The Pleasures of Reading, Viewing, and Listening in 2021, pt. 5: Mari Ness

 

 

2021 Pleasures

by Mari Ness

 

From 2021: 

1. Nancy Drew, the CW. 

Don't let my renowned love for terrible TV scare you from this show. After the usual rough start that is seemingly a staple of all CW shows, Nancy Drew has transitioned into a rare blend of comedy, horror and mystery, anchored by a solid group of five friends slowly merging into a found family. In between cracking jokes and dealing with pesky ghosts, the characters have focused on serious issues of identity, depression, racial justice, emotional abuse, and more. A couple of genuinely well written twists help too. Just don't judge the show from its first five episodes.  

 

2. Wandavision, Marvel Cinematic Universe, Disney Plus 

If not quite up to all the hype, or its own internal promise, Wandavision delivered a highly entertaining march through the history of sitcom comedies through the lens of Wanda, the Scarlet Witch, still trying to recover from the devastating and inexplicable writing decisions of Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame.  

 

3. "Where Oaken Hearts Do Gather," by Sarah Pinsker, in Uncanny, April 2021. Internet discussions! Footnotes! AND A SONG! This is probably my favorite story that Pinsker has ever written. Just delightful and creepy and brilliant. 

 

4. The Echo Wife, by Sarah Gailey. Macmillan. No "probably" here – this is my hands down favorite work by Gailey, an intense sci-fi mystery thriller and compulsive page-turner. 

 

5. On Fragile Waves, by E. Lily Yu. Erewhon Press. A beautiful novel of magical realism, centered on the story of refugees from Afghanistan. 

 

6. Wendy, Darling, by A.C. Wise, Titan Books. So I know this wasn't written for me. But it feels like it was written for me. An exploration of what happened to Wendy after her return from Neverland, and what it is like to live remembering another world. 

 

 

From before 2021: 

 

1. L.M. Montgomery's Complete Journals, edited by Jen Rubio. The success of the Selected Journals encouraged Rock's Mill Press to publish the full journals of this Canadian writer, best known for writing Anne of Green Gables. A close, emotional look at the life of a working writer, her emotional responses to World War I, her disastrous marriage and some – but not all – of her history and dealings with her troubled older son. 

 

2. Harley Quinn, currently streaming on HBO Max. Hilarious, wicked, profane, very queer, and most definitely not for children. 

Mari Ness holds a degree in English and medieval studies from the University at Binghamton, and has done additional graduate work in history and marine biology. More than one hundred of her short stories have appeared in multi­ple publications including Clarkesworld, Tor.com, Light­speed, Uncanny, Fireside, Nightmare, Diabolical Plots, Daily Science Fiction, Capricious SF, and Kaleidotrope. She is also the author of Through Immortal Shadows Singing, a novella in poetry. Her poetry  has been nominated for the Rhysling, Dwarf Stars, and Elgin Awards. Aqueduct Press published her Resistance and Transformation: On Fairy Tales in its Conversation Pieces series in 2021.