Hello it's been a while! Although I only got through half of this month’s TBR, I managed to finish 4 books and 3 volumes of a graphic novel! I sort of fell into a reading slump mid-July (and perhaps got distracted by video games again…). Nevertheless I found two new favorite books and branched out of my comfort zone to read some contemporaries! While I do enjoy some of the contemporary genre, I realized it takes me forever to get through these books compared to fantasy books. I still plan to read more contemporaries in the future, but ] I probably won’t read more than two in a single month.
Here are the books I read in the month of July!
Books Mentioned:
The Wicked + The Divine Volumes 2, 3, & 4 by Keiron Gillen and Jamie McKelvie
A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara
The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng
On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong
*this was written before I wrote a full book review for each one, so I apologize in advance if I don’t have too much to say or if some thoughts are incoherent!
The Wicked + The Divine Volumes 2, 3, & 4 by Keiron Gillen and Jamie McKelvie
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“Following the tragic and unjust death of Lucifer, it takes a revelation from Inanna to draw Laura back into the worlds of Gods and Superstardom to try and discover the truth behind a conspiracy to subvert divinity.”
I like this series so far, but I wouldn’t consider it anything other than good. The art is amazing and I fall in love with it every time I read a new issue (it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that I am reading this series for the art). I love the extremely diverse cast of characters and their different backgrounds before they became gods. I especially love Laura, Minerva, Inanna, and Baal!
My main problems with the series so far are the characterization, character development and plot overall. I often felt at times that the characterization was one-dimensional: the characters don’t have that much personality beside that of who they are as a god. I also think the character development is lacking (though, given the large cast, it isn’t that surprising, just disappointing). And although the plot is enjoyable and fun, it’s sometimes hard to follow and after [REDACTED] is killed, there isn’t much direction in the plot aside from following the rest of the gods before they all eventually die. I still want to see where this series concludes and I hope to get back to it next month!
A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara
Rating: ★★★★★ 5 stars
“When four classmates from a small Massachusetts college move to New York to make their way, they're broke, adrift, and buoyed only by their friendship and ambition. Over the decades, their relationships deepen and darken, tinged by addiction, success, and pride. Yet their greatest challenge, each comes to realize, is Jude himself, by midlife a terrifyingly talented litigator yet an increasingly broken man, his mind and body scarred by an unspeakable childhood, and haunted by what he fears is a degree of trauma that he’ll not only be unable to overcome—but that will define his life forever.”
This book completely destroyed me and is now one of my favorite books of all time! I think I cried 4 (?) times and sobbed for a good hour after it ended! I’m going to save most of my (sad) thoughts for the book review but I just wanted to mention how I really love the characters in this book and their relationship with one another and with Jude. Yanagihara’s writing is so good and so beautiful in bringing us on the journey of one man’s life and eliciting all sorts of emotions within the readers. The different perspectives of the characters gave us insight into their relationship with and love for Jude. Yanagihara is exceptionally well at conveying to us the feelings and emotions these characters, specifically Jude, feel and it just pulls you further into the story.
There isn’t much to say about the plot as there really isn’t one? Like the title of the book implies, the plot revolves around Jude and his life as he ages. We follow Jude throughout most of his life and learn to love him as a character. The story also brings forth issues of sexuality, trauma, and mental illness in an interesting way, but certain scenes seem to exist mainly for shock value and it didn’t exactly sit well with me. I also agree with many who say that this book is essentially “torture porn” as it recounts really bad things that happen to a certain character both in the past and the present.
I don’t necessarily recommend anyone to read this book as it has a lot of trigger warnings and the overall content and story just isn’t for everyone. But if you are interested, I would definitely recommend checking the trigger warnings (which may give some spoilers) and reviews of the book!
