#Ha Seong-nan

[embossross]

2023 in books: fiction edition

literary fiction published 2013-2023 (based on English translation)

The Employees by Olga Ravn (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐)

Detransition Baby by Torrey Peters (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐)

When We Cease to Understand the World by Benjamín Labatut (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐)

There’s No Such Thing As an Easy Job by Kikuko Tsumura (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐)

Human Acts by Han Kang (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐)

Bunny by Mona Awad (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐)

Frankissstein by Jeanette Winterson (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐)

All Your Children Scattered by Beata Umubyeyi Mairesse (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐)

Mister N by Najwa Barakat (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐)

Fever Dream by Samanta Schweblin (⭐⭐⭐⭐)

Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir (⭐⭐⭐⭐)

Brickmakers by Selva Almada (⭐⭐⭐⭐)

True Biz by Sara Nović (⭐⭐⭐⭐)

Abyss by Pilar Quintana (⭐⭐⭐⭐)

The Meursault Investigation by Kamel Daoud (⭐⭐⭐⭐)

Frankenstein in Baghdad by Ahmed Saadawi (⭐⭐⭐⭐)

Spring Garden by Tomoka Shibasaki (⭐⭐⭐⭐)

Rombo by Esther Kinsky (⭐⭐⭐⭐)

Concerning My Daughter by Kim Hye-Jin (⭐⭐⭐⭐)

The House of Rust by Khadija Abdalla Bajaber (⭐⭐⭐⭐)

Men without Women by Haruki Murakami (⭐⭐⭐)

The Sky Above the Roof by Natacha Appanah (⭐⭐⭐)

Sweet Bean Paste by Durian Sukegawa (⭐⭐⭐)

Luster by Raven Leilani (⭐⭐⭐)

Solo Dance by Li Kotomi (⭐⭐⭐)

Untold Night and Day by Bae Suah (⭐⭐⭐)

The Shadow King by Maaza Mengiste (⭐⭐⭐)

The Deep by Rivers Solomon (⭐⭐⭐)

Afterlives by Abdurazak Gurnah (⭐⭐⭐)

Wreck the Halls by Tessa Bailey

Indelicacy by Amina Cain (⭐⭐⭐)

Out of Love by Hazel Hayes (⭐⭐⭐)

Freshwater by Akwaeke Emezi (⭐⭐⭐)

The Reactive by Masande Ntshanga (⭐⭐⭐)

The Houseguest: And Other Stories by Amparo Dávila (⭐⭐)

The Glutton by A.K. Blakemore (⭐⭐)

Homebodies by Tembe Denton-Hurst (⭐⭐)

Nervous System by Lina Meruane (⭐⭐)

Owlish by Dorothy Tse (⭐⭐)

The President and the Frog by Carolina de Robertis (⭐⭐)

The Magic of Discovery by Britt Andrews (⭐)

literary fiction published 1971-2012

House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐)

The Vampire Lestat by Anne Rice (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐)

Corregidora by Gayl Jones (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐)

Signs Preceding the End of the World by Yuri Herrera (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐)

Changes: A Love Story by Ama Ata Aidoo (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐)

Open City by Teju Cole (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐)

The Lover by Marguerite Duras (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐)

Mild Vertigo by Mieko Kanai (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐)

Abandon by Sangeeta Bandyopadhyay (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐)

Toddler Hunting and Other Stories by Taeko Kōno (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐)

Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler (⭐⭐⭐⭐)

Elena Knows by Claudia Piñeiro (⭐⭐⭐⭐)

Ceremony by Leslie Marmon Silko (⭐⭐⭐⭐)

Perestroika by Tony Kushner *a play (⭐⭐⭐⭐)

Strange Weather in Tokyo by Hiromi Kawakami (⭐⭐⭐⭐)

By Night in Chile by Roberto Bolaño (⭐⭐⭐⭐)

Drive Your Plow over the Bones of the Dead by Olga Tokarczuk (⭐⭐⭐⭐)

Three Strong Women by Marie NDiaye (⭐⭐⭐⭐)

Kingdom Cons by Yuri Herrera (⭐⭐⭐⭐)

Paradise Rot by Jenny Hval (⭐⭐⭐⭐)

The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy (⭐⭐⭐⭐)

A Mountain to the North, A Lake to the South, Paths to the West, a River to the East by Laszlo Krasznahorkai (⭐⭐⭐⭐)

Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice (⭐⭐⭐⭐)

Queen Pokou by Véronique Tadjo (⭐⭐⭐)

The Private Lives of Trees by Alejandro Zambra (⭐⭐⭐)

The Hour of the Star by Clarice Lispector (⭐⭐⭐)

Sweet Days of Discipline by Fleur Jaeggy (⭐⭐⭐)

Mr. Potter by Jamaica Kincaid (⭐⭐⭐)

Bluebeard’s First Wife by Ha Seong-nan (⭐⭐⭐)

The Body Artist by Don DeLillo (⭐⭐⭐)

Glaciers by Alexis M. Smith (⭐⭐⭐)

Curtain by Agatha Christie (⭐⭐⭐)

The Iliac Crest by Cristina Rivera Garza (⭐⭐⭐)

My Name Is Red by Orhan Pamuk (⭐⭐⭐)

The Dovekeepers by Alice Hoffman (⭐⭐⭐)

Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel (⭐⭐⭐)

Rashomon and Seventeen Other Stories by Ryūnosuke Akutagawa (⭐⭐)

Coraline by Neil Gaiman (⭐⭐)

The End of the Moment We Had by Toshiki Okada (⭐⭐)

The Optimist’s Daughter by Eudora Welty (⭐)

literary fiction published start of time-1970

Catch-22 by Joseph Heller (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐)

🔁 The Stranger by Albert Camus (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐)

The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐)

🔁 One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐)

The Posthumous Memoirs of Brás Cubas by Machado de Assis (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐)

Empty Wardrobes by Maria Judite de Carvalho (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐)

Stoner by John Williams (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐)

The Chandelier by Clarice Lispector (⭐⭐⭐⭐)

An Apprenticeship, or the Book of Pleasures by Clarice Lispector (⭐⭐⭐⭐)

The Woman in the Dunes by Kōbō Abe (⭐⭐⭐⭐)

As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner (⭐⭐⭐⭐)

Nightwood by Djuna Barnes (⭐⭐⭐⭐)

Dracula by Bram Stoker (⭐⭐⭐⭐)

Chess Story by Stefan Zweig (⭐⭐��⭐)

Aura by Carlos Fuentes (⭐⭐⭐⭐)

Fathers and Sons by Ivan Turgenev (⭐⭐⭐)

All Passion Spent by Vita Sackville-West (⭐⭐⭐)

The Hole by José Revueltas (⭐⭐⭐)

Baron Bagge by Alexander Lernet-Holenia (⭐⭐⭐)

Carmilla by J. Sheridan Le Fanu (⭐⭐)

Barabbas by Pär Lagerkvist (⭐)

[linajinnnn]

Korean Lyrics : The MegaSIX

Photo credits goes to Twitter @_buxing

[Korean Lyrics : The MegaSIX]

- Original English Lyrics - Lyrics in Korean Letters / Transliteration (skipped if they used the same words with English) - Translation

[ALL] - Are you ready? - Seoul, here we go!

[CATHERINE OF ARAGON] - You must think that I'm crazy - You wanna replace me, baby, there's - 넌 날 밀어내려 해 / neon nal mil-eonaelyeo hae - 어림없는 소리 baby / eolim-eobsneun soli baby - So you're trying to push me away - Nonsense baby

[ALL] - No no no no no no no way

[CATHERINE OF ARAGON] - If you thought you could leave me - You must think I'm naive - Please believe me, there's - 넌 날 쉽게 생각해 / neon nal shibge saeng-gaghae - 이혼을 해 달래 / ihon-eul hae dallae - 웃기지마 / utgijima - You think I am easy - You want me to divorce - Don't be ridiculous

[ALL] - No no no no no no no no no no - Not sorry - 안 미안 / an mian - Not sorry

[ANNE BOLEYN] - Sorry, not sorry 'bout what I said - I'm just tryna have some fun - 안 미안해서 참 미안해 / an mianhaeseo cham mianhae - 즐기려던 것 뿐야 / jeulgilyeodeon geos ppun-ya - I'm so sorry that I'm not sorry - I was just trying to have fun

[CATHERINE OF ARAGON] - No no no way

[ANNE BOLEYN] - Don't worry, don't worry - Don't lose your head - I didn't mean to hurt anyone - 진정해 진정해 / jinjeonghae jinjeonghae - 정신머리 챙겨 / jeongsinmeori chaeng-gyeo - 나 상처줄 생각 없었어 /  na sangcheojul saeng-gak eobs-eoss-eo - Calm down, calm down - Keep your head - I didn't mean to hurt you

