#currently rereading Kafka on the shore

[lone-nyctophile]

Murakami has formulated some brilliant and profound philosophical concepts, BUT this guy writes about women with the mentality of an immature teenage boy who is being conditioned into misogyny. His understanding of women is WRONG on so many levels 🤨

[hizerain]

Summer TBR

Given I wanted to spend the majority of my summer reading, in an attempt to recover from the tumultous spring semester and I wanted to be a bit more active on here I thought I'd keep track of my list on this post.

La Chute, Albert Camus

The Dispossessed, Urusla K. Le Guin

Finished 2 July. I really enjoyed this, it was quite an easy read but I mean that in the best way possible. It passed around a lot of interesting ideas in a way that is easily graspable and I liked the switch of perspectives between the planets/past and present.

Lolita, Vladimir Nabokov

Finished 7 July. I have had this on my shelf since 2018, and finally finished reading it. Subject matter aside, it was a surprisingly easy read as the language was surprisingly simple to comprehend and the pace, at times, rather high. It was revolting in the exact way I had anticipated and the book definitely lives up to its status as a classic.

Kafka on the Shore, Haruki Murakami

Finished 5 July. I'm not the biggest fan of Murakami, but I enjoyed the mystery aspect of this book and the story unravelling slowly before my eyes.

The Gebroeders Kramazov, Fyodor Dostoevsky

Leadership, Henry Kissinger

Transgender Marxism, Gleeson & O'Rourke

De metamorfose van de wereld, Jurgen Österhammel

De Consultancy Industrie, Mazzucato & Collington

Finished 4 July. One of the most frustrating books I've read all year in the best way possible, that is, by exposing one of the fundamental structures that keeps out current world running in a clear and comprehensive way.

Additional books I've read

The Secret History, Donna Tartt

I reread this book about every year during the summer as it perfectly encapsulates my melancholy. Surprisingly, I found it particularly insightful this time around. Perhaps because I'm a little older, perhaps a bit more experienced, but I felt that for the first time I was able to fully see both stories unfolding (The great tragedy and the satire) and it made the book all the greater to read again

[why-the-heck-not]

Do you read any books currently? <33

yeah! Currently rereading Goldfinch (by Donna Tartt) because I read it last summer so it now gives me summer vibes. Also am still reading The People In The Trees (by Hanya Yanagihara) bc started it last summer, so it is a summer-book to me now so couldn't read it during the autumn/winter.

Also am rereading Kafka on the shore bc read it during a spring like 5 years so it is a spring-book, and I just always start to reread it again during the spring (tho I rarely do finish it again lol idk, I read books weirdly) and have now just been continuing reading it.

Also in the process of rereading my fave author's (Miki Liukkonen) work bc he passed away recently. Also he does still have one book coming out during the autumn so that's also partly why (bittersweet excitement over that currently)

Also I'm never not in the middle of rereading A Little Life.

Bacically I'm just reread bunch of things even tho I have a massive tbr-list. Idk, haven't been in the mental capacity to start a new one u know. And books are heavily seasonal for me so gotta read the summer books quick before the autumn books swoop in lol

[mapsofnonexistentplaces]

ok trying to go over the year’s reads in chronological order i am just spitballing and none of this is good reviewwork

house of leaves — it’s house of leaves what do you want me to say. there was a house of leaves. genuinely really love it but i’ve started to form this semihearted grudge against it because it’s like The One Weird Book everyone recommends and it kind of clouds discussion of other ergodic lit LOL it’s for good reason though there’s nothing else quite like it

kafka on the shore — book that i need to finish actually i’ve still got a chunk of it undone…. honestly might just restart it altogether i don’t remember much of the plot since i started it in like february. but augh. i remember it feeling very smooth to read. pacing of it was extremely stilted in a way that like. i thought was quite cool actually. loved the way it split its perspectives

ulysses — read through a few chapters before i kind of just dropped it unintentionally. really want to get back to it it’s just. impenetrable if i’m not giving it my full and utmost attention lol

a streetcar named desire — reiterating something i said ages ago which is “i could not fucking care less about what tennessee williams’ plays are about but goddamn if they’re not extremely inspiring in the way they’re composed and conveyed” or something like that

