'In the Dream House' by Carmen Maria Machado

In the Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Have I read anything else from this author? Only the first issue of her comic book, 'A Low, Low Wood.' Which is great and I can't wait for more issues.

Was this book enjoyable? Even though it addresses the incredibly difficult topic of domestic abuse, the writing style of the book and Machado's unique voice makes it enjoyable as a reading experience. She combines a wide variety of genres and writing styles, adding up to short chapters each organized around a theme. It's a unique storytelling style and surprisingly suited to this type of memoir.

Did I learn anything new from this book? Because this book combines Machado's personal experience in an abusive relationship with research, I did learn a great deal from this book.

Where did I get this book? I checked this audiobook out from my local library using the Libby app.

Do I recommend this book to other readers? Yes, I would recommend it to anyone unless they would be too triggered by reading about domestic abuse.

The Books I Read in 2021

 

Of these, the best was The Whale: A Love Story by Mark Beauregard. It's the fictionalized story of the forbidden love between Herman Melville and Nathaniel Hawthorne. It's so good and so sad. The Hawthorne character is exactly how I always imagined Nathaniel Hawthorne would be. Herman Melville is, surprisingly, extremely relatable. 

I haven't read Moby Dick, and honestly I probably never will because I asked my dad what it was like and he said, "Boring." We both like the Last of the Mohicans novels, so if he thinks it's more boring than James Fenimore Cooper's six pages of descriptions of trees, it's probably pretty boring, even if it is an extended Symbolist metaphor for love. 

Just know, as a bit of background information, that classic American literature lives rent-free in my mind at all times. 

There are a lot of really good ones in this middle photo, but I think my absolute favorite was State of Wonder by Ann Patchett. My copy belonged to my grandma, who loved Ann Patchett, especially Bel Canto. State of Wonder knocked me for several loops and, although it may seem counterintuitive to read about diseases in the midst of a pandemic, actually a good read for the COVID-19 outbreak. I highly recommend it. 

Carmen Maria Machado's graphic novel The Low, Low Woods is excellent, and of course reading Alex Trebek's memoir was a bittersweet pleasure. I think my favorite of these was the first one I read, Ayiti, a short writing collection by Roxane Gay. Everything Gay writes is phenomenal. And I'm not even that upset that she and her wife moved (moved back, in Gay's case) to Omaha and don't live in West Lafayette, Indiana anymore (where I always hoped I would accidentally run into them. Oh well, Indianapolis still has John Green). 

What was your favorite book that you read in 2021?

Favorite Episodes of LeVar Burton Reads

February 16, 1957: Actor and reading enthusiast LeVar Burton is born in Landstuhl, West Germany. His father Levardis Robert Martyn Burton Sr. was serving as a U.S. Army Signal Corps photographer at the time. Burton’s mother Erma Gene was a teacher and social worker.

These are some of my favorite episodes of the podcast LeVar Burton Reads.

"The Second Bakery Attack" by Haruki Murakami

"Furry Night" by Joan Aiken

"The Great Wide World Over There" by Ray Bradbury

"Childfinder" by Octavia Butler

"The Fliers of Gy" by Ursula K. LeGuin

"Welcome to Your Authentic Experience TM" by Rebecca Roanhorse

"Blur" by Carmen Maria Machado

"The Story We Used to Tell" by Shirley Jackson

"The Years of My Birth" by Louise Erdrich

"The Wishing Pool" by Tanarive Due

"John Dillinger and the Blind Magician" by Allison M. Dickson

"Afterlife" by Stephen King

P.S. Should you ever want an alternative to Neil Gaiman's reading of A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, there is a LeVar Burton reading out there.

And now, because I happen to be in between day jobs at the moment, please enjoy the following affiliate audiobook link.