[JANE SEYMOUR (ANNE BOLEYN)] - You can (L-O-L) - You can (Say-oh-well) - You can try but I'm unbreakable - 난 (하하하) / nan (ha-ha-ha) - 난 (웃던지) / nan (ut-deon-ji) - 상관없어 난 그 자리에 / sang-gwan-eobs-eo nan geu jalie - I (hahaha) - I (Laugh, don't care) - I don't care, I am still here

[ALL (KATHERINE HOWARD)] - (All you wanna) do your best - But I'll stand the test - You'll find that I've - (니가 원한) 어떤 행복도 / (niga wonhan) eotteon haengbokdo - 어떤 시련도 / eotteon siryeondo - 이겨내고 / igyeonaego - (All you wanted) what kind of happiness - What kind of trials - I will get over it

[JANE SEYMOUR] - Got a heart of - 그 자리에 / geu jalie - Still be here

[ALL] - Sto-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-one - o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

[ANNA OF CLEVES] - All alone, on a throne - In a palace that I happen to own - 나 홀로 왕좌에 / na hollo wangjwa-e - 내가 갖게 된 이 성을 즐겨 / naega gatge doen e seong-eul jeulgyeo - All alone, on a throne - Enjoying the palace I happen to own

[KATHERINE HOWARD] - The only thing you wanna do - 니가 원하는 건 바로 / niga wonhaneun geon baro - Things you want right now

[ANNA OF CLEVES] - Too bad I don't agree, 'cause - I'm the queen of the castle - Get down, you dirty rascal-al-al - 이젠 인정할 ��� 없어 / ejen injeong hal su eobs-eo - 나는 이 성의 여왕 / naneun i seong-ui yeowang - 엎드려 절 하여라 / eopdeuryeo jeol hayeora - Cannot admit it anymore - I'm the queen of this castle - Get down and bow

[KATHERINE HOWARD] - All you wanna do - All you wanna do, babe, is - Sing along to your favourite queen's song - All you wanna do - All you wanna do, babe, is - Love me, love me - 니가 원한건 / niga wonhangeon - 니가 원한건 baby / niga wonhangeon baby - 우리 노랠 다 같이 불러 / uri norael da gat-i bulleo - 니가 원한건 / niga wonhangeon - 니가 원한건 baby / niga wonhangeon baby - Love me, love me - All you wanted - All you wanted is baby - Sing our songs all together - All you wanted - All you wanted is baby

[KATHERINE HOWARD & CATHERINE PARR] - L-l-l-l - Love

[CATHERINE PARR] - No, no - I don't need your love, no, no - It's time to rise above, woah, woah - No, no - 필요 없어 너의 사랑 / pil-yo eob-seo neoui sarang - 날아 오를래 woah, woah / nal-a oreul-lae woah, woah - I don't need your love - I'm gonna fly high, woah, woah

[ALL] - We don't need your love - 'Cause we're so much more than - 필요 없어 난 / pil-yo eob-seo nan - 우린 이제 알아 / urin ije al-a - I don't need it anymore - 'Cause now we all know

[CATHERINE OF ARAGON] - Divorced - 이혼 / e-hon - Divorced 

[ANNE BOLEYN] - Beheaded - 참수 / cham-soo - Beheaded

[JANE SEYMOUR] - Died - 죽음 / juk-eum - Died

[ANNA OF CLEVES] - Divorced - 이혼 / e-hon - Divorced 

[KATHERINE HOWARD] - Beheaded - 참수 / cham-soo - Beheaded

[CATHERINE PARR] - Survived - 생존 / saeng-jon - Survived

[ALL] - We're SIX! - 우린 SIX! / u-rin SIX! - We're SIX!

Yup. So obsessed with Korean SIX all night long and decided to record Korean Production's version of lyrics. L-O-L, I mean, Ha-ha-ha. Anyway, starting with the MegaSIX!

P.S. My opinion about Korean Lyrics of MegaSIX : I love how Cleves says 'get down and bow' in historical drama tone. : It's quite interesting that 'don't lose your head' became 'keep your head'. I mean, Korean lyrics also say about 'head(meori)'. The head joke still works!

[corpsepng]

9 books I want to read in 2023!