the like first 2 books of the new wc arc go inbetween here chronologically…. they’re not as fun as the last arc enough so that i’ve decided i don’t care about those cats anymore lol. complete slog that makes me wish for the days of cat hell possession conflicts instead of weird love triangles or whatever

wonderbook — really good…. i mean it’s literally a “guide” but it feels much more like just a ‘manifesto’ of how a story can be good. it was a really fun read as someone who’s never really been too impressed by common writing advice and who has also never really gotten engrossed in writing circles with other people…. kind of book that feels valuable to both people who are freshly getting into writing and more experienced writers. definitely helped me name and put pressure on elements of my own writing and composition that was just fully instinct-driven prior. it’s good.

tainaron — aughhhh i’ve reread this one like thrice this year…. i’ve fucking yelled about it before on my blog so many times and i’m just restating what i’ve said before which is go look up tainaron and read it it’s like 70 pages it’s just posted online by the original author and it’s a wonderful time. bugs can be both scary and beautiful. you will realise this. ❤️

sphinx or robot — from the same author! this one’s also fun but just not as satisfactory or unified as tainaron imo. nother good short bout though

a midsummer night’s dream — i don’t like shakespeate. dint care.

if on a winter’s night a traveller — hol-like in that it kind of clouds discussion of ergodic lit but once again i kind of get it. honestly this feels like a really good digestible intro to such styles id definitely recommend it with the caveat of like. “be ready for useless background misogyny throughout”. the whole premise grants it a really slick pace love the idea of uniting unfinished ‘chapters’ of stories together…. will forever be thinking about leaning from the steep slope and wishing it was a fully fledged novel though

the castle of crossed destinies — another calvino work. once again love this guy’s prose although i wish he wrote women better LOL uhhh honestly just a really good bite sized bit of weird allegorical literature it’s so much more obtuse and “dry” than ioawnat but i feel like the framing device and style make up for the kind of nothing plot. i suppose that’s kind of the point of it as well….

strassburg’s tristan — currently reading through it and halfway across! specifically the hatto translation which i’m like most definitively marking as some of the most beautiful prose i’ve ever read LOL style of it feels like wading through water

shit that’s on my reading list and that i want to go through soon also….

already started vandermeer’s ambergris trilogy i think i just started and forgot to ever finish city of saints and madmen. fun style though

the complete cosmicomics — again sifted through a bit of the beginning it feels like an even more sludgy set of calvino works than castle of crossed destinies was. but it’s enchanting regardless and i’ll probably read it and like it. i’m lame!

this is how you lose the time war — been on my list for ages i’ve seen excerpts i’ve liked….

piranesi — when rocks have a shape they can be anything in the world or whatever i’m sure this book will say it in a cool way

the seagull — i’m really struggling to find interesting plays that are not about divorce or uninteresting melodrama and this one still applies im sure but from what i’ve read it does so in an interesting way LOL

pale fire — to complete the set of “weird books nobody will shut up about being weird” i need to get to this one. 👍

[themultifandomdisaster]

hii have u read any good books lately? what books are you anticipating for may? :)

Hii again !

I'm currently reading 'clear and muddy loss of love'. Think Mulan but if she was out for revenge and ended up married to her enemy's daughter. And also if she was unhinged as fuck.

Solid read. I'm only 20 percent in but I hear it gets even better as we progress. It will SO be my new brain rot once I'm done with it.

OH! also I read Babel a month or so back idk if I mentioned that here or not. DEVOURED that stuff in 2 days. Changed as person. I'm eyeing your gushing abt the poppy wars and calculating when I'll be able to read that !

I don't really have any books I'm waiting for per se but there are a LOT of book in my tbr pile. Some just from the top of my head

- Frankenstein

- If we were villains (i know you love this one a lot. Literally can't wait to read it)

- Kafka on the shore

- the aftg series reread (higher up priority wise bc I'm preparing for the new book which came out this year)

Lot more I just can't remember.

What abt you ? tell me abt your tbr pile

[trichorats]

uhh.. soooo what if i talked more about what I'm reading actually?? I'm very proud of myself for keeping at it and i want to SHARE. HELLO !!Idk if anyone wants to join me on this,, (or care in any way about my reading habits and opinions lol) feel free!!? (I'm also keeping track on storygraph so feel free to add me over there)

Soo... a list of books i've read since i've started reading regulary again in 2023 :) Sometimes with added opinion sometimes without lol (lmk if you want one though!)

