June ScaredyKIT: Diverse Perspectives

This month we are reading horror and thrillers that are either written by an author who has a different perspective than you or the main character(s) has a different perspective. As this is rather subjective depending on who you are, it's hard to make suggestions, but there are a lot of options to consider.

You could read a book by or about someone with a different racial, ethnic, or cultural background.
Black authors include Victor LaValle, Tananarive Due, and P Djeli Clark.
Native American authors include Stephen Graham Jones and Rebecca Roanhorse.

You could read a book by or about someone with a different sexual orientation or gender identity: Carmen Maria Machado, Margaret Killjoy, Poppy Z Brite

You could read a book by or about someone who speaks a different language than you.
Spanish-speaking authors include: Silvia Moreno-Garcia and Mariana Enriquez.
Japanese-speaking authors include: Natsuo Kirino and Koji Suzuki.
Korean-speaking authors include: Hye-young Pyun.

You could even read a book with a main character who's not human.
Animals: Hollow Kingdom
Zombies: Raising Stony Mayhall

Enjoy stretching yourself next month. Let us know what you're going to read and don't forget to add your selections to the wiki!

My first selection will be The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones. If I have time, I may also read Ring Shout by P. Djeli Clark.

I'm going to be reading Sorrowland by Rivers Solomon, whose work I've been meaning to check out for a while. I'm also going to be reading Lost in the Never Woods for another challenge, but I'll have to see how 'scary' it is before counting it as a second book for this one!

So, I think I'm going to go with:

- My Sister, the Serial Killer / Oyinkan Braithwaite

I'm not sure how scary this one is going/meant to be. I think it's (at least partially) also meant to be humourous.

I am also going to be reading The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones.

>4 LibraryCin: My Sister the Serial Killer isn't horror, it's light suspense. I loved it. It's perfect for this challenge and a quick read.

>6 VioletBramble: Ok, it will still work, then. Thank you!

>7 LibraryCin: I considered it to be dark humor, but I also think it will work well for this challenge. I mean, it does have a serial killer in it. ;-)

>8 sturlington: Thank you! I'll keep my eyes open to see if there might be something else, as well.

I read the new one from Stephen Graham Jones, Night of the Mannequins. Diversity really doesn't play a part of the story as the group of teen characters really aren't described at all. It starts out seemingly as a supernatural story. then becomes a different type of horror. I don't want to give away too much.

As a couple people mentioned above, definitely not horror, but I'm going to count it for now. I may or may not look into something else, in addition (depending on time; this one also fit for a few other challenges this month).

My Sister, the Serial Killer / Oyinkan Brathwaite
3.5 stars

Korede is a nurse in Lagos, Nigeria. Her younger sister, Ayoola, has managed to murder each of her last three boyfriends and Korede is always there to help her out. But when Ayoola sets her sights on a doctor Korede works with… a man Korede has a crush on herself, she needs to figure out what to do.

This was good. Short chapters and a short book overall, so fast to read. But I was certainly interested. The book also looks back in time at the sisters’ relationship with their father (who died ten years earlier).

I have completed my read of The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones. This was a strange and dark horror story and one that didn't totally draw me in.

>12 DeltaQueen50: I just finished it as well. I thought it was very good, I'd say the most mature of his books that I've read so far. I liked that it had a different kind of monster, and the end gave me a lot of food for thought. Also, it was good to read some real horror again!

I am a bit over half way through The Only Good Indians I think it is very good as well.

>13 sturlington: & >14 Kristelh: I think you both got more out of the book than I did. I do think the author did an excellent job and I will be checking out more by him at some point.

I read another horror book The Curse of Crow Hollow by Billy Coffey. The diversity aspect; Southern Christian hillbillies, one black man, an old woman who is called a witch who lives alone on the mountain.

The Only Good Indians (by Stephen Graham Jones; narrated by Shaun Taylor Corbett) - a story about the vengeance wrought upon four Blackfoot Native Americans who poached a small herd of elk one day… I had better luck with this one than DeltaQueen50; though I had a couple of quibbles. I was definitely wrapped up in the story and could see and feel the fear and tension throughout; but the sections told from the haunting entity’s POV seem a bit rough in style and don’t add much to the tale overall. I listened to the audio which was generally very good, capturing some of the “sing-song” inflections of reservation patter when called for (c.f. the acknowledgements at the end read by the author). The only thing that bugged me was that STC mispronounces the word, “hearth” every single time (a key word in one of the sections) which popped me out of the story when it it happened. Finally, I just have one question about something that was inferred in the story— that Blackfeet are not considered part of the First Nation? That they are somehow “other”, apart from the Native American nations/tribes? I’ll have to dig a little deeper on this when I get a chance!

For this challenge, I will be reading The Resurrectionist by Wrath James White. I have never read a horror novel not written by a white male. This one is written by a black author.