KNONK

book review

The Cat who saved Books

Sōsuke Natsukawa

01 Feb 2026

finished

Why do I keep picking up these Japanese books about cats, and books, and slightly magical, quirky characters? I don't think I enjoy them.
This is a book trying to be a Ghibly film where a bookish boy gets whisked away to a magical world of books where he has to verbally spar with people who mistreat books, but... it's not good?
There's a section in the book that makes fun of publishers that just throw out any old rubbish that fits a trend and is easy to read, such that the earth is literally covered with all these cheap, discarded books and I don't mean to be a dick to Mr Natsukawa, but I think this is one of those?
Not for me.

Haverscroft

S A Harris

29 Jan 2026

finished

This one was available through BorrowBox, which is an e-book library that often has long waiting times for popular books, so you end up reading just whatever looks interesting while you're waiting.
Haverscroft is a haunted house tale about a woman who is recovering from a mental health crisis and is dragged out to the sticks by her unforgivable jerk of a husband to a large country house-and-estate with their two adorable children. He promptly disappears back to the city for work, leaving her and the kids in the obviously haunted house.
A key question in any haunted house tale is this: why don't they just move out? Some variations on the theme handle this better than others. The reason here is, "This house gives me the creeps, but I have to prove to my husband (and his mother) that I'm not crazy anymore, so I'll just close the door to the ghost's room and hope we'll be ok." That works... up to a point.
The point where it stops working? One night, the chimney which has been producing creepy knocking noises the whole time falls down tearing a massive hole in the roof. Does she leave? No, they put up a tarp.

Hey, crazy lady! You have a perfectly rational reason here to leave the house for literally anywhere else. You cannot heat the place. God knows when the next bit of roof is going to collapse in. Your children aren't safe. Tell your asshole husband he is crazy if he expects you to stay in that rickety, depressing old deathtrap. Why are you there?

LEAVE!

Everything after that is a bunch of nonsense I didn't like it.
Recommended if you like:

Murder Most Fab

Julian Clarey

20 Jan 2026

finished

Delightful, camp murder comedy about a young man on his way to super stardom who just keeps getting put into situations where he unfortunately has to murder other men. Woe is he.
The character is a lot more sympathetic than I would have guessed from the premise, he's more of a lovable idiot than a magnificent bastard. It's sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll, but the story is saved from nihilism by the character's enduring love for a YA summer romance.
Best read of the year so far. (Yes, it's mid January, but still.)

Recommended if you like:

  1. That Gay Shit,
  2. Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous,
  3. Whore with a Heart of Gold.

A Home of One's Own: Why the Housing Crisis Matters

Hashi Mohamed

13 Jan 2026

finished

I wanted to dig a little deeper into some of the issues I care about. Rather than watching hypey 20 minute videos on Youtube, why don't I get a book out about e.g. the housing crisis in the UK? So I did that.
Mohamed's writing is clear and damning: political failures across the board have created this crisis and let it fester. This isn't about Thatcher (although it's also about Thatcher), it's about a system that has failed at every opportunity to plan for the future. A Home of One's Own is a fairly quick read, but it touches on the major forces contributing to the lack of affordable, quality housing: the selling of council housing, nimbyism, foreign investment, a planning system that's not fit for purpose. Ultimately, it's conflicts of interest that keep this crisis unsolved: the powerful own houses, and benefit from the fact that others do not.
It deepened my understanding, although it's light on solutions or, you know, hope.
Everything needs to change. Political will is in short supply.
Gift this book to your parents or grandparents who don't understand.

The Haunting of Alma Fielding

08 Jan 2026

finished

Exhaustively (exhaustingly) detailed review of a paranormal investigation from interbellum London. Weird book, it draws you in with all these seemingly supernatural happenings, and all the while you're like, "But she's faking, right? This is clearly fake?!" I guess I won't spoil it. It's from a real life report of an actual haunting.

Recommended if you like:

  1. Interbellum London,
  2. Spooky stuff,
  3. Real life ghost stories.

Bury your Gays

Chuck Tingle

24 Oct 2025

finished

I was new to Chuck Tingle, who also has a very sexy fiction podcast where his erotic stories are read by the people of Welcome to Nightvale (get that where-ever you get your podcasts). He’s good. I liked it. Blazed through it on a roadtrip.
Bury your Gays is a very enjoyable, madcap Hollywood horror about the future of entertainment in the age of AI, being out, artistic integrity and the ghosts of the past. Well plotted, great cast, satisfying ending. No notes.

Recommended if you like:

  1. that gay shit
  2. lifestyles of the rich and famous
  3. horror

Bad Behaviour

Mary Gaitskill

05 Jun 2025

finished

I was strongly recommended this and after trying to read it I didn’t want to ask why.
If I’m going to read a book with this much sadomasochistic sex, I’d like it if anyone was actually enjoying themselves.

Recommended if you like:

  1. Bad sex
  2. Human misery
  3. ???

Detransition, Baby!

Torrey Peters

26 Mar 2025

finished

One of my top reads of 2025. The story is about a complex family trying to form: a detransitioned trans woman gets his boss pregnant and is asking his ex (a transwoman) to join them and be the second mother to the baby.
Most of the book is actually the character’s back stories, how they got to be who they are and why this crazy premise actually makes a kind of sense, maybe. It’s very queer, it’s funny and sad and hopeful without sanding down the rough edges.
I don’t identify as trans but reading this felt like a window into trans female experiences that an educational text just couldn't ever offer. And I value it deeply for that.

Recommended if you like:

  1. Queer drama
  2. Trans rights

This is Pleasure

Mary Gaitskill

15 Mar 2025

finished

Ooh, #metoo fiction with some nuance and room for interpretation? In this timeline?
This is a novella about a Bad Man that asks: but how bad? Where is the line and when did he cross it?
Reading other reviews I can see they are all over the place. From sympathy for the Bad Man character to full throw-away-the-key condemnation. I think it’s a good book, it’s well written and I feel like I’m better for having read it.

Recommended if you like:

  1. Complexity and nuance
  2. Short books