A LITTLE LIFE MIDWAY CHECK IN

I started reading A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara on February 4th; it's April 15th as I type this post. Of the 814 pages, I am on 387, which isn't significant progress considering I've been "reading" this book for almost two months. 

Firstly, why am I reading this book? Frankly, I'm not sure either. It's probably because of all the Jack Edwards videos: celebs' favorite books, most depressing books, this book broke me, and other videos in the same vein. 

Either way, I am late, as usual, to the bandwagon. This book was popular when it came out, and I remember two bookstagram accounts raving about it. Other than the fact that this book has a long list of triggers and isn't for the faint of heart, I knew virtually nothing about the book. 

BOOKS I READ SINCE THE BEGINNING OF THE NEW YEAR PT. 1

I've been decluttering my shelf and selling books on Pango. If you live in the US and want to purchase some of my books at a low price, please check out my Pango Seller Profile. 

2022 WRAP UP

I began drafting this post in August because it felt like the end of my reading year. The list will not grow if I don't set out time to read, spend most of my time watching videos at two times speed, or just staring into space. 

Then November happened, and I got busy. Some people spend more time together when the weather gets cold, but I spend it alone with books. Both are equally, albeit differently, fruitful by the end of the following year, but I should theoretically have a better sleep schedule than the others. 

I HAVE A TYPE | OOF, THIS MANHWA WAS GREAT

 

A Business Proposal 

Illustrator: Narak

Author: Perilla &p Haehwa

    Ha-ri made a deal—go on one blind date for her BFF and pretend to be a super-vixen to end all of her unwanted marriage set-ups! Unfortunately, instead of easy money, Ha-ri’s got a headache. Her date is Taemu, her company’s hot new CEO, and he’s got his own plans to get his family to back off by marrying whoever shows up on the date. Should Ha-ri accept his proposal to keep playing pretend? Nothing could go wrong with lying about your real identity while dating the boss... right??

BOOK HAUL + REVIEW

BANANA-MANIA

Super late, like 20+ years, to the trend. I adored Kitchen because the writing is beautiful and profound. The book's two stories are about grief: finding people that are also experiencing loss, communicating with them, and overcoming the grief. I was surprised by the fantastical/magical realism aspect. Kitchen was one of my favorite books this year, so I wanted to read more of Banana Yoshimoto's words.

Coincidentally, I purchased the books she wrote/published right after Kitchen. I purchased N.P., Lizard, and Asleep—I listed them chronologically. If I had known that I would read her bibliography chronologically, I also would've picked up Amrita, but I'm glad I didn't because it doesn't sound that great.

MUSIC MONDAYS

In another installment of non-book review content on a "book blog," I will introduce some songs that I've been loving. Let me know what songs you liked or disliked from this list, and comment below what you're listening to at the moment. I truly appreciate song recommendations because I'm stuck and sick of listening the songs below. I need some new stuff!

NAMAIKIZAKARI + ANONYMOUS NOISE REVIEW

I know I'm late to this review train because Namaikizakari ended in December 2021. I stopped reading the series around chapter 80 because it got annoying and repetitive, but I recently saw that the author had some new stuff and felt the urge to finish it.

This series ran from 2013-2021! I remember following it and reading it in high school. I thought Naruse was so cute. Then, I found his moodiness annoying. Yuki is one-dimensional, frustrating, and quite boring. They're both childish. A great reflection of who I was and still am... 

I FINISHED KOKORO AND MY MOST ANTICIPATED RELEASE EVER

Written Before Finishing

Didn't like Kokoro by Natsume Soseki. Again, the author teases things but makes us wait so long and doesn't present it in a way that I felt warranted the wait and frustration. Sure, I have a greater understanding of some characters, have greater sympathy for them, and would occasionally pause to consider the profoundness of the writing. However, this book was so dull. 

Now for the main event.

Release by Lucy Christopher. I'm attaching this video, so you can get an idea of what the book is like.