All the books I read in August and September and what I thought of them

unfortunately for my readership, i am back at school now, and i have forgotten how to read. but it could be worse, because if i wasn't at school, you would still be listening to me whining. i would like to apologize specifically to frank for the late blog update because i think if it had taken me any longer, he would have just had an aneurysm. my shift key is broken. I read 6 books in August and 5 books in September (in September they were all for school except the one about the Greek alphabet).

My Friends by Hisham Matar

rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

I think this is probably the most sophisticated book by this author so far, and my favorite for sure. I love friendship! I love reading about friendship! The last sentence notwithstanding, I was in a constant state of stress while I was reading this book because every friendship in the protagonist's life feels a little unstable. You are constantly thinking, I know they're going to drift apart. Something is not quite right.  But I also appreciate the depth and complexity the author gave to the friendships, and the way he talks about friendship being a place you inhabit. I agree with that. If I am forced to read books about complicated bad relationships (I'm not), I should also be allowed to read books about arguably ill-fated friendships, too. 

I think it's funny that the author wrote two books consecutively about going back to Libya and now this book is about a guy who WILL NOT go back to Libya. You would have to hold a gun to his head. 

The Perpetual Orgy by Mario Vargas Llosa

rating: ⭐⭐⭐

I don't know why this is the title; this book is just a really long essay about Madame Bovary. Mario Vargas Llosa is a simp for Madame Bovary. The guy just loves Madame Bovary so much. I did not love Madame Bovary, so I read this book because I thought it would help me get Madame Bovary. Then I started reading Mario Vargas Llosa's modern retelling of Madame Bovary because I thought that would be more interesting. It is; I'm almost finished with it. My takeaway from Madame Bovary is, I'm glad those aren't my problems. I think Mario Vargas Llosa's love for his favorite book is very sweet and charming because I'm attached to certain books, too. I don't really remember what the point of this essay was, but it felt edifying at the time. 

Weather by Jenny Offill 

rating: ⭐⭐

Everything about this book reminds me of the reasons I deleted Twitter (what's Twitter?). It is just a bunch of anxious normie liberals. They are so concerned about climate change and Donald Trump or whatever. It just gets old. I'm not old enough for cynicism, and I want to be happy. The protagonist of this book sort of reminded me of Selin because of the way they relate the events and ideas around them, but Selin is infinitely more charming, and the way ideas filter through her mind to us is infinitely more interesting than this lady. Lizzy? If that's not her name, then that's an indictment of the book and not me. 

Essentials of Environmental Science by Andrew Friedland and Rick Relyea

rating: ⭐⭐

I read this for a summer class, and I didn't enjoy the class at all. I can't believe I took environmental science in high school, disliked it, and then decided to take environmental science again. I'm too smart to be this stupid. 

If on a Winter's Night a Traveler by Italo Calvino (rerereread)

rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 

I could write a whole essay about this book, and I might. I love it so much. I have become so attached to it. It makes me feel lucky to be alive and to have books to read. 

Is Love the Answer? by Uta Isaki

rating: ⭐⭐⭐

This book is about a girl realizing she's asexual. I liked this book worst when it was impersonating a dictionary and I liked it best when it was drawing connections between the experience of being asexual and other experiences, like questioning your sexuality, having intense interests, wanting an unconventional relationship, and resolving conflicts in a dating relationship. Maybe the most unfortunate attitude someone could have about asexuals is thinking that being asexual is a niche experience that doesn't have anything to do with you unless you are asexual. I think being asexual forces you to ask questions about love that not everyone has the same motivation to ask, even though they might benefit from thinking about love in unorthodox ways. I think I don't really like manga.

Prometheus Bound by probably Aeschylus 

rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

I am actually so upset that someone lost the rest of the trilogy. Did you leave it in a taxi?? My professor says she didn't do it. I just want to know who it was so they can have a serious discussion with my knife.

Ion by Euripides

rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

It's really wild how subversive Greek tragedies are towards the gods. For example, in this one, everything is Apollo's fault. I can't believe no one dies. 

The Adventures of Telemachus by Francois Fenelon

rating: ⭐⭐⭐

Telemachus is a manic pixie dream girl, and this book is so preachy it would make your head spin. My professor referred to events in this book twice as "didactic lessons" and that didn't actually feel redundant. The lessons are just so didactic. In fairness to Fenelon, he wrote the book to teach a lesson to the future king of France (he would have been the king of France if he hadn't died of measles), so the stakes are not really, is this book entertaining. The stakes are, can I prevent the future king of France from being an unfeeling tyrant who only cares about his own fun. It's a political novel. I don't like political novels. But, at a certain point, it's fruitless to hate on every book your professor makes you read for class. Now we're reading Robinson Crusoe, and somehow I'm enjoying that more.

Homer and the Origins of the Greek Alphabet by Barry Powell

rating: ⭐⭐⭐

My professor kindly told me to read this book. The main idea is that Greeks invented writing so they could write down Homer's epic poetry. The logical jumps the author makes are staggering. I don't really buy his argument, but neither does my professor. I think when I was reading this book, I had forgotten how to read for fun, so I was vibing with it a lot more than I would have been if I hadn't forgotten how to read. I think it's good to stop being a hater.

Bakkhai by Euripides

rating: ⭐⭐⭐

I liked this play less than the others because I put off reading it for too long, so I was trying to finish it before class. This one feels pro-Dionysos to me. I think if you can't recognize a god is a god when they start doing supernatural things, you're stupid, and you deserve whatever happens to you after that.