What's on my bookshelf

This month I finished Before I Go to Sleep for bookclub. It's really good until the ending, which is bizarrely out of step with the quality of the rest of the novel. I had low expectations when I saw we were doing it, but couldn't really remember the film. The book is extremely clever and I really enjoyed the journey (as you are led along in the confusion of the narrator).

I chose Jon Ronson's What I Do - More true tales of Everyday Craziness for the plane. I kept giggling and laughing uncontrollably, annoying all the passengers near me, but it's that sort of book. It's not his best but it is enjoyable. It's the second in this collection of his magazine stories, however, if you haven't read Ronson, I would start by listening to Last Days of August and The Butterfly Effect - and then devour all the others like I did. He has an odd voice initially but it becomes part of the charm, so stick with it. I am desperate for him to write more books, and was devastated when COVID cancelled his trip here for FODI.

I got Growing Up Queer from the Dymocks Mardi Gras display in part because I want to make my fiction less hetronormative (and less white & ableist but that's another story). I'm only a third of the way in. There have been two excellent stories by authors I don't know, so I will be tracking down their work. Cindy Zhou was one, so if anyone knows where to find her work, let me know. I am aware I am reading these stories incorrectly, but as a mum, I just find them so sad. I grew up in the 70's and went to a private school so I am aware of how backward my societal view of LBGT people was (hushed whispers, slurs etc were normal behaviour). What makes me sad is the discomfort and bullying the authors experienced in these stories, even those that grew up in the 90's and 2000's. I know I'm meant to see these stories as growth or positive change but all I see is how backward we still are and how little has changed in 50 years.  Australia needs to take a long hard look at itself. It's embarrassing. Good book for writers to see different styles. As an aside, I wrote a Mardi Gras themed (sort of coming out to oneself) story for Furious Fiction this month. It's not great due to lack of time but hopefully it was executed well enough. We shall see.

Lastly, just started Violeta by Isabel Allende. So far, so good. As I'm only in Chapter 2, I can't recommend it but it's opened with the Spanish Flu, so at a guess, it will end with COVID. I have written a story with that structure (it came fourth in a Canadian short story competition), so I'm curious to see where she goes in the middle of it....(My writing got infected by COIVD over the last two years so I am pleased to see I'm not the only one!).

That's what's on my bookshelf at the moment, and thanks to the hosts for the link up. I do love talking about books!

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