Four books from January to March: Growing, Gulls, Grammar and Glitter

In the months of January to March, I listened to one audiobook and read three books. Here are four micro-reviews.

Vinyl Cafe Turns the Page

by Stuart McLean

When I was fifteen-years-old I had the wonderful opportunity to interview Stuart McLean. He was unequivocally one of the gentlest people on this planet, and his writing reflects exactly that. As one of the last books released before McLean’s passing, Vinyl Cafe Turns the Page feels heavier and more nostalgic at times than other Dave and Morley collections. That said, the defibrillator story had me in tears — the laughing kind.

Read if: you want to experience the literary version of a delicious hot drink in front of a warm fire.
5 out of 5 🍁

Where the Crawdads Sing

by Delia Owens

This novel is packed with emotion — though at times the most emotional character is the setting itself. It is apparent that the author is a zoologist, because the descriptions of the North Carolina landscape were enough to keep me coming back for more. While the main character, Kya Clark, felt barren at times, the marsh was always brimming with life.

Read if: you want to immerse yourself in a coming-of-age whose scenery is more vivid than those who live within it.
3.5 out of 5 🚤

Because Internet: Understanding the New Rules of Language

by Gretchen McCulloch

Any review I give for this book will be biased, because as a 24-year-old linguist I am legally obligated to think its subject material is brilliant. This pop science explainer is a delicious mixture of humour, throwback references and reminders that— as McCulloch put it — “every language and dialect is just as much a manifestation of the incredible human language ability that is our birthright as a species.”

Read if: you want to better understand why “language is humanity’s most spectacular open source project.”
4.5 out of 5 💻

Jonny Appleseed

by Joshua Whitehead

Perfectly erotic, emotional, heart-breaking and hungry. The subject material is difficult to digest at points, but worth every swallow. Jonny is the perfect character to fall in love with, especially knowing he would likely give less than a damn about you. When it ends, you are left wanting more, starving for another bite. Nothing could be more satisfying.

Read if: you want to rub glitter into a wound and smile as it burns.
5 out of 5 🚬