Estefanía’s Comments (group member since Dec 08, 2019)

Estefanía’s comments from the EVERYONE Has Read This but Me - The Catch-Up Book Club group.

Anjali nominated Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami (467 pages), on the catch-up suggestion thread. She has support by another member called Chuck .

I second Chronicle of a Death Foretold.

I nominate One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez, 417 pages.

I second The Tenant of Wildfell Hall and Foundation.

I nominate A Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin, 837 pages.

I second Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit and In the Time of the Butterflies.

I second A Wrikle in Time.

I second Fingersmith.

I second The Price of Salt.

I second In Cold Blood.

I second Parable of the Sower.

I nominate The Beast: Riding the Rails and Dodging Narcos on the Migrant Trail by Óscar Martínez, , 275 pages.

I second The Turn of the Screw.

I second Something Wicked This Way Comes.

Well, it's the scariest time of the year and we already went through the other classic monsters. I nominate The Were-Wolf by Clemence Housman, 156 pages.

Well, time almost over. I hadn't finished my first book, did finish "Las malas". It was like a old school fairytale, cruel but not hopeless. The characters have to deal with an unaccepting world, but find happiness in each other. The narrator tells us everything in the form of short stories. Her life, relationships with the other girls, lovers and clients, at some point she will repeat the tale with a different perspective or added information.

I will give a warning, the work has magic realism (because Latin America). I didn't even notice at the beginning, I'm just so used to it at this point that "well, that just happened" and taking it with stride is my default. I know magic realism isn't for everybody. The english edition is by Other Press.

Also, my bad habit of starting a new book before finishing the ones on my shelf reared its ugly head. I don't have a reason to regret it this time. La ruta del hielo y la sal from 1998, in the english edition it's called The Route of Ice and Salt. It's relatively short, you can read it in a day or two.

It's the story of the Demeter from the point of view from it's anonymous captain as our gay lead. His thought let us see him as a sexual being which was very transgressive for its time. As a result, the first part is quiet erotic with splashes of the horrors yet to come (to the notice of the crew).

We know he is doomed, nonetheless his not going down without a fight. It has the added bonus of Dracula being the worst. After reading the novel, I enjoy him more as a unredeemable villain, especially due to the habit of making him more likeable at the expense of Lucy, Nina, Jonathan and if Quincey shows up also him.

Yeah, I forgot works like Olivia from 1949 and Odd Girl Out from 1957 . Also, left out things that are considered classics because they didn't classify (with an obvious exception). Besides, I didn't want it to be only doom and gloom. I tried not to reach the 80's and I failed.

-Beebo Brinker Chronicles. The pulp novel series by the same author of Odd Girl Out Ann Bannon (Ally). Just one book is in the time frame. However, this lacks the problem with a lot of lesbian pulp titles. They sold plenty between 1950 and 1969, the problem was they were geared towards straight men. Dudes loved the show and the fantasy of rescuing that poor thing from that horrible fate (if the sarcasm doesn't drip like poison I don't know what else to say).

-Rubyfruit Jungle from 1973, not within range, by Rita Mae Brown (Lesbian). I appreciate it exist, but not my cup of tea. Maybe one of you guys will find it more enjoyable.

-Anything written by Luis Zapata (Gay). Not within range, first novel was published in 1975.

-Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman (still debated, we know he liked dudes (Oscar Wilde couldn't kiss and not tell) and also had relationships with women, but he could have done it for survival or genuinely love them). It's poetry the request said novels.

-Zami: A New Spelling of My Name by Audre Lorde (Lesbian). Out of range, it was published in 1982.

-The Secret Diaries Of Miss Anne Lister (Lesbian).

-Anything by John Rechy (Gay).

-Canary: The Story Of A Transsexual by Canary Conn. Published in 1977 and good luck finding a copy.

I'm reading Tengo que morir todas las noches by Guillermo Osorno. It's about the history of El Nueve of the Zona Rosa, a famous gay bar in Mexico city. Also, Las malas by Camila Sosa Villada.

A list pre 60's? I'm assuming you're referring to written before that time. Due to all the LGBT+ works published posthumously. Well, maybe this will help. These ones always show up in the lists and are within year range.

-The Price of Salt (also known as Carol) from 1952.
-Orlando from 1928.
-Maurice from 1914, it was published in 1971.
-Giovanni's Room from 1956.
-The Picture of Dorian Gray from 1891.
-The Well of Loneliness from 1928.
-Pillar of salt from 1945, it was published on 1998. I recommend a edition with the prolog by Monsiváis that give the historical context surrounding the perception of homosetuality in Mexico. It's actually a memoir, but an interesting read.

I second Pachinko and Anne of the Green Glades.

But now that I'm here, I will just leave this over here as well.

The danger of disinformation:
-Sabrina by Nick Drnaso, 4 stars, comic book about conspiracy theories and their effect on people's lives.
Pros: It shows a believable aftermath of a tragedy. You feel the unease this character's experience.
Cons: Personally I think Sabrina's sister should have had been more focused on. In addition, the art style can feel dissonant, yet that might be the point, it's simple and you can read the character emotions by look at their faces.
-When the Wind Blows by Raymond Briggs 4 stars, comic book about a nuclear attack.
Pros: You can feel the couple really care and love each other. They are genuinely are trying to get everything ready. Nonetheless, they are stuck in the past, this is shown by them preparing themselves as if they were going through the Blitz again.
Cons: Don't expect a happy ending.

I went looking and most of the ones a got were very "a disease spread and here is your inciting incident" or classic that were okay not great. I ended up with more stories about isolation itself and the consequences of disinformation.

Disease itself:
-The Plague by Albert Camus, a classic. 3 stars.
Pros: It nice representation of how the circumstances may affect a city place other quarantine. Also, the need to keep going no matter what happens.
Cons: Depends on your to the sanitary measures of the time and Camus going on tangents about other causes he found important (but he tries to fit them in).
-Fever 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson, for younger readers. 3 and half star.
Pros: It explain well what happening given the time and place it's set in. It tries it's best to be historically accurate and that surprisingly that made it quite inclusive. I learned of the social effects the yellow fever on the United States.
Cons: If you aren't interested in the history of the United States especially Philadelphia, you will be confused by some events. It explains itself but doesn't want to make the reader feel patronised, however any deeper information in located in the extra content at the end.

People think there is a plague:
-The Plague Dogs by Richard Adams, sigh, 3 and half star.
Pros: It wants to pull no punches, no shying away from the animal cruelty. Not forgetting, the reaction of society to the events.
Cons: It can seen as being quite flawed because we live in a post PETA world. It similar or the same arguments, not as hyperbolic, some times are echoed here (comparison to slavery and the Holocaust).

Fictional plague:
-I Am Legend by Richard Matheson, 3 stars.
Pros: It don't capture how being alone can mess you up as a person. The constant threat surrounding him takes its toll and even being aware the danger, apathy can win.
Cons: The protagonist can get on your nerves. He is a dude from the 50s and as I already said, he's got issues.

AIDS epidemic:
The Normal Heart by Larry Kramer, 4 stars.