Time for More Beach Vibes and Audiobooks

My favorite book club is The Indigenous Reading Circle run by Erin (Lingít Alaskan) and Dani (Ojibwe from Dog Creek First Nation). Last year, they focused on memoirs, but this year, they’re reading short stories and fantasy. Erin and Dani represent Indigenous Nations in both what is considered the United States and Canada, so they feature Native authors from across Turtle Island (North America).

May’s pick was Anoka by Shane Hawk (Cheyenne and Arapaho). Set in Anoka, Minnesota, these short stories feature everything from werewolves to bone collectors. I’m usually not a horror person, but Anoka makes me think that I’ve been picking up the wrong horror stories, because I really enjoyed reading Hawk’s work!

I really appreciated that at the end of the collection, the author listed notes on each of his stories, explaining the inspiration behind them. With one story, he wanted to raise awareness for missing murdered Indigenous women and Two Spirit people, while in another he wanted to discuss the role of intergenerational trauma in Indigenous communities. These notes felt like I was sitting in on an author event, getting a chance to listen to the author answer questions about his stories.

Kyle Bullock performs the audiobook with that perfect balance between suspenseful and sinister. Without overacting, Bullock narrates the most intense parts of stories with great skill, and I often stopped dead in my tracks as he described the most gruesome scenes.

Vincent is deeply hurt when her estranged husband, Cillian, published a book revealing secrets from their marriage. But when Vincent meets a young man named Loup in Paris, they begin an intense affair. When Cillian begins to try to reconcile with Vincent, she realizes she must decide what future she truly wants.

Serene loves fashion, but as the daughter of an ultra famous designer, she has always felt trapped in her mother’s shadow. When her mom is diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, Serene finds herself running her mom’s business. Lian moved to Serene’s town in California a year ago, but he can’t wait to leave—that is, until he meets Serene.

Eliot seems to have everything together. He has a successful TV writing career and an amazing boyfriend. But beneath the surface, Eliot is struggling with alcohol addiction and can’t seem to stop cheating on his boyfriend. As he tries to get a handle on his life and change his ways, he must confront the deeper struggles of his life as a disabled gay man in a homophobic and ableist society.

Both Sara and Emilie have pasts that haunt them. When they start their love affair, they are everything to each other. But time and time again, they run into complications from lives they thought they left behind. In this queer love story, Sara and Emilie must decide, once and for all, is their relationship worth fighting for?

Theo never wanted a spirit companion, but when his brother Jamie dies, Theo inherits Jamie’s fox spirit, Kai. Now instead of being a normal kid like everyone else, Theo has to deal with Kai, who is also very upset at this change. But when they both discover a journal of Jamie’s, Theo and Kai stop their bickering long enough to wonder what secrets Jamie left behind.