Books I've read in 2023:

The Tide Child I: The Bone Ships - RJ Barker

The Tide Child II: Call of the Bone Ships - RJ Barker

The Tide Child III: The Bone Ships Wake - RJ Barker !! * the worldbuilding was cool as hell and the characters too. yea a good read

Aven Cycle I: From Unseen Fire - Cass Morris

Aven Cycle II: Give Way to Night - Cass Morris

A Conspiracy of Truths - Alexandra Rowland

Myrk - Michael Peinkofer * yeah, did not enjoy that one...

The Pariah - Anthony Ryan

Harrow the Ninth - Tamsyn Muir

Not Even Bones - Rebecca Schaeffer

Southern Reach Trilogy: Annihilation - Jeff VanderMeer

Aven Cycle III: The Bloodstained Shade

Southern Reach Trilogy: Authority - Jeff VanderMeer

Southern Reach Trilogy: Acceptance - Jeff VanderMeer

The Broken Earth: The Fifth Season - NK Jemisin !! *whoa, yea!!! The worldbuilding ghsaha

This Is How You Lose The Time War !! *so emotional and poetic actually if anyone has more poetic written books hello hi i am open for recs

The Final Strife - Saara El-Arifi !! * a rec :)

Brotherhood - Mike Chen

The Long Utopia - Terry Pratchett, Stephen Baxter **side note: i did not know this was a series so i guess a read this as a lone standing book lol

Seven Blades in Black - Sam Skyes

Said the Black Horse -Mícheál Mac Aodha

Der Schrecksenmeister - Walter Moers (reread)

The City of Dreaming Books - Walter Moers (reread) !! ** somebody once called him "german terry prattchet" like i get it and i aggree but also i disagree... like.. this feels more cishet than terry prattchett does ifyaknowwhatimean. still very fun and enjoyable though

The Labyrinth of Dreaming Books - Walter Moers (reread)

Reckless - Cornelia Funke (reread)

Feenlicht - Jenny-Mai Nuyen (reread) !! * at this point i was trying to find out if child me had TASTE i think lol. still enjoyed

Magierlicht - Jenny-Mai Nuyen (reread)

aaaand what i've been up to this year:

Kafka on the Shore - Haruki Murakami * uh, conflicting one that one.. still.. uhm,

3 Body Problem - Cixin Liu

Blood Song (reread) - Anthony Ryan

Murderbot Diaries: All Systems Red - Martha Wells !! *murderbot hello hi, why are you so relatable?

Murderbot Diaries: Artificial Condition - Martha Wells

Murderbot Diaries: Rogue Protocol - Martha Wells

Murderbot Diaries: Exit Strategy - Martha Wells

Broken Earth Trilogy: The Obelisk Gate - NK Jemisin !! ** ugh YEA still SO good

Scythe - Neal Shusterman

currently reading: The little Hobbit actually lol. Haven't picked it up before and have decided that ITS TIME!!

[katiesbooks]

2022 Books Masterlist

January

Circe (Madeline Miller)

The Memory Police (Yoko Ogawa) {on hiatus}

February

Interior Chinatown (Charles Yu)

Little Fires Everywhere (Celeste Ng)

The Midnight Library (Matt Haig)

March

Miguel Street (V. S. Naipaul)

Lolita (Vladimir Nabokov) [reread]

April

The Bell Jar (Sylvia Plath) {paused; too stressful/triggering}

Disorientation (Elaine Hsieh Chou)

May

Heaven (Mieko Kawakami)

Everything Here is Beautiful (Mira T. Lee)

The World Cannot Give (Tara Isabella Burton)

June

Bunny (Mona Awad)

There’s No Such Thing as an Easy Job (Kikuko Tsumura)

July

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue (V. E. Schwab)

August

My Sister, the Serial Killer (Oyinkan Brathwaite)

Born a Crime (Trevor Noah)

September

Perpetual West (Mesha Maren)

