May 2022 Wrap-Up & Favorites

Source: personal collection

Hi fellow readers! It's the beginning of June and I'm trying to post my wrap-up on time. I think I did it this time. In the beginning of May, I took a leave from work for a week (which is a lot for me) because of the Islamic holiday. I also went to my hometown and stayed for a month. Since I was at home, I was hoping to finish some of my TBR that's been sitting on my book shelf for at least 2 years. But it didn't happen because I spent most of my time hanging out with my sister. At least I caught up on my book reviews and I managed to finish 2 books and 2 graphic