Books N Stuff
Having not read a book for myself, outside the school curriculum, I'd say I haven't read in 5 years. In late 2022, I decided to pick myself up a book and since then I've been trying to read ever since. Trying, being the key word.
This page contains reviews of the books I've read and my current thoughts on the book I am currently reading (with light spoilers).
Currently Reading:
Giovanni's Room - James Baldwin
Current Thoughts (LIGHT SPOILERS) :
Previously Read:
2024
Thoughts While Reading (LIGHT SPOILERS) :
Read from 26/04/24 - 26/04/24
27.04.24 62 pages read - A short book, but an incredibly poignant read that will be sure to follow me for a while. I consider myself incredibly lucky that death has not come for the people closest to me, but I know that one day it shall. One day, it too will come for me and I can only hope that I do not regret my life quite like Ivan did.
Review
Piranesi - Susanna Clarke
In Progress... COMING THIS WEEK I PROMISE I WILL LOCK IN AND PRODUCE CONTENT!!!!
Read AlongThoughts While Reading (LIGHT SPOILERS) :
Read from 01/03/24 - 08/04/24
08.04.24 222 pages read - It's kinda funny to me how much I struggled to find time to read this book and how lost I was at the beginning because wow, this book was great. I mean REALLY good. The mystery surrounding the house, the atmosphere the house built around itself and the way the story slowly unravelled was just fantasic like holy shit, Susanna Clarke COOKED!!
31.03.24 16 pages read - I struggled with this book at first, really threw me into it with nothing and got slightly overwhelmed with all the halls and statues and waves, but after a bit of turning the pages back multiple times and reading more, though still at the beginning, I'm enjoying it a lot so far. The background is very intriguing and the mystery surrounding the house is done very well.
28.03.24 5 pages read - Okay so, halls and statues... got it... I'm lost.
25.03.24 Did not expect to get zero reading done this whole month, gonna try and get this done before the month is over.
01.03.24 0 pages read - I'm trying to read 2 books a month, one classic and one sci-fi or fantasy, Persuasion took longer than I thought, but we move. I'm also reading Ho Chi Minh's 'Down with Colonialism' but that'll probably be sporadic reading over a few months. For now Piranesi is my focus, heard a lot of good so I hope it's good. Also the sticker on the cover is infuriating as hell.
Review
Persuasion - Jane Austen
Persuasion is a book that I really doubt I would've chosen to read on my own, at least not for a while, but I'm glad I did. If not just to expose me to Jane Austen's writing, but also to expand my tastes and expose me to different writing.
If I'm being honest, I did not find any of the characters, besides Anne, enjoyable, even the main love interest. Perhaps it was because I wasn't in the right mood, or due to a lack of familiarity with Austen's writing and early 1800s English writing in general, I just didn't find much interesting about the characters. Personality for me is separate from enjoyability and whether I like their personality is meaningless if I don't find them enjoyable. That is to say I didn't hate them, I just didn't find them all that interesting.
However, I did find myself enjoying Jane Austen's writing in general and the story was interesting enough for me to finish to the end and as someone who has a backlog of over 50 games unfinished I think that means something.
Read AlongThoughts While Reading (LIGHT SPOILERS) :
Read from 06/02/24 - 29/02/24
06.02.24 0 pages read - Started reading this for my university book club, never read any Austen before so hope it's good.
08.02.24 34 pages read - So far, not much to it, just getting acclimated to Austen's prose and the older style of writing. Surprised by Walter's aversion to sailors and the navy, but I guess historically it makes sense, nobles can join the army as officers and rise to certain ranks of dignity without much in the way of talent or skill, but in the navy, out on sea, you're either with it or you aren't. Walter talks about his dislike of common blood gaining respect and to me it was pretty funny.
11.02.24 13 pages read - Only managed to read a few pages, 2 weeks behind my course material and I've got an exam in a few days - Its joever for me bro... Back to the book, Austen really illustrates the back and forth of being used as a conversation proxy between multiple different parties really well. Definitely feel for Anne, even if we have nothing in common.
13.02.24 9 pages read - Got some light reading done on the train. Gotta lock it in for this exam tmw so got nothing to say, cya.
16.02.24 16 pages read - Skipped lecture to go to the park and read on the train. Not much to say still, I think I'm acclimating to Austen's style of writing pretty well, I can parse pretty much most things, aside from certain references, but altogether enjoyable read so far.
20.02.24 3 pages read - Going to have to start ramping up the pages if I want to get this done by the end of the month. Anne really is down bad huh. Also what is Mary's problem?
22.02.24 51 pages read - Got a lot read while trying to sleep. At around 80 pages in, I was thinking, not much is happening huh? Then all of a sudden a lot happened out of nowhere. Also, maybe it's just me but, asides from Anne, most of the other characters are either unlikeable or just aren't all that interesting? So far its been a really interesting look into a society that I will never experience, the way that everyone interacts with one another is incredibly foreign to me, not just because of a time difference but a class one too.
27.02.24 21 pages read - Couldn't get much reading done past few days, school is getting serious now that I nearly failed an exam. These widows move on quick, it might just be how society is back then but like damn bro, mourn a little bit before you move on like that. Also, maybe I missed it but, I didn't feel much romance between Wentworth and Anne throughout most of the book, but now that most obstacles are out of the way, I can see that things are starting to ramp up in that direction.
