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Hello fellow readers, how are you doing? Hope you all stay safe and healthy. It's still rainy season where I live so mostly I stayed at home on the weekends. However, I didn't read as many books as in January because I spent a lot of my time watching films and TV series. I watched a good amount of good films so that's a plus. Anyway, here are the books I read in February.
Books read in February
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Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind - Yuval Noah Harari (★★★★) |
Sapiens is a bestseller nonfiction book by Harari about the history of Homo Sapiens. This book is so hyped that at some point people who read it are labeled as pretentious. As for me, I don't care. The subject of this book is something that I'm interested in anyway. The problem is, I'm the kind of reader who's very curious and like to overthink. After putting off reading this book I finally brave myself and started it. I buddy read this book with my work colleague and she already finished it a week earlier than I did. I read a physical copy of it and lo and behold, I already broke the spine (lol). My copy is full of sticky tabs and my handwritten notes here and there. Rather than reviewing the content of this book (which will be a full on essay), I'll just write my reading experience. At first glance, this book is like a history textbook for dummies because it's written in such an easy to understand language. The data presented is based on factual findings and research that were cited from many sources. Some of the references are listed at the end of the book but since it's too many he included a web link in which we can access the full list. Harari explained the evolution of Sapiens chronologically up until modern times. However, I think the transition between Agricultural revolution to the Scientific revolution is a little rough. It feels out of place to me.
I read this book because I want to understand how we become what we are today. I think in order to do that we should know our root, where we came from. Although this book cannot give us exactly that, at least it gives me an idea of it. Why not? Simply because we could only learn about the past from the biological standpoint. we can't know what our ancestors really think and why. So what Harari provides to us instead are theories. Here's where it gets tricky. We couldn't know exactly which theories are true because there's not enough evidence to fully support that. I said before that I'm an overthinker so when I was reading this book, there were nights when I over analyzed these theories because I'm too curious to figure out the most plausible truth. Oh boy, those were the nights. That's exhausting. Anyway, if you're interested in the subject, please read it. It gives me quite an insight and broaden my knowledge.
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Three Tang Dynasty Poets - Wang Wei, Li Bai, Du Fu (★★) |
This penguin little black classic collects poems written by three poets from the Tang Dynasty, Wang Wei, Li Bai, and Du Fu. It is said that the Tang Dynasty is considered as the golden age of Chinese poetry. The poets included in this mini book are some of the most famous poets from Tang Dynasty. You see, I don't usually read poetry because it often goes over my head. The poems in this book are pretty straightforward. However they often reference names, places, or events from the time period. Since I know nothing about the Tang Dynasty, I feel like I couldn't fully appreciate the poems in this book. I need to know the context in which they're written. There are recurring themes in this book such as war, nature, and yearning for home. This book is not an intense and very stimulating read so it's definitely not for everyone. Nevertheless, if you enjoy poetry, you can try reading this one out.
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Memory of Glass - Akiyoshi Rikako (★★★★) |
Memory of Glass is a mystery book following a woman named Kashihara Mayuko who's suspected as a murderer. The weird thing is although Mayuko is the one who called the police and confessed, she couldn't remember anything about the murder. Later on it's revealed that Mayuko suffers from executive brain disorder because of an accident twenty years ago. She cannot remember anything which happens after the accident. That's why the police find difficulties in reconstructing the case. Still, the police use the confession call as a basis to establish Mayuko as a suspect and all that's left to do is finding out the motif and how she did it. However, one detective has other suspicion and decided to investigate the case further. Akiyoshi Rikako is one of my favorite authors. Her plot twist never ceased to surprise me. I always anticipate her next book because her writing is that good. However, the edition that I read is the Bahasa Indonesia version. I'm not sure if this book has been translated into English but if it has and you love reading mystery books, you have to try reading Memory of Glass; or at least try reading The Dark Maidens. That one has been translated into English for sure.
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The Princess Bride - William Goldman (★★★) |
The Princess Bride is a romance fairy tale book which has been adapted into a film. The film is so loved that it becomes a cult classic. In fact, the reputation of the film is what intrigued me to read this book. As a reader, of course I choose to read it first before watching the film. I didn't know that apparently this book has layered narratives. This book is supposedly the abridged version by Goldman. According to Goldman, the Princess Bride is actually a book written by Morgenstern. Aside of the fairy tale, there's a backstory from Goldman himself which explain why he chose to abridge the book. He also gave commentaries on parts he edited. Aside of Goldman's narrative, of course is the fairy tale itself. The fairy tale is what I like more from the book. I adore the four characters in the book. I found the romance sweet and the adventure thrilling. Overall I enjoy reading the book. It's a fun read. I've written a full review of this book if you want to know more about my thoughts on the book.
