I dove into some very spooky October reads this month!
Waking the Witch
Pam Grossman
I picked this up on a trip to Salem and it’s been a fascinating read! Grossman analyzes the history of witches and how they’ve been demonized for being independent women operating outside of society. I read a lot about feminism but this was coming at things from an angle I’d never considered. Really interesting read and it moves quickly.
Resistencia
Various Authors
This beautiful collection of poems by Latin American authors touches on themes of racism and oppression. Each poem is written in English and Spanish and it’s cool to be able to compare the translation firsthand.
The Bell Jar
Sylvia Plath
This was our book club book this month! I love Sylvia Plath and it was great to be able to revisit this. I relate to this story in a very different way now than I did while reading it as a teenager. For those who haven’t read it, it’s a semi-autobiographical fiction piece about a young woman suffering from depression in the 1950s.
Because Internet: Understanding the New Rules of Language
Gretchen McCulloch
I’ve been recommending this book to everyone I meet! It’s an exploration of how the internet has changed language. For example, why does “…” mean something different to millennials than to boomers? And what role do emojis and GIFS play in articulating our emotions? The vernacular is very accessible and it’s an absolutely fascinating read.
Women of Martha’s Vineyard
Thomas Dresser
I bought this from an independent bookstore in Martha’s Vineyard because I love to read about a place while I’m there. I’m not going to lie to you guys, I didn’t feel it was very well written. But, the information is interesting and it’s nice to have a historian telling the often forgotten stories of women.
Mexican Gothic
Silvia Moreno-Garcia
This has been floating around the internet for months and on the advice of my bookseller I’ve been saving it for cool, cozy, spooky weather. Set in the 1940s it’s about a young Mexican woman who goes to visit her married cousin after receiving a concerning letter from her. When she arrives at her cousin’s home she finds herself in a bit of a horror novel, and she’s not sure she can ever leave. This was a very engaging and fun read. There’s a bit of magical realism involved but I didn’t find it hard to suspend disbelief. Highly recommend for fall.