Local Cryptid Yells About Books

I mentioned writing about books I’ve read last time we were here. Now that I’ve had a little bit to sit and think about how I’m going to pull this off, let me share with you what I mean. When I say yelling about books, I mean let me tell you about stuff that I really liked in this specific book in a way that’s not quite a review and not quite a critique (I think). I don’t know how to convey that really other than I get really excited about books and I also kind of dislike other review sites because I don’t like the format of giving books stars because there’s so much that’s missing in that. And there’s no set of rules governing what each star refers to, or how people have arrived at specific points. This is contrasted with the academic book review, which I am well acquainted with and I understand fully. There is also a rigidity there which I have problems with too. I would love to be able to find some sort of beautiful synthesis between the two book review/critique worlds. One day I might get there, however until then we’re on this journey of learning how to yell about books together. I hope at least one of us packed snacks and a water.

But yeah. I have decided on two themes: The Undecided Grocery Store List and The Tower of Floor Books List. Both have a variety of styles, skill levels, and settings within their covers, there might be something you’ve been curious about and you get a glimpse of now through these series. There are certainly books I was curious about and grabbed at some point in time. I do plan on switching from one list to the other from week to week so it doesn’t become a run of just one thing. With that in mind, let me introduce you to the lists.

The Undecided Grocery Store List

I think many great pieces of art find their genesis as a bit. A joke taken too far. A premise too undeniably foolish to reign in. The logical conclusion of ‘yes and’. You know, whatever makes you happy in this hellscape we currently live in and maybe you’ve created an art series that re-imagines famous paintings in balloon animal form. Potentially you’ve finally decided to write that novel you’ve been planning out for year on your daily public transit trip about the dashing daikon, and wilting wasabi. And possibly because this is such an unusual time to be alive, people want to read it. Sometimes the only way to survive is through absurdity.
Which is precisely how this curated review series begins!

Welcome to Making My Way Through the Grocery Store or Escape the Grocery Store (depending on which title I like better). Or perhaps even fucking my way through the grocery if I am so bold. All of the books in this curated series have items you’d normally find in a grocery store, the catch is they’re mostly romance novels. Am I expecting literary marvels or absolute dumpster fires of writing?-No, I’m not. I’ve been able to read for almost three decades now and there’s extremes in all genres. What I am expecting are stories with a beginning, middle, and end, with characters, settings, and plot points, and some kind of emotional reaction. I’m hoping for a story that’s compels or resonates with me in some way that’s also fun.
Mainly fun is the driving force in the Grocery Store challenge/project.

I realized earlier this year I’ve just sort of been in a doom spiral of reading only post apocalyptic, climate change themed novels and short stories which hasn’t been the best really. It’s gotten to be enough that I can split novels into cozy themed or not and that’s a little off-putting because I like to think I’m more well rounded. I am also full of climate anxiety/dread and only reading this genre(setting/theme) is akin to relentlessly jump scaring myself. They also haven’t really done much for my own personal mental health (which your mileage may vary, I’m not you) and my friends are kind of tired of my shit. So I’m trying to entice myself to get back into reading for fun and because there’s so many cool books out there. And because I’m also getting over reading things only for academic purposes (which is a different variant of not being good for my relationship with words and meanings). This is one of those test the waters projects you convince yourself to do to prove that you can do the thing. Whatever it might be from having fun to being able to read something without going into automatic academic mode, that you’ve still got it. I miss having fun. I miss joyful words.

The Book List So Far

• Why Cheese by Ellen Mint
• Pounded by Produce by G.M. Fairy
• Lattes & Legends by Travis Baldree
• Morning Glory Milking Farm by C.M. Nacosta

This is not a definitive list-I’m sure I’ll add more to it or tweak it as time goes on but it is a start. I’ll also try to figure out tagging stuff better so if this isn’t your jam (ahaha) you can opt out.

The Tower of Floor Books

The other yelling about book series is the Tower of Floor Books. These are books I’ve accumulated to be read mostly in the last couple of years that I have not started because of reasons. They run the whole gamut of genre, of writer, of topic-imagine buying a mystery book and only getting key ideas or themes as clues. Some of them are conclusions to series I’ve already started (The Circle by Kathrena Vermette or Moon of the Turning Leaves by Waubgeshig Rice) and at least one of them has appeared on or is from a previous year of Canada Reads (hey there, The Future by Catherine Leroux, translated by Susan Ouriou). The Tower also includes graphic novels and comics because words with meaning are still words with meaning even with illustrations. I think there might even be a couple of anthologies in there too.

I am very excited about this series too, but this one feels a little harder. I feel like this one is much less silly than the Undecided Grocery Store List. It’ll still be fun, but it might be a bunch of other things too.

The Book List So Far

• Cascade by Rachel A. Rosen
• The Teller of Small Fortunes by Julie Leong
• And Then He Sang a Lullaby by Ani Kayode Somtochukwu

Like the other list, more books will be added but this is what you have to look forward to so far. I plan to alternate between the two so it doesn’t get too stagnant! This also gives you a chance to read any of them, if you were curious before I write about them.