Some Annotated Reading January 23

This annotated reading thing...it's becoming a reading journal. Only I am now reading so much short-form writing I can't possibly write it all up here.

Books

I am just full of thoughts about The Guest List by Lucy Foley. First off, I must say that as a reader I am not a fan of alternating points of view, especially when there are several of them and every point of view sounds like the others. In fact, I recognized the first couple of chapters of The Guest List, because I'd started to read it before and gave up on it. Probably because of the p.o.v. switches. This time I stuck with it and ended up staying up until 2:15 AM a few nights later to finish reading it. Didn't have to fight sleep for even a minute. This thing has a number of surprises that are of the best kind...surprises that you realize make all the sense in the world because they are so intricately set up. Additionally, I had nearly finished the book when I realized it has a structure that I have been thinking of using if I end up writing another novel. And, finally, rich kids are freaking sociopaths, aren't they? And they're only marginally better when they grow up.

Short-Form Writing

And She Had Been So Reasonable by Rachel Bolton in Apex Magazine. This story definitely grabbed me, I think because the narrator is speaking directly to readers and there is a feeling of reality until the end.

Small Rebellions: Prose Poems by Bruce Holland Rogers in Flash Fiction Online. I have written exactly one prose poem, which is why I was drawn to this essay about prose poems.

I liked Do You Speak Indian? by RealStories in Ellemeno very much. It's the kind of story that opens a person's mind to other cultures.

I don't recall how I came upon Benjamin Woodard's writing, but what I've read of it is terrific. I haven't been able to read everything but some things I've enjoyed:

• Intimacy at Gooseberry Lit Magazine.
• Everyday Miracles in Bull. 
• Bump in the Night in The ASP Bulletin

I'm trying to read more traditional length short stories this year, and Welcome to Your Authentic Indian ExperienceTM by Rebecca Roanhouse at Apex Magazine is a stand-out.

Yes, trad wives do freak me out. Trad Wives Are Thriving in the Post-Dobbs Era by Morgan Jerkins in Mother Jones. Personally, I take a "this, too, shall pass" attitude toward them, but, yeah, I may be wrong.

I did some reading at Bending Genres, because I'd submitted a piece of creative nonfiction there. Bending Genres published me in the past, though it has had no interest since then. My most recent submission came to nothing, too, though I didn't know that when I read the following:

• A Fallibility of Hoopoes by Patricia Newberry
• Snakeskin Road by Douglas Cole
• Deciding by Marie Hoy-Kenny

Humor

Conditions That Must Be Met Before I Can Do My To-Do List by Viktoria Shulevich in Slackjaw. I know this feeling.

Don't Have Time For Small Talk--Why Do You Hate Your Mom by Kelly Matheis in Frazzled. Fortunately, I don’t get out much, because I’ll never be able to hear questions like she’s talking about without bursting out laughing. Matheis also has a fun piece on how much she hates Connecticut. Don’t hate it here, but the place is full of itself. For no good reason. 

Looks as if I went on a little Emily Kling reading binge:

• The Wedding Vows of Someone Marrying Their "Best Friend" by Emily Kling in McSweeney's. I love this. Both the concept and the structure.
• A Member Of The Donner Party Responds To It Being Called A "Party" by Emily Kling in Slackjaw. Incongruity humor, folks.
• What I Said To My Boyfriend On Saturday During A Fight Vs. What I Said One Hour Before His Weekly Therapy Session On Friday by Emily Kling in Slackjaw. Notice the build-up in this one.