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| Source: personal collection |
Hello fellow readers! We're getting closer to the end of the year. I know
November is a great month for most readers, mainly those who live in four
season countries. It's cozy season and a perfect time to snuggle under a warm
blanket, reading a book while sipping on a hot beverage. WELL, that's not the
case with me. First of all, I live in a rainy-dry seasons country. To me
November is rainy, wet, and gloomy. Second, I work in the telecommunication
industry. For us Christmas and new year is a big event because people tend to
use their mobile phone a lot, especially during pandemic where people couldn't
meet physically (we're pretty much busy all year during pandemic but even more
so during the holiday season). SO, November has been a crazy busy month and I
expect December would be the same. During the month, it might seem like I read
a lot of books. However, if you look closely, the books I read in November are
either part of Penguin's Modern Minis or Vintage Minis (with a book written in
my native language). Because I need to feel a sense of accomplishment after
finishing a book and reading short books help me to achieve that. Without
further ado, here are the books I read in November.
Books read in November
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Ghosts: Vintage Mini - M.R. James (★★★★) |
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I originally planned on reading this book on Halloween night. However,
after reading the second story I got too scared and decided to finish
this book in the safety of daylight (lol). This book collects five
short stories by M.R. James, taken from his book, The Collected Ghost
Stories. Out of five stories, there are three that really creep me
out. These are Canon Alberic's Scrap-book, 'Oh, Whistle, and I'll Come
to You, My Lad', and A Warning to the Curious. I think these three
scare me the most because they give the sense of being followed by
someone or something. Canon Alberic's Scrap-book is actually the
second story that I talked about earlier. I guess because the first
story, The Ash-Tree is more of a subtle horror story while Canon
Alberic's ending threw me off guard and scared me. The stories are
mostly set in the countryside which gives off a feeling of being
isolated somehow. The ghosts in these stories are often depicted as
similar as those Dementors from Harry Potter which I find very creepy
because you 'can see' what it is but not really know what it actually
is. I know that horror stories are scary and they often make me feel
uncomfortable but they're still fun to read. If you're okay with that,
I recommend reading this book.
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The Missing Girl - Shirley Jackson (★★★★) |
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This penguin modern mini collects three short stories written by
Shirley Jackson. These three are The Missing Girl, Journey with a
Lady, and Nightmare. Prior to this, I think I've read one of Jackson's
short stories on the New Yorker website but don't remember which one.
Somehow I remember associating her writings with 'no resolution' and
'unsettling' in my mind. The first story, The Missing Girl definitely
gives off those vibes, at least at first. It's unsettling. It doesn't
have the in-your-face horror but it's eerie and creeps up on you.
Thankfully, this one has a resolution. I feel like it ends abruptly
but still gives a closure. The second one reads like a fun but strange
adventure. On a second thought, the protagonist's experience in this
story, who is a 9 years old, is actually dangerous and irresponsible.
However, the way Jackson wrote this story makes it like it's not a big
deal. I'm not sure if it's a good thing or not. While the third one is
the most absurd of all three. It is unsettling and has no resolution.
After finish reading it I was left with an unsatisfied feeling. There
are still many questions left unanswered. It is expected though so I'm
okay with it. If you're looking for creepy stories which will give you
an unease feeling, I recommend starting with one.
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Sisters: Vintage Minis - Louisa May Alcott (★★★★) |
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What best represent sisterhood other than the March sisters? This
vintage mini consists of 4 chapters taken from Alcott's Little Women
and Good Wives. These chapters reflect what sisterhood is like, not
only the good side but also the bad side. There are times when sisters
have fun and laughing together. There are times when sisters bickering
with each other over even the silliest things. There are also times
when one of the sisters goes through a tragedy or joyous moment but
it's important that sisters support each other. I'd say that they
carefully selected the chapters included in this book to show that. As
a sister myself, I could relate to these stories. The March sisters
are so wholesome. I understand why Little Women is such a beloved
book. I recommend reading Little Women because I haven't read Little
Women, but I'm totally convinced to read it after reading this mini.
