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.

REREADING BLACK BIRD MANGA TO NOT FINISH KOKORO

The title says it all. I'm currently reading Kokoro by Natsume Soseki, don't know what provoked me, but I am slightly regretting it. I'm also taking Japanese over the summer to finish up my degree; part of the class is talking to students in Japan, which is nerve-racking and an absolute shit-show on my part. During one of the sessions, I learned that Kokoro is one is the books students read during Middle School or High School (I don't remember which one,) which made me think of a fantastic challenge: reading the language curriculum of other countries!

I READ GREAT BOOKS WHILE I'VE BEEN AWAY

Perfume: The Story of a Murderer

This is hands down one of the best books I have ever read. The writing is immaculate; it reminds me of Lolita for some odd reason. The way scent is captured and the characterization. There's a unique cast of characters, and it's thrilling to see how Grenouille impacts their lives; my favorite interaction is with Baldini because of all the scent and perfume descriptions. 

PAIN AND K-POP IDOLS | BLACK WINTER MANHWA REVIEW

Black Winter

by Jeong Ina

    On a dark winter night, a young boy was cursed and a young girl had sinned.

    One cold winter night, Haesa seeks shelter in an old house in the mountains, where she meets a slumbering stranger named Yuan. That's when tragedy begins to befall Haesa’s friends, plunging the young girl into a sad and lonely youth. Ten years later, as Yuan starts to regain his lost memories, he realizes that this cursed fate goes back much further, to a time only he can recall. But with sinister forces at play, will they be able to break the toxic cycle and step into the warmth of spring?

ABSOLUTELY DOMINATING MY READING CHALLENGE | JANUARY WRAP-UP

I need to thank Viz's online Jump subscription service, the New York Public Library, and Queens Public Library. I devoured this challenge, but then again, I have very low expectations (45 books). I'm keeping things realistic and managing expectations. 

A BOOK REVIEW ALREADY?

Emma 

by Jane Austen

Penguin Books | May 6, 2003

    Emma Woodhouse is one of Austen's most captivating and vivid characters. Beautiful, spoilt, vain and irrepressibly witty, Emma organizes the lives of the inhabitants of her sleepy little village and plays matchmaker with devastating effect.

Bookshop (Affiliate) Link

2021 WRAP UP IN 2022

I sought out to read 20 books in 2021, and I sorta accomplished this goal.