MAR - Monday or Tuesday

March review for Book Riot's Read Harder 2017: Monday or Tuesday by Virginia Woolf, 1921. [collection of stories written by a woman]

Virginia Woolf is my favorite. (Fun Fact--my derby name was almost "Virginia Hungry Like The Woolf." But that was too long.) I love when I can discover new things by my favorite authors in conjunction with these prompts, so I was thrilled to be able to read this collection of short stories by Woolf for one of this month's choices. Monday Or Tuesday is a collection of eight stories by Woolf that marks the beginnings of the now-signature Woolf style, published in 1921 before Jacob's Room (1922) and Mrs. Dalloway (1925). It illustrates her discovery of stream-of-consciousness writing and the fluidity of character, each story acting as a sort of example of a type of meandering that she is to explore further in later works. It is notable that this is the only collection of short stories that she published herself.

These eight stories are wonderfully arranged. I think that the way in which they are ordered is essential to mapping Woolf's striving for this new kind of description. The first story, "A Haunted House," spans barely two pages and is relatively straightforward in its traversal. It details a ghost couple moving through the space they once inhabited as living creatures, talking to each other as they observe and think and process. The last story, "The Mark on the Wall," is a fantastic first-person demonstration of stream-of-consciousness, allowing the reader to slip into this woman's sinuous thoughts. It is almost as if through the arrangement of these stories, Woolf is convincing herself of the validity of this new descriptive practice. I, for one, am on board.

Each of the eight stories contains something to delight in, but I think most apropos to me in my current mood is the "delightful, feminist put-down of the male intellect" in "A Society." A group of women were having tea one afternoon, when one of them breaks down because her father, in his will, said that she would not receive her inheritance until she read every book in the London Library (!) and she has discovered that many of them are very, very bad. This revelation causes the women to question everything they know about the fabric of their lives, leading them to create a society meant for asking questions, in order to find out what the world was like. They vowed not to bear another child unto this world until they had all received satisfactory answers from each corner of their investigation. What follows is a savage satire on male bluster and their running of the world. I think Virginia Woolf, if alive today, would be absolutely ruthless in light of current political nonsense, and this story gave me a little hope.

One review I read described this as "Woolf at her liquid best," and I wholeheartedly agree with that characterization. I loved being able to immerse myself in her liquid and not-yet-formed style, rereading paragraphs and reciting them aloud as the words struck me. 

FEB - When I Was Puerto Rican

February review for Book Riot's Read Harder 2017: When I Was Puerto Rican by Esmeralda Santiago, 1994. [book about immigration or by an immigrant category]

The second February book I chose for Read Harder is When I Was Puerto Rican, by Esmeralda Santiago, as the "book about immigration or by an immigrant" category filler. When I Was Puerto Rican is not your typical memoir: it starts and stays in the author's past, beginning when she was very young, growing up in rural Puerto Rico and following her through her journey to New York. It is told from a very young point of view, never really alluding to the fact that it is reminiscence, and the reader's comprehension--of the world, of Santiago's story--grows as hers does.

In light of today's political climate surrounding immigration, it was interesting to hear an immigration narrative in the voice of someone who doesn't necessarily understand what it means; When I Was Puerto Rican does not boast a self-aware take until the end. Santiago grew up in the 1950s, in the midst of the push for the Americanization of the Puerto Rican territory, with aid groups coming to distribute food to rural villages and teach them about health and nutrition during the election. I needed to do a little reading on Puerto Rico's history as a supplement to Santiago's story, since it was told through her child's perspective, but it was interesting to note the different perspectives and racial divides Santiago notes upon her move to New York, hearing echoes of current pains.

I enjoyed Santiago's writing immensely, though it was simplistic and relatively easy to digest. I loved her inclusion of Spanish, and I would love to read the text in Spanish at some point. 

FEB - Texts From Jane Eyre

February review for Book Riot's Read Harder 2017: Texts From Jane Eyre by Mallory Ortberg, 2014. [book about books category]

Texts From Jane Eyre: And Other Conversations With Your Favorite Literary Characters is, in a word, fantastic. I was gifted this little tome for Christmas a few years ago, and I was delighted to read it, not simply because I love everything Jane Eyre, but also because I love the premise, the idea of translating classic stories into a different storytelling format. Mallory Ortberg is the creator of The Toast, a fantastic erstwhile blog for women that created a safe space for free expression in a relatively oppressive online climate. I am always so in awe of women like Ortberg who have found a way to use their voice to chisel away at the world, something I am still working on. Her creativity and drive are inspirational in a nonstandard sort of path, another idea of one emulation of a writer's life. 

In her book, Mallory Ortberg takes your favorite literary characters (as well as some unknowns) and imagines how their stories would unfold over text. It is a brilliant way to highlight interaction in a digital age, including missed calls and contact searches in the interactions. Some stories I had to look up, while others I could get the gist of without any research of my own--I thought it incredibly interesting how Ortberg distilled each story, finding the salient parts and poking fun at them in their entries. I found myself consistently stifling laughter in public places as I read, unable to contain my glee. For example:

Just, really, so fantastic. But if I were to lay out all the entries I thought to be hilarious, I would be taking pictures of most of the pages, so I will voraciously suggest that you pick up a copy of your own and get to laughing.