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Dreams: Vintage Minis - Sigmund Freud (★★★★★) |
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Dreams contains extracts from The Essentials of Psycho-Analysis and
The Standard Edition of the Complete Psychological Works of the
Sigmund Freud, Volume IV: The Interpretation of Dreams (First Part) by
Sigmund Freud. It analyses dreams, what could they mean and how to
find the meaning. Freud gives a set of rules to use as a guide to
analyze dreams. Though I don't specifically study psychology, I think
some of his points align with my observation on my own dreams. I know
this book is only 100-ish pages but of all the vintage minis I've read
so far, this one is the most dense. This book also includes Freud's
writing on Oedipus Complex which some of you might have heard. It
stems from his analysis on why people dream of the death of their
parents. I think it's fascinating. Because this book reads like a
school textbook, it can be daunting to some people. Since I'm
interested in the topic presented, I find this book enjoyable to read.
I won't recommend this one to read if you're not into the topic.
However, if you're interested in psychoanalysis but too intimidated to
read the whole book, I highly recommend this one to read.
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Glittering City - Cyprian Ekwensi (★★★★) |
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Glittering City is a short story by Cyprian Ekwensi taken from his
short story collection Lokotown and Other Stories, first
published in 1966. It follows a man named Fussy Joe who is a swindler
(I think that's the term. In this story, they call him a 'Brainer').
He's basically a guy who tricks women so they fall for him, then use
them. Joe is so sleazy I hate him. I like that this story is set in
Lagos, a city in Nigeria which I haven't heard of before. I think the
city is the focus of this story. In a big city like Lagos, there are
many kinds of people, including the shady one like Fussy Joe. Though I
read this story while gritting my teeth at times, it is such an
engrossing story. I like the resolution of this story because Joe gets
what he deserves so it's all fine in the end. These Penguin minis
really are the best way to discover authors you've never read before
because I'm interested to read more of his writing after reading
Glittering City.
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The Black Ball - Ralph Ellison (★★★) |
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The Black Ball contains 4 short stories written by Ralph Ellison. They
are taken from his short stories collection
Flying Home and Other Stories, published in 1996. The stories
are Boy on a Train, Hymie's Bull, The Black Bull, and In a Strange
Country. The central theme of these stories is racial injustice. Of
the four, the one that strikes me the most is The Black Ball. It is a
story about a father who's trying to educate his son on the reality of
living in a racist society. He tried to raise awareness that sadly,
whenever people look at them they only see color. Honestly I'm glad I
picked up this book. If it wasn't for the inclusion in the Penguin
Modern Mini, I wouldn't have known about this author. I admit, I don't
read diversely. It's something that I'm working on. Nevertheless, I
did enjoy this book and interested in reading more of this author.
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Laut Bercerita - Leila S. Chudori (★★★★) |
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Laut Bercerita is an Indonesian historical fiction set during one of
the country's darkest time in 1998. This book is inspired by the true
story of the 1998 activists kidnapping in Indonesia. It follows a
student activist named Biru Laut and his friends as they were abducted
by the government who tried to silence them because they're
pro-democracy. As an Indonesian myself, I don't have a clear memory of
the chaos happening in 1998. I was still a 6-year-old kid and I didn't
live in the capital city at the time. I only saw it on TV. Now that
I've grown up and actually live in Jakarta; experiencing some riots
and protests in 2019 even as a bystander, I couldn't imagine how
terrifying the city must have been back then in 1998. Honestly, this
book is difficult to read. Not because of the writing but because of
the subject matter. There are two narrators in this book, Biru Laut
himself and his sister Asmara Jati. I thought reading Laut's part
would be difficult, reading Asmara's part turns out to be harder.
After all, the family left behind are also victims.
I still couldn't believe that I live in a country who used to have such an oppressive leader. I lived some of my younger years during the reign of such leader. I vaguely remember adults were being careful on what they said and did because they're afraid of the government. People could suddenly go missing because they critique the government. We can joke about it now, but back then it must have been scary. I'm really grateful for the brave people who fight for my country so we can live the way we are now. Sadly, as per 2020 these cases are still unresolved. Even 22 years later, the fate of some of the abducted still left unknown. Some were released, some still went missing. Usually with an Indonesian book I'll write a full review post in Bahasa Indonesia. I won't do it with this book. Indonesian people already know how good this book is, how important it is to read this book so we can be reminded of this tragedy which happened in our country. Hopefully, Indonesian government is moved to finally solve these human rights cases. I'll only write this review in English so English-speaking people would be encouraged to read it. Laut Bercerita has been translated into English and published under the title 'The Sea Speaks his Name'. The protagonist's name Biru Laut is actually Indonesian for 'Blue Sea' (Biru=Blue; Laut=Sea). The title Laut Bercerita could mean Laut, the protagonist, is telling his story or the literal sea is the one telling his story. If you read this book you'll know what the latter means. I highly recommend this book to read. |
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The Duke in His Domain - Truman Capote (★★★) |
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The Duke in His Domain is an article about Marlon Brando which first
published in the New Yorker November 9, 1957 issue. For this article,
Capote had a close conversation with young Brando while filming
Sayonara in Japan. By that time, Brando has already become a
famous actor and won an Oscar for best actor. He's not an actor from
the same generation as me so I don't have a firsthand experience with
his works. The only film starring him that I watched is The Godfather
and I love it. Although it's not the kind of film that I usually
watch. Reading this article, It feels like I'm getting to know Brando
from the eye of Capote. My impression of Brando is, he's an idealist
actor. He's the type of actor who wanted his work to mean something.
