Published in 1903, the essays collected in this book represent an immovable and timeless keystone in the study of race and racism in the United States of America. It's deeply troubling that this book and its many observations are as germane today as they were when they were first laid down more than a century ago. A challenging read in more ways than one, particularly Chapter 11.
tldr: don't miss this one
I can count on one hand the number of times I've finished a book, then immediately started it again from the beginning. Just twice, in fact: "The Mercy of Gods" by James S. A. Corey, and "Whalefall."
I also don't remember the last time I finished a book in less than 24 hours that wasn't a comic book.
Yes, I learned about this book after watching the trailer for the upcoming movie. Gauche, I know 🙄 But I'm glad I did because this is absolutely my favorite read of the year so far. Whalefall catalogs just about every single thing that can kill a human being under the water while managing to tell a poignant tale of manhood, survival, and reconciliation. It's terrifying, grotesque, guaranteed to trigger just about every water-adjacent phobia you have, and you simply HAVE to read it right this instant.
Tldr: spooky fish book = pretty good!
One of my favorite subgenres of story is one that begins in one genre, then pivots unexpectedly (by me, at least) into cosmic horror. (See also: "Leviathan Wakes" by James S. A. Corey, the Sun Eater saga by Christopher Ruocchio, "The City We Became" by N. K. Jemisin.)
The Fisherman starts off with a fairly "Oprah's Book Club" premise: a pair of widowers form an unlikely friendship and work to overcome their respective losses over a mutual love of fresh water fishing. What follows is as good a tale of campfire horror as you could ask for. It isn't perfect. The restaurant story could have been woven in a lttle more organically, and it feels like the author was struggling to figure out exactly where to put it. As it stands the restaurant story, while spooky and compelling, feels a bit awkward in context. Fortunately, the chilling 3rd Act is good enough to overshadow this awkwardness and then some.
Recommended if you're a fan of stories about lovcraftian sea monsters and horrors beyond our comprehension 👍
tl,dr: damn bro, that was crazy (in every sense of the word)
It has been called "harrowing," "disturbing," and "the most 'Reddit' book ever written." It has also been called "the Great American Novel," which is a fitting epithet in my opinion, given my young nation's apetites.
Published in 1985 and written by Cormac McCarthy, 'Blood Meridian: Or The Evening Redness in the West' leaves a mark on the mind of a reader like lightning splitting an old tree. The prose is almost scriptural. The content veers recklessly between meditations on the strange beautiful savagery of the old American borderlands in the 19th century, and tales of unrestrained bloody mayhem the likes of which will shock even the most jaded of readers. Like a metaphorical train wreck, the reptile curled around one's brain stem refuses to avert its beady little eyes from the horror.
I grew up watching John Wayne movies with my dad and grandad like countless other young American men. We idolized the rifle toting, horse riding, justice dispensing paragons of our gilded past because of the varnished stories we hungrily consumed. Perhaps that's why this book hit me like a bucket of ice water thrown in the face of a sleeping man.
A must-read if you're comfortable with tales of American wickedness and possess a strong stomach. Like, seriously. You'll never look at cowboys the same way again.