1) Between Two Fires by Christopher Beuhlman (I’m halfway through already but I want to finish it <&lt;33)

2) Convulsive by Joe Koch

3) Orange World by Karen Russel

4) Flowers of Mold by Ha Seong-Nan

5) Dark Water by Koji Suzuki

6) Exquisite Corpse by Poppy Z. Brite

7) Rainbear!!!!!!!! by Never Angeline North

8) Imajica by Clive Barker

9) Annihilation by Jeff Vandermeer

The way half of these are anthologies 👁_👁 anyway @cannivalisms @wuntrum and anyone else who wants to do it say I tagged u I want to see everyone’s TBRs

[thevampcave]

random request but i'd be eternally grateful if somebody would recommend me a horror/weird/disturbing/speculative/mystical/woman-centered novel to read <3

for reference in february i read clarice lispector's the passion according to g.h. and han kang's the vegetarian and enjoyed both of them! currently reading malina by ingeborg bachmann which i'm also enjoying so far, mostly looking for literature from mid-20th century til today, written by women please <3

(also last year i read bora chung's cursed bunny and ha seong-nan's bluebeard's first wife, both short story collections, but i liked the atmosphere and vibe of the majority of the stories if that helps give more of an idea of what i've enjoyed recently-ish)

[patricia-von-arundel]

The books currently looking beseechingly up at me from my cart:

Within These Walls (Ania Ahlborn)

A Choir of Ill Children (Tom Piccirilli)

Shipwrecks (Akira Yoshimura)

Frankenstein in Baghdad (Ahmed Saadawi)

Nazareth Hill (Ramsey Campbell)

Between Two Fires (Christopher Buehlman) (this may or may not have been one of the reasons I ranted about medieval horror always being Black Death...) (but I still desperately want to read it!)

The House Next Door (Anne Rivers Siddon)

The Dangers of Smoking in Bed (Mariana Enriquez)

Mouthful of Birds (Samanta Schweblin)

Johnny Got His Gun (Dalton Trumbo)

Flowers of Mold (Ha Seong-Nan)

I Remember You (Yrsa Sigurdardottir)

Tender is the Flesh (Agustina Bazterrica)

Eileen (Ottessa Moshfegh)

The Shapeshifters (Stepan Spjut)

Hex (Thomas Olde Heuvelt)

The Corpse Exhibition (Hassan Blasim)

Her Body and Other Parties (Carmen Maria Machado)

The Last One (Alexandra Oliva)

The Twenty Days of Turin (Giorgio De Maria)

The Ancestor (Danielle Trussoni)

The Girl Next Door (Jack Ketchum)

Pretty Girls (Karin Slaughter)

Get in Trouble (Kelly Link)

Moon of the Crusted Snow (Waubgeshig Rice)

I Have a Bad Feeling About This (Jeff Strand)

The Hunger (Alma Katsu)

Apartment 16 (Adam Nevill)

The only authors on the list I've read are Adam Nevill, Jack Ketchum, and Ramsey Campbell. Someone please tell me half of these are just awful and not even worth considering? 😅

I'm trying to expand my reading beyond the obvious and the well-known, especially looking towards queer authors, women, and authors in translation (especially those from languages/cultures not as frequently encountered in the genre in English). For the last, I'm also considering the two volumes of The Valancourt Book of World Horror Stories.

I'm going to starve.

Or I can try to figure out how to make a book stew...

[sageglobalresponse]

5 popular Korean TV series stealing the hearts of Nigerians in 2024

Korean dramas capture Nigerians' hearts with their captivating stories, talented actors, and unique blend of genres.

K-dramas, the creative expression of Korean culture with a unique blend of drama, romance and humour, have captivated Nigerian viewers.

With their intriguing stories and distinctive mash-ups of genres, Korean TV shows have emerged as a prominent force.

It's not just the stories that captivate Nigerians. Korean shows boast a powerhouse of talented actors who bring these characters to life with remarkable authenticity.

Best Korean TV series in 2024

Here’s a list of Korean series that are particularly popular among Nigerians in 2024:

1. Queen of Tears (2024)

Synopsis: The series depicts the crisis and rekindling of love between Hong Hae-in, played by Kim Ji-won, a third-generation chaebol heiress of Queens Group, and Baek Hyun-woo, played by Kim Soo-hyun, the son of farmers from Yongdu-ri, and their three years of marriage.

