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When I’m not blogging about books, I like to discuss the Oscars. Follow my blog for my annual Oscar Watch! 

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Collect books, even if you don’t plan on reading them right away. Nothing is more important than an unread library.

John Waters (via tattooedarm)

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I read a lot more than usual in August. Check out my ARC August wrap up post over on my blog! 

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In which my friend Lee summarizes my thoughts and feelings about Murakami’s writing much better than I ever could (especially that early in the morning). 

The Art of the Anticlimactic Ending… (or how to not choke someone after reading this book)

5:00am Friday, August 28th 2015: Commence reading the final 50 pages of Haruki Murakami’s Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage. 

Yes finally, here comes the good bit. I’ve been waiting for this. The convergence point of all questions spurred by the prior passages of this story. 

7:00am Friday, August 28th 2015: members are starting to come in more frequently; my reading is interrupted every few seconds (yes I’m reading on the job– wanna fight about it?). 

7:30am Friday, August 28th 2015: stare ahead blankly into a void of nothing, hopeless nothing (there’s actually a computer in front of me and many people asking me questions and sharing a morning greeting). 

No this isn’t a short story, its a recap– I want you as readers to understand my environment and frame of mind while I finished Haruki Murakami’s acclaimed novel. This was my first experience with Murakami, but as a good book nerd I did my research and I understand his style: a gentle darkness enveloped in magical realism.

Yea, this isn’t any of that. Gentle darkness yes, realism most definitely, but not so much with the magic and more with the development of a character’s psyche that is the epitome of anyone who has ever felt lonely. If you haven’t read this book, don’t worry you can believe the hype– this is a good book. Contemporary realism at its finest. But I am not going to summarize or review the book as a whole. My purpose here is to discuss the ending. 

Oh, the ending, the ENDING!!

In the moments when I reached the final page my heart sank. As I read the first few words on the last page time slowed and my inner monologue ejaculated one truth: “there’s no way I’m going to get the ending I want with this many words left.” Nanoseconds after the final word was read I could only think one thing: anticlimactic. 

Yes of course there is something to be said for a cliffhanger, or a melancholic ending; not every ending is happy, yadda yadda, we get it. But, is it not cruel to end a novel infinitely pivoting around hopelessness by giving us no ending at all (at least not the ending that Tsukuru deserves). But then, as I ranted to a fellow bibliophile (http://notanotherdumbblonde.com/) via sms, probably before she was awake enough to handle such a deluge of emotion I realized that Murakami’s ending was exactly what this story needed. Murakami sends readers on an emotional voyage, and right as you are shoring up to your final harbor Murakami drops anchor just short of the dock. He leaves readers no way to reach dry land without jumping ship and getting thoroughly soaked first. Yes, of course I will be pondering the what if’s for days and weeks but as my clothes dry slowly each new dry spot will be a revelation concerning another tid-bit of narrative realism and I have Murakami to thank for that. Such an ending doesn’t give you immediate satisfaction and that is a good thing, especially for millennials like myself. I am human: hurt me and I’ll cry out; cut me and I’ll bleed; give me that type of ending and I’ll brood for weeks and return with a follow up post likely contradicting everything I just said.

Thank you, and good morning. 

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“The story of Maddy is told through illustrations, IMs, emails, blog posts, etc. It uses a variety of methods to recreate Maddy’s world. It’s a quick, enjoyable read that you won’t want to put down...”

Check out my full review of Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon on my blog!

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“ .. this is a perfect Fall read. It’s exactly the kind of book I would want to curl up with on a bright fall day, with a warm cup of caramel apple cider.”

Check out my full review of The Sparrow Sisters by Ellen Herrick on my blog!

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These arrived yesterday and I can't wait to get started reading! 'The Gap of Time' is a modern take on 'The Winter's Tale' and 'The Tsar of Love and Techno' is a collection of short stories that sounded interesting. I also love the cover and the nifty slipcase it came in.

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I decided to participate in ARC August hosted by Read.Sleep.Repeat. For a list of the ARCs I plan to read this month, check out today’s post on my blog!

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My plan for the afternoon.

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Neil Gaiman on what stories do for the human spirit and how they last for generations. 

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If you’re a fan of YA lit, but would like to see some stronger female characters then I highly recommend the Throne of Glass series. Check out my review here.

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I’m kind of obsessing over this book at the moment. I finished it last week and still can’t stop thinking about it; by far one of the best books I’ve read this year. You can read my full review here. 

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I LOVE this shirt so much. I really, really want one. 

Made a T-Shirt today. greetings from New (15x) york

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So many books, so little time. In today’s blog post I talk about my summer reading list. What does yours look like?