AUDIOBOOK BINGE

I mentioned in a previous post that I have a Scribd 30-day free subscription, totally recommend it if you haven't used it already. Because of this subscription, I was was able to prune my TBR and give audiobooks another try. In my Call Me By Your Name review, I mentioned my abhorrence towards audiobooks and the book. I think I had a poor experience because the book was not my cup of tea, and because of the narrator, sorry Armie... The narrators of my recent audiobooks do voices, which made distinguishing the characters easy. Though, I still had an active listening/reading problem. I made a hasty conclusion about audiobooks after one bad experience, which was my mistake: audiobooks are great, especially on public transportation!

The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

I sought out to read this as part of my New Year's resolutions, and it was bugging me that I still hadn't read it. It is a beautiful and intelligent novel that reworks a story I thought I knew, albeit loosely. All I learned in Latin class was, Hector kills Patroclus, Achilles kills Hector, and Paris kills Achilles. The Troy movie burned Brad Pitt's handsome visage into my mind. I never knew of the homosexual undertones(?) in the Iliad, so this direction of the novel was illuminating; completely blew my mind because I only knew of Hephaestion and Alexander, à la the Call By Your Name  soundtrack (it all comes full circle!) The romance between the two was so precious: the love, devotion, purity, raw emotion, and honesty. It's a sweeping romance because it felt once-in-a-lifetime and sacred. The prose is fantastic, I plan to reread this novel physically to fully appreciate it.

Heretics Anonymous by Katie Henry

I was looking forward to this novel because of its ragtag cast: an atheist, a gay Jewish boy, a devout Catholic, a pagan, and whatever that last person wants to be. I was disappointed with this novel because I wasn't a fan of the unnecessary romance and its missed opportunity. Avi is the gay Jewish boy I mentioned, and he was gay so the novel can be considered LGBTQ (that's what I felt.) I wish he took more steps to actively help the LGBTQ community because he was passive throughout the book; I'm not suggesting everyone member of the community has to be a social justice warrior that advocates for LGBTQ rights, but since he's already part of a movement that tries to incite change and call attention to existing problems, he could have done something, even if the people [Catholic school] are unaccepting of the community. Those issues aside, I think the author does a great job of respecting different views and illustrating them in an unbiased way. 

In Paris With You by Clémentine Beauvais

I was looking forward to being swept away to Paris and living my idealistic Parisienne fantasy. I DNF'd this book. There's not much to say about this novel. I didn't like it, I couldn't get into it, I was bored, etc. Maybe I'd like it more if I read it in French, who knows.

The Travelling Cat Chronicles by Hiro Arikawa

The writing in this novel is simple; the characters do mundane things, but the author describes everything vividly: their actions, their surroundings, their feelings, etc. The writing is elegant and clean while spinning a beautiful tale about the bond between a pet and its owner. I loved the adventures and the connections the two made along the way; each encounter imparts change, somewhat like Gauche the Cellist, and it offers insight to Satoru's past. This book made me smile because of Nana's sassy narration (the author captured the essence of a cat perfectly,) but it also made me want to bawl my eyes out because of that ending. I would definitely recommend this novel if you want something light and enjoyable to read.