Red Dwarf Book Reviews

Let's Get Gothic

Dear Readers,

My health unexpectedly took a tumble, and though it's somewhat of a constant for me, it never gets any less frustrating. I'm on a slow mend, and I figured I would share my reading plans for the month. I'll do a September wrapup at a later date if at all, but as usual, you can see all that I've been reading over on my Storygraph. Thank you for everyone who checked out the guestbook! Though I've yet to reply to every message, know that I've read each of them and it's quite heartening to see that people enjoy reading this blog as much as I enjoy writing it. Keep sharing what you're reading - I love hearing what books are keeping you company!

Rather than being overly ambitious this October, I'm being realistic about what I want to read - the leaves are turning and finally we are getting some semblance of a chill in the air, and there are three books I want to get to for sure.

The Hound of the Baskerville by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle - I finished The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes just in the nick of time - finished The Final Problem on September 29th and had to stare at the wall for a bit. There were days where I thought oh my goodness I am never going to finish The Memoirs because I found some of the stories to be so dreadfully dull, but I did it, and now I cannot wait to be devoured by The Hound. I managed to snag myself a gorgeous edition at a thrift store back in the summer - it's from the Penguin Clothbound Classics collection. I tend not to go for hardcovers, but the texture felt so nice and for a fraction of the retail price, so I'm glad I got it. I would be remiss not to mention the beautiful bookmark that's sure to enhance the reading experience. A couple months ago, I learned of Very Sincerely Yours, a charity zine dedicated to exploring Holmes and Watson's relationship. While I did not purchase a physical copy of the zine, I did snag two beautiful bookmarks from the leftover sales. I will keep one in the plastic, but it was so exciting to finally unwrap the second and place it in the book! Though sales for physical copies of the zine are over, you can still purchase a digital copy through here. All proceeds from the zine go to the Palestinian Children's Relief Fund.

The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson - So many friends have been on my case to read this, many expressing shock that I'd never done so. I have no idea what's going on in this house - I didn't even read the synopsis because I wish to know as little as possible, to piece it together as I go along. I did start the first chapter last month, and I was physically vibrating by the end of it because I could feel that this book would ruin me.

The Monstrumologist by Rick Yancey - In theory this should be the easiest to get through since I reread it and return to passages rather regularly, but I've a feeling that it'll be a momentous task to get through this. Now memoria, you may be thinking, you've mentioned this book quite frequently - what the heck is it even about?! Trust me when I say I have written and rewritten a basic pitch so many times. I do want more people to read these books, but it's so hard to talk about how much they mean to me - language seems inadequate to describe how the two main characters have infected me, how I have been unwell about them for years. Nevertheless, I will try. The Monstrumologist follows Will Henry, a recently orphaned boy as he finds himself in service of a man who studies monsters. The first book focuses on a mystery of these man-eating monsters that have somehow made it to town, though I feel this description does not do it justice. One of my friends put it so well, but I cannot share his review without spoiling some elements of the story, but know that it is about so much more than just that. It is a masterclass in Gothic horror, Will Henry and Dr. Warthrop are just so compelling and the latter, oh he is just so terrible. Though these books can certainly be enjoyed by readers of any age, I hesitate to fall into the trap of saying they're unlike most middle grade books. Certainly they're on the gorier side, but I don't think that puts them in some elevated category of Real Literature that children cannot appreciate - I first read them when I was a kid myself! Here, I recall Mac Barnett's Make Believe: On Telling Stories to Children and the sentiments he shares there. The Monstrumologist is not good in spite of being marketed towards middle graders, it is good because of that. To follow these horrors through Will Henry's eyes, to feel his helplessness at the hands of the brilliant and awful man he lives in, to really be haunted by the traumas decades later that all he can do is recount them in his journals - I feel Yancey understood exactly who he was writing for. If anyone does read these because I've been talking about them until I turn blue, please let me know - it would make my day!

And last, but not least, we have an honourable mention for Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. I had actually wanted to read this during my birth month, but it got away from me. Frankenstein is a text I am deathly afraid to begin - not because I believe it will be bad (though there is part of me that worries about being underwhelmed), but because I know it will be That Good. It'd be a nice cherry on top if I did get to her this month, but she's waited patiently for me for years, so she can wait a little longer.

Currently reading:

Until next time,

-memoria