https://www.jordanclarkhalsey.com/home daily 1.0 2024-11-01 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5a05fd85d0e62804cc2502a5/3625b213-d017-4aab-9a88-c5bb18bcd086/IMG_3018.jpg Home https://www.jordanclarkhalsey.com/writer daily 0.75 2024-11-01 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5a05fd85d0e62804cc2502a5/27aedccd-5aa1-42b9-9596-3dcc11148b33/Screenshot+2024-11-01+at+6.09.44+PM.png Writer - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.jordanclarkhalsey.com/new-page-1 daily 0.75 2023-03-17 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5a05fd85d0e62804cc2502a5/5fedc45c-1824-47e3-84c4-3c1c70d4b017/9780374181178.jpg Crossroads - Crossroads, Jonathon Franzen First read of the year! This one made it onto my list after reading about it in the Washington Post 10 Best Books of 2021. I added it to my Want-to-Reads and then Jordine sent it to me as a Christmas present (in hardcover no less). The book centered on a family living in the American Midwest in the 70’s and rotated perspective between family members: a preacher past his prime, his wife who hides a disturbing past, and their four children. With each chapter, we get a look into each character’s internal life, often finding that previous assumptions were false or unfair. The author does a great job of playing with expectations and using the shifting points of view to mislead the reader around characters’ intentions. The theme of yearning for belonging permeated the book. The father, Russ, feels humiliation at being rejected by the youth group he founded and seeks validation from a pretty young widow as well as various minority groups, where he teeters between ally and savior. The mother, Marion, builds a life of safety and routine only to come to a breaking point, obsessively tracking down an ex-lover in the pursuit of “real” love. Their children grapple with seeking romantic love and sex, taking sides in dire family conflict, and learning how (if it’s even possible) to build their own futures. Franzen’s writing flows in a way that makes the nearly 600 pages fly by. I think it’s hard to find a balance between exceptional writing and page-turn-ability and the author sacrifices neither. The characters were dynamic and complex, flawed but relatable, each with a distinct voice. The heartbreak in this book comes slow and stays with you without leaving you totally distraught. This book was a complete meal and I cannot wait for the next two books in the planned trilogy. Rating: 8/10 Read if you liked: Pachinko, The Heart’s Invisible Furies, Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant https://www.jordanclarkhalsey.com/actorrrrr daily 0.75 2024-11-01 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5a05fd85d0e62804cc2502a5/1678986904037-G6AK2VJ3QJC7E2GU07CV/0W9A6709.jpg Actor https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5a05fd85d0e62804cc2502a5/1678986903129-0YI2X67NWCX0PLOQ1RTC/39799726_10157182517859057_4939363483054505984_o.jpg Actor https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5a05fd85d0e62804cc2502a5/1678986908599-ZQ4IBFGEWMDNPF8JW2CF/Screen+Shot+2019-10-16+at+2.42.20+PM.png Actor https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5a05fd85d0e62804cc2502a5/1678986906577-33VTJX4GKL8EQB2L9WFM/Jamestown.png Actor https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5a05fd85d0e62804cc2502a5/1678986913619-FQ4C53VRMI05168EU05E/Screen+Shot+2021-04-27+at+11.16.10+AM.png Actor https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5a05fd85d0e62804cc2502a5/1678986916530-5YEDKUZ7MDK90JV223SC/Screen-Shot-2019-05-16-at-10.43.00-PM.png Actor https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5a05fd85d0e62804cc2502a5/1678986914990-QNKR2U5Q7LP1ELJTF4FH/3pO1.jpg Actor https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5a05fd85d0e62804cc2502a5/1678986926418-B9MICPXXD0TW2QIWY7B9/som1.JPG Actor https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5a05fd85d0e62804cc2502a5/1678986919919-YP4CJKM4UP5FHXXY22OV/newworks.jpg Actor https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5a05fd85d0e62804cc2502a5/1678986916136-BB8GW0F977J4RSCWA2AL/3pO2.jpg Actor https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5a05fd85d0e62804cc2502a5/1678986919044-3PQH4OGC2PFFSULF6G3S/cindy1.JPG Actor https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5a05fd85d0e62804cc2502a5/1678986927645-WX5JMM6V0KYDCUVQ88H7/verge.jpg Actor https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5a05fd85d0e62804cc2502a5/1678986923697-KEEC9A30X5NIAJZ03STW/cindy2.JPG Actor https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5a05fd85d0e62804cc2502a5/1678986937429-YNY4G6OFEX3SXRLDKZLQ/som2.JPG Actor https://www.jordanclarkhalsey.com/the-pink-line daily 0.75 2023-03-15 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5a05fd85d0e62804cc2502a5/f06955da-ddc7-45c8-8a38-1ca21736b323/9780374279967.jpg The Pink Line - The Pink Line: Journeys Across the World’s Queer Frontiers, Mark Gevisser This book challenged me for a number of reasons, primarily that I (1) don’t read a lot of non-fiction and (2) because it entreated me to grapple with my own various intersecting identities as a queer person and how my personal journey has coincided - and clashed - with those around the world. Gevisser set out to explore the ways in which sexual orientation and gender identity have manifested in global conversations during the last two decades. Over seven years, he spent time with, interviewed, and became personally invested in people from all over the global queer spectrum. While the book explores sociopolitical implications and historical context, it primarily paints a narrative of queer humanity through individual stories. From a trans woman fighting for rights to her biological child in Russia, to a community of hijra in India, to an Arabic/Jewish gay couple in Israel, the author plunges us into a myriad of perspectives from every continent.. Himself a fifty-something gay professional living in South Africa, Gevisser grappled with his own identity throughout his extensive research, asking the hard questions about privilege, gender politics, and the savior complex. I was struck by the way Western ideas of queerness - many having only emerged in the last decade - have upended thinking in other parts