Director: Jang Young-woo and Kim Hee-won

Cast: Park Sung-hoon, Kwak Dong-yeon, and Lee Joo-bin

Where to watch: Netflix

https://youtu.be/Gg2D8zrzlOA

2. Marry My Husband (2024)

Synopsis: The series begins in 2023 when Kang Ji-won played by Park Min-young, is terminally ill with gastric cancer. After catching her husband, Park Min-hwan played by Lee Yi-kyung, in bed with her best friend, Jeong Su-min, a scuffle ensues in which Ji-won is accidentally killed by Min-hwan.

Ji-won then awakens in the year 2013, having been sent back in time following the intervention of her late father's spirit. As she relives her life with the same knowledge and information as in the previous timeline, she discovers that to live a better life, she must transfer her misfortune to others. She then resolves to have Su-min marry Min-hwan to exact revenge and escape her miserable fate.

Cast: Na In-woo, Song Ha-yoon, and Lee Gi-kwang

Where to watch: Prime Video

https://youtu.be/lfJGSxXf9Xg

Director: Park Won-guk and Han Jin-seon

3. Doctor Slump (2024)

Synopsis: It is a romantic comedy series about the hate-turned-love relationship of Nam Ha-neul played by Park Shin-hye and Yeo Jeong-woo played by Park Hyung-sik, who had promising prospects in their careers, but fell into a slump due to different circumstances.

Ha-neul and Jeong-woo were high school rivals who despised each other and parted ways after high school. But when they are forced to quit their jobs as doctors, they end up living together at Ha-neul's house.

Cast: Yoon Park, Gong Seong-ha, and Oh Dong-min

Where to watch: Netflix

https://youtu.be/xCwAwwm4-sY

Director: Hyun Jong Oh

4. Love Song For Illusion (2024)

Synopsis: The story follows Yeon Wol played by Hong Ye-ji, who hides her identity and becomes an assassin to avenge her family. Her mission is to assassinate the king but she falls into a trap set by an unknown person. She wakes up the next day with no memory of her past and is appointed as the crown prince's concubine.

Director: Lee Jung-seob

Cast: Park Ji-hoon, Lee Joo-won, Hwang Hee, and Ji Woo

Where to watch: Viki

https://youtu.be/3vkGu5R1IKo

5. A Killer’s Paradox (2024)

Synopsis: The series follows the story of Lee Tang played by Choi Woo-shik, who was discharged from the army six months ago, struggles with his life and dreams of visiting Canada. He works at a convenience store and relies heavily on his parents for support.

One night, he is assaulted by a customer, leading to a violent confrontation and the subsequent murder of the customer. Tang is guilt-ridden and prepares to turn himself in, but discovers his victim was a serial killer.

Dutiful detective Jang Nan-gam, remains uncooperative and keeps investigating. It is unclear if Nan-gam is onto him, but Tang continues to kill, revealing his hidden talent for accidentally offending evildoers.

The story explores the question of whether Tang is serving justice or evading it.

Director: Lee Chang-hee

Cast: Son Suk-ku, Lee Hee-Joon, Kim Yo-han, and Jung Yi-seo

Where to watch: Netflix

https://youtu.be/X2rXQ0rEfPI

[rossemboss]

"I suppose it was only natural for my husband to be sensitive to the children's stomping. He was trying to blame his insomnia on our noisy neighbors, but I knew the real cause: he had never found himself in a crisis, not once in the past thirty-three years. Until he'd quit his job at the bank, he'd treaded only life's safest, securest path. He'd never failed an exam, and he was the first of all his classmates to advance in his career. His biggest dilemma until now had been deciding whether to have soup or sushi for lunch. For someone like him, he probably believed he should have been sitting on the balcony floor by now, coaxing a rocking chair's rockers into the proper curve."

- Ha Seong-Nan, Bluebeard's First Wife

[bookpillows]

Bluebeard’s First Wife by Ha Seong Nan uses fabulism magical realism and speculative horror to discuss social issues in a similar fashion to Bora Chung’s Cursed Bunny but does an infinitely better job only to get 1/1000 of the attention

[commonplacenook]

It all seemed like a game she used to play as a child, where she would flick her stone across the sand and draw a line wherever it fell, claiming those areas as hers. But each time, her piece had ended up in some ridiculous spot, completely different from what she’d intended.

