When the Reckoning Comes by: LaTanya McQueen

Genre: Horror 

Published: August 3, 2021 by: Harper Perennial 

Pages: 237 

Rating: 5/5 stars 

CW: slavery, anti-Black racism, blood and gore 

For more than a decade, Mira has distanced herself from the small town in the south that she grew up in, due to a terrifying incident in which she saw a ghost on the old Woodsman plantation. Now in the present, Mira has been forced to return back to the plantation to attend her old friend Celine's wedding. During the wedding weekend, Mira is horrified to see the plantation's transformation into a luxury wedding resort, while her former best friend seems to have forgotten the racism and trauma that Mira and their other friend Jesse endured growing up. As the memories from her past return, Mira and Jesse seem to be the only guests who are aware of the violence that occurred on this land years ago, but the other wedding guests soon become aware of the trauma that their ancestors inflicted on the innocent many years ago when it comes back to haunt them. 

I don't read a lot of horror, but when I do, I really like when horror books have very clear social commentary interwoven in them. This book was no exception. It had a very distinct premise revolving around the anti-Black racism that the main character and her former friend Jesse endured in their youth, while their white friend Celine marries into privilege and forgets the harm that her childhood friends endured. This book has hints of a few genre conventions, such as horror and more specifically gothic horror, with also some suspense mixed in. All of these elements made for a very engaging read that I could not put down. 

This was the first book I have read that took place on a plantation, and I did have some expectations going into it. I am aware that many plantations in the south today have been renovated and marketed towards weddings, and many white people in the south hold events at these sites while blatantly disrespecting and ignoring the violence that occurred on this land. I know Pinterest was one website that recently stopped offering inspiration for plantation weddings, and rightly so. How anyone can be this ignorant and racist, I don't know. But anyways, I expected that same level of ignorance and disrespect to come from Celine and her other wedding guests. McQueen builds up these plot points well through little details, like horrific reenactments marketed as "entertainment" for the guests, antebellum-themed drinks, etc. These details don't seem far off from what happens at these weddings in real life, which I think was really important to see. Yes, this book is horror fiction, but the details within it do reflect the horrors of real life as well, which makes the story all the more important. 

I enjoyed reading about Mira's development as a character. She starts off as someone who does not want to confront the past. She just wants to get the wedding weekend out of the way and emerge from it as unscathed as possible, with little to not contact with her former friends. However, she develops throughout the book to realize that she cannot continue to push away her past memories, and she can begin to face these traumatic memories with the help of her friend Jesse in the hopes that the two of them can find closure. What Celine has done is pretty much unforgivable, and reading about how Mira confronts Celine now as an older woman was also I think really important, considering how close the trio were as youth. The additional layer of Celine now marrying into a wealthier status and forgetting her own humble beginnings I think added some dimension to her character as well. 

The horror elements in this book were written really well. There are gothic elements with this figure of the plantation itself being haunted by the past, as well as elements of the fear of being surrounded by people who do not care what happened to your ancestors, and there is this looming threat of racial violence in the present as well. Mira and Jesse begin the wedding feeling uncomfortable by their surroundings, and this discomfort is only amplified when they begin to learn more about the events that occurred at the Woodsman plantation. Those who like gothic horror, as well as realistic fiction will find a good mix of the two within this text. 

Overall, I could not put this book down. I found the pacing and development of the characters to be well-thought out, and I felt the conclusion provided me enough closure to the book's events. This book serves as a great reminder to those from privileged backgrounds that they cannot push traumatic history under the rug to make themselves feel better, and reminds marginalized individuals that they deserve healing. 

Have you read When the Reckoning Comes? What did you think? 

Emily @ Paperback Princess

Writing Woes: Writer's Block, Rambling, and Self-Doubt

CW: this post will discuss low self-esteem and self-doubt 

Most of the writing I do nowadays is writing research papers. I'm just living that student life. But, I do love writing them. I enjoy reading theory and looking at articles that can help support my argument. It feels good to add your opinions to a growing conversation in an academic field. However, what I often don't realize is how writer's block can affect me while writing research papers just as much as it affects people writing creative fiction or non-fiction. And boy is it hitting me hard right now :( 

I'm currently writing a paper that I'm presenting at a conference at the end of the month. The paper is part of a panel on navigating the Canadian publishing industry, and I am focusing it in my research interest of Indigenous Literatures. I am centring my paper around an article by Eve Tuck, which argues that marginalized people are historically stereotyped as victims or perpetrators in media. I connect these stereotypes to the same type of stereotyping that occurs within the publishing industry as a whole. Writing the proposal for my paper was very easy, and the wheels really started turning. However, ever since my paper got accepted, I've been at a standstill as to how to go about writing it. I just feel as if my ideas aren't strong enough to support a paper, and my thoughts are running thin. I'm concerned that this paper's idea will not come across accurately when presenting it. I'm concerned about being a failure. 

