2019 Top Picks...The Naughty List!

A pinch wicked, a smidge of mischief, a dash of sass and a bounty of entertainment!!

THE INSTITUTE – STEPHEN KING – 10/10

Every time I finish a Stephen King book, I am reminded to be grateful that he has chosen to use his powers for good.

Each story he unleashes upon us is sure to have the following in some measure.

· consuming malevolence

· immaculate sense of place & time

· flawless dialogue

· grandiose battles between good & evil

· tons of assorted creepy shit

· brilliant, terrifying & cunning characters…good, bad, old, young, normal and…not so normal

The reason I am so steadfast in my adoration for his writing is because of this fierce repertoire of talent.

This magnificent book is bursting at the seams with each and every one of these. Not only is this King at his best; sleepy small-town setting that is seething with something beneath the surface, adults at war with their demons and a boy who will make your heart ache as he tries to save the day. It’s also King at his most nostalgic, which is where many of his Constant Readers reside already. I counted no less than eight references to other works, all gems, which provided wonderful glimpses into his greatest hits.

You might assume, given the frequent mentions of my admiration, that I would award all of his books with a rating of ten. Not so. Only slightly more than a dozen would warrant that distinction, only two of which were published in the last thirty years. At the turning of the last page of this read I felt I had been given the greatest of gifts. That I was again in my twenties with nothing but endless possibility ahead of me.

CONFESSIONS OF FRANNIE LANGTON – SARA COLLINS – 9/10

This book is the story of a slave who stands accused of murdering her employers. As she awaits her trail, she is given paper and pen, and that is where the story begins. Part slave narrative, part love story and part crime novel, this book is something wholly new for the reader.

Exquisitely written at every turn, this is no mere lament to the horrors of slavery. The violence and monstrous details that you would expect are only implied. Our narrator is raw in her introspection. As with a moment she declares herself something worse than fearful, she is grateful. As well her observations of the other characters are beautifully drawn, even in their flaws. Maybe especially so.

TRICK MIRROR – JIA TOLENTINO – 9/10

A brilliantly written and observed collection of essays about everything from Reality TV to scammer culture.

The author tackles the conflicts and contradictions that define the times we are living in. She boldly digs into how hard it is to see ourselves clearly through the forces warping our vision. While I imagine the intent was to reach her own age demographic (thirty something), I found plenty that applied to my own (fifty something). And while the slant may be a feminist one, that should not in any way be a deterrent to any gender.

If I was forced to choose my favourite essay, it would be the authors commentary on the internet and social media. She describes it as a three-ring circus of feverish banality that we embrace in order to publish our happiness and popularity to the world. How we have come to a point where we hold our own opinions in the highest esteem. As we scramble for a virtual connection, we have little time left for anything besides social and economic survival. Try unpacking that!

THE GOOD SON – YOU-JEONG JEONG – 8.5/10

This tautly woven thriller takes on one of the standard tropes and twists it every which way with the intent to keep the reader tantalized. And that you will be in this intricate, unique, and at its best moments, diabolical, novel.

Early one morning our main character wakes up to a strange metallic smell and a panicked phone call from his brother asking if everything was okay. Every moment that follows is an unflinching revelation for the reader. Most of the action takes place with this one character in a small apartment. The limited physicality only ratchets up the sense of the walls closing in and keeps us turning the pages to see what happens.