When he was filming Sayonara, I can sense that he expected more from
the film. He wanted the film to discuss serious issue on racism but
somehow didn't end up the way he expected to. Yet, he still took the
movie and continue on acting in Hollywood because of money, which made
him feel like a sellout. Honestly, I don't want to discredit him and
all of his legacy in the acting world, but I feel like he's such a
cliche. I've seen it before. I've seen it portrayed in films and TV
shows even. An idealist artist with strong artistic integrity who then
eventually compromises it because of money. I'm not a hypocrite, I
know we need money to live. It's just ... coming from a renowned
Hollywood actor it sounds so privileged. Anyway, you can agree or
disagree with me. I still think that Brando is an interesting public
figure to read about.
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Injustice: Vintage Minis - Richard Wright (★★★★) |
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Injustice is a part of Penguin Vintage Minis collection which contains
selected chapters from Richard Wright's Black Boy and Native Son.
Black Boy is actually Wright's memoir while Native Son is a fiction
inspired by true crime. Black Boy only contributes a little portion in
this book. This book mainly includes chapters from Native Son which
follows the story of Bigger Thomas, an African American living in a
poor area in Chicago who then committed a crime. At first, we're given
the background on the racial tension happening at the time. Then we're
introduced to the main character, Bigger Thomas. We're given a glimpse
on his thoughts and view of life which shaped by the society he lived
in. He felt confined and having a false sense of freedom because of
who he was. Even the laws at the time prevent African American people
to do anything really. Then the story goes on to the time after Thomas
committed the crime and was on trial. Thomas and his lawyer, Max,
understand beforehand that the trial would be biased because of
Thomas's race. Max went as far as explaining that the crime itself
might not happen if the society didn't condition Thomas to behave that
way. In the book Max said 'The very concept of injustice rests upon a
premise of equal claims, and this boy here today makes no claim upon
you'. Thomas wouldn't get a just trial because the jury already has
prejudice against him. Max argued that what's happening was not
injustice but rather an oppression. Although this book paints the
character as a stereotypical African American, in my opinion it still
raises an important issue which we're still facing nowadays. Reading
this Vintage Mini intrigues me to read the full book, Native Son. I'm
definitely putting Native Son on my wish list.
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November Favorites
Book
Dreams: Vintage Minis
Laut Bercerita
TV shows
The Newsroom
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| Source |
I'm not sure if I said this before but lately I've been watching HBO series.
From the oldest ones I know that are still available to stream to the newest.
The Newsroom didn't attract me at first. But then I saw a tumblr post by one
of those studyblrs which explains in detail why the owner of the blog loves
this show. So I figure I'll try to watch an episode, see if it interests me.
It does. It's so good. I love it. I love the atmoshpere, the messages, the
jokes. I love that it brings the message of journalism integrity which, let's
face it, is lacking these days. It's difficult to follow at first because I'm
not an American citizen and I don't follow American politic. Also, I heard
that Aaron Sorkin is known for his fast paced dialogue and I'm not an English
native speaker. It's quite challenging at first but once I get ahold of it, I
enjoy the show very much. For a show which centers on heavy stuffs, it has an
uplifting and hopeful tone. This show is definitely what I need.
There you have it. Four Vintage Minis, four Penguin Modern Minis and an
Indonesian book are pretty good for me considering how hectic November was.
Again, I said previously that the holiday season would be a busy season for me
work-wise so I'm pessimistic that I'd manage to read much. Maybe I'd end up
reading more minis, we'll see. Anyhow, hope you all have a joyful holiday.
Feel free to leave a recommendation on short books because I definitely need
those.
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