Publisher: Scribner. Jan 13, 2015
Genre: Literary Fiction, Humor
Source: Library
Pages: 276
First Line: I drove to the doctor's office as if I was starring in a movie Phillip was watching--windows down, hair blowing, just one hand on the wheel.
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I wouldn't use a British accent out loud, but I'd be using one in my head and it would carry over.
This is one of the funniest books I have ever read. Miranda July never fails to capture the weirdness of everyday life, and that comes into full focus in her debut novel, The First Bad Man. The main character is an awkward middle-aged woman named Cheryl whose thoughts are so quirky and hilarious, it feels like you're in the head of a more demented character from "The Office."
Cheryl's high strung, very particular, and very bizarre. She mostly stays in her own head throughout her life, imagining infinite lifetimes loving one man who actually doesn't give her the time of day and communicating telepathically with babies (who she imagines are all the same baby soul). That is until Cheryl's boss forces her to let her mean-spirited 21-year-old daughter stay with Cheryl, and her life completely unravels. It's funny, it's moving, it's poignant. It's very Miranda July. A warning: There's some (sort of) graphic sex stuff. But like it's funny and bizarre.
Every night my plan was to make it to dawn and then feel out the options. But that was just it--there were no options. There had been options, before the baby, but none of them had been pursued. I had not flown to Japan by myself to see what it was like there. I had not gone to nightclubs and said Tell me everything about yourself to strangers. I had not even gone to the movies by myself. I had been quiet when there was no reason to be quiet and consistent when consistency didn't matter. For the last twenty years I had lived as if I was taking care of a newborn baby.
Publisher: Fantagraphics Books. March 1998
Genre: Graphic novel
Source: Library
Pages: 80
First Line: Why do you have this?
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If you like your quirky a little less whimsical, you have got to check out this brilliant graphic novel made just for pessimists hoping life is a little less shitty and weird than it seems to be. Illustrated beautifully in just blue and white, Ghost World follows recent high school graduates, Enid and Rebecca. Neither of them are planning to go to college and their future is kind of a mystery to them. They spend their days going to diners, watching/judging the strange characters in their towns, and stirring up mostly benign mischief.
It's really easy to relate to these characters as they do weird shit and hate people. I totally related to Enid. Her relationships with the people in the graphic novel PERFECTLY paralleled my relationships with certain people in real life. But even though it's funny and on point, it gets very real by the end when the girls start having to make actual decisions about their lives. The awkward struggle with this new found control over what your life is could not have been portrayed better.
Publisher: Holt Paperbacks. Jan 27, 2015
Genre: Literary fiction, Magical realism
Source: Library
Pages: 400
First Line: Eli Roebuck lived with his parents, Greg and Agnes, in a tiny cabin near Stateline.
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Eli Roebuck sees his mother leave his family for a sasquatch one day. I was ready for this to be a metaphor, but there is legitimately a sasquatch (Mr. Krantz) who lives his sasquatch life in the forest. And there are unicorns. And bird people. And lake monsters. I mean, granted, there's still some metaphor. But it's weird. Really weird.
We follow Eli as he grows up and continues his obsession with finding this sasquatch. It affects all aspects of his life, and we get to look into the lives of people this obsession touches: both of his wives, his daughter, his father, his mother. It's a very strange, very excellent look at the effect obsession has on families and what damage can be done--and hopefully reversed. And the magical realism is a fantastic blend of whimsical and dark.
Publisher: Dorothy. Oct 1, 2014
Genre: Literary fiction
Source: Purchased
Pages: 200
First Line: I was looking at the map when Stephen swerved, hit the rock, and occasioned the miscarriage.
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The characters in this book are some weird, confusing assholes. The Wallcreeper is a strange tale about some pretentious weirdos who are married. Well, Tiffany married Stephen really quickly and then they kind of also explore extra-marital affairs, which is sometimes not a big deal but is other times a very big deal. They're kind of both lazily interested in a future together and furthering potential careers, but not to the extent that they aren't just floating around talking about birds one minute then quantum physics in relation to babies the next.
The structure is dreamy and weird. Tiffany and Stephen eventually turn into eco-terrorists. Their relationships get more complicated. But throughout it stays smart, witty, and really well written. Everything Zink writes is so on point. Her descriptions of sex, life, and death are all strange but super accurate. She's definitely talented and this book is definitely crazy. Zink captures how messy and volatile life and relationships can be, but it makes you grateful that you're probably less involved in eco-terrorism than they are.
"Wait a second," I said. "I don't mean to sound like a crank, but are you saying that what makes our relationship valuable is my willingness to suffer for you? Are you aware that I've never suffered for you for even, like, one second? That's what makes our relationship so optimal, in my opinion."
Publisher: Penguin. 1962
Genre: Horror
Source: Purchased
Pages: 146
First Line: My name is Mary Katherine Blackwood.
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Ok, maybe quirky isn't the BEST way to describe this book. Horrifying might be better. Or creepy. But the characters who live in the Blackwood house are actually the quirkiest ever. Merricat, the main character, is super into magic words, not allowing herself to go into certain rooms, and poisonous mushrooms. Just normal 18-year-old girl stuff. Her cat is her best friend, so it's easy to relate.
Anyway, this book is a big, weird puzzle surrounding the death of her family due to arsenic put in the sugar bowl. Her sister was arrested for it, but got acquitted. Now the two girls and their uncle rarely leave the big, old house. You'll be immediately sucked into how creepy and bizarre they all are, and you'll need to keep reading as fast as you can to figure out what's going on. If you haven't read Shirley Jackson before, read her short story "The Lottery" then this. Also, this book has the greatest opening paragraph of all time:
My name is Mary Katherine Blackwood. I am eighteen years old and I live with my sister Constance. I have often thought that with any luck at all I could have been born a werewolf, because the two middle fingers on both my hands are the same length, but I have had to be content with what I had. I dislike washing myself, and dogs, and noise. I like my sister Constance, and Robert Plantagenet, and Amanita phalloides, the death-cup mushroom. Everyone else in my family is dead.
Merricat, you have my heart.