The Committed (Viet Thanh Nguyen) {currently reading}

Also to read:

On Beauty (Zadie Smith)

Kafka on the Shore (Haruki Murakami)

The Hundred Year Flood (Matthew Salesses)

Surviving the White Gaze (Rebecca Carroll)

Real Life (Brandon Taylor)

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo (Taylor Jenkins Reid)

El Alquimista [Spanish edition] (Paulo Coelho)

[charscounterattack]

tag someone you want to get to know better 💗

tagged by: @bicharacter 👯 hey :] pretend i can tag you since u already did this

tagging: @localspirit @kubfoo @transmarths @lugosis @vampretty 

last song: the girl from nowhere intro song i havent even watched it that song is just really good

last movie: :) me and zack watched the second my hero movie last night LOL it was alot of fun

currently reading: csm, lol im rereading httyd, kafka on the shore, and im rereading my hero

currently watching: zacks showing me legend of the galactic heroes, uh this is listening but tma, thats all i can think of

currently craving: subway

[jiangwanyin]

i was tagged by @thcrin thank you so much alex!!

rules: tag 9 people you want to know better/catch up with!

favorite color: dark purple, turquoise, this green specifically and dark red for me too!

last song/album: california by joni mitchell 🌸

last movie: troy (2004) my beloved <3 best summer comfort movie although i just saw ashleigh do this tag game and list paddington as their comfort movie so maybe i need to rethink my definition of comfort movie asdghjk

currently reading: theoretically rereading kafka on the shore by murakami, in practice i haven't actually picked it up for like a week now, also very slowly working my way through tyk but i keep forgetting about it unless i've run out of other things to do on my phone 😳

currently watching: nothing, i just finished watching advance bravely earlier today though, so now i’m going to go and find something more sensible to watch to make up for all the braincells i lost along the way jesus christ that show is so bad but unfortunately it’s incredibly entertaining in it’s stupidity

currently craving: cold weather!!!!!!!

coffee or tea: tea always

tagging: @wuxien @jasnahh @skkywalker @pleasedontlookatmeokay and anyone else who wants to do it, go ahead and say i tagged you 🧡

[b-blushes]

i was tagged by @megthehermit , it’s been a while since i posted ‘personal’ stuff on here but i’ve been thinking a lot about ~content~ i’ve been enjoying recently so! 

rules: tag a few people you'd like to know better or catch up with.

last song: ‘overwhelmed’ by royal & the serpent after coming across a tiktok cover of it posted on instagram, i am... out of touch with current trends.. :P

last film: started rewatching ‘the cat in the hat’ on netflix at the start of the year bc i remember it being silly and was in need of something ridiculous, but it wasn’t as funny as i remembered it so i quit watching after like 45 minutes :P I’ve been meaning to rewatch ‘where the wild things are’ as i remember it being heart-wrenching when i saw it before but i’ve not gotten around to it yet, the last thing i watched in full would have been a ghibli rewatch though! (probably ‘only yesterday’)

currently watching: the k-drama Start-Up, I’m only a few episodes in but I’m loving it so far! (the first episode was p harrowing though with a prolonged upsetting scene, to the point where I almost didn’t continue watching the rest of the show. V glad i did though as I love the main characters now! Also love that I’ve been watching so many netflix originals k-dramas that a bunch of the cast is recognisable, it’s like some kind of weird mix and match au :P)

currently reading: rereading ‘kafka on the shore’ by Haruki Murakami, I’m enjoying the pace but there’s A Lot going on (violence, nsfw scenes (including w/ minors in some parts), animal death/violence, likely more to come but i’ve not read it for a while so don’t remember exactly - it’s not a light read though). I finally got bored of rereading the same YA/contemporary books on my kindle so set myself the challenge to reread all the Murakami books I own in paperback (I think I have about 17 of them?), then once I’m done I’m allowing myself to buy some new books :P 

currently craving: sleep and some clear thoughts/motivation :’) At least it’s sunny though, I’m going to go and get some fresh air now so that’s a positive! 

