July Reading Wrap-Up
Flying Witch: Volumes 1-9
by Chihiro Ishizuka
I found all 9 volumes at the library, and decided why not? I am not a huge manga reader, but the series looked cute and if I’m being honest, they’re easy reads that increased my Goodreads reading goal for the year! lol
I’m not going to individually review each volume because I don’t have time for that, but as a whole, I thought they were cute and a good distraction. Don’t expect much to happen; they’re cozy reads with a little bit of witchery and cute animals thrown in. There are conflicts that arise, but they’re nothing earth-shattering. They might cheer you up on an off day!
2. Tender is the Flesh
By Agustina Bazterrica
I am not entirely sure how I feel about this one. I appreciate the commentary on factory farming and slaughterhouses, and the linkage to the literal devouring of humans (cannibalism) in a society fueled by capitalism and self-interest. The story is bleak and gory, which is fine, but I felt a lot of scenes were simply added for shock value, which overshadowed the thematic issues (barely) lying underneath. In other words, Under the Skin by Michel Faber does it better in terms of subject matter.
In my view, aliens coming down to conspicuously farm humans is more believable than people turning on each other because they are crazed enough for meat when animals can no longer be consumed. I don’t understand how most people would be on board for this shit. Maybe the author is on to something by writing from the perspective of the epitome of a depraved human, but I’m probably more disturbed by the inaction of people and the complacency that allows repressive governments/systems to take over. It is gory and involves animal and human cruelty so if that bothers you, either avoid this one or read at your own risk.
3. No One is Talking About This
By Patricia Lockwood
Loved this one, and rated it 5 stars on goodreads; however, I do have a track record of rating books 5 stars, only to re-read them and lower my rating. This is one of the reasons why I don’t like rating systems; they’re just not reliable enough!
With that said, I was impressed with Lockwood’s No One is Talking About This. There are two parts of the book; in the first half, readers follow the reactions of an influencer scrolling and interacting through The Portal a.k.a online community/social media. There are a ton of references that may or may not fly over your head, depending on your online presence; however, I didn’t feel that my lack of knowledge of some of the references deterred how I related to the story. The writing style or format seems to mimic the act of scrolling with brief paragraphs in a series, most of which do not directly relate to one another. Some sections are funny, some morose, others a bit existential, but I think a lot of us can relate to falling down the hole of scrolling online. One minute we're watching cute kittens bouncing around, the next moment we’re learning about some tragedy or other. It is a complex wave of emotions, and Lockwood develops the main character through her interactions on The Portal.
The second half of the story is more grounded, as the main character must somewhat break away from The Portal to deal with a family tragedy. Doing so forces her to be more present and appreciate life offline. I do wish the two parts of the story connected a bit more. They felt a little disjointed, and each could almost be its own story. In other words, it’s almost like reading about two separate lives, but maybe that was Lockwood’s intention. Overall, an interesting (and quick) read!
4. A Crooked Tree
By Una Mannion
A Crooked Tree is a debut novel about a 15-year-old girl named Libby. The novel opens with her mother leaving Libby’s little sister on the side of the road to walk home in the dark. An event then unfolds, thus launching us into the story. A Crooked Tree is a coming-of-age narrative, but there are certainly higher stakes involved. Libby and her siblings come to terms with grief, the uncertainty of the future, and wavering relationships.
Overall, I enjoyed reading for the thematic elements involving family and grief, but I can’t say that I cared all that much about the characters. I hoped everything would work out for Libby and her siblings, but I don’t think they were as developed as they could have been. I am not usually driven to read many books with predominantly teen characters, but there are some growing pains and dysfunctional family dynamics involved that are relatable.
The story does take place in the 80s, in a somewhat isolated part of Pennsylvania. Mannion’s writing style is atmospheric, and there are plenty of descriptions of the mountains and forest where Libby and her family live. As a result, it is easy to pick up on the isolation, darkness, and fear that is also represented through the characters. This one was a 4-star for me!
5. After the Quake
by Haruki Murakami
I’m not sure why, but I have a difficult time remembering collections of short stories, even if I read them the week before. From what I do remember, After the Quake is a series of six stories that take place after the 1995 Kobe earthquake. The short stories provide a snippet of how various people were affected, despite not having a direct connection to the disaster. There is very little mention of the earthquake, and the lives depicted within the stories are only moments of hardship or existential crises that the characters face.
This was my introduction to Murakami, even though I’ve had two editions of Kafka on the Shore sitting on my shelf for the past 7 years. The ending of each story I remember being a bit ambiguous, and oh how I love those endings (if done effectively)! As I said before, these are only brief snippets of the lives of a few people after the earthquake, which not only depicts the uncertainty of the future, but also provides a brief glimpse into the darker side of human nature.
Overall, an interesting read that I rated 3 stars. Maybe I’ll finally pick up Kafka on the Shore? What do you think?
6. Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow
by Gabrielle Zevin
I’ve had a few questions from friends asking what I thought about Zevin’s new book. I’ve never read anything previously from this author, so I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect. It was one of the July picks for Book of the Month (not sponsored) and thought I would give it a go. I found it difficult to get into, at least for the first 100 pages or so, but I began to care for the characters' relationships with one another. Individually, I cannot relate to any of the characters and at times found them a tad annoying; however, I think Zevin has done a good job of depicting the realities and hardships of maintaining a friendship that spans decades. Essentially, the connection between Sam and Sadie was complex enough to keep me interested.
I think if you are interested in the world of gaming, definitely pick it up because there are plenty of references to games both old and new. I’m not super into gaming, and in no way do I relate to rich kids who went to expensive schools and managed to start a company (for the exception of Sam’s background). I usually hate reading about these kinds of characters, so I was surprised that I enjoyed reading Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow as much as I did. I think this is because I was more focused on the dynamic between Sam, Sadie, and Marx.
7. The Book of Form and Emptiness
by Ruth Ozeki
I’ve had a somewhat strange relationship with this book. It took me the entire month to read, but I did rate it 4 stars because I think it has some beautiful moments. Here are some of my favorite quotes:
“Disaster can strike at any moment, but we forget this, distracted by the bright, shiny comforts of our everyday lives. Wrapped in a false sense of security, we fall asleep, and in this dream, our life passes.”
“They had become conditioned to believe they were not enough, and were so focused on self-improvement they forgot about their inherent perfection. She wanted to tell them, Relax! Stop trying! Stop buying! Let’s just sit around together and do nothing for a while.”
“A person’s clutter wasn’t the result of laziness, procrastination, psychological disorders, or character flaws. It was a socioeconomic and even philosophical problem, one of Marxian alienation and commodity fetishism, which required nothing less than a spiritual revolution in a person’s world view, and a radical reevaluation of what was real and important.”
For me, these moments within Ozeki’s story encapsulate some of the global themes, including politics, environmentalism, and capitalism, showcased through the relationship between Benny and his mother as they grieve over the death of Benny’s father. There were times where I felt annoyed with Benny and Annabelle, which is probably why I had to keep putting it down; however, by the end of the novel, I realized that I just wanted them to be okay and work through the hardships. When they were suffering, I became frustrated and simply could not cope! I’m glad I did finish though, because I don’t often read books that sing to me in the way that The Book of Form and Emptiness did.
Total Read (including each volume of Flying Witch): 15
My biggest month yet! Overall, it was a good reading month! What did you read in July?