is happening dawns on everyone, is probably the strongest, and the couple-hundred-page epilogue-ish Part 3 left a bit to be desired, but this is quite the impressive novel: well-written, complex, science-y, and engrossing.
Good quote: “‘We need brains, is the bottom line,’ Ivy said. ‘We're not hunter-gatherers anymore. We're all living like patients in the intensive care unit of a hospital. What keeps us alive isn't bravery, or athleticism, or any of those other skills that were valuable in a caveman society. It's our ability to master complex technological skills. It is our ability to be nerds. We need to breed nerds.’”
Something New Under the Sun (2021) by Alexandra Kleeman - Novel (Literary Fiction)
It took me a little while to get into this one (most of the books I read are audiobooks through the library, and I had only gotten a couple hours into this one when I lost it, and then I had to put a hold on it, wait, and finally got it back, restarted it, and was all-in much more quickly after that), but it sure did scratch a similar itch to Kleeman’s previous novel You Too Can Have a Body Like Mine (which I loved and reviewed here). We start off with a kind of straight-forward writer-in-Hollywood-over-his-head set up, but even so, there are some telltale indications that this is not going to remain realism. I loved Kleeman’s surrealistic visions in You Too, and this does not disappoint. The writing is just as strong, and the feeling of impending doom is masterful. There are so many unsettling details throughout that are often extremely funny even as they point to the looming climate disaster and all the bad things the world seems hell-bent on hurtling itself toward. Much like the narrative itself, as Kleeman ratchets up the tension and things go wronger and wronger. Not a hopeful book, but the absurdities do make the direness a bit more playful? I loved it. I’ll probably have to read everything Kleeman writes at this point.
Good quote: “‘I’ve been out west now to see what I can see, and what I discovered is that it’s all on fire and giving off a dark blue smoke. I saw the palm trees and the bathing suit beach and a surf-whitened sea, and I looked until my eyes burned down to the nub. There’s no paradise here unless you’re a bird of paradise. There isn’t enough ocean to put out all of the flames.’”
Diary of a Void (2022) by Emi Yagi, translated by David Boyd and Lucy North (Literary Fiction)
This was one of my most anticipated reads coming out in the latter part of 2022, as discussed here, and it, like This Could All Be Different and A Map for the Missing above (also discussed in the linked post), did not disappoint in the slightest. One thing I love about this type of novel is the slow build as the situation begins to grow more and more unavoidable and absurd, all the while with a fairly stoic narrator who takes each strange new development in stride, never commenting on the absurdity. It’s such a fun tone and works incredibly well here. In the wake of Roe being overturned here in the U.S., this novel that examines the expectations and treatment of pregnant people, the role of women in society (albeit a Japanese society both familiar and unfamiliar to this white male United-States-ian reader who has never traveled to Japan), and a faked pregnancy hits a little harder and differently than it would have previously or than it may to readers outside the U.S. But the ironies and hypocrisies it reveals along the way are evergreen and fascinating. Loved it.
Good quote: “As I pushed open the door and stepped into the darkness, I felt light-headed. I kicked off my heels and sank down right where I was. For a while I just lay there on the imitation wood floor, giving myself over to the familiar coolness, relieved to be out of the oppressive heat. Late summer was still dragging on–I was bored with being bored with it. When I lifted my head, I saw the sun still shining through at the other end of the room. A vision of paradise. So this is pregnancy. What luxury. What loneliness.”
