Mid-Weekly Wrap-Up: Because I'm Still Getting Used to This

This week I’ve been getting back on my feet reading-wise, and it’s been great! I’d kind of forgotten what it was like to get into a book and have it affect the way I saw my life.

I’ve been trying to find long blocks of time to read, and since I’m going running in the mornings again, I’ve found I have all the time in the world to read when I get back home and everybody’s still asleep.

I went to the library earlier this week and basically checked out every book that was on my reading list, minus a few exceptions that I either had at home or couldn't find. Needless to say, there’s a teetering stack of books on my bedside table, the couch, and the ground. I also ordered a couple of my books from Barnes & Noble, so those should be coming soon!

The books that I ordered from the Book Depository finally arrived, and they’re gorgeous. I’m not sure if I’ll be able to finish on time in the Moby-Dick readalong, but I’ll definitely read both of these soon.

Aren’t the whales so cute?! And the way the geometric shapes on the cover of The Knife of Never Letting Go catch the light is just dazzling (I couldn't capture it in the photo though). 

I really like these Penguin English Library editions. The cover designs are lovely, on the inside there’s a quirky little author picture, the book feels like velvet (or something equally soft), and at the back there’s an essay. At the back! I love it when the essays are at the back instead of the front.

Onto what I read this week:

This week I finished Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi, Monster by Walter Dean Myers, and Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell.

Persepolis was not at all what I was expecting, although to be honest, I’m not sure what I was expecting. But it was great. As a graphic novel, the black and white illustrations were a good fit for the subject material, and it was a nice balance between text and picture. 

Some of the events in this book are just heartbreaking (like the last scene with her uncle), and others make me want to punch somebody in the face. Because this was a memoir it made every scene sharper and every horrible thing more painful. 

Sometimes when reading a story I can remind myself, “This isn’t actually happening,” but I couldn’t do that when I read Persepolis. Still, this wasn’t a gruesome and depressing read, there were light and funny moments, and Marjane was someone anybody would love. I’m definitely going to pick up the sequel soon! I’ve just got to find it in my stack of library books.

Monster was such a whirlwind of emotions. I kept on going back and forth between whether or not I should be rooting for the main character, Steve. I’m not sure if this book would count as an example of an unreliable narrator, but Walter Dean Myers deserves credit for leaving it unclear as to whether or not Steve was guilty. I thought that he was, but that was only after I finished the last page.

During the beginning I thought “No, the protagonist couldn’t possibly be a bad guy!” Oh, young and foolish self from two days ago…

Even Steve didn’t know whether or not what he did could be considered as murder. Either that or he was trying to fool himself into believing that he was innocent. Denial or no, I don’t think he's a cold-blooded killer, just a guy who made a mistake. 

My last book of this week was Eleanor and Park, and wow oh wow was this one a surprise. I’d expected a cute little romantic comedy filled with awkward situations and witty one liners. 

It was nothing like that at all, except it was a romance, and there were awkward situations, and the people were witty. Eleanor and Park caught me completely off guard with the side-story of Eleanor’s situation with her step-father. But even though it was peppered in between all the fun of Eleanor and Park actually falling in love, it didn't overshadow their story. I can’t wait to reread this book with a copy of my own.

I’ve also started but haven’t finished Catch-22 and Divergent this week. Catch-22 easily wins the award for most confusing book that I’ve ever read, but luckily I can use the infamous SparkNotes to help me out with understanding everything. I picked up a copy of Divergent the other day and I just decided to reread it for no good reason, probably because It’s not on my TBR list and I’m such a rebel.

I was going to read Much Ado About Nothing but then I realized that I’d missed it in theaters, so I figure I’ll save it for later. Maybe when it comes to Redbox…

I’m looking forwards to participating in the The Odyssey readalong  later this month, too! I can’t wait to dive in (I just need to find a copy!).

Have a great reading week!