Books 1-3

I'm 8 days into my 92-day summer reading challenge, and I've finished 3 books. Mathematically, that's not great. However, I am still in school until June 24, so that is slowing things down for me, and I do have several shorter books coming up, so hopefully I can still catch up.

1. Sula, Toni Morrison. I have actually never read a book by Toni Morrison before (I know, the shame!) and I was pleasantly surprised at the ease of reading. I liked the powerful story of female friendship and the important way she calls out racism. However, I always have a hard time believing a character who just refuses to subscribe to what I see a human morals. I guess people like Sula might exist, but I believe they have more facets to them.

2. 13 Ways of Looking at a Fat Girl, Mona Awad. Holy cow. This book killed me. So many sentiments that I have felt throughout my life were expressed, and none of them were pleasant or uplifting. It was enlightening, however, and I choose to see this story as a cautionary tale. My worth is not dependent on my weight, and neither happiness, self-esteem, nor a positive relationship will ever come from simply being skinny.

3. Harry Potter and the Half-blood Prince, JK Rowling. As good as ever. I haven't read these books since the 7th came out in the summer of 2007, and Dinesh hasn't ever read them, so we decided together that it was time. We're listening to the audiobooks and it's so so fun. Jim Dale, the narrator, is a genius. I remember when I first read them thinking that the third book was my favorite, and after listening through this time, I realized that the third book is the end of the somewhat easygoing, happy Harry Potter stories. After that, although there are moments of triumph and real, human joy, there is so much darkness and loss to contend with, and it's painful to listen! I really care about these characters, and in a way, entering the stories again has felt like coming home. So, every tragedy in the wizarding world feels tragic to me as well. However, I am endlessly touched by the friendship between Harry, Hermione, and Ron. Their dedication to each other is admirable and makes these among the most powerful books I've ever read. I'm waiting a minute to start the 7th, because I don't want them to be over again!

I'm currently working on Alias Grace, Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore, and The Wilderness, so check back very soon for those reviews!

Comments

  1. The 3rd was always my favorite too :) Not my favorite movie, but my favorite book by far. Love you Kami!

    Kels

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