caracabe's reviews
135 reviews

Uncanny: The Origins of Fear by Junji Ito

Part memoir and part “this is how I work(or at least how I think I work),” this book is fascinating and, for someone who tries to create things, inspiring  and useful. I’ll refer repeatedly to Ito’s explanations of how he develops his initial ideas. (The phrase in quotation marks above is a paraphrase, not a direct quote.)

The Old Ambassador and Other Poems by Wayne Courtois

Lyrical and inventive, by turns (or sometimes simultaneously) witty, angry, and tender, these poems about living and aging and loving as a gay man in the US Midwest speak to everyone who has a body and feelings.

The Other Olympians: Fascism, Queerness, and the Making of Modern Sports by Michael Waters

medium-paced

This thoughtful, sensitively written, and sensible book is especially important now, when people who don’t fit simplistic gender stereotypes are again being targeted and scapegoated. It’s a reminder that gender policing is Nazi ideology in practice.

The Memory Librarian: And Other Stories of Dirty Computer by Janelle Monáe

medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

Unapologetically queer and hopeful fiction with urgent things to say, but not didactic. Janelle Monáe is an accomplished storyteller in the medium of the concept album. In this book, she collaborates with five fiction writers to create stories set in the dystopian world of her album Dirty Computer. Dystopian fiction is often a genre of resistance and hope, and that’s the case here. The authors recognize the messiness of human nature: even in communities of peace and mutual aid, characters find fear and hate and betrayal. But these stories challenge us to imagine the world that can be, if we create it. As Mx. Tangee says in the final story, “They don’t own the future.”

You Are Here: Poetry in the Natural World by Ada Limón

Not every  poem here is a “nature poem,” but all acknowledge that we are in and of nature, not separate  from it. The most basic test of an anthology is whether I want to read more work by the writers in it. For this anthology, the answer is loudly yes. (Including the authors I’ve already read.) I have a favorite poem in this book, but I’m not telling you what it is. The next time I read the book—and there will be a next time—I’ll probably find a different favorite poem. Kudos to Limón for, among other things, curating an anthology and not including her own work.

Queer Little Nightmares by David Ly, Daniel Zomparelli

This is what small presses are for! Queer Little Nightmares is a collection of stories and poems for the monsters in all of us (especially the queer ones). Diverse in style and content, these works are all deliciously weird and grounded in emotional truth. Standouts for me include the stories "The Vetala's Song" by Anuja Varghese and "Strange Case" by Eddy Boudel Tan, and the poems "Godzilla, Silhouette Against City" by Ryan Dzelzkalns and "Cryptid Cruising" by Avra Margariti. But they're all worth reading.

Horror: A Literary History by

A collection of essays surveying the horror genre in English and  American literature from the 18th century to today. Sometimes the style is over-academic, but the content is interesting throughout. Every chapter ends with a list of references and a “What to Read Next” section, making it a useful book to keep on hand.

If on a Winter's Night a Traveler by Italo Calvino

Calvino wrote works with more emotional weight, but this book is a cerebral delight for bookworms. It’s about someone trying to read a novel, specifically Italo Calvino’s If In a Winter’s Night a Traveler.

My Wars Are Laid Away in Books: The Life of Emily Dickinson by Alfred Habegger

Habegger’s stubborn insistence that Emily Dickinson was straight isn’t the only reason to doubt the soundness of his scholarship in this book. A tedious read that fails to bring the poet to life.

Mexicans on the Moon: Speculative Poetry from a Possible Future by Pedro Iniguez

Primarily science fiction poetry  with some horror elements. Plenty of humor and anger and playfulness and pain and thought. Some of the standouts for me: “Perish and Live Forever,” “The Payphone,” “Last Act of a Doomed Man,” “The Things That Killed Us: A History through Art,” and the title poem.

(New in 2025, no star ratings on my reviews. Two of the reasons: 1. numerical ratings are simplistic quantifications of the experiential; 2. I’ve realized my own x/5 ratings have reflected my mood of the moment more than my evaluation of the work.)