Ha Seong-Nan, Flowers of Mold

[womenintranslation]

“The ultimate goal, then, is not to “save” women of color from the racism and sexism of the translation publishing sector but to save the translation publishing sector from its provincializing racism and sexism. In this way, it’s not just about helping individual women of color authors to get published; it’s about forcing a larger reckoning in the translation publishing sector with its exclusionary practices and structures.”

—Corine Tachtiris, assistant professor of translation studies at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, in an interview by Salwa Benaissa on the Project Plume blog. 

What does it mean to apply critical race theory to the translation publishing sector? In this thought-provoking interview Corine Tachtiris speaks about how racial justice activism can inform translation and publishing practices. A must read for anyone who is thinking about the future of literary translation and about the systemic changes that are necessary in this predominantly white field.

[bookishluna]

To Be Read | First TBR of 2021

To Be Read | First TBR of 2021

Hello and welcome to my January 2021 TBR. I hope everyone is having a wonderful start to their year and I wish every single one of you a safe, healthy and fun 2021. This TBR is going to be quite a few books, but I currently feel up to the challenge. The Books TBR books stacked on a carpet in front of a basket and a plant. The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones, I had this on a TBR a few…

[unouroborize]

His scars are his resume.

Ha Seong-nan, Janet Hong (Translator), Flowers of Mold: Stories

[cor-ardens-archive]

hey mari, i've had a real craving for horror books lately and was wondering if you had any recs for me? i think contemporary and homoerotic is the vibe at the moment but i'll take whatever you've got 💛

Chell, I'm so glad you sent this ask! I know you're a fan of Carmen Maria Machado, so I tried to think of some similar authors or authors that I know have been an influence on her. (Also, I'm not sure if you've read her edition of Carmilla, but if not, maybe look into it? I really love the original Carmilla as well.) Some books in this list are probably not always considered horror, but they’re at the very list horror-adjacent. I tried to pick things based on what I know of your taste, but not sure if I did a very good job. If you read any of these, I'd love to hear your thoughts, and I'll be happy to recommend more based on what you enjoyed or didn't enjoy. Anyway, here's what I came up with:

These are quite obvious and you've probably read them already but definitely Shirley Jackson’s The Haunting of Hill House and Toni Morrison’s Beloved. I mean, I could never talk about horror and not talk about them, so.

Angela Carter was a great influence on Machado, I think, and in any case she is always wonderful and breathtaking. I recommend starting with The Bloody Chamber and Other Stories because they're all short, magical and creepy, though more gothic than horror.

Sarah Waters is more gothic than horror as well, but The Little Stranger definitely fits in the genre (though a lot of people who like her work didn't like that one, but I personally did; of course I also recommend her other books, especially Fingersmith).

White Is For Witching, Helen Oyeyemi (check out her other books if you enjoy this one!)

Paradise Rot, Jenny Hval

Skin Folk, Nalo Hopkinson

A Human Stain, Kelly Robson (read it here for free)

Ten Excerpts from an Annotated Bibliography on the Cannibal Women of Ratnabar Island, Nibedita Sen (a short story that I love, read it here)

Irina, Susan Millar DuMars (here)

Things We Lost in the Fire, Mariana Enríquez

A Certain Hunger, Chelsea G. Summers

Tender is the Flesh, Augustina Bazterrica

Bloodchild and Other Stories, Octavia Butler

The Complete Stories of Leonora Carrington (surrealism with some horror)

The Bloody Countess, Alejandra Pizarnik

Bluebeard's First Wife, Ha Seong-nan

I've only very recently started reading Tanith Lee, but so far I can recommend The Book of the Damned and The Blood of Roses, but she's written so many books and I've only dipped my toe.

Due to the nature of horror, a lot of these come with caveats and possible trigger warnings, but I wouldn't even know where to begin, so if there's anything that is particularly upsetting to you that you'd like to be warned about, do let me know!

