#1: Monster: A Fan’s Dilemma by Claire Dederer

Summation: an author with almost nothing to say in the conversation about cancel culture, Dederer posits an artist or writer she feels is a “monster” and then adds a few of her own thoughts. For a book that fails to look inward with any depth, it certain seems that Monster is all about Dederer. Her conclusion is that we’re all monsters in some way. Right…

#2 Suggs Black Backtracks by Martha Ann Spencer

Summation: I hadn’t realized that Spencer’s book was basically a collection of little bits of story from her family. It reads more like a personal collection of memories than anything publishable with a greater perspective on humanity. Mostly, I was reminded of poetry that one of my great-aunts writes that causes this face: 😬

#3 Paradise Rot by Jenny Hval

Summation: a novella about a Norwegian student who goes to university in a made-up UK town. Mostly, she comments on her pee, her roommates pee, etc. I think this book wants to be edgy by reminding you that we all pee?? All the walking the main character does fails to improve upon Tolkien’s hobbits walking, so…why?

#4 The Man Who Shot Out My Eye is Dead by Chanelle Benz

Summation: A short story collection that jumps from Western to Victorian era to modern-day spies, I could not get a handle on Benz’s writing. Every story I had to start over again because the writing obfuscates what’s even happening until about three pages in, then you have to go back to get yourself oriented. Unlike George Saunders, I was not riveted. Biscuit and I read this together, and the first question she asked was, “Is this writer supposed to be, like, good?”

#5 Touched by Kim Kelly

Summation: so unfortunate that this one did not work for me! The author writes about the days leading up to her accepting an award at a graduation ceremony and how she experiences anxiety. Sounds perfect for me, but I could not keep tabs on why she kept writing tangents about her family history. The history didn’t show signs of anxiety in order to demonstrate a genetic link, and I started to lose the thread until I was completely lost. However, now that I have a sense of what Kelly is trying to do, I plan to reread this book soon with a different mindset/expectation.

#6 At Wit’s End by Erma Bombeck

1960s syndicated humor columnist Erma Bombeck was hilarious in bursts. Other times, I couldn’t find the connections between one idea and the next — heck, sometimes one sentence and the next. However, when she’s hot, she’s on fire. Here is an example of how to behave around her husband during tax time:

Keep the children out of his path. From January through April they cease to have names. They become Deduction A, Deduction B, and Deduction C. Mentally he begins to add up what he has invested in their teeth, arches, sports program, fine arts, education, clothes, food, lodging, entertainment, vitamins, and social welfare. Once he has figured out that $600 wouldn’t keep them in catsup and breakfast cereal, his resentment reaches a danger point.

Or how she survived the family camping trip:

I relived that first camping trip in my mind a thousand times. … I’ve tried to analyze why we failed. First, I think we had seen too many Walt Disney films and expected more help from the animals than we got. Second, unlike other families, our family does not have the necessary primitive instincts for survival. We are lucky to get the car windows rolled down to keep from suffocating.