What I've Been Reading.
Reading Round Up October and November.
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Welcome, welcome, welcome,
Where did October go? It seemed to have slipped away while I wasn’t looking, and now here I find myself in the final days of November, wondering where the year has vanished. The days have turned hot here in Australia. We are currently experiencing the second day of 36 degrees C heat (—that’s around 97 degrees F). My vegetable garden is wilting no matter how much water I apply, morning or evening, and I’m sympathising more and more with my dogs. They spend their days moving between the cool tiled floor of the kitchen and a specific loungeroom doorway that catches the cross breeze. I can’t imagine what it would be like to be stuck wearing a fur coat in this weather.
But let’s get to the main event. This reading roundup covers two months (—precisely because October escaped me). Most of what appears on this list is of the horror/fantasy genres, though I did venture into one literary fiction, thriller-leaning book.
King Sorrow by Joe Hill.
I was very lucky to receive an advanced reader’s copy of Joe Hill’s latest release, King Sorrow. If you’re interested in reading a longer review of this book, please have a look at it here.
In brief, though, it is long, but worth the time! It has inspired me to start researching for a deep dive article examining the history of dragons through literature, so stay tuned for that. (— probably in the first few weeks of the new year.)
You Weren’t Meant To Be Human by Andrew Joseph White.
I’ve never had the pleasure of reading Andrew Joseph White’s books for younger audiences before; that being said, I’m tempted to go have a look at them. You Weren’t Meant To Be Human is a disturbing, dark and heavy story that takes on both a mute, autistic, trans protagonist experiencing an unplanned pregnancy and an alien hive cult that is basically telepathic worms. It shouldn’t work, but it does and kudos to the author for making it do so!
My favourite moment, which I admit made me tear up a little, which is not expected in a body horror sci-fi plot, was:
“-maybe you stopped talking because you felt like nobody listened, or because you struggled for so long to be understood that you said hey, screw this, you’re done, it’s everyone else’s turn to do the hard part.”
I don’t know what I was expecting. When something is marketed as ‘Alien X Midsommar’, I knew there was likely going to be some knarly body horror, but for some reason, the emotion in this story took me by surprise.
Under The Whispering Door by T. J. Klune.
This was a re-read for me. T. J. Klune has become a comfort author for me; all of his books are full of warmth and cosiness, with just enough plot and humour to keep me from getting bored. Though not my favourite, favourite Klune (—The House on The Cerulean Sea wins that title if only because of the characters), Under The Whispering Door is a beautiful story about growth, self-realisation and acceptance, all coming to our main character, Wallace, after death.
The September House by Carissa Orlando.
This book, and the next, I read as part of my research into haunted houses (—and just for fun!) for my recent ‘Literary History of the Haunted House’ article, which you can find here.
The story follows Margaret and her husband Hal, who finally purchase their forever home. Unfortunately, the house has some, let’s call them quirks, but by the time they realise how bad these ‘quirks’ are, Margaret has already fallen in love with the house and refuses to move.
Again, I was hit with the emotion of this one, particularly toward the end. As a person who is a real homebody, I connected with Margaret, perhaps a little too much, as she justified everything she was doing to make her staying in the house reasonable. I was nodding along and sympathising with it all.
I absolutely loved the character of Margaret; she was wonderfully dry and eccentric. I highly recommend this book if you’re looking for a low-stakes, spooky read with a unique premise.
Play Nice by Rachel Harrison.
I was introduced to Rachel Harrison in September when I read and loved Cackle. I eagerly picked up Play Nice, as I mentioned before, in the name of haunted house research. The plot follows influencer Clio Barnes, who inherits the childhood home her late mother insisted was possessed by a demon. Clio decides to renovate the infamous house and document the process for social media content. As renovations begin, she discovers the sinister presence may be real, forcing her to confront her mother’s traumatic claims and the truth of her past.
This one was okay. I think I would have enjoyed it more if I felt a better connection with the main character, this is through no fault of the author, I just couldn’t sympathise with her, and as such I did alot of eye rolling and ‘come on-ing’, especially toward the end.
Bed Rot Baby by Wendy Dalrymple.
I’m a big fan of Wendy Dalrymple, so when I had the chance to read her new release, Bed Rot Baby, I jumped at the opportunity! This novella is a fun romp following a young female artist whose life has fallen apart. After a chance meeting, her body begins to follow suit. At its core, the story is about healing and learning that you are stronger than you think.
However, I must admit this was not the best work I’ve read from Dalrymple; I know for a fact she can do better. Specifically, the explanation around the cult/youth-seeking group/witches felt underdeveloped and needed more context. Additionally, the dynamic between the main character and her roommate was lacking any genuine connection, which weakened the emotional stakes.
Despite these issues, this was still an enjoyable read overall.
Seed by Bri Lee.
I was drawn to Seed for two compelling reasons. The first was the author: the great Bri Lee, an Australian darling of advocacy, journalism, and public commentary. (If you haven’t heard of her, I highly recommend checking out her Substack, News & Reviews.) The second reason was the novel’s striking themes and setting.
Seed is set in the near future in Antarctica, specifically within a fictional seed vault much like Svalbard. (If you aren’t aware of the Svalbard Global Seed Vault, treat it as a side quest—it’s a fascinating initiative.) We follow the main character, Mitch, a biologist who spends a few weeks each year in the vault, ensuring everything is running smoothly.
This year, however, things go wrong: the communications cut off, and the helicopter fails to arrive at the end of his stay. Mitch, along with fellow scientist Frances and an unexpected cat, finds himself stranded and forced to confront their next steps.
Bri Lee brilliantly weaves conversations around environmentalism, antinatalism, and sustainability into a genuine page-turning thriller. I loved every word. In fact, I was so glad I bought my own copy instead of borrowing it from the library, because my edition is now full of highlights, folded corners, and scribblings.
If you are at all interested in following along on my reading list, click below to see my Goodreads page.
Thanks for reading The Ink-Stained Desk,
See you next Friday, when I will (—hopefully and finally) be posting my long-promised article about Ann Radcliffe. See you then!
C M Reid at The Ink-Stained Desk.
Under the Whispering Door is one of my favorites, too. Such a sweet story.