Scary, Mythy, Graphy, Tasty
A side of Medusa we don't often see, some tongue-in-cheek book merch, mouthwatering recipes, and more in this issue of The Splash Pad.
Bad Cree by Jessica Johns
This page-turner of a horror novel incorporates indigenous belief to tell a powerful, heartfelt story about grief, colonization, and the burdens capitalism places on the land and indigenous people. Mackenzie, a young Cree woman, suffers terrible nightmares that feel too real to be dreams. The nightmares compel her to return to her home and family, to the ghosts of her past, and toward a confrontation with the force threatening her and her loved ones.
– Sharifah
Keep Calm and Cook On (newsletter) by Julia Turshen
As an avid fan of Julia Turshen’s cookbooks, I signed up for her newsletter and it’s become one of my weekly highlights. She offers insight on how to build a foundation for cooking on the fly (using leftovers, pantry items, whatever you can get your hands on). Her hand-drawn notes and recipe cards break the process down simply and beautifully.
– Hannah
Stone Blind by Natalie Haynes
I love all things mythology and folklore almost as much as I love cheese and I have secretly been pining for someone to write a retelling of Medusa’s story for years. I just about squealed when I realized one was coming from Natalie Haynes. Her last release A Thousand Ships, a retelling of the Iliad that gives a voice to the silenced women of the Trojan War, set the bar impossibly high, but Stone Blind was everything I wanted it to be and more. Haynes brings her extensive knowledge of the classics, a boatload of research, and her unique voice to craft a beautiful, tragic, and fiercely feminist tale where the gods are the monsters and the monster is a girl paying the price for their heinous misdeeds. The audiobook is a special treat with narration from Haynes herself who deserves all the awards for her portrayal of the fickle, petulant gods and goddesses alone. If you love mythology, feminist stories, and retellings that give a voice to unjustly vilified women, you’re going to want some of this.
– Vanessa
The Women's House of Detention: A Queer History of a Forgotten Prison by Hugh Ryan
Greenwich village is famous for queer culture, but this book uncovers the surprising history of how that came to be: the presence of The Women’s House of Detention. Each chapter looks at the stories of several women and nonbinary people imprisoned there during its operation (1920s to 1970s). The stories are fascinating, and along the way, we get to see glimpses of queer culture and prison reform over time. It also provides an excellent argument for prison abolition over reform. This is one of those nonfiction books that teaches so much while being as captivating a read as a novel.
– Danika
The Storygraph
If you know me at all, you know I’m a sucker for a spreadsheet, and I’ve been tracking my reading in one for actual years. (Lit’rully could not do my job without it.) But I started using Storygraph as well when it was first announced a couple years ago, and it’s been a great supplement! I love the charts it’ll make for you (I am also a sucker for a pie chart in particular), I enjoy seeing all those covers in my reading log, and it’s been particularly helpful for when I finish a book but am on the move and don’t want to try to fill out my spreadsheet on my phone. The app is simple and easy to use, the recommendations engine is pretty fun, and I highly recommend (especially if you’re tired of Goodreads).
– Jenn
Tongue-in-Cheek Embroidered Bookmarks from NotUrMomsHobbyShop
One of my childhood friends just opened up a little Etsy shop to sell her embroidery projects, and as soon as she did, I snagged a corner bookmark in purple that features the body of a girl in a dress with a head made of mushrooms. Weird? Yep. Delightful? YES. These bookmarks and fun and some of them are edgy, and they’ll keep your page when you set down your book without gapping or creasing or bending pages, if those are things you care about. She’s just getting going and already is getting these goods in select bookstores. Know you got one of them early–and if you’re an embroiderer yourself, she does sell patterns, too.
– Kelly
Diasporican by Illyanna Maisonet
If you’re looking for a new cookbook, here’s your sign to get this one. I heard it mentioned on a podcast and had it in mind already when the cover accosted me (in the best possible way) during a visit to Powell’s last week. This is more than a cookbook: it’s the story of Puerto Rico’s stateside diaspora from the United States' first Puerto Rican food columnist. These 90 recipes for tostones, sofrito, pernil, alcapurrias, coquito, and more are personal to Maisonet, inviting readers and home chefs on a mouthwatering journey through food. I cannot wait to work my way through these recipes. Dinner at my place!
– Vanessa
Disrupting the Game by Reggie Fils-Aimé
Did you know that prior to his time as company president of Nintendo of America, Reggie Fils-Aimé unleashed Pizza Hut's Bigfoot pizza, only to later pull it off the market when the data came back that it was dragging down the overall brand reputation? In this fascinating look behind the curtain, Reggie Fils-Aimé talks about how he built a successful career of sales and marketing through his time across a variety of industries, before eventually landing the big gig with Nintendo. Presented with so what? talking points at the end of each chapter, the book is part autobiography, part leadership and strategy. He also reads the audiobook edition, which I can't recommend enough. Your body is ready!
—Alex
Monstrilio by Gerardo Sámano Córdova
This horror novel starts off pretty wild, and only gets wilder. Immediately, you’re introduced to Margos and her husband right as they’re coming to grips with their young son having just died. While her husband seems to be experiencing what many would identify as grief, Margos is going through another version of it. Some darker side of maternal instinct drives her to cut a piece of her son Santiago’s lung out, which she cares for until it gains sentience. It becomes Monstrilio, a carnivorous little horror that she tries to hide away in her family’s estate in Mexico City. Gradually, Santiago seems to be shining through Monstrilio, showing the potential for a full return to life, and maybe even normalcy…if certain undesirable impulses can be kept at bay. This book is queer, folkloric, and super unique.
— Erica