It wouldn’t be CBR Bingo without me frantically catching up on everything I read but was too distracted to write about, now would it?
Square: Cold – Fool Moon – DNF
This is it, folks- my first DNF in YEARS! I just couldn’t do it. I started this book way back in JANUARY, and despite multiple formats and multiple tries, I just can’t do it. I know there’s a mythical “it gets better” carrot hanging out past the fourth entry, but I just don’t have the energy anymore to toil away through things that just aren’t working for me. Stormfront was silly but entertaining in a “is this tongue in cheek or is this guy serious??” sort of way, but Fool Moon is just an assault on my senses. The story is shaky, the female characters are abominations, and even an audio recording with my beloved James Marsters cannot keep me entertained or involved. I have never been so bored OR frustrated by werewolves- and I read Twilight ON PURPOSE. This book is just icky, and not in a “guilty pleasure” way. I know, I know, it gets better later, but my TBR pile waits for no man. “But Cait, why cold?” – oh you know, it left me COLD!
Square: Rec’d – A Dead Djinn in Cairo 4/5
The wonderful and supportive Emmalita sent this book my way when she knew that I needed a boost, and I am forever grateful! I had wanted to get into this series for some time, especially since it came so highly recommended by our CBR community. This same community got me into Murderbot, Gideon, and Becky Chambers, so when this door opened I HAD to run through it! And you know what? I was hooked IMMEDIATELY! Seriously- immediately. For such a little novella, I found myself diving head-first into a world that I knew nothing about and not daring to look back. Ask my poor husband; I was reading lines out-loud to him within the first five pages. Magic, mythology, enchanted clockwork, battles between heaven and the living, and a badass lady detective in a bespoke suit? I am SOLD! I had wanted to dip my toe into this world for some while, but I was unsure of where to start. Thanks again to Emmalita for tossing me off the deep- end into a pool of gorgeous storytelling!
Square: Minds – Wow, No Thank You 3/5
Samantha Irby has a lot on her mind, and lucky for all of us she is willing to write it down and hand-deliver it to our eyes (or in my case, ears). Sam is, to the delight of everyone involved, “back on [her] bullshit”. Why is this a Mind square? There is no thought, feeling, or event that Sam Irby is not willing to shout out into the world. The embarrassing, the disgusting, the disheartening, the totally bonkers- Sam is going to share it with us and we are going to enjoy it, goddamn it! I will always enjoy her descents into personal hellscapes around going out, children “kids go through so much milk and it is truly revolting”, dating, and friendship, but this time I found my mind wandering a bit while Sam broke down the ins-and-outs of pitching TV shows and books in Hollywood. Anytime I end up with pitch stories, I get stuck in the Sex and the City LA cycle, which is fine if that’s what you’re looking for, but the name-dropping and imposter syndrome freakouts can get more than a little grating.
Square: Monster – My Mother, She Killed Me, My Father, He Ate Me 4/5
Q: What has more monsters than a collection of fairy-tale retellings and adaptations?
A: Nothing!
After reading and loving XO Orpheus: 50 New Myths I could not wait to get my grubby little paws on this epic volume. Kate Bernheimer is back in the saddle as the editor, and this collection features pieces from Neil Gaiman, Kelly Link, Aimee Bender, Sabrina Orah Mark, Francesca Lia Block, Francine Prose, and many MANY others! Much like the last entry, the stories within tell you where they originate from and what tales they are based on. Unsurprisingly, this collection leans heavily on Hans Christian Anderson and the Brothers Grimm, but there is also representation from all over the world. Luckily for me, there are a good half-dozen adaptations of my favorite fairytale of all time, HCA’s “The Wild Swans”. How much do I love it, you may ask? I worked on two stage adaptations! I still have my illustrated copy from childhood! I have a tattoo of nettles! The story that has stuck the longest with me though involves the human wife of an ogre, a beautifully camouflaged cape, and a magically regenerating cake that longs for purpose.
Square: Dough – The Companion 2.5/5
I wanted to love this little bit of cozy queer erotica-lite, but it just wasn’t for me. I was intrigued by the post-war setting, delighted by the trans representation, and drawn in by the sexy times, but The Companion fell flat. It is stuffed to the gills with repetition; the word “mouth” is used three times in one sentence. Every time food is prepared, the MC “finds” it in the icebox or the pantry. I was surprised to learn that the author is a historian and involved in agriculture, when anachronistic language is used throughout and vegetables and other foragables are picked and found during the incorrect times of year and season. I am a sucker for historical fiction, but it is so hard for me to keep myself involved when I find myself stopping to google every few paragraphs to assuage my contradictory notions! Why dough, you may ask? Well- there is a LOT of pie making, and man oh man I am a sucker for a damn good pie.
Square: Cozy – From Hollywood, With Love 3.5/5
Is there anything cozier than folding yourself into a pretzel on the couch and tuning in to your favorite rom-com for the umpteenth time? I think not! Scott Meslow is on my side, and his collection of essays on the “rise, fall, and rise again” of the Hollywood Rom-Com in a sparkly pink bath-bomb after a long day of reading the news. I listened to the audio version of this book, and my biggest complaint as that it was not read and performed by the author! Scott Meslow is an excellent and frequent podcast guest, and his voice is a delight. It felt odd hearing his research and care filtered through someone else! If you do not do so already, I highly recommend checking out the podcast The Flop House (a bad movie podcast- hooray!) where Meslow guests to offer an incredibly researched treatise on the interconnections of the Hallmark Christmas rom-com universe. Have you seen any good romcoms lately? If I may make a recommendation, go watch Rose Matafeo’s Starstruck show on HBO Max (before it’s too late!). If you love romcoms (or love to hate them), you can make a mighty Bingo OR drinking game while checking off all of the classic tropes and references in this delightful little show.
OK Cait- you’re almost back on track! Stay focused!