of the world (not always for the better). People whose gender or sexuality differed from the norm have functioned in other societies for many years without necessarily choosing labels or tribes. Pushes for LQBTQI rights from countries like the U.S. have often been equal parts empowering and dangerous for those whose lives had previously been considered “private.” Governing powers use queer people and communities to demonstrate evolution toward “modern” and Western ideals or as a scapegoat to push back against Western colonialism. The research and journalism in this book were both excellent and Gevisser’s writing demonstrates tremendous empathy and care. I most enjoyed the narrative portions of the book though my interest occasionally waned due to the sheer breadth of the work. Ultimately, Gevisser leaves us wondering if things really do “get better” though he maintains hope that generational change can lead to justice. I was touched by his insistence that in an ever-changing global society, that there is something “ethereal and immutable” unique to queer people, even in the face of the unknown. Rating: 7.5/10 https://www.jordanclarkhalsey.com/home-after-dark daily 0.75 2023-03-16 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5a05fd85d0e62804cc2502a5/1678990101385-AU1FV5RNPWR0V4W7P6QC/home%2Bafter%2Bdark.jpg Home After Dark - Home After Dark, David Small After finishing The Pink Line I wanted to read something that felt totally different in terms of style and content. The graphic novel Home After Dark made its way onto my list a year or two ago and appeared in a clearance bin at my local bookstore this week. Seems like fate to me. After being abandoned by his mother, 13-year-old Russ and his father move West to California seeking opportunities in 1950’s America. The author’s haunting illustrations show us the darker side of Americana nostalgia, leaving the reader with feelings of loneliness, loss, and even despair. Russ grapples with independence, toxic masculinity, and his own safety and sense of self as he confronts the rigid standards for what it means to be a “man.” A review from the Washington Post (and quoted on the dust jacket) describes the structure of the novel as “silent montages worthy of Alfred Hitchcock.” The watercolor, pen, and mixed media illustrations certainly evoke cinematic imagery Hitcockesque unease, supported by the sparsity of text throughout. I found that the most striking moments were usually several pages without text, evocative and full of emotion, that left space for the reader to interpret the characters’ inner lives. The world of the story is bleak and sometimes cruel but still managed to infect me with moments of joyful nostalgia. I remembered the reckless exuberance of childhood summers and the tenderness people can have for one another against all odds. Though I connected to the theme of masculine failure, the author only approached the line when addressing queerness and queer characters. Perhaps this vagueness around sexuality reflects the climate of the 1950’s, the uncertainty of adolescence, or the author’s own heterosexuality. Regardless, the queer coding of the main character felt essential and a bit under explored. I’d recommend this novel based on the illustrations alone. David Small has a beautiful eye and talent for capturing the essence of setting and character. The world of the story feels familiar and complete. Also, read more graphic novels! Blew through this bad boy in an hour and would happily pick it up again. Rating: 7/10 Read if you liked: Are You My Mother?, Green: Making Sense of Growing Up, Today is the Last Day of the Rest of Your Life https://www.jordanclarkhalsey.com/home-after-dark-1 daily 0.75 2023-03-17 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5a05fd85d0e62804cc2502a5/7a56ab77-4c24-4af6-ae08-ab7c31384309/content.jpg Lapvona - Lapvona, Ottessa Moshfegh I love books (and movies) that are really…weird. I’m always looking for something that feels new and unfamiliar, even if that means it’s a little gross or disturbing. For that reason, I was really excited to read Lapvona which got a lot of hype on the internet, especially on BookTok; Jordine called it “possibly the weirdest book I’ve ever read.” But. I didn’t think it was that weird… Lapvona took place in a fictional medieval village of the same name and followed the lives of a number of its denizens over the course of a year. The satirical novel modeled its structure after a longform folktale and for this reason the characters were representational and devoid of depth. I found this style to be consistent with the form but was unable to connect to the characters past a surface level. Moshfegh creates characters that are intentionally unlikeable and these were no exception but beyond that I didn’t really care about the characters at all. Moshfegh’s easily digestible writing style creates dissonance with the violent and vulgar world she attempts to create. While violence and horror are both absolutely present, the descriptors and casual tone made the whole affair feel very PG-13 to me. I appreciated the sense of humor that remained present throughout the story and admired the way the author honored her bizarre sense of humor. Other readers expressed shock at the infamous “grape moment” – one character puts a grape in their butt and another eats it – but I thought moments like that were the strongest in the book. Again, however, I’ll push back against the idea that a moment like that is totally weird – the grape moment is definitely a dare I would have done in college. I found myself waiting for the other shoe to drop during the whole read. Because the story oscillated between so many characters with whom I felt little connection, I remained unphased as events progressed. The author created a fable that leads the reader indelibly toward a moral, ultimately subverting that conclusion by providing us instead with its absence. This satire of form is bold and clever; however, if you write a book that sets out to be pointless, you end up with a book that’s kind of pointless. It’s kind of weird, kind of clever, kind of funny. I didn’t hate it. Overall, I’d say pick it up or don’t, which in some ways is worse. Rating: 5/10 Trigger Warning: Self-harm, sexual violence, cannibalism, gore