29.02.24 58 pages read- Finally finished this book, just in time for the end of the month. I'll give my thoughts later but right now its 3:45 AM and I am cooked. Good night. I liked the letter a lot, it felt very Jane Austen even though I haven't read anything else from her, and I feel like if I paid more attention I probably could've noticed more of the romance between the two cause tbh I didn't see it until they were in Bath. The ending was nice but felt it was just very condensed and could've had a few more pages.
Generally I enjoyed this book, I struggled at times to understand what the hell's being said and I'm almost certain a few story beats went over my head, but, otherwise I liked it.
Review
East of Eden - John Steinbeck
Read: 02.01.24 - 03.02.24
East of Eden at first seemed a pretty daunting read. Honestly, any book more than 400 words is daunting, let alone the small font and spacing. Nevertheless, it had been on my bookshelf for quite some time, and I was hearing more and more good things about it so I figured why not.
At first, I struggled to get into reading it, I usually do, I imagine it'll become easier as I read more and more, but for now, it's probably the biggest barrier to picking up new books, especially in this case where it was just a lot of preposition. However, after a while, I found myself turning pages without even realising, Steinbeck's writing is clear and easy to read, but don't let that fool you, his ability to weave themes and philosophy throughout this book is downright genius. This was my first of Steinbeck's and he did not let down.
East of Eden is centred around two families, the Trasks and the Hamiltons, both of which reside in Salinas Valley, California, with most of the story focusing on the Trasks. Despite not being Christian or even all that religious, I still find religion and religious stories to be very intriguing. Cain and Abel as well as Adam and Eve are deftly interwoven into the narrative in a way that makes you feel as if these stories were made for the sole purpose of East of Eden.
East of Eden is a generational story, spanning multiple characters and delving into various family dynamics through the lens of biblical stories, with each character having their own biblical counterpart. Generations mirror each other in a cyclical fashion as the same mistakes are made, passing the baton onto the next generation, seemingly fated to do the same.
The characters of East of Eden are some of the best I've ever seen and in particular, has one of the most interesting antagonists I think I've ever read. The antagonist embodies evil and hatred in a frightening and methodical way, but at times leaves you wondering if there's something more to them than just wanton villainy. Human nature is explored deeply, alongside the origin of evil and the power you have over it. Will you allow evil, hatred, and jealousy to consume your everything, or will you choose to go against it? Choice, being a big theme.
East of Eden is considered one of America's best modern novels, I'd be inclined to agree.
The Sirens of Titan - Kurt Vonnegut
Read: 01.01.24 - 02.02.24
I picked up The Sirens of Titan early January after I spent over a month trying to read another book. Throughout the entirety of December, I was swamped with exams and thus struggled to read anymore than 10 pages. Compiled with the fact that the book I was reading wasn't exactly the easiest to get into, I thought I was completely washed. Multiple attempts were made to read this book and yet I failed hopelessly despite it being only around 100 pages. Seeking a change of pace, I looked for another book on my shelf and picked The Sirens of Titan, I thought, "Vonnegut has never let me down!". Lo and behold I finished it in less than 2 days.
One of the great things about Vonnegut is the more novels of his you read, the deeper you can appreciate them. Whether its through similar themes or reusing the same names, its always nice to just see someone or something you read about in one novel in an entirely new context in another. I've always been enraptured by Vonnegut's writing since I first read one of his novels. His ability to mould these extravagant ideas into genuine, coherent novels while upholding his own unique style is unlike any other. In The Sirens of Titan, Winston Niles Rumfoord and his dog, Kazak, are converted into pure energy while in space. As a result, they are only able to appear on Earth every 59 days for only one hour. However, as Winston is now pure energy, that means he has the knowledge of all time, everything that has happened and everything that will happen.
The Sirens of Titan is Vonnegut at his best, witty and sardonic; abstract and absurdist. Times I found myself laughing, others, feeling aghast. Full of twists and turns, Vonnegut explores deeply into the concept of free will, what it means to be 'free' and whether or not it truly exists. Whether we are treading on steps that have been laid out before us or creating new ones as we go forward, The Sirens of Titan is a story that left me at a loss for words and excited to read more Vonnegut - you know a book is good when, when you finish the book you get little goose bumps on your arms and back.
I give this a big ol' thumbs up!!
2023
The Word for World is Forest - Ursula K. Le Guin
In Progress... Coming Soon!!!... Maybe not for a while tho teehee
Notes from Underground - Fyodor Dostoevsky
In Progress... Coming Soon!!!... Maybe not for a while tho teehee
Breakfast of Champions - Kurt Vonnegut
In Progress... Coming Soon!!!... Maybe not for a while tho teehee
A Psalm for the Wild-Built - Becky Chambers
In Progress... Coming Soon!!!... Maybe not for a while tho teehee
The Master and Margerita - Mikhail Bulgakov
In Progress... Coming Soon!!!... Maybe not for a while tho teehee
Go Tell It on The Mountain - James Baldwin
In Progress... Coming Soon!!!... Maybe not for a while tho teehee
Perdido Street Station - China Mieville
In Progress... Coming Soon!!!... Maybe not for a while tho teehee
Slaughterhouse-Five - Kurt Vonnegut
In Progress... Coming Soon!!!... Maybe not for a while tho teehee