Tagging all of my friends on here if you feel like it but no pressure! some urls I can remember are @natashajayne @folio-sprout @aug1108 @ants-in-my-cauldron @mllemouse @toadfaes but this is a non-exhaustive list so sorry if i’ve not added you to it!! <3 

[sunflower-and-storms]

🔥 March Wrap- Up 🔥

Hello, gentlefriends! April is here and with it the last step of my school semester (can't wait for the 14 of May!!). But before we continue to more books, I need to tell you about the books I read in March. This month, I read a total of 6 books (1 DNF, 1 ebook and 4 physical books) and I'm currently finishing Fortuna Sworn by K.J. Sutton in audiobook and starting Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami. But let's advance now into the reviews.

1- O Último Mugido by Germano Almeida- This book was the DNF. It's a Portuguese book I had to read for a class and I didn't like it. It just wasn't for me and I don't want to talk more about it.

2- The Long Song by Andrea Levy- Interestingly another book for class but this was a masterpiece. The narrator was real, I was sitting in from of her the whole time and laughing at the comments she made about her son. I also love the fact that the author saw an empty space in West Indian British history and decided to make her life work to fill it (writing does change in the world). I would really recommend this for people you want to see more than what the history books tell them.

3- A Court of Frost and Starlight by Sarah J. Maas- I wanted to reread this before ACOSF because I wanted to fully remember the moment we left our characters. I now need more on Azriel and Mor, who might be my favourites (sorry Cassian).

4- Romancing Mr Bridgerton by Julia Quinn- Since the release of the Netflix show, there has been a buzz about the books but since I only was interested in Penelope, I started with the fourth book. So... the humour was great, I love Penelope but I hate Colin. He read very arrogant, somewhat abusive and to someone who extremely values consent, man who told you you could tell someone's massive secret without warning them first. I still would like to read the second and third book but I might find the ebook.

5- The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern- Gentlefriends, I believe I have found my favourite book ever! This story feels like it was somehow crafted for my soul. I sobbed so much in the end, maybe for not wanting to leave the story, for wanting to go after Kat. I still have no words to describe how this book is everything I love. Please read, please! If you were the kid who wanted to find a door into a magical world when you were younger and are still waiting, please read The Starless Sea!

6- Six Stories and an Essay by Andrea Levy- Some of the stories were a bit meh for me but some were incredible. My favourites were the essay "Back to my own country", The Diary (the last line!) and Uriah's War. I have placed an order for a few books include Small Island, the award-winning novel of Levy, that I hope I can somehow fit into my pre-planned TBRs until the end of the year.

And that was all the books finished in March! I'm very happy to be killing my reading year and I would love it if it continued this way.

Anon friends!!

[chocokeiiki]

finally have time to do this lol

Tagged by: @tonaku​

Last song: Falling Like the Stars by James Arthur

Last movie: The Kid Who Would Be King

Currently reading: I’m rereading/reading through a handful of manga series...Bleach, Blue Exorcist, Kimetsu no Yaiba, Sousei no Onmyouji, Jujutsu Kaisen, and My Hero Academia are the main ones. Books I’m reading right now are...A Court of Thorns and Roses, The Lies of Locke Lamora, The Way of Kings, and Kafka on the Shore.

Currently watching: Black Clover, Jujutsu Kaisen, Golden Kamuy, Dororo, Puella Magi Madoka Magica, A Certain Scientific Railgun, The Ones Within, One Piece, Bleach, Brooklyn 99, The Millionaire Detective, Hyouka, and Ranpo Kitan

Craving: Peppermint Hot Chocolate

Tagging: @blessed-cactus, @shimmerleaf (if you ever see this lmao), @tr33s0ck 

[rosaetae]

hi! could you perhaps share some books that you have read or currently reading? also, stay safe min!

hi wonderful anonie! i hope you are well and safe!

some books that i'm currently reading:

1. normal people by sally rooney— i haven't gone really far into the book but i do know that the characters basically do a switcharooni in terms of their standing compared to high school versus college.

2. post office by charles bukowski— i've been wanting to get into charles bukowski for awhile because i've always liked his poetry so i bought this book as a starter into his mind of his alter ego.

