Today’s post marks the end of our first month of the Whatcha Wednesday series. Let’s finish strong with Whatcha Reading, Geekly. Hey, hey! Kyra Kyle here. Today’s theme is reading. This can include novels, poetry, short stories, essays, comic books, and anything in-between. As always, feel free to share what you read this past month. We’re all part of the Geekly Gang.
Kyra’s Reads
Edgar Allan Poe
The Geekly Gang went to the Edgar Allan Poe Speakeasy last month. This event featured actors interpreting Poe’s short stories and poems and cocktails based on the tales. My favorite cocktail of the bunch was the Cat’s Meow. And I started reading my collection of Edgar Allan Poe short stories. This may have also influenced my binging of true crime shows. Watching someone perform “The Tell-Tale Heart” and another actor portray “The Black Cat” got me wondering if Poe had homicidal tendencies. JK But I do think Poe’s work informed my choice of television shows.
Batman: Arkham, Catwoman
Staying on the subject of black cats, I also read the Batman: Arkham, Catwoman collection. I enjoy reading classic DC Comics stories, and the Batman: Arkham series is good for catching up with a villain’s history. Catwoman’s been around since the 1940s. Early stories are products of their time. Then, the stories jump to being cheesy and using a heap of cat puns. It’s difficult to read. Late Eighties comics that feature Catwoman were influenced by Frank Miller’s The Dark Knight Returns, so they leaned into Catwoman’s updated origin as a former prostitute. Despite this, I liked Mindy Newell’s “Downtown Babylon.” Newell may have been forced to use this backstory for Catwoman, but she makes it her own. My only gripe is that “Downtown Babylon” was the second issue of a four-issue miniseries, and that’s Batman: Arkham’s biggest issue. Often, readers will get a random issue plucked from an ongoing story.
I may track down Newell’s 1989 Catwoman mini-series. What I read of it got me invested. The other standout in this volume was Ed Brubaker’s “Joy Ride.” This story is contained within a single issue and does a great job of showing Catwoman. She’s an anti-hero with a checkered past and a mischievous streak. Batman: Arkham, Catwoman is a good jumping-off point for further reading about the character. And that’s what I like best about this series.
I, Robot
It may be sacrilege, but Asimov’s I, Robot made the DNF (did not finish) pile this month. The prose was more archaic than another book I started shortly afterwards, The King in Yellow, which was written fifty years prior. All is not lost. I’ll give I, Robot another go in another month or two. I’m also open to reading suggestions. I finished Becky Chambers’ A Psalm for the Wild-Built a month prior and fell in love with how “human” Chambers made Mosscap. I picked up the follow-up, A Prayer for the Crown-Shy, so spoiler alert for next month.
That’s all I have for this month. Thank you for reading, and let’s see what Season and Skye have been reading.
Season’s Reads
Fledgling
I’m finishing out my final semester in college, and Octavia Butler’s Fledgling is a novel we read in class. We read the first half one week and the second half the next week. I got so enamored with the story that I almost read the entire thing in a day. Fledgling follows Shori (pictured on the cover) as she discovers who she is and finds her purpose. She’s also a vampire called an Ina. Ina and humans live symbiotically with one another. I’ve never seen a story explore a mutual symbiosis with humans and a humanoid creature before. I highly recommend Fledgling for those who are interested in vampires, societal issues, and journeys of self-discovery.
There were talks back in 2022 of turning Fledgling into an HBO series. There isn’t much information on a release date or if the project was canceled. Personally, I’d love to see one of my new favorite books on screen.
The Nose
I read a collection of Russian short stories. “The Nose” by Nikolai Gogol stood out to me. It’s literally about a guy whose nose jumps off his face. The nose has a life of its own and even tries to leave the country by stagecoach, passport, and everything. There isn’t a clear main character within the story, but it’s about perception and how people handle the information provided to them. In classic Russian fashion, many characters have more than one name, so it can be difficult to follow at times. If you’re looking for something unique and wacky, I’d recommend “The Nose.”
Skye, what have you been reading?
Skye’s Reads
Yes, I also read on occasion. Here are the books I’ve been tackling lately.
The Crystal Witch
This should give you a crystal-clear idea of who I am. See what I did there? I practice New Age Spirituality. What draws me to it is its “a la carte” approach to faith. There’s no “right” way to practice it, and my preferred method is through rituals, tarot cards, manifestation, and crystals. That leads me to The Crystal Witch.
For folks like me who want a clearer picture of symbolism, spiritual power, and how to get started practicing New Age, The Crystal Witch has it all. So far, I’ve learned a lot about sacred altars, the importance of colors in practice, and descriptions of the most common crystals. I can’t wait ‘til I can categorize each of the crystals in my collection and start using them in everyday spiritual practice.
Revolutionary Witchcraft
Honestly, I’m unsure how I feel about the term witchcraft. While I’m empowered to be a part of a community, the term carries negativity. New Age is primarily built on positivity and the connection of humans to the rest of the universe. When words like “witch” are thrown around, it’s distracting. Although I’ll admit that New Age does have roots in the Occult, Paganism, and Wicca.
What does that have to do with Revolutionary Witchcraft? Well, Revolutionary Witchcraft teaches “witches” such as me how to use our beliefs to create positive change in our communities. I don’t know about y’all, but I always hear the latest news headlines and shudder. Because of that, I want to give back to my community, my country, my species, and my planet by properly directing my beliefs. Maybe we can finally see some good news, so here’s hoping.
The Filmmaker’s Handbook (5th edition)
Even in a segment about books, I still managed to circle back around to movies. That’s just what I do. I love visual art forms. I even like to make my own films. Eventually. Not now of course. Do you have $300 million? ‘Cause I don’t.
I’m reading The Filmmaker’s Handbook to give me an idea of where to start. What kind of shots work best to create a specific mood? When should you use live-action and animation? What are the basic building blocks of cinematic storytelling? How do you become an independent filmmaker? All that and more in The Filmmaker’s Handbook.
Also, I’m giving myself an excuse to judge films more harshly. I’m a critic at heart. What’re you gonna do?
Jesus’ Son
I’ve been putting a lot of emphasis on non-fiction books, so I asked my sister if she could recommend any fiction for me. She led me to Jesus’ Son. Thanks, Sis! I haven’t gotten very far into it, but so far, I have a lot of thoughts. Jesus’ Son is a collection of short stories with thought-provoking themes. Considering the first story is titled “Car Crash While Hitchhiking,” that’s a fair assessment.
Even though I haven’t read much, I feel like I could read the whole thing in one night. Unfortunately, I can’t. I’ve got stuff to do. Life be like that sometimes. The themes and emotions that arose after reading the first story were difficult to describe, but deeply intriguing. Because of that, I feel the need to re-read, re-re-read, and re-re-re-read to gain a deeper understanding. These are my favorite kinds of stories, stories that Shrek would compare to onions. These are some exciting layers.
Hey, hey! Kyra Kyle again. That’s all we have for you this month. Let us know what you’re reading in the comments, Geekly Gang. Thank you for reading, and wherever you are, I hope you’re having a great day.
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