Project Bookshelf: Dia Manoj

To pick 5 meaningful books out of 16ish years of reading (what age do people even learn to read, again?) is a wildly impossible task, and I approach it knowing that next week, there might be a new novel that I scorn myself for leaving off. My literary interests tend to center on love (of all kinds), magic (of even more), and the supernatural. I am also deeply fascinated with anything deemed “tender” or “eclectic.” As evidence, here are five cherished tales I’ve compiled below:

The Star-Child – Oscar Wilde

A collection of fairytales originally written for children, but ravenously adored by a 20 year old. My favorite title, that shows up first in the collection, “The Happy Prince,” is rich in Wilde’s whimsical, sometimes cynical, sensibility. The balance between the simple storylines and the complex, adult themes sitting below them inspire much of my narrative-style poetry-writing.

The Vampire Lestat – Anne Rice

In the eighth grade, I started my emo phase, which began with an intense infatuation with My Chemical Romance, and was assisted by Rice’s dramatic series, The Vampire Chronicles. The addictingly intricate world and character-building that these books offered is one that I still adore and try to emulate in my writing. That said, the source material is far from perfect, with its various outdated and obnoxious threads, and is one of the few instances where I believe the show adaptation is leagues better. However, the foundation of the story, and its commitment to the gothic elements, are things I still appreciate.

Just Kids – Patti Smith

Taking a sharp turn from the world of fantasy, Patti Smith’s retelling of her relationship with her ‘artistic soulmate’, Robert Mapplethorpe. Their bond, and the creative drive it grew in the both of them, left me in awe- I often find myself wishing for my own Robert Mapplethorpe. Patti’s lyrical prose is beautiful and turns even simple, sometimes boring moments of life into kaleidoscopes of emotion and feeling.

Sula – Toni Morrison

Over the past winter break, I read every Toni Morrison novel that I could find at my local library, and she has very quickly become one of my favorite authors (perhaps even my GOAT, you could say). Sula is, to me, about the strength and value of female friendships, and how they can persist through betrayal, heartbreak, and pain, in ways romantic relationships often can’t. Nel and Sula function as two halves of one person, and I believe the ending captured that perfectly, in a way that had me thinking about the book for weeks after finishing it.

Discovering Scarfolk – Richard Littler

The Scarfolk blog is one of those weird internet deep-dives that I encourage everyone I know to fall into. The book, based on the blog, is fantastically original- I don’t think I’ve ever read anything remotely like it. My favorite part is the visuals: the horrifying public information posters of electrified water, warnings of kids with rabies, and the brilliant “Don’t” campaign. Littler’s creation puts horror and comedy in a conversation that’s incredibly unsettling, and a style that I would love to recreate in my own dystopian-esque novel.

Dia Manoj (she/her) is a lover of reading, writing, and coding. She is a junior at The University of Tennessee, double majoring in Computer Science and English with a concentration in Creative Writing. She has developed several software projects, including an iOS app, and loves finding ways to combine her passion for storytelling and technology. She explores this fusion through her self-built writing website, diamanoj.com. Outside of her creative endeavors, she enjoys London fogs, vampires, and pestering her loved ones.