This is the first research paper I've written in some time, as I took some time off of school to be a teaching assistant. So, I was doing the marking as opposed to having my own work critiqued. Now I feel a bit out of practice. I think it's just taken me a while to get back into the swing of writing and organize my ideas as affectively as I used to. I had confidence that writing would come back to me rather quickly, but now that confidence has all but diminished as I wonder where the hell this paper is even going. I know papers can deviate from their proposals, but now I feel as if my paper is straying too far away from the message. Idk, I'm very stressed. 

I'm well aware that low self-esteem and self-doubt play a huge part of this. In academia and in the publishing world there is definitely a shared feeling of imposter syndrome, that everyone is smarter than me and my ideas just aren't strong enough. I've received positive feedback on my writing in the past, but that isn't enough to think that one day will be the day that I fail, that I embarrass myself in front of colleagues and I don't have my work taken seriously. But the thing is, I KNOW these feelings aren't exclusive just to me, and that countless other students (and folks from other fields) experience the exact same thing. However, that doesn't necessarily help the feelings of isolation. It's easy to think of yourself as alone in these instances. 

Often in these moments I invite myself to think of the worst case scenario. The worst case scenario in this case is that I don't even have a finished paper to present. That cannot happen as I already have words on paper. However good these words are? Well I'm not exactly sure just yet. But, I need to keep reminding myself that even if things go awry, the world will keep turning. I will cope, simply because I have to. I will keep going with my degree because I want to. My degree is not riding on this paper going well, and it is possible for me to pick myself up if it goes wrong and try to do better the next time. It sucks feeling like you're not good enough. But, like writer's block, this too shall pass. 

Have you ever had feelings of self-doubt? Any tips on helping my slump? 

Emily @ Paperback Princess

How to Be Perfect: The Correct Answer to Every Moral Question by: Michael Schur

Genre: non-fiction, philosophy 

Published: January 25, 2022 by: Simon and Schuster

Pages: 304 

Rating: 4/5 stars 

CW: discussions of violence 

Michael Schur, creator of the comedy series The Good Place, dives deep into moral qualms and dilemmas in this humourous take on philosophy. Schur borrows from his own life experiences and the research he undertook when writing The Good Place to discuss deep-rooted questions on morals and ethics. Along the way, Schur ponders the question: what does it take to be a "good person?" 

If you haven't watched The Good Place, you absolutely need to. It is such a fun, light-hearted comedy that explores questions on morality with sensitivity and grace. I could tell when watching it that it was very well-researched, and Schur's fascination with philosophy is perfectly woven into it. I knew I wanted to read this book because I enjoy Schur's comedy writing, and I definitely think I could benefit from learning more about how complex morals and ethics can be. Overall I thought this book was charming and informative, with just the right amount of education and humour. 

I think it's important to explain my own backstory a bit. I have OCD, which is heavily morality based. Most of my life is spent doing compulsions and ruminating over whether or not I am a bad person. This isn't a sad post, I just need to set up this context when reviewing books that deal with morality. In short: I have a very complicated and confusing relationship with what I think constitutes a "good" person. I'm working on it. But, I think this is one of the reasons why I love The Good Place so much. It helps me to realize that being good or bad isn't black and white. Schur contends with this issue throughout the book, by exploring issues on both micro and macro levels to come to the conclusion that bad things can happen to good people, and good things can happen to bad people. But what's good or bad can often be seen as subjective, depending on ones own personal story. 

I thought Schur did a great job at balancing philosophy education with breaks in the theory where comedy can come in. I was concerned that this book would just be an information dump, and philosophy can often make my brain hurt. However, this book does not read like heavy theory, and I thought that the way Schur presents the theory was quite easy to follow and accessible. He breaks concepts down and explains them in detail-oriented and relatable ways, so that you're able to apply a concept to your own life and you don't feel as far removed from the subject. I appreciated that. 

I also thought that Schur's integration of his own personal anecdotes were quite useful as well. This book isn't a memoir, but it was interesting nonetheless to read about how Schur approaches these topics within his own life as a successful tv writer. I think I could see Schur as a more approachable guy than just a celebrity, and at the very least it was comforting to know that he struggles with these concepts too. Of course, being that I am a fan of his shows, I thought the mentions of his writing experiences were also interesting tidbits into how shows like The Good Place were researched and created. Overall, this was a very informative book! 

Even if you haven't watched any of Schur's comedies, if you appreciate some humour with your philosophy lessons, then this book could be for you. It wasn't necessarily a five star read, but I thought it was just enough to be an enjoyable look at morals and ethics class, which I so desperately need from time to time. It's comforting for me at least to every once in a while remind myself that humans make mistakes, and that being good or bad isn't as simple as who gives the most to charity. I think this book is can be an incredibly useful tool for people who struggle with how their character is perceived, and I hope people find that value from Schur's shows as well. 

Have you read How to Be Perfect? What did you think? 

Emily @ Paperback Princess