3. where the crawdads sing by delia owens— this book just came in yesterday hahah but what appealed to me about this book that compelled me to buy it was the fact that two timelines intertwine. it's also a reese witherspoon book club fav ahahah

some books that i absolutely love and recommend are:

1. norwegian wood by haruki murakami— i love murakami and i love this book and i love the song. i found myself relating a lot to the characters and his writing is just perfection. i've reread this book several times because it's just that good

2. pride and prejudice (a classic) by jane austen— her satirical outlook is very amusing but she spits nothing but facts, and not to mention that the romance is literally the foundation of all e2l tropes (mr. darcy can get it)

3. hood feminism by mikki kendall— a very relevant book and a major eye opener! it centers around intersectional feminism and how topics such as basic necessities, poverty, gun violence, and so on are feminist issues. she basically calls out mainstream feminists and her words are so LOUD. everyone should buy this book idc idc idc

4. atonement by ian mcewan— this book took me awhile to get through but everything just comes together so well. it'll wreck you but it's such a good book i promise

5. something wicked this way comes by ray bradbury— this book was recommended to me by my high school freshman teacher and i absolutely love this book. bradbury's way of setting the scene and his imagery is so!!!! chef's kiss!!! it's definitely on the more creepy side but it's so goooooood

6. literally just any book by murakami i honestly could list out all of his books, but i'm not gonna do that shhsbchshsha but my all time favorites are norwegian wood, kafka on the shore, and 1q84. trust me, he will not disappoint you

heheheh i hope these books recommendations work for you! i hope you are staying safe and if you want more recs lmk!!!! <3 kisses

[jardingelique]

I was tagged by @artemissidereus. Thank you so much for tagging me, truly!

Rules: Answer the 10 questions, write your own 10 questions then tag 10 people!

1. What makes your heart flutter?

When something goes my way or goes right—I can’t help but feel more romantic towards life when everything I am doing makes sense.

2. What is your ambition in life?

My ambition in life is just to go home to my roots. Oh, and graduate from Oxford University... I don’t know what comes after but I’d like to find out.

3. If you could live anywhere in the world, where would you choose?

Greece! There’s no other place to be for me. 

4. What is your current mood?

A bit stressed...? But at the moment I am in the mood to continue finishing my plates. Haha. (I also would like some ice cream...)

5. Do you have a favourite book or author?

Yes, it’s called Carve the Mark by Veronica Roth. Oh! I also like Cassandra Clare’s The Infernal Devices—yeah, all 3 of the books. Uhh... I also just absolutely adore Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami. Hmm. I guess I don’t have a favourite after all? I like everything I have read... except You Know Me Well by Nina LaCour and David Levithan. I don’t know, it was horrible. I used it for my literary and critical analysis in highschool and I’ve since reread what I wrote and unfortunately, I still agree today.

For authors—Madeleine Roux, Ransom Riggs, Han Kang, and Bob Ong.

6. A favourite art style?

Impressionism! There’s no way for me to explain it briefly though, haha! Perhaps in another text post.

7. What is the most important thing in the whole world for you?

The health of the planet... though that isn’t particularly a ‘thing’, no?

8. Describe your favourite pair of socks.

I don’t like to match socks but my favourite combination would be... well, I have those socks with prints of famous artworks—I have The Kiss by Gustav Klimt; I’d wear that on one foot and then one navy blue with white and deep red stripes on the ankles on the other to draw people’s attention to The Kiss, haha! When I put them on it feels like a walking exhibit.

9. What movie could you watch over and over and never get tired of?

Love, Rosie! But also 500 Days of Summer. I’ve memorized the dialogues for both haha!

10. Describe yourself in 3 words.

Contemplative. Guarded. Vague.

My questions:

If you could take yourself out on a date, what would you do?

What colour do you think your soul is?

What’s one of your guilty pleasures?

If you could live in a song, a book, or a painting, which one would it be?

What is the earliest memory that you have that you can still remember?

A dead person you want to bring back and why.

Favourite smell?

What does your last day on earth look like?

What is happiness to you?

Are you having a great day? :)

I nominate:

@petalpidge, @elysiankisses, @mrcutio, @agonysquad, @unreadliterature, @gabsydy (hello!), @billionstars, @inneedofsomething2do, @my-mind-was-lostintranslation, @axristes-styseis

[crystallinee-waters]

I’m sorry you’re sad. :( Are you currently reading anything? I just started Hunchback of Notre Dame and I’m really excited because it’s been on my TBR list since FOREVER. Also, it occurred to me today why I always assumed Hermione Granger was white. I love the thought of a black Hermione, but for some reason, when I think ‘dentist’ I think white people? It’s the weirdest thing and it amused me a little bit. I haven’t reread the books in years, but I’m assuming her skin tone is never mentioned.

