Writers Read: Melissa Grey

Friday, May 22, 2015

Melissa Grey

Melissa Grey is a writer of young adult fiction powered entirely by candlelight and cups of tea. She can also ride a horse and shoot a bow and arrow at the same time.

Grey's debut novel is The Girl at Midnight.

Earlier this month I asked the author about what she was reading. Grey's reply:

I like having several irons in the fire when it comes to reading. If I want to prolong one book or if I hit a spot that isn’t right for whatever mood I’m in, I can pick something else up and not lose my reading momentum. Here’s what I’m reading right now:

Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman – This is a book I’ve tried to read several times but the timing was never quite right. It’s one of those books where I really needed to be in the right frame of mind for the story’s slowly building atmosphere. Gaiman’s prose is beautiful and I’m really enjoying how he’s slowly building the mythology around Anansi and his sons.

Trigger Warning by Neil Gaiman – I’m on a Gaiman kick right now (let’s be real, my whole life is a Neil Gaiman kick). I love his short fiction – he’s a particular talent for making you believe his stories are the tips of icebergs. You’re getting a snippet of a world that you know in your heart is so much bigger than that one short piece of fiction.

Get In Trouble by Kelly Link – I had first come across Kelly Link when a friend lent me Pretty Monsters, another short story collection, and I was blown away. Naturally, I rushed to pick this one up at the bookshop as soon as it came out. Like Gaiman, Link has an uncanny ability to build worlds of which you , another short story collection, and I was blown away. Naturally, I rushed to pick this one up at the bookshop as soon as it came out. Like Gaiman, Link has an uncanny ability to build worlds of which you see glimpses (and they always leave you feeling satisfied but also wanting more).

The Bread We Eat in Dreams by Catherynne Valente – And yet another short story collection! I’m super into short stories right now. I’m a huge fan of Valente – Deathless is a masterpiece, Palimpsest is like no other book I’ve ever read, and The Melancholy of Mechagirl is the kind of gorgeous writing that I can only aspire to. My favorite story in this collection so far is “A Voice Like a Hole.”