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

I hate this wretched godforsaken season (summer). I actually thought to myself last week, man, I wish I had homework. That's absurd. This time of year is very bad for my health, and it makes me start thinking crazy things. I read 8 books this month, but one of them was The Last Unicorn, and I do not want to say any more bad things on the internet about media Tirna enjoys.

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Invitation to a Beheading by Vladimir Nabokov

rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

I'm becoming a Vladimir Nabokov fangirl. I am really enjoying his writing style, and I appreciate how it makes you really pay attention so you notice the particularly delightful parts. This book is about a man sentenced to be executed, and every other character is so annoying about it. Their responses to the situation are just absurd in various ways. I didn't fully understand it, but it was very fun and goofy.

I want to publicly complain about the publisher of this books BECAUSE THEY SPOIL THE BIG PLOT TWIST AND THE ENDING ON THE BLURB. WHO DOES THIS? WHY ARE THEY TRYING TO DENY ME THIS GREAT JOY?? WHOEVER WROTE THE BLURB SHOULD BE FORCED TO PAY A HEFTY FINE. Thanks for coming to my TED talk.

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Knife: Meditations After an Attempted Murder by Salman Rushdie

rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Those who read my blog religiously and have a photographic memory may remember that I enjoyed Quichotte, but this book is so much better. I think Salman Rushdie is a delightful person and has a distinctive and pleasant author's voice, but, as far as I can tell, his writing style makes his fiction books so aggressively whimsical and quirky that you can't really get absorbed in them. You are constantly thinking, ah, yes, these are the musings of the author, Salman Rushdie. Obviously, this is fine and even a positive thing in a memoir.

I liked how Salman Rushdie talks about writing as a way to get over trauma (see also: everything I have ever said about Hisham Matar), and I like what he says about wishing he could return to the innocence he had before he was stabbed. I was very impressed that he said that, after a year, he was no longer particularly upset with the assassin. On the other hand, I never get over grudges. Actually, this book made me think a lot about the nature of getting over one's lingering anger and spurred me to get over a particularly intense grudge I was harboring, which is why I gave it five stars. Salman Rushdie has done so much for me. 

HOWEVER I AM UPSET THAT THIS BOOK SPOILS THE TRIAL. MAYBE I WANTED TO READ THAT BOOK. "OH BUT CLARA YOU HAD 100 YEARS TO READ IT ALREADY" NO I HAD 19.

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Pnin by Vladimir Nabokov

rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

The introduction to this book says that Vladimir Nabokov wrote it at the same time as Lolita because Pnin is fun and lighthearted in the same way that Lolita is depressing. This makes me want to never read Lolita. I love Pnin. He is just a nice old man and I wish he were my professor. Life (Vladimir Nabokov) is constantly throwing misfortunes at him, and yet he is never defeated. He is capable of such great kindness and dignity. I want to give him a hug. I want to be like him when I grow up. 

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Stoner by John Williams

rating: ⭐⭐

If I had a nickel for every time this month I read a book whose title was the last name of the protagonist, and the protagonist was a professor whom the plot was not nice to, I would have two nickels, which isn't a lot, but it's weird that it happened twice. However, Pnin is fantastic, and Stoner is terrible. Pnin is far more loveable than Stoner. And, not just Stoner, but so many characters in this book just let terrible things happen to them because they are too apathetic to take control of their own lives. Stoner's terrible family life and career are both largely his own fault. I don't have any sympathy at all for characters who let themselves be dragged into terrible situations and don't do a thing to stop it. 

By following Stoner's entire unfortunate life and examining his greatest sorrows, the book gives accurate if not earth-shattering commentary on how what really matters in life are supportive parents and good teachers. There is also a love affair, but I don't think cheating on your wife is what makes life worth living. Why are you staying in an unhappy marriage anyway? Do you want a cookie for that? 

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East of Eden by John Steinbeck (rererereread)

rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I love this book so much I am going to write a paper about it where I compare John Steinbeck's interpretation of the story of Cain and Abel to how Jewish and Christian theologians think about the story of Cain and Abel. A big difference is that John Steinbeck thinks that "thou mayest" is an invitation to keep trying to live a good life, even after one has committed great sin, and to reject whatever bad nature one has inherited from one's ancestors. No theologian has ever thought about it this way (Cain and all of his descendants died in the flood). Some people think "thou mayest" is not an accurate translation of the original Hebrew, but Rashi is not one of those people. This is actually the only agreement between John Steinbeck and Rashi.

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A House for Mr. Biswas by V.S. Naipaul

rating: ⭐⭐

My professor kindly recommended this book to me. I realize it gets confusing because there is no way for you to know which professor I'm referring to, but I don't want to dox them or myself on the internet. On the one hand, this book was so unpleasant that I told myself this morning I would read the last 400 pages in one day to get it over with; on the other hand, it was so compelling that I did, in fact, read the last 400 pages today, and it wasn't even torture. The author has a fantastic writing style. He writes a very elegantly moving narrative. The atmosphere of the book feels so real, and it is easy to get very absorbed. However, there is no plot, and nothing happens for 600 pages except for petty drama between characters. Usually I enjoy this kind of thing, but, in this instance, the characters were all very unpleasant and boring, and it was exhausting to read about their squabbles and difficulties when I disliked their personalities. I would not be at all surprised if schoolchildren were forced to read this book in 100 years along with classics like Crime and Punishment and found themselves similarly bored to death. 

It was very funny to me that the narrator always refers to the protagonist as "Mr. Biswas," even when he is a baby. 

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The Trial by Franz Kafka

rating: ⭐⭐⭐

I would have liked it more if Salman Rushdie hadn't spoiled the ending.

If you are thinking about reading The Trial, I would suggest you read Invitation to a Beheading instead, since that book is basically the same, except goofier and more fun.