Some Annotated Reading January 2

My first Annotated Reading of the new year. Though, of course, this is all December reading. I'm working on increasing my short-form reading. Relax. I'm not going to be posting about all of it.

Books

The List by Yomi Adegoke is one of those books I can't remember hearing about, but I ordered it through Libby, it turned up after a while, and I read it! An enjoyable read with some depth to it. Ola Olajide and Michael Koranteng, a well-known and admired couple on social media in London, are weeks away from getting married, an expensive event with relatives coming in from foreign countries. Then Michael's name turns up on a list of abusive men posted anonymously on-line. Michael can't prove he's innocent of the charges without revealing some other negative things about himself. The guy is not pure as the driven snow. Ola is in a particularly difficult situation, because she's a journalist who would normally be all over a story like this, supporting the anonymous women behind The List. Both characters are torn apart by the claims. Now, there is a reveal here that blew me away, as I'm sure it was supposed to. I don't want to spoil your reading experience, so you will hear nothing more about it from me. 

Ayesha at Last by Uzma Jalaluddin is described as a "modern day Mulim Pride and Prejudice," which is what drew me to it. There are enough P&P connections to make it an enjoyable read for people who like that sort of thing. (I do.) I've also seen it described as a Mulim romcom. As I've said many times before, I'm not that fond of contemporary romance, because I need more than someone-meets-someone-and-they-fall-in-love-after-a-lot-of-contrived-roadblocks. I need a historical novel or, better yet, a historical novel with dead bodies and a murderer to find. Ayesha at Last, though, did provide me with more, though not the more I usually look for. A romance set in another culture definitely has something more to offer. Also, these Muslims live in Canada. I'm no authority on Canada, but I have been in a Tim Horton's and loved these guys heading over to one regularly. Also, Algonquin Park is mentioned and, guess what? I've been there! Once! So, yes, this was a good read for me. 

Short-Form Writing

I was struck when I read about The Tiffany Problem, described at the Dictionary of Medieval Names frim European Sources, because the Georgette Heyer novel, set in the early nineteenth century, that I read recently had a character named Tiffany. Yes, it was a little off putting. But evidently realistic. By the way, author Jo Walton named The Tiffany Problem. She also coined the expression Suck Fairy.   

Dead dogs are a thing in children's literature. A cliche even. You see a dog on the cover of a kids' book, and it's probably going to die, if it isn't dead already. So I was struck by My Dog Died and It Was Super Awkward by Andrew Knott in Grief Book Club, because it was a dead dog story from an adult viewpoint. The kids were not there to learn some important life lesson, as so often happens in children's dead dog stories. 

Only six years late reading V.E. Schwab's "In Search of Doors" Tolkien lecture. I loved the whole door thing. Also loved her standing up to the guy about reading Tolkien.

Why I Quit Teaching at the Villain Academy by Tina S. Zhu in  Flash Fiction On-line. A flash story in the form of a numbered list.

Absence by Mike Fox  in Fictive Dream. Not sure why what happened happened, but I was expecting it.

Wired Declares 47% of Medium Content as AI Slop by Susie Kearley in Never Stop Writing. I wonder if the rate of AI is really that high or if AI sounds like a lot of on-line writing and whatever they used to test can't tell the difference. Little detail, no distinct voice, usage errors, and spelling mistakes. 

Why 'Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel' Still Charms All Ages by Janice Harayda in Lit Life. I have an interest in Mike Mulligan. It only came about recently.

According to my Goodreads account, I read Joan Aikens' Wolves of Willoughby Chase last year and gave it a four-star rating but no review. I didn't mention it here, which suggests I wasn't blown over by it. I read One of the most beloved writers of all time: the genius of Joan Aiken at 100 by Amanda Craig in The Guardian because I read her historical romances as a teenager. Yeah, I read a lot of that back in the day.

Humor

I noticed some humor pieces recently that were very much recalled life experience with a humorous twist. It wasn't working for me. The following did.

I'm the Random Five-Year-Old at the Playground Who's Going To Follow You and Your Toddler Around All Day, So Get Used to It by Nick Gregory in Frazzled. In my humble opinion, good child humor (but for adults) needs to have a voice and not be too close to reality. This does both those things.

Best Dad in the World Power Rankings by Aaron Crown  in Frazzled. Again, I like some attitude. I like brevity, too.

Terrifying Two-Sentence Parenting Stories by Jen Dee also in Frazzled. This one won me with the title.

Common Hangover Cures That Won't Work Because You're Over Thirty by Richie Zaborowske in Jane Austen's Wastebasket. Again, voice. And I like the short bits created with subtitles.

I Am Deeply Committed to This Work Unless I Can Quit by Justin Courter in Jane Austen's Wastebasket. I need to find something funny immediately, and I do here. Additionally, this is fantastic incongruity humor.