[journalofanobody]

Recommended Reading: Bluebeard's First Wife by Ha Seong-Nan

Disasters, accidents, and deaths abound in Bluebeard’s First Wife. A woman spends a night with her fiancé and his friends, and overhears a terrible secret that has bound them together since high school. A man grows increasingly agitated by the noise made by a young family living in the apartment upstairs and arouses the suspicion of his own wife when the neighbors meet a string of unlucky incidents. A couple moves into a picture-perfect country house, but when their new dog is stolen, they become obsessed with finding the thief, and in the process, neglect their child. The paranoia-inducing, heart-quickening stories in Ha’s follow-up to the critically acclaimed Flowers of Mold will have you reconsidering your own neighbors. (Amazon)

[thelibraryiscool]

Short Story Project – Week 9

What I read this week – as before, no ratings, but I’ll still say if I recommend (R), strongly recommend (S), or don’t recommend (D) a story:

Virginia Woolf, “The Symbol” (R) “The balcony overlooked the main street of the Alpine summer resort, like a box at a theatre. There were very few private sitting-rooms, and so the plays – such as they were – the curtain raisers – were acted in public. They were always a little provisional: preludes, curtain-raisers. Entertainments to pass the time; seldom leading to any conclusion, such as marriage; or even lasting friendship. There was something fantastic about them, airy, inconclusive. So little that was solid could be dragged to this height.”

Alice Munro, “Amundsen” (D)* “Then there was silence, the air like ice. Brittle-looking birch trees with black marks on their white bark, and some small, untidy evergreens, rolled up like sleepy bears. The frozen lake not level but mounded along the shore, as if the waves had turned to ice in the act of falling. And the building, with its deliberate rows of windows and its glassed-in porches at either end.”

Sam Selvon, “The Cricket Match” (R) “Later on, entertaining the boys in the local pub, the Englishers asking all sorts of questions, like why they stand so and so and why they make such and such a stroke, and the boys talking as if cricket so common in the West Indies that the babies either born with a bat or a ball, depending on if it would be a good bowler or batsman.”

Ha Seong-Nan, “Flag” (S) [only partially available via the link, i had to get a pdf] “It's congested here as always, and like any other day, I look up at the maiden on the billboard. The next stop is announced. Someone rushes for the door, bumps my head, and knocks my glasses to the floor. People step on them as they swarm toward the door. The left lens cracks into five pieces, but I don't mind. Through the cracked lens, I now see five maidens.”

Laura Riding, “A Last Lesson in Geography” (D) “Lessons in geography must not interfere with history. Geography contains many errors, but history corrects these errors—which are, indeed, the substance of history—by passing. Lessons in geography are quite unnecessary. For example, if we had not had this lesson in geography, we should, in any case, have learned soon enough that the earth was not round.”

Amy Levy, “Between Two Stools” (S) “Personally I find myself rather desolate. I am willing enough to smoke the pipe of peace with the Philistines, but the Philistines will have none of me. They distrust me: the girls think I want to "come it over" them; and the young men are continually on the look­out for covert snubbing. One is afraid to call a thing by its right name for fear of being thought pedantic; it is not young­ladylike to have one's facts right or one's sentences logical. A pretty haziness, a charming inconsequence—these are the qualities the Philistine male would fain see in his womankind.”

Jamaica Kincaid, “In the Night” (R) “There is the sound of the man stabbing the woman, the sound of her blood as it hits the floor, the sound of Mr. Straffee, the undertaker, taking her body away. There is the sound of her spirit back from the dead, looking at the man who used to groan; he is running a fever forever. There is the sound of a woman writing a letter; there is the sound of her pen nib on the white writing paper; there is the sound of the kerosene lamp dimming; there is the sound of her head aching.”

Caryl Lewis, “The Root” (R) “Eirwen’s gaze followed the tree down to its base, and, to her amazement, she saw its gray roots pushing in underneath the house. She dropped the basket and felt panic rise in her breast. Then, without picking up the basket, she ran back inside. She looked again at the tile. A root had pushed through the old earthen floor and was determinedly lifting up the tile, damaging the surface. Eirwen heard the old clock strike three.”

*I have come to accept that I simply cannot get on with Alice Munro. I can’t accept her outlook and affect. But it’s a well-written story, so if you’re someone of a different mindset you may well enjoy it.

[rossemboss]

"Back then, I had two fathers. One was my biological father, who, on a whim, quit his job at the company and lounged around all day, lying on his belly on the heated floor, while thumbing through slim Japanese magazines or books like Shintaro Ishihara's Season of the Sun. Then there was Father God, whose countless eyes roamed the earth, watching over his people's every move from heaven above.

Father number two gathered all the neighborhood children every Sunday and gave out Kool-Aid drinks, candy, and fistfuls of sour plums. Father number one passed onto me his fondness for seafood and trained me by supplying just enough hardships to overcome. It was also thanks to him that I ended up with my secret, unusual complex."

- Ha Seong-Nan, Bluebeard's First Wife