On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King

 

ON WRITING is one of my favorite writing memoirs/guides and for the moment, it's aged pretty well over the years (except for his adulation for J.K. Rowling and his seeming disdain for romance novels). I love how despite his incredible success, Mr. King seems very humble and approachable and even a little bemused that his books are as popular as they are, and it was fun getting a glimpse into the 1950s childhood that clearly inspired IT, his clear passion for writing at a very young age, and how long and arduous his path to success was (I had no idea that three of his "Bachman" books had actually been written prior to Carrie).

I think King does fall into the trap of making excuses for his favorites but condemning those exact same qualities in the things he doesn't like. His love and fond remembrance for trash films and Z movies, and the entertainment they bring because of their camp, when paired with compelling stories and charismatic and attractive leads gets him so close to understanding why romance novels are so popular-- and yet he can't seem to get over his disdain of them, mocking the adverb-heavy bodice-ripper writing style, and romance phrases like "arrogant cheekbones." Sometimes when you pick up a book, you don't want it to be literary, you want it to be fun.

Anyway, apart from that one niggling issue, I did enjoy ON WRITING a lot. I've had the same copy since I was about fourteen years old and for the longest time, this was my writing bible. It is still treasured and holds pride of place with some of my other favorites, but I no longer believe his word is law.

4 to 4.5 out of 5 stars

The Last Housewife by Ashley Winstead

 

I wonder what it's like to wake up in the morning and be Ashley Winstead, knowing that you can write the most beautiful, fucked-up shit and have it be so damn good. It must be amazing. Because I powered through THE LAST HOUSEWIFE in under 24 hours, going through a big rollercoaster of emotions until I reached the finish line.

HOLY SHIT.

Shay is a damaged woman who married a rich man and settled into a comfortable life of luxury, but she's haunted by things that happened to her when she was in college. Then one day she hears a podcast episode from her childhood friend, Jamie. He's looking into what happened to her friends and begs for her to reach out to him again.

What results is a sort of investigative drama, told in mixed media format, about a dangerously charismatic man, an evil cult, depraved sex, and a society that truly despises women just for existing. It's emotionally devastating and I can see why people were so ambivalent about it given some of the triggers, but I personally think it was masterfully handled and the ending was so satisfying.

5 stars

The Woman in Me by Britney Spears

 

THE WOMAN IN ME basically sailed up the best-seller charts when it came out and I'm not surprised. Her conservatorship was big news, and so was her eventual release for it. After all the drama about her family and relationships-- some baldly revealed, some hinted at-- a lot of people were curious about what the Queen of Pop's life was really like. And as it turns out... pretty fucking awful.

I don't want to spoil this memoir for anyone who hasn't read it yet (I'm suuuuuuper late to the party), but it's not a particularly happy one. Her relationship with Justin Timberlake was awful (when she had an at-home abortion at his suggestion that left her feeling like she might die, his solution was to LIE ON THE FLOOR and play his guitar instead of taking her to the hospital). Her relationship with K-Fed was awful (surprise! he comes across as a super manipulative user of a person who used her kids against her to get what he wanted). And her family and the way they allegedly abused her conservatorship to give themselves big salaries and use all of her money at their leisure, while sending her to mental institutions when she fought back? WOW.  

I'm glad she seems to be having a happier life now, but man, this was a brutal read. It was nice to hear that Paris Hilton was actually a genuinely good friend to her, and that she found a man who cared about her beyond what she could bring to the table fiscally. But overall, the message in this book seems to be that fame can be a gilded prison where no one can hear you screaming behind the bars.

4 out of 5 stars

Across State Lines by Lauren Biel

 

This book is one of the most depraved dark romances I've ever read, and I would advise you to read the TWs very carefully. There are some scenes in here that could definitely trigger someone who went in unprepared. That said, it also has a really unique premise and ends up being a really fascinating psychological portrait into two deeply traumatized individuals, while also providing some brilliant dialogue on consent, and I ended up liking it a LOT more than I thought I would!

The two main characters are Aurora, a college dropout working as a truck stop prostitute, and Tobin/Kane/Jax, a trucker with a dark past who has some side deals with some shady people. When he sees Aurora, he wants her... but he's not what he seems. This is basically a Why Choose but all the men are actually the same person, because the leading man has DID (dissociative identity disorder).

Dissociative identity disorder is one of the most interesting and controversial psychological disorders, even amongst professionals. My Forensic Psychology professor didn't believe there was sufficient evidence for it to be real (I remember her arguing with a student about it during one of her lectures), but my Abnormal Psychology professor found it credible, at least following an episode of extreme trauma. It's also been called multiple personality disorder or split personality (and people often confuse it with schizophrenia), but now it's categorized under the dissociative disorder umbrella.

I thought Lauren Biel did a really great job with the research she clearly did for this book. I also like how even though this book had some pretty gnarly scenes of sadistic sex and degradation (he penetrates her with the business end of a knife and has her suck on a public toilet handle, for example), Aurora had agency. It was limited agency and she did what she did because she felt like she didn't have a choice, but it was different enough that she didn't categorize it with the trauma she had from another incident in her life. I thought the choice to make both Aurora and Kane's trauma happen off-page was very sensitive, and I also felt like it made sense why the characters did the things that they did. This relationship is by no means aspirational or desirable, but it worked for them. I'll admit, I wasn't sure how she could possibly write an HEA for these two, but she found a way.

Mistress of Mellyn by Victoria Holt

 

I think this might have been Victoria Holt's first gothic romance novel, and you can kind of see it. She hasn't nailed down her formula yet, and the meandering storyline comes to a head all at once at the end, most of the closure happening in the epilogue, presented after the fact.

Despite that, MISTRESS OF MELLYN is such a fun, atmospheric read. I have nostalgic memories of checking out Victoria Holt hardcovers from the public library and devouring them, one after the other, along with some of Mary Stewart's books. If you're into the cozy mystery aesthetic and like closed-door historical romance novels, Victoria Holt is going to be your jam. Especially if you're into the spooky or horrorcore atmosphere but can't actually stomach gore.

I loved the Cornish setting and the brooding womanizer hero and dour and grumpy heroine were great. I'm a sucker for a good governess romance and I thought BOTH child characters in this book felt quite realistically bratty and amusing. I actually liked all of the characters in this book, including the bad ones. She absolutely nailed the claustrophobic gothic forced-proximity.

3.5 out of 5 stars

It's Not a Cult by Lauren Danhof

 

If it's about a cult, I will read it. IT'S NOT A CULT roped me right in with the fun cover and tongue-in-cheek title and when I read the blurb, I really liked the heroine's narrative voice despite what some of the other reviews seemed to think about Glinda Glass. I stan a fuck-up heroine, okay? Especially if she's entertaining.

Glinda's mother hasn't been the same since the death of her husband (Glinda's dad). And Glinda's sisters are all kind of aloof and embarrassed of her because of her fuck-up status (one of them won't talk to her at all after almost breaking up her relationship). But now things have gotten worse: she's involved in a "community lifestyle group" that is actually a cult and is engaged to the cult leader, Arlon.

The ratings for this book are pretty low but it definitely falls into a very specific niche. It's too funny to be a serious book, it's too serious to be a funny book, and it kind of is written like a rom-com except I would say it's target audience skews more towards readers of women's fiction looking for their next book club pick.

Overall, I did enjoy this quite a bit although I think it loses some much-needed steam in the second half. Still, it was original, inventive, and fun, and I'm not sorry I read it at all.

3 to 3.5 out of 5 stars