The Pleasures of Reading, Viewing, and Listening in 2023, pt. 1: Tara Campbell

 

Pleasures of Reading 2023

 by Tara Campbell

 

 

They say reading is breathing in, writing is breathing out. I’ve been doing a lot of breathing in in 2023, and here are just a few of my favorite inhalations:

The Guest by Emma Cline

If you like to read (or write) protagonists who are both fascinating and reprehensible, this is the book for you. The main character Alex is clearly only out for herself, but demonstrates just enough vulnerability and occasional helpfulness to make her not a complete a monster. Her impulsive and just plain bad decisions have gotten her into a bind, and her hopes for extracting herself clash with the reality she’s heading toward. The book reminded me of John Cheever’s story “The Swimmer” in a couple of ways: (1) how Cline subtly signals the disparities between how Alex sees herself and how other people perceive her, and (2) the fluidity with which Alex oscillates between self-awareness and magical thinking, with the balance between those two states shifting toward the end. Then I happened to find a video clip of Cline talking about how that story was indeed one of her inspirations.

Yellowface by R. F. Kuang

 

Propulsive and nerve-wracking in the best way. Finished it the day after I picked it up from the library, which is saying something because I’m a slow reader. I was swept away by the escalation of one bad decision after another. 

 

 

 

Jewel Box: Stories by E Lily Yu

I was lucky enough to meet this author at an event in Seattle this fall. The breadth of times, locations, and subjects of the stories in this collection is impressive, and the precision of her language is consistent throughout. Truly inspiring craft!

 

What We Fed to the Manticore by Talia Lakshmi Kolluri

These are nothing like the “cute animal story” trope that many an author has fallen into when trying to imagine the experience of a non-human narrator. Soulful and tender, sad and gentle, these stories contain a rich mixture of pathos and hope. ]

Cascadia Field Guide edited by Elizabeth Bradfield, CMarie Fuhrman, and Derek Sheffield

This was a delightful (re)introduction to the Cascadia area, a bioregion that extends from Southeast Alaska down to Northern California and as far east as Idaho and Montana. Rather than focusing on dry taxonomy, however, the editors fully embraced the STEAM method, giving equal weight to field notes, poetry, and artistic renditions of the flora and fauna. It was a truly engaging way to educate myself about a place I’d left for decades before moving back this summer. 

If I Survive You by Jonathan Escoferry

Nominated for just about every award under the sun, and I completely get why. It’s worth every bit of the hype. Not many authors can are so adept at easing light touches of humor into the midst of hardship. The fluidity of Escoferry’s prose and his unforgettable characters are a winning combination.

You Don’t Belong Here by Jonathan Harper

Devoured it in one day. One of the blurbs says it "reads like a Cheever fever dream," which I think is a great way to describe it! Amazing descriptions of food/consumption/self-destructive spirals. An extended queer Twilight Zone where the world around the main character constricts slowly to haunting effect. 

Lesser Known Monsters of the 21st Century by Kim Fu

I picked this book up in a display of Pacific NW authors, and was not disappointed! Fu’s ingenious ideas + well-developed characters = a pleasure to read. Loved the rising tension and unease in “#ClimbingNation” and the formal experimentation of “Pre-simulation and In This Fantasy.” “June Bugs” and “Bridezilla” also employed rising tension plus avenging monsters, “Sandman” and “Scissors” were notable for erotic tension, and “Do You Remember Candy” was remarkable in its full exploration of sensory information.

 

I’d Really Prefer Not to Be Here with You and Other Stories by Julianna Baggott

Her deadpan wit and the bizarre situations that arose in her stories kept me reading sections aloud to my husband.

A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini

As in Kite Runner, Hosseini proves once again to be masterful with stories that stretch over decades and long absences, capturing longing and grace in horrific circumstances. 

Tara Campbell is a writer, teacher, Kimbilio Fellow, fiction co-editor at Barrelhouse Magazine, and graduate of American University's MFA. Prior publication credits include work in Masters Review, Wigleaf, Electric Literature, CRAFT Literary, Daily Science Fiction, and Strange Horizons. She's the author of a novel, two hybrid collections of poetry and prose, and two short story collections from feminist sci-fi publisher Aqueduct Press. Her sixth book, City of Dancing Gargoyles, is forthcoming from SFWP in September 2024. Find her at www.taracampbell.com