Cleveland Reads
Time for another roundup of things I read on a trip, this time during a long weekend in Cleveland.
Sleeping Murder (by Agatha Christie)
This was for the "last book in a series" category of the Read Harder Challenge. I vastly prefer Poirot to Miss Marple, so I haven't read many of these, but I enjoyed the young couple at the center of the mystery, who were amateur detectives in this case. Also, the ending fooled me, and I love being fooled! (Note, this is Agatha Christie, so there is some casual racism. Sadface emoji.)
Ash (by Malinda Lo)
This was for the "retelling of a fairytale by an author of color" category of the RHC. It's a retelling of Cinderella where the main character falls in love, not with the handsome prince, but with the beautiful huntress - and the "fairy godmother" is kind of a semi-malevolent fairy spirit. It was published over a decade ago, and it was interesting to read the interview with Lo where she said she regrets not adding more Chinese influences, but at the time she thought a lesbian Cinderella would already be impossible to publish. Anyway, it's fabulous, and the ending is so moving. Highly recommend.
On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous: A Novel (by Ocean Vuong)
This is a Tournament of Books 2020 entry, and I know a lot of big fans of this novel. (I believe this is a roman a clef, or at least in reading about Vuong's life, it seems like it.) It's stunningly written, but I was trying to figure out why I didn't love love it, and then I saw Roxane Gay's comment that it needed more plot, and I totally agree. I can understand why it's so beloved, for sure.
Poking a Dead Frog: Conversations with Today’s Top Comedy Writers (by Mike Sacks)
This was for no category of anything and actually was maybe my favorite of these books, to my surprise! It's interviews and snippets of advice from comedy writers, but it's impressive in both its breadth and its depth. The interviews are well-researched and candid, and it covers ground from Ethel and Albert to Cheers to The Onion. I thought the interview with George Saunders was particularly brilliant, and I didn't even know Saunders wrote humor! Really fabulous.
Sleeping Murder (by Agatha Christie)
This was for the "last book in a series" category of the Read Harder Challenge. I vastly prefer Poirot to Miss Marple, so I haven't read many of these, but I enjoyed the young couple at the center of the mystery, who were amateur detectives in this case. Also, the ending fooled me, and I love being fooled! (Note, this is Agatha Christie, so there is some casual racism. Sadface emoji.)
Ash (by Malinda Lo)
This was for the "retelling of a fairytale by an author of color" category of the RHC. It's a retelling of Cinderella where the main character falls in love, not with the handsome prince, but with the beautiful huntress - and the "fairy godmother" is kind of a semi-malevolent fairy spirit. It was published over a decade ago, and it was interesting to read the interview with Lo where she said she regrets not adding more Chinese influences, but at the time she thought a lesbian Cinderella would already be impossible to publish. Anyway, it's fabulous, and the ending is so moving. Highly recommend.
On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous: A Novel (by Ocean Vuong)
This is a Tournament of Books 2020 entry, and I know a lot of big fans of this novel. (I believe this is a roman a clef, or at least in reading about Vuong's life, it seems like it.) It's stunningly written, but I was trying to figure out why I didn't love love it, and then I saw Roxane Gay's comment that it needed more plot, and I totally agree. I can understand why it's so beloved, for sure.
Poking a Dead Frog: Conversations with Today’s Top Comedy Writers (by Mike Sacks)
This was for no category of anything and actually was maybe my favorite of these books, to my surprise! It's interviews and snippets of advice from comedy writers, but it's impressive in both its breadth and its depth. The interviews are well-researched and candid, and it covers ground from Ethel and Albert to Cheers to The Onion. I thought the interview with George Saunders was particularly brilliant, and I didn't even know Saunders wrote humor! Really fabulous.
Labels: 2020 rhc, 2020 tob, fantasy, humor, kindle, LGBTQ+, library, mystery, nonfiction, vacation, young adult
posted by mo pie at 8:10 AM
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