Also: I love Jude St. Francis with my whole heart and I’d do anything for his happiness :(
The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
“Greece in the age of heroes. Patroclus, an awkward young prince, has been exiled to the court of King Peleus and his perfect son Achilles. By all rights their paths should never cross, but Achilles takes the shamed prince as his friend, and as they grow into young men skilled in the arts of war and medicine their bond blossoms into something deeper - despite the displeasure of Achilles' mother Thetis, a cruel sea goddess. But then word comes that Helen of Sparta has been kidnapped. Torn between love and fear for his friend, Patroclus journeys with Achilles to Troy, little knowing that the years that follow will test everything they hold dear.”
This book also completely ruined me. I fell in love with Miller’s writing and her storytelling through Circe, and I fell in love with them again while reading The Song of Achilles. Miller’s prose is amazing and the storytelling engages you and pulls you into the world and the minds of the characters. While I think the storytelling falls short of that of Circe, I loved this book so much more because of the characters and their relationship with one another.
I especially love Patroclus. His development was done really well and he is such an endearing character. I also like Achilles for who he is to Patroclus and the lengths he would go for Patroclus, but he was kind of an asshole in the latter half of the book. I also really enjoyed reading about their relationship and their passion, love, and understanding of each other it’s just *chef’s kiss* beautiful. (also the pining,,,i am combusting)
The plot was also good! Trojan war! Action! :D The pacing of the plot was consistent and didn’t drag too much at some parts. Miller stays true to the source material while also weaving in her reimagining of this part of Greek Mythology. I think her reimagining really shone through in the last scenes of the book, where Patroclus and Thetis talk and Patroclus shares his fond memories of Achilles to her. It was beautifully written and provided closure to Thetis, to Patroclus, to Achilles, and to the story.
This book is definitely one of my favorite books and I plan to buy a physical copy soon so I can appreciate it’s glory on my bookshelf :)
Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng
“Lydia is the favorite child of Marilyn and James Lee, and her parents are determined that she will fulfill the dreams they were unable to pursue. But when Lydia’s body is found in the local lake, the delicate balancing act that has been keeping the Lee family together is destroyed, tumbling them into chaos.”
Another contemporary book and my first Celeste Ng book! I really enjoyed Ng’s writing and was surprised by how much I enjoyed this (given that I’m not a huge fan of contemporaries). It is a profoundly moving story that revolves around a mixed Chinese-white family and their life before and after the death of their favorite daughter Lydia. I enjoyed how Ng handled the themes of death, grief, and racism and how it has affected each member of the family in different ways. I also liked how the story showed the importance of communication in any relationship and how problematic it is for parents to hold high expectations for their children and shape their children to who they want their children to be.
I found the parents to be detestable because of the toxic environment they created for their children. Although I sympathize with the three Lee children, I couldn’t connect to them on a personal level or relate to their experiences. It doesn’t really bother me when I can’t relate to a character, but because this is a contemporary novel that revolves around a half-Chinese family, I felt that my lack of connection prevented me from getting the most out of the story.
Nevertheless, the book is well written and I recommend everyone to read it as it tackles difficult themes and intricately explores family dynamics.
On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong
“A letter from a son to a mother who cannot read. Written when the speaker, Little Dog, is in his late twenties, the letter unearths a family's history that began before he was born — a history whose epicenter is rooted in Vietnam — and serves as a doorway into parts of his life his mother has never known, all of it leading to an unforgettable revelation.”
This is my first Ocean Vuong book and I really enjoyed reading it! Vuong explores race, gender, sexuality, masculinity, grief, war, immigration, and language through his eloquent and beautiful prose. He draws upon his own experience and historical events and weaves it into his fictional story, into a heartfelt letter from a son to his illiterate mother. There were so many moments in the book where Vuong hits you with a phrase or sentence that makes you think about life, about who we are. Vuong has a way with words that made his writing a pleasure to read.
I also found the characters really interesting and understood the pains of leaving one’s country due to war. The refugee experience is a unique one, and Vuong explores it through Little Dog’s mother and grandmother. What really stood out to me were these women’s experiences of PTSD and how it has affected their body and mind. I also related to Little Dog in regards to his relationship with his mother, despite my relationship being much different than his.
Overall, I highly recommend this novel! It is a very strong debut novel that explores various themes and the power of telling one’s own story.
─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───
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