As promised at the start of the month, I’m trying to stay on top of my reading recommendations (and warnings). I feel like I’ve had more time to read, and more time for all my hobbies really. Hopefully that ability continues through to the end of the year. But for now, here’s October.
Manga, Manhwa, and Graphic Novels
I’m going to start right out by saying that this is story is NSFW. Light of my Life puts the graphic in graphic novel. That said, its a lovely story of three high school friends, two of whom are in love with each other. Of course, neither one knows that the other feels the same way. They all have big dreams about what they’re going to do when they grow up. But life does not always go the way we plan, and this is a story about adapting to change and maintaining friendships. I found the story and romance well-written. The book is a good, quick read.
Novels
A Little Holiday Fling is a delightful holiday romance by Canadian author Farah Heron. I really enjoy Heron’s stories. As a fellow Canadian, it’s nice to read stories set in Canada actually read like they’re set in Canada. This is the story of Ruby who is leaving Toronto to follow her dreams of owning a country inn in the UK. Through a series of holiday events, and the meddling of mutual friends, she winds up holidating a visiting doctor. A unique aspect of this story is that the female lead has had preventative surgeries in the hopes of protecting herself from getting cancers she is genetically predisposed to. While not a major plot point, it isn’t often that we get a romance where being a beloved auntie is the endgame.
Local Heavens is a cyberpunk retelling of The Great Gatsby, written by Filipino Canadian author K. M. Fajardo. I’m going to be honest, I DNFed this one not because it was bad, just because I was not in the mood for the vibe. The writing is very well done and every aspect of the story feels intentional. If I had to describe the vibe, it reminds me of the bleakness of sci-fi movies like Blade Runner or Total Recall. There is a huge class disparity eating up the Americas, causing people to flee for countries in Asia which have managed to maintain community in a better way. The main character returns from working overseas as a corporate hacker in order to do some dangerous undercover hacking in New York.
Oxford Soju Club is another book by a Canadian author, and sadly another book that I DNFed. Unlike with the stories above, I found the writing to be a bit of a slog on this one. The author mentions that the book is meant to be something of a character study on the different types of emigrants in the Korean diaspora. The story centres around two Korean spies, one from the U.S.A. and one from North Korea, and the South Korean man who runs the restaurant where they meet. It’s meant to be a spy thriller/murder mystery, but the method of storytelling never really creates the type of intensity that one usually craves in those genres. The Oxford setting is bland and purposeless, and one wonders if the author might not have done better to stick with a location they were more familiar with.
Well, that’s it for this month. Nothing spooky or seasonal to speak of, if I’m more on the ball next year. I might try to get some wintery Christmas recommendations out to you for the start of December. Did you read anything Halloween flavoured this past month? Feel free to drop your recommendations below.