The Trees (2021) by Percival Everett (Literary Fiction/Mystery)
This is a tough one to review simply because my brain is still abuzz with too many thoughts and impressions and reactions to corral them into an incisive and coherent nugget of “here’s what makes this novel brilliant.” But I felt the need to try anyway. I had never read or even really heard of Percival Everett until a bunch of my favorite writers and readers said a bunch of glowing things, and I was like, wait, why haven’t I at least heard of this guy? (Actually, there’s probably a very clear reason, having to do with unsavory publishing world racism, as this article [which I first saw because newsletter favorite, Megan Giddings, shared it awhile back] HOW THE “NEW YORK TIMES” COVERS BLACK WRITERS–a fairly quick but important read). Anyway, in my attempt to correct this, I immediately put a hold on the novel my library had an audiobook version of. Knowing almost nothing about what was coming was an excellent way to get absolutely steamrolled by this novel, The Trees. After the fact, I saw that this was shortlisted for the Booker Prize, which is probably why Everett was coming up in my social media feeds at the time. I honestly hesitate to go into any more particulars, just because I don’t want to deprive you of the same experience, so apologies in advance for probably being cagey. From the opening pages, I at first wondered what decade we were in, until there’s mention of a motorized scooter lifted from a Sam’s club. It has a timeless feel in the way that many novels and depictions of the South do, and in the ways in which this country’s problems tend to stay problems. Content warning: we see a lot of the aftermath of violence reminiscent of horrific racial violence and lynching, and Emmett Till is referenced. I will mention some of that below. A strange and grizzly murder (or perhaps double murder) happens (a dead white man whose violently removed testicles are found in the hand of an apparently dead Black man beaten past any recognition) and then one of the bodies (the unknown Black man) disappears, only to reappear and a strikingly similar new murder scene. Black FBI agents are dispatched to assist the good-ole-boy locals. A Black woman has spent her life cataloging lynchings that hadn’t been recorded. An orange-hued president eventually makes an appearance or two. I don’t know what else to say except: this one is living in my head and paying not a cent in rent.
Good quote: “‘I didn’t know the FBI investigated murders,’ Mama Z said. ‘I thought such things were matters for local authorities.’ ‘There might be some civil rights violations involved,’ Hind said. ‘Whose civil rights?’ ‘I don’t know yet.’ ‘I ask because you have to have civil rights in order for the them to be violated.’ Mama Z let that hang in the air. ‘I’m sorry. Forgive my manners. We can sit in here. Gertie, be a dear and make us some tea and bring some cookies. Make sure the cat doesn’t come in here and bother us.’”
The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma (2014) by Bessel Van Der Kolk - Nonfiction
I think a lot of professions might benefit from having The Body Keeps the Score be required reading, beyond just therapists (for whom it often is required reading). Teachers, definitely, and Van Der Kolk discusses that explicitly in a brilliant section near the end of the book. Social workers, for sure. Police, politicians, pundits–a whole slew of people would benefit from having a deeper understanding of trauma and how people who have experienced trauma behave, how it affects them, etc. Diving deep into clinical definitions, technical descriptions of the brain and its different areas, case studies, first-hand experiences, and perfectly (to me) mixing jargon and specialized research with an accessible and often narrative-driven writing style, this had been high on my list for a while, both as research for the novel I’m working on, and because my wife Ally read it and loved it and because one of our close friends is also an amazing therapist and recommended it. Van Der Kolk was instrumental in expanding the study of trauma and PTSD, especially as it pertains to survivors of child abuse. He also goes into a lot of the treatments available, stressing that it is never one-size-fits-all, and that often a variety of different treatments are needed. It’s a fascinating and incredibly important and useful book.
Good quote: “Traumatized people chronically feel unsafe inside their bodies: The past is alive in the form of gnawing interior discomfort. Their bodies are constantly bombarded by visceral warning signs, and, in an attempt to control these processes, they often become expert at ignoring their gut feelings and in numbing awareness of what is playing out inside. They learn to hide from their selves.”
Speaking of which, since I happen to know a badass therapist who specializes in trauma (amongst a whole host of other things), you should check out Isita Patel (LPC, CTTP) and her website, isitapatel.com, and keep her in mind if you are looking for a therapist in the Atlanta area. She rules.
In Case You Missed It:
I only had one late-breaking bonus post this month in which I discussed National Novel Writing Month (November) and how I bullied myself into participating, so that hopefully I can write a bunch of this novel I keep saying I’m going to write. It’s day two, and I’m off to a rocky start (again, fully blaming Trevor Noah on this one… the man is super smart and funny and talented, but boy does he throw a wrench in one’s writing plans without a care in the world, smh). Anyway, double the writing goal today, I guess! You can read the post here: