What I read in June
Hi there. How are you guys doing? I'm doing okay at the moment, although I've been feeling a bit uninspired and unproductive in the past few months hence why I have been absent from here. I had a lovely break taking time for myself and spending my day reading a good book. I guess it's now time to come out of my slump, open my planner, and start crossing off my overdue to-do list.
To update on my reading progress, I read ten books in total last month and reached my yearly reading goal six months early. This wrap-up features mostly literature and a few classic and non-fiction.
Wuthering Height by Emily Brontë
You know it is a good book when you lose sleep because of it and finish it in just two days—an immediate five-star. To start, the housekeeper Nelly Dean and Mr. Lockwood as the narrator of the novel did take some time to get used to, but I was glued to it, exploring the multigenerational story of love and revenge between two families in Wuthering Heights revolves around its owner, Heathcliff. The atmosphere is dreadful, the characters awful, and yet there's something strangely beautiful in the madness and the way the new generation corrects their ancestors' pasts. A well-deserved ending ;)
My rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
The Architect's Apprentice by Elif Shafak
I love Elif Shafak's non-fiction works. She is one of my favorite writers, and I still can't get over her book How to Stay Sane in the Age of Division. But I don't think her fiction is fit for me. This historical fiction, since I don't know much about the sixteenth century of Istanbul, I was excited to give it a try. It excites me to imagine the colorful setting of life in the court of the Ottoman rulers. However, the story wanders from event to event with no solid plot. Shafak's narration is alluring, so I was willing to keep reading, but to the end of the book, it kept me wondering what the message Shafak is trying to relay throughout this novel.
Open Water by Celeb Azumah Nelson
Two young black artists falling in love and navigating a world filled with racism in London. I appreciate the lyrical and poetic lines. They are beautiful indeed however, the second-person narrative kills the intimacy. Unfortunately, I could not connect with the story. A short book that can easily be devoured in one sitting.
The book of Form and Emptiness by Ruth Ozeki
This book is about a mother and her son struggling to find solace after the father's death, and each went through the grieving phase in their own way. Ozeki touched few issues on capitalism, global warming, woman empowerment as well as mental health and grieving as the central theme of the books. I have mixed feelings about both characters, as much as I want to empathize with their situation, I'm constantly frustrated by them. It is so satisfying when Anabelle finally makes up her mind to declutter her home for real at the end of the book.
Norwegian Woods by Haruki Murakami
My first exposure to Haruki Murakami, I'm glad I don't hate it. He portrayed the coming-of-age dilemma, pain, and loneliness so well throughout the book. It upsets me to learn his closest friend all died from suicide, but it says a lot knowing that Japan has high record of suicide. There were quite a lot of graphic scenes which I didn't particularly enjoy, but other than that, I love it. Murakami leaves an open-ended ending to prepare us with the kind of closure we think deem suitable for the whole story. The lack of imagination in me googled the ending interpretation, and it amused me to read other readers' interpretations from different angles of view.
Trigger Warnings: depression, sex (explicit), sexual harassment, rape, suicide
Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell
Gladwell challenges the traditional theory that outliers are disciplined, self-made successful people and believes that the environment, support system, and other factors contribute to their success. The story of the Flom family resonates with me very well. It taught me to be a better parent and create 'the opportunity' for the next generations. And a reminder if you are competent to open the chances/opportunity to others, because who knows maybe you'll be creating the next world genius.
My rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/ 5
Buy: Kinokuniya
The Book of Tomorrow by Cecelia Ahern
This book has so much potential. It started very well but ended up with huge disappointment. I especially love her thoughts about the two bluebottles. However, was it really necessary to turn one of the characters into evil at the end of the book? A magic diary that predicts the future sounds awesome, but it doesn't add any value and ends up with the main character doing those things just like the diary says. I don't know. Everything is just a waste.
My rating: ⭐⭐/5
Kim Ji-young: Born 1982 by Cho Nam-Joo
The translation to me is a bit hard to get into, but I do get the messages the writer is trying to convey. It brings out misogyny and sexism issues that women in Korea experienced. Kim's having difficulty landing any job for just being a woman resonates with me as well. Pregnancy is the primary reason that ended a woman's career, plenty of them bounce back to fight after childbirth but hardly land a job that fits their academic qualification. It is also heartbreaking knowing that we are now living in 21th-century, but employers with 20th mindsets still exist. One or two facts which I do find quite an exaggeration. Towards the end of the book, I could not be more frustrated with the psychiatrist as the narrator. While treating Kim's depression, he is sympathetic, of course, but so is Kim's husband. Yet neither of them chooses to treat their respective wives differently.
My rating: ⭐⭐⭐/5
Buy: Kinokuniya
The Secret History by Donna Tartt
This is your sign to read the summary first and not set any expectations when picking up books recommended by the Booktok. I have so many expectations, unfortunately, I am utterly disappointed with this book. It threw me off in so many ways, and I kept putting this off. I could not stand every character. Each character with a distorted concept of right or wrong is obsessed with ancient Greek culture. Julian, the professor, believes it is better to learn one book intimately rather than having a great diversion of teachers. This ultimate philosophy of the professor led his pupil to fall into obsessions and death, yet he could not take responsibility for the consequences. I don't know; everything is so mess up. I have so many questions going through this novel.
My rating: ⭐/5
Transit by Rachel Cusk
As mentioned in the previous post, I read Rachel Cusk's trilogy backward. I love Kudos, and Transit gave me the same impression, so very different and so similar. I enjoy her series of interactions and meaningful conversations with different people in the main character's life, and I look forward to her first book to see where it takes her. If I had to pick books to define my taste, it wouldn't be a stretch to include Outline Trilogy as one of them.
My rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
Buy: Kinokuniya
How about you? What did you read in June?
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