Thank you for your concern, sweet anon. I have a habit of always reading a lot at the same time, switching - I’m currently re-reading To Kill A Mockingbird and White Oleander by Janet Fitch, as well as Kafka On The Shore by Haruki Murakami and Stephenie Meyer’s Midnight Sun, among others. I’ve wanted to read The Hunchback of Notre Dame since forever, too! I just couldn’t find a copy in my language before so I kinda forgot about it. How is the book so far? I’ve heard it’s riddled with tragedy all over, so i’m guessing it’s a heavy read?

That dentist thing is interesting - as a kid I kinda just assumed she was white bc of the movies, and bc of J.K. being the way she is but afaik her skin tone was never mentioned (i’m fairly sure, i obsessed over these books more than a decade ago so i’ve forgotten a lot) and it would be really nice to have some more diversity.

[mautadite]

february book round-up

9 books this month! i’ve had a bleh couple of days the past few days, which is why this is late. and lots of work this month, which is why my book count isn’t that high. a mix between library books and audiobooks this month.

tar baby - toni morrison ⭐️⭐️⭐️ did not quite go how i though it would, for a book about internalised racism. and i guess that was a good thing? i had trouble caring about a lot of these characters but i love toni morrison’s writing and style and lyricism.

how to blow it with a billionaire - alexis hall ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ the sequel to that one billionaire romance by an author that i love that i didn’t like that much because billionaire romances don’t do anything for me. i liked this one a lot more because it dealt more closely with their relationship, and them getting to know each other as PEOPLE, and the one character i couldn’t get invested in in the first book kinda stole my heart and now i’d kill for him. really looking forward to the third book.

cherry orchard - anton chekov ⭐️⭐️⭐️ a pretty good tragedy? comedy? tragicomic? play. didn’t super duper care about the characters, sadly. old money can die.

no man of woman born - ana mardoll ⭐️⭐️⭐️ a collection of fantasy stories where everyone is trans!! they were all really good, i wasn’t amazed by anything but i had a fun time reading them all.

the metamorphosis - franz kafka ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ i read this and the next book because ‘kafka on the shore’ was next on my list of audiobooks to listen to and i realised i didn’t know much about kafka? i REALLY liked this book. not quite horror but sort of. all that helplessness and the directness of the prose. made me sad and i liked it.

the metamorphosis and other stories - franz kakfa ⭐️⭐️⭐️ i enjoyed the metamorphosis even more the second time around, but other than that and ‘in the penal colony’ this collection of stories was mostly just okay. nothing resonated with me super deeply, though i do think i owe it to myself to reread it some time.

how to bang a billionaire - alexis hall ⭐️⭐️⭐️ i reread this because i wanted to see if i’d like the billionaire dude more now that he’d wormed his way into my heart in the second book. i kinda did.

sleep better - aaptiv ⭐️⭐️⭐️ this like, series of meditations for helping you sleep or whatever? kind of hokey but i mean i usually fell asleep while the lady was coaching me through breathing exercises so maybe it isn’t bullshit. need to try it when i’m hardcore suffering from insomnia.

the makioka sisters - junichirou tanizaki ⭐️⭐️⭐️ quiet family dramas are not my usual speed so this was a bit of a departure for me. i liked it a lot, though the style made me enjoy it a lot less than i would have, i think. too much passive voice! give me more dialogue!! but i did enjoy that it took a look at a slice of history that i haven’t read much about, 1930s pre-war japan.

and that’s it for february. i’m currently reading kafka on the shore, which i’m mostly enjoying, but it’s my first murakami book and i’m discovering to my despair that he has a lot in common with other famous male writers i can’t stand. also reading notes from underground by dostoyevsky, which is surprisingly humorous at times. that’s a lot of Serious Literature in the past month, so for march expect me to be back on my schmoopy tropey romance bullshit. ✌️