October 2024 Wrap-Up & Favorites

Source: personal collection

Hi fellow readers! Now we arrive in the spooky month. Though I managed to read more than the previous month, my only regret is I didn't get to read horror books (even though I already have several Stephen King's books just laying there in my room). I read a Junji Ito's manga though.

Books read in October

	Why I Write - George Orwell (★★★)
	Why I Write is not the first book by George Orwell that I read, but it's my first nonfiction of his. He's quite vocal regarding political issues as evidenced by the theme of his books, even the fictions. In this essay collection, he infered that writers must have a stand in their writings. Under any political conditions, they have to be able to voice their critique and don't conform to the dominant political views. As a context, Orwell wrote these essays during World War II, when England was against fascist and socialist countries. So he wrote a lot about those in these essays. He also wrote about how writers tend to use complicated sentences in political writing which could create political bias. All in all, it's such a fascinating read. Clear your mind before reading this book because it's small but pack quite a punch. If you're into politics, you might want to pick this book up.
	Dissolving Classroom - Junji Ito (★★★)
	This manga consists of seven stories with five of them revolve around Yuma and his sister. The strange siblings always bring destruction everywhere they go. The little sister said her brother communed with the devil and whenever people hear him apologizing, their brains would melt. While the little sister would then consume the brain liquid. Sounds disgusting? that's Junji Ito for you. If you've read Junji Ito's before, you wouldn't be too surprised. In fact, I think this manga is milder than his other works. If you like horror, especially body horror, then this manga might be the right one for you.
	Goodnight Punpun Omnibus, Vol. 7 - Inio Asano (★★★)
	We're finally at the end of this roller coaster journey that is Punpun's story. After the chaotic mess and the twisted relationship between Punpun and his childhood sweetheart in the previous volume, it concludes in a rather tragic event. It's oh so messy and disturbing but considering what's been happening in Punpun's life, unfortunately it's kind of unexpected. Does it end in a happy note? perhaps I could say yes, but still in a typical Punpun's fashion. So, overall if you're not in a good mental state, I don't recommend reading this series.
	Snow Country - Yasunari Kawabata (★★★)
	Snow Country is a book about a love affair between a Tokyo man, Shimamura, and Komako, a young geisha from a remote town in a mountain. The mountain is often covered in snow which dubbed it the snow country. Shimamura went to the remote town as an escape from the busy city life and that's when he met Komako. It's a quiet and slow-paced tale. The lyrical writing is so detailed on describing the setting that it affects the mood of the story. Though this book is not for everyone, Yasunari Kawabata's writing style encourages me to pick up his other works.

October Favorites

Series

Agatha All Along

Honestly, I didn't have any expectation starting this series. Agatha is a side character that I've never even known about before WandaVision. The series blew my mind. It's good. The series is so Agatha, if you know what I mean. Kathryn Hahn is so perfect as Agatha, not to mention Aubrey Plaza. It's like she's born to play the role. The plot might seem confusing at first. You can't help but guessing and making theories about what actually happen in the series. If it's something that you like to watch, then try starting this series.

There you have it! The end of year is approaching and I still have two months to go. See you on the next monthly wrap-up post!