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Socrates' Defence - Plato (★★★★) |
First of all, I'm not sure if this book is the same as Plato's Apology or if it is derived from Plato's Apology because I haven't read Apology. If anyone knows about this please let me know. In 399 B.C, one of the important Greek philosophers Socrates was on trial for corrupting the young and not believing in Gods. His disciple, Plato wrote about the trial. In this book, Socrates basically defended himself against the accusations. He examines each accusation and explained to the jury how wrong the accusations are.
I've always been interested in Socrates and Plato since I was an undergraduate student. His philosophy to always be in pursuit of knowledge resonates well with me. In fact that's what motivated me to continue my study and get a master degree. One quote that I remember well from him is, 'There is only one good, knowledge, and one evil, ignorance'. In his defence, Socrates kept emphasizing that wisdom and truth is his highest priority. When you're an expert at one particular subject, doesn't necessarily mean that you're expert in all subjects which is why we should always be in pursuit of knowledge. Recognizing that is a wisdom in itself. He used that to argue how he's a wiser man compared to others.
Another thing that I find interesting from this book is Socrates' view on death. It's thought provoking and enlightening. Most of the stuff that he said in his speech is enlightening. I recommend to just read it and think about it yourself. Overall, I'm glad that I finally read this book. Even if you don't study philosophy specifically, it would still be a compelling read.
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The Problem that Has No Name - Betty Friedan (★★★★) |
This Penguin modern mini collects 2 essays by Betty Friedan titled the Problem that Has No Name and the Passionate Journey. These essays are taken from her book the Feminine Mystique. The first essay talks about how many American women in 1950s were feeling unhappy living as a housewife. In the essay she elaborated more on what kind of unhappiness that they were feeling and the possible cause of the unhappiness. It's such an interesting essay because I agree with her that we know the problem exists and it's real yet people often dismiss it as an issue that is not urgent and treat it as something else. That's because we don't really know what causing it or what it actually is. Hence the title, the problem that has no name. To quote Friedan, 'Perhaps the reason has not been found because the right questions have not been asked, or pressed far enough'.
The second essay chronicles around American women's long struggle for women's suffrage. It's truly eye-opening to see how difficult it was to get where we are now. Although the fight hasn't ended yet. We often take for granted what we have now so this essay has become kind of a reminder for me that our fight is not over yet and we still have a long way to go. I think it's important to know the history as a motivation for us to move forward. Though as a note, these essays were written in the 1950s-1960s so some things may feel a little outdated. Still, I think it's important to look back and reflect at how far we've gone. I'm glad I picked this book up. These essays are such a compelling read. I think this modern mini is a good way to introduce authors because honestly I wouldn't normally pick Friedan's works even though I'm interested in books about feminism. To be honest I didn't even know anything about her before reading this book. So if you're in need of a feminist read, I highly recommend this book. |
Review Posts in February
February Favorites
Book
Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind
Socrates' Defence
The Problem that Has No Name
Films
Jojo Rabbit
Honestly I had no expectations watching this film because I didn't even know what this film is about. All I know is that it's set in Germany during World War 2. It's funny and touching at the same time. It's weirdly funny, as you expected from Taika Watiti. It reminds me a bit of Life is Beautiful but I get the comedy in this film more than Life is Beautiful. I think it's one of the films that you should watch.
1917
When I first heard of this film, honestly I wasn't interested in watching the film. 1917 is not the type of film that I would normally watch. Then I learned about this year's Academy Awards nomination which then intrigued me to watch it. Overall, the plot itself is really simple. There's not much going on but the cinematography is good. The shots are stunning. You could pause at every moment and turn it into a wallpaper. They also managed to make it looks like it's shot in one long continuous take which sounds meticulous. Seriously though, for a film with such a bleak premise it's gorgeous.
Parasite
I don't think I need to explain anything about this film. It's the film of the year. Besides, I recommend to just watch it without knowing anything and let Bong Joon-ho takes you on a journey. It's a bit trippy but thought-provoking. Many people have analysed the film. It's detailed and full of symbolism which criticizes on classism. It's sadly relatable and the plot is unpredictable. If you haven't watched this film, where have you been? I highly highly recommend Parasite to watch.
Music
Map of the Soul: 7
Need I say more? All of the songs are good but my personal favourites are Respect and My Time. Especially Respect, can't. stop. listening to it. It's hella fun.
There you have it! I'm happy with the amount of books I read and the films I watched in February. Those are some good films and good books. I'm excited for March because there will be a yearly book fair. I've prepared and I'm ready, lol. Do you have any exciting plans in March? What's in your TBR list for March?
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