Bookish: Our Monthly Book Club

BOOKISH...

Join us for our monthly book club!

BY JOEL FRANCIS

So, as you’re probably aware, we all now have a lot more free time (except for our editor Sophie, who’s rushed off her feet). If you’re one of those people who are looking for ways to keep yourself busy, then I’d suggest reading. I have created a book club alongside my friend Kim. If you want to join, head over to Neurodiverse Bookworm Recommends on Facebook to find out how to get involved...

If you are interested in getting these books, I recommend Scribd, Audible or the Amazon Kindle App.

Now without further ado, here are three books to sink your teeth into this month!

I’LL BE GONE IN THE DARK: ONE WOMAN’S OBSESSIVE SEARCH FOR THE GOLDEN STATE KILLER

Michelle McNamara

Genre: Murder Mystery/True Crime

What’s in the pages? Over ten years, an elusive figure sexually assaulted 50 people and perpetuated ten sadistic murders before he disappeared into the darkness, never to be seen again. He went by many names, East Area Rapist, Original Night Stalker, Visalia Ransacker but none of those were as prolific as the one McNamara coined for him - The Golden State Killer. Becoming consumed by the case, McNamara shares a snapshot of America, and the insurmountable damage one man left behind.

Why should you read it? This was the first book that the Bookmarkers Bookclub chose to read, and what a ride it is. McNamara was a master of her craft, going into immense detail into the journey The Golden State Killer took throughout his decade long rampage. Leading us case by case, she builds a picture of the tremendous situation that was in front of law enforcement at the time!

This book is a fantastic example of what can be achieved when communities work together to reach a common goal (in this case, solving a cold case) and it almost reads like fiction because it is so unbelievable!

WATCHMEN

Alan Moore

Genre: Fantasy

A HEAD FULL OF GHOSTS

Paul Tremblay Genre: Horror What’s in the pages? When 14-year-old Majorie starts showing signs of mental illness, the ordinary lives of the Barratts is turned upside down. With doctors unable to help and medical bills looming, they decide to turn to Father Wanderly, who in turn contacts a production team who choose to make a reality television show out of the family’s ordeal “The Possession”. But suddenly, all hell breaks loose, and the stuff of urban legends is created.

What’s in the

pages? In a world where Superheroes are just as human as the rest of us, what stops them from being corrupt... Nothing. Set against a backdrop of 1985 in a reality where Richard Nixon never retired, and Vietnam is the 51st State of the USA. This is a story that isn’t full of squeaky-clean heroes but instead flawed characters trying to deal with the fall out of The Cold War. Why should you read it? If you’ve never read this book, it is one of the best examples of the storytelling intricacies within Graphic Novels. The story sucks you in and keeps you within its walls until the very last frame, the characters, while flawed, are intriguing and multi-faceted. Frankly, we wouldn’t have the Comic or Pop Culture we have today without this masterpiece of a Graphic Novel. It’s a world to lose yourself in, and at over 400 pages, you’ll be lost in it for quite a long while!

Why should you read it? What Tremblay is fantastic at is turning the horror trope on its head. Consistently with his work, he approaches well-known concepts (in this case Possession) and gives it a new breath of life with the addition of his criticism of reality television. While not scary in a traditional sense, this book has weight behind it, that is to say: it scared Stephen King.

While I love all of Tremblay’s work, A Head Full of Ghosts is my favourite! Haunting, sad and creepy, I can’t recommend this book enough!

For more book recommendations follow Joel’s Instagram @neurodiversebookworm.