What have you been reading during lockdown?

[Roya]

Heya everyone,

Long time no see. Libraries have been closed in Ireland since mid-March, so this group has been on pause because I know a lot of you like me, rely heavily on our local libraries. However, they should be opening up at the end of the month so this group will be back on track next month and we'll be reading Beloved by Toni Morrison.

Anyway, how are things? What's everyone been reading these last few months? I haven't read anything horror related in a while because I've basically run out of books to read, did read Melmoth the Wanderer recently though, which I ended up not really loving. I'm interested in seeing your recommendations or if there are any books we should stay away from 😅

I hope you're all doing well and in good health. Stay safe.

[Sagana]

I'm excited to read Beloved next month! I've been meaning to read it for awhile now.

I just recently got over a reading slump and read Don't Look Now by Daphne Du Maurier and I Am Legend by Richard Matheson among other books. Both of them were pretty good. I'm also trying to finish the LOTR series by the end of the summer.

[Roya]

Sagana wrote: "I'm excited to read Beloved next month! I've been meaning to read it for awhile now.

I just recently got over a reading slump and read Don't Look Now by Daphne Du Maurier and I Am Legend by Richar..."

Me too, Beloved has been on my reading list for years!
I Am Legend is fantastic, wish I could read it again for the first time. I'm also trying to read through the LOTR too but given myself by the end of the year. You should be able to read it by the end of Summer no problem

[Anna]

Super late to the party, but one of the main books I read over lockdown was House of Leaves! However, I was a little disappointed with it? It was so disappointing to me bc I should have loved it so much - I adore horror and experimental weird stuff, but I also study and LOVE theory (in particular some of the ones that are frequently mentioned, like I was literally writing an essay on Barthes while I was reading that book and he constantly mentions hi), but I felt it lacked a bit in story and was a bit boring at times? Still an excellent book though. :p

[Jess]

Didion: I saw the documentary about Joan Didion last year, after initially hearing about her from another writer whom I love, Brett Easton Ellis, but you reminded me of her existence on Youtube (Thank you!)
Given the political craziness going on here in the States her writing finally hit my gut. What happened in the 1960's is happening all over again. She was so prophetic it's nuts so I devoured & & is next.

[Jess]

On the subject, of Toni Morrison's Beloved: I read this book in school, and I believe it was the first time I encountered magical realism, at the time I didn't know that was even a genre. So I had a lot of "What in the actual f--is happening here?"-moments. I resented the lack of realism, but that's just my taste, at points it was beautiful.