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| Source: personal collection |
Hi fellow readers! We're in the second half of the year now. I'm still on my
Ghibli Side Quest so expect to see their films on my wrap-up. In July, I
finished a book which I unexpectedly enjoy. Without further ado, here's the
list of books I read in July.
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Beauty - Andy Warhol (★★★) |
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This penguin archive collects five essays from The Philosophy of
Andy Warhol. The essays are Love (Senility), Beauty, Work, Time, and
Atmosphere. The only thing that I know about Andy Warhol is his work
his Campbell's Soup Cans and Marilyn. I don't know his personality
or his views. I assumed he's flamboyant like the artist stereotype.
His essays are not what I expected. I feel like he is a nonchalant
person. His essays more like his ramblings. At first I thought the
title was the theme or the topic of his essay. When I read it, I
feel like his essay more like his monologue when you ask question
such as 'what do you think about Love? and Beauty?'. Personally, I
think his thoughts are interesting and unexpected. I'm considering
reading the full book.
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Only Dull People Are Brilliant at Breakfast - Oscar Wilde (★★★) |
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The text collected in this Little Black Classics is taken from
Nothing . . . Except My Genius: The Wit and Wisdom of Oscar Wilde.
It's like a mini version of the book. It is a collection of Wilde's
wit and wisdom which I didn't expect before. His only work that I
recognize is The Picture of Dorian Gray which make me assume that
he's a serious person. This mini collection proves that he's an
amusing person. I enjoy reading his funny remarks and interesting
views on many things. I learned more about him as a person and his
life too, such as I didn't know that he was once incarcerated.
Reading this book tempt me to read his other works too. I highly
recommend reading this one.
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The Death of Ivan Ilyich - Leo Tolstoy (★★★★) |
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This little black classic contains one novella and one short story.
Although there is death in the title of the novella, It actually
tells the life of Ivan Ilyich, an ambitious and succesful high-court
judge. As he was dying from a terminal illness, he contemplates the
way he lived and whether he had lived an autenthic life. He looked
at his choices and how he prioritized his career, status, and
material possession. Reading this scares me actually. Only because
he's dying, faced with his mortality, that he finally take a deep
look at his life and realised that he didn't live the life that he
wanted. By the time he realised that, it's already too late. What if
that happened to me. I guess this novella makes me realize that at
times we do need to take a step back and evaluate our whole life. As
I grow older, I also realize that how I want to life my life matters
the most to me because I'm the one who's living it, not everyone
else. The Death of Ivan Ilyich serves as a wake-up call for me in a
way. Unfortunately, this novella is too powerful that the second one
in this book, Three Deaths, doesn't leave that much of an impression
on me. However, I still highly recommend this little black classics
to read.
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July Favorites
Films
Ocean Waves
It's a rewatch and from what I remember, I didn't really like this film. The
characters are annoying and the story is so simple it bored me. The second
time I watched this, somehow I had a refreshed mind and the ending touched
me. Perhaps because not log ago I wacthed the live action version of 5cm per
Second and somehow when I got to the point where the narrator narrated back
to the present time when they were all grown up, my mind immediately
compared the two. Ocean Waves ending is hopeful for the main couple which
delighted me.
Whisper of the Heart
Whisper of the Heart is also a rewatch for me. Again, I didn't remember it
being this cute and uplifting. I envy the characters in this film, honestly.
For someone so young, they already know what they want to do, which actually
the whole premise and the characters' journey in this film. The romance is
so cute, the soundtrack is beautiful. The ending is so wholesome I love it.
Mind you this one is not a fantasy though it might seem that way. Overall, I
think this film is exactly what I needed I highly recommend this one.
The Odyssey
I was surprised at first when I learned that Nolan's next film would be an
adaptation of a Greek epic. I personally think that it diverts from his
previous films. What I'm not surprised is the duration of the film. I'm
familiar with the source material although I've never really read it in full
form but I know that it's a packed story. Although, I treat it as a
different story altogether. So I came with an open mind and without bias
from the epic poem. I did enjoy the viewing experience. What I love about
this film is, the more I learn about this film's behind the scenes, the more
I appreciate Nolan's creative choices. All in all, it doesn't disappoint.
Princess Mononoke
This one is another rewatch. I love this film the first time I watched it
and still love it the second time. Princess Mononoke is up there on my list.
If you love Nausicaa, I think you'll love this one and it works both way
whichever you watch first. The difference is, San took more aggresive
approach than Nausicaa. However, the star here is not only San but also
Prince Ashitaka. One scene that I will always remember is how he tried to
mediate the conflict between San and Eboshi. It's one of those animation
films which is ahead of its time. Many scenes from this film etched in my
core memory. I got chills watching this film. Another one of Ghibli's that I
highly recommend to watch.
There you have it! I hope you had a great July. I'm going to look at the
next half of the year optimistically. I think I will be able to finish my
Ghibli side quest in August. Wish me luck!
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