all the books i read in july and what i thought of them

 All the books I read in July and what I thought of them


In July I read 4 books because I forgot how to read, and I didn’t even have homework, so it’s really just a skill issue. I did knit a sweater, though. And then I didn’t like it, so I unravelled it and started over, and then I didn’t like that sweater, either, so I unravelled it again, and then I did like that sweater. I still have to block it. And then I started making a really complicated sweater with a million cables and knots and a little pattern that looks like olives and then I stabbed myself in the hand with my cable needle by mistake and the urgent care doctor didn’t believe me that it was as deep as I said it was. The medical system in this country really does not take women’s struggles seriously. 


✨✨✨


Either/Or by Elif Batuman


rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐


Am I supposed to be jealous of Selin? I’m jealous of Selin. These books feel a little like the Outline trilogy by Rachel Cusk and a little like the Neapolitan novels by Elena Ferrante. They could go on forever and I would not be upset. 


✈️✈️✈️


Dead End Memories by Banana Yoshimoto


rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐


I don’t like short stories but I love Banana Yoshimoto. She sort of just writes the same story over and over, but usually she does it quite well. I liked the story about the woman who got poisoned by mistake. The problem with short stories is that I wasn’t prepared to spend 40 pages on the same story five times and would have preferred to read one story for 200 pages. 


☠️☠️☠️


Earth’s the Right Place for Love by Elizabeth Berg


rating: ⭐⭐


I didn’t realize this was a prequel. That was my first mistake. The structure of this book is just nonsensical. The central relationship is nonsensical. It is like the protagonist and the love interest are living in their own little bubbles, and, contrary to how they act, actually do not notice the actions of the other person at all. Every major event is a subplot. It’s like the main plot is a koala on a tricycle being propelled forward by the landmines it runs over by mistake. 


🚂🚂🚂


The Chosen by Chaim Potok


rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐


This book is fantastic. There’s nothing like a deep friendship between Jews of different branches instigated by a gruesome eye injury. If I got hit by a baseball in the face, I’m told my glasses would shatter into my eyes, too, because I wanted the lenses to be thin enough to fit into wire frames. It would really be my own fault. I recommend this book so highly especially to any Jewish readers of my blog or non-Jewish readers who just really like Judaism.


⚾⚾⚾


At the time of writing I have remembered how to read since I took a brief hiatus from knitting after I stabbed myself. I did not expect to sustain puncture wounds when I took up knitting. If I wanted to be stabbed with needles I would sew something or get a flu shot.


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