1/3 – Meh
2/3 – Really Good!
3/3 – Fantastic!
*In order of what was read first
February
Total pages read: 405
Reading Rate: 14.5 pages a day
Bar and Ger
Aron, Geraldine. Bar and Ger: a Drama in One Act. S. French
Pages read: 17/17
Rating: 3/3
Bar and Ger is the play I am both directing and acting in for One Act, and I’m in love with it. It tells the true story of two siblings, Bar and Ger, as they grow up amidst domestic turmoil and youthful ignorance. It is a beautiful mix of lyrical wording and grounded reality. Occasionally the piece feels so intimate to the two real-life counterparts that one feels like a simple spectator, just along for the ride.
Slaughterhouse Five
Vonnegut, Kurt. Slaughterhouse Five. Vintage Classics, 2019.
pages read: last 100/275
Rating: 3/3
This my my favourite book, fighting for that title with Fight Club. However, gun to my head, I choose Slaughterhouse. A tale of a man becoming ‘unstuck in time’ and experiencing his life out of order; he visits WW2, his marriage, a plane crash, and the planet Trafalmadore. Vonnegut is a master at making the most insane and far-flung concept a perfect allegory for what we fear to talk about. The novel is absurdist, but not without a tether of the horror of war to tie it together.
The Joy Luck Club
Tan, Amy. The Joy Luck Club. Penguin USA, 2016.
Pages Read: 288/288
Rating: 3/3
A stunning story of maternal relationships and cultural dissonance, Tan’s novel is dripping with gorgeous imagery. At times you can taste and feel the words in the book. Gorgeous and full of heart, even the second read stayed with me for long after.
Reflection:
For such a busy month I’m proud of what I accomplished. I feared my reading rate would slip into the single digits, but I managed to keep it up. As well, what I read this month was almost entirely for pleasure, with everything being 3/3. Slaughterhouse Five is such a joy to read that it made my week to get my hands on it again. If this is what a busy month looks like, then I’m proud.
Goals:
Next month I would like to raise my reading rate to 17 pages a day. For choice of books, I plan to read Franz Kafka’s Metamorphosis, as well as Jeffery Fink and Joseph Cranors’ It Devours. From there I will see where the book gods take me, and choose something freely.
March
Total pages read: 545 pages
Reading rate per day: 17.5 pages per day
Metamorphosis
KAFKA, FRANZ. METAMORPHOSIS. ARCTURUS PUBLISHING LTD, 2018.
Pages read: 55/55
Rating: 2/3
A short read, but an interesting one. The use of absurdity appealed to me, and the way it critiqued a society devoid of individualistic meaning. At times I found it confusing; the language a little outdated. Yet I still appreciated it, and it´s completely unique story.
Boyden, Joseph. The Orenda. Vintage Books, an Imprint of Random House LLC, 2015.
Pages read: 490/490
Rating: 2/3
A beautiful story of three intertwining viewpoints during a crucial moment of history. While reading it I was able to experience perspectives I had never thought I would be able to read. The book allowed some brilliant insights into the human condition I had never considered either.
Reflection:
I increased my rate, but I still need to increase it. I´m still in a very busy point of my life, so I´m proud that I managed this to begin with. I´m also proud of what I read, as it supported my goal to read up on all the classics I´ve missed over my short life. I may not have loved what I read this month, but I appreciate the value of what I read.
Goals:
My goal for next month is to improve my rate to 20 pages a day. It´ll be a challenge, with one act coming up, but I can also taking the time to bringing in candy and poetry to boost my count. In content, I really want to read the Nightvale book that was lent to me, as well as one challenger book, specifically Wuthering Heights.
April
Total Pages Read: 670
Reading Rate: 22 pages per day
It Devours!
It Devours! By Joesph Fink and Jeffery Cranor
Pages read: 400/400
Rating: 3/3
Love this book, like most NightVale products, it is a complete release from any constraint of reality. What really hooked me in this specific spin-off; however, was the religious and scientific debate it manged to have with itself oh-so-maturely. The book manged to take two sides that often seem to be at odds, and challenge any pre-conceived notions about the two groups and treat the issue with such respect.
The Princess Bride
The Princess Bride by William Goldman
Pages read: 270/410
Rating: 3/3
I loved the movie as a kid, and it stayed in my subconscious as a teenager. It is pure joy. A self-referential, meta, snarky romp that brings a comfort of sitting in bed as a child and being read to.
Reflection:
I’m so proud of this rate. It was hard, this is one of the busiest months I’ve ever had. I have really enjoyed my readings as well. Lot of focus of just the joy of what a story can bring, and in this very high stress season, I needed that. I should have read something more weighty, but with current events, I needed escape.
Goals:
May and June are almost a “cool down” month for me. I can breath easy and focus on my studies. I plan on raising my rate by 5 pages. As well as reading more in the form of classic literature, like finally finishing Wuthering Heights, which I have yet to do.
May/June
Total Pages Read: 500
Reading Rate: 11 pages per day
The Princess Bride
The Princess Bride by William Goldman
Pages read: 140/410
Rating: 3/3
Still good. Still wonderful. My original review stands true. A fantastic, meta, and well written romp with pirates, princess, and true love. Honestly, if you are just craving fun, I recommend this book so, so much.
The Deadlands
The Deadlands By Benjamin Percy
Pages read: 200/400
Rating: 1/3
This was just like every other piece of dystopian fiction I have ever read or watched. It had a good start, but leaned too heavily into its “Lewis and Clarke” allegory, where it began to feel preachy. It also felt like it treated its female characters with too much of a “male gaze”.
The Handmaid’s Tale
The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood.
Pages Read: 160/336
Rating 3/3
Yes. This book is amazing. Yes. I love it. But it is hard to read. I just had to put it down. With recent events in our society, and my own fears, it got too under my skin. The message is received, just a hard one to bear.
Reflection:
Yikes. Rough couple of months there. I have been busier than I thought, with the final pile on of assignments. But I am disappointed in myself. I was on such a role! Argh. I couldn’t get into any of my new reads, with them either frustrating or depressing me.
Goals:
Over the summer, I want to read regularly and enjoy it. I should start with Slaughterhouse Five as I love it, and it will restart my love affair with the written word. From there, I need to read what and where I want. In my last summer before uni, hedonism (literary hedonism that is) is the name of the game.
Gif: Onedio.co. “From Subatomic Particles To A Mirror Universe: Here’s The Most Striking Theories Of Physics!” Onedio.co, 11 Jan. 2017, onedio.co/content/from-subatomic-particles-to-a-mirror-universe-heres-the-most-striking-theories-of-physics-13321.
