#OminousOctober Day 7: I have a feeling there‘s a #Monster somewhere in this horror story. Recent book haul.
Bookwormjillk That looks so creepy! 2y
Eggs Spooky 👻 2y
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Such Small Hands | 
#OminousOctober Day 7: I have a feeling there‘s a #Monster somewhere in this horror story. Recent book haul.
pickI don‘t know what to say about this short read. It‘s devastating and haunting, and yet it captures something familiar about childhood and the outsized way we process our emotions when we are young. So many emotions captured in under 100 pages.
pick2 more swaps! See @sprainedbrain & @Chrissyreadit for #springequinoxswap
See @ShelleyBooksie & @DinoMom for #litsylovesanimalsswap
& I‘ve read 3 more books! The tagged was quick, creepy, wicked, & even a little surprising. âï¸âï¸âï¸âï¸
Pride.. is a YA retelling w a 17-year-old protagonist pursuing a legal career… I liked it more than I expected! âï¸âï¸âï¸ðŸ’«
And Spells & Caramels — not terribly original or surprising, but thoroughly enjoyed. âï¸âï¸âï¸âï¸
bailedThis book got decent reviews but I just couldn‘t do. Maybe it was the writing style, the translation, or it just wasn‘t my cup of tea. It‘s on my ereader, so maybe we‘ll be a good fit at another time. #bookspin
“But the girl doesn‘t cry, doesn‘t erupt, doesn‘t react. The girl still inhabits the suburbs of the words. Or perhaps it was just that creative thinking disassociated what it had no possible way of assimilating. The words were still polished and clean and superficial like the adults‘ black shoes.†Only the first chapter and I love the way the author describes feelings and evens so perfectly precise. This one has me.
"The house made Marina feel afraid, as though the two of them—she and the house—were actually two people forced to live under the same cruel tyrant."
pick“Such Small Hands†is a tiny, darkly sparkling gem, deftly translated from the original Spanish. The plot is “reputedly based†on a real incident that took place at an orphanage in Brazil in the 1960‘s, but the language could be based on a dream; it feels like it comes from the subconscious, which defies what language actually *is.* Barba explores themes such as: poverty & privilege, absence & loss, cruelty & desire.
Review cont‘d below👇ðŸ»
“Then, very gently, she closed her eyes, and we watched her eyeballs dart behind her eyelids. Where before there had been eyes, now there was a very fine skin, closed, silent, trapped by an eyelid that you could touch with your finger, and when you touched it, it twitched, a tiny shudder, and her eyebrows crinkled up; it was like a baby summer, and inside it, a sun, all in miniature. We always liked little things.â€
This book contains some of the strangest writing in some of the shortest space I‘ve encountered in quite some time.
I‘m not saying it doesn‘t make sense. It makes TOTAL sense.
“Marina awoke with the vague feeling that there was something she had to do, that she had some obligation she hadn‘t met to the doctors who came to see her every morning & every afternoon. Maybe it was the obligation to be human, to cry & stamp her feet, to suffer... It was only right before the doctors came that she felt her parents‘ absence, but in such an abstract way that it never showed, like when you almost grasp a concept & then don‘t.â€
I chose wisely.
25 pages read & I‘m already super into it. 👌ðŸ»
Well, that‘s an ominous epigraph.
In other news, stay tuned for the launch of my new hardcore band, “Ominous Epigraphâ€!
How can I be expected to choose?
I mean, I know I need to read the Shirley Jackson. I‘ve *loved* everything else I‘ve read by her, & I‘m dying to watch the Netflix adaptation. But on the other hand (leg), look at that cover! ðŸ˜
pickNot as creepy as I expected. Different little book that a nice one sitting read.
Congratulations on your milestones, @Ingerella & @Madamereginald ! I love that you‘re doing a #sistersgiveaway. I‘m on a weekend getaway with my mom right now, so I‘m really feeling the #girlpower!
💪ðŸ»ðŸŒ¸âœŠðŸ»
The top 2 books on my TBR list are “Such Small Hands†& “Little Fires Everywhere.†A snack that always makes my mouth water is Sour Patch Watermelon. ðŸ‰
Thanks for hosting!
@eanderson is offering the #oneofthreegiveaway! The winner will receive 1/3 titles of their choosing.
I went with:
1) “Such Small Handsâ€, billed as a mash-up of “The Virgin Suicides†& Shirley Jackson.
2)â€Little Fires Everywhere,†which everyone‘s heard of & which I‘ve had checked out of the library for way too long.🙈
3) “An Unkindness of Ghostsâ€, which has a gorgeous cover & is sci-fi that‘s been called “harrowingâ€, “beautiful†& “feminist.â€
My local bookstore (Riffraff) is the best - not only because it doubles as a bar, but also because the owners make such an effort to feature unsung works of art, often from indie presses. I consider myself to be pretty immersed in the culture, & I still hadn‘t heard of 90% of the books I added to my TBR today after staring, goo-goo eyed, at their displays.
Holler if you‘ve read any of these!
If you like #creepykids, lithub has a few suggestions. Some of these are new to me.
https://lithub.com/15-of-the-creepiest-children-in-literature/
pickThis very short (under 100 pages) book skilfully paints a picture of what it is like to be a child faced with conflicting and disturbing emotions and little help to make sense of them. How close are admiration and jealousy, loving desire and the ravenous desire to destroy? The writing style captures the minds of children who have not yet learned the answer and are observers of themselves and the world in a way adults often are not.
pickThis one is tough to rate. It's a pick for being well written and haunting, but a so-so for me bc I like something more hopeful.
Excellent creepy book. Perfect for the October #readathon This was a hand-sell (see what I did there? 😛) from @RoscoeBooks When I saw that it was a Lisa Dillman translation, it was a must-read for me. #30DaysofReadathon #shortbook @DeweysReadathon
Book 2 of my @24in48 TBR is completed. What a dark, convincing, beautiful exploration into the psyche of young girls - especially considering the author was a 30-something year old man. And another captivating translation by Lisa Dillman.
Next up for #24in48 is this mystery thriller. Breakfast is tea and mini almond croissants, the perfect size for (such) small hands ðŸ–
While our daughter is on the coast of #Spain, 4400 miles from home, my husband and decided to have dinner tonight at a restaurant just up the street from us that serves the cuisine of...coastal Spain. Delicious food and a beautiful evening to dine outside here in #Chicago. Now it's time for another glass of wine and a dive into this little book set in....Spain. 🇪🇸
pickAnother slim, innovative book, but this one has some psychological heft to it. Read it in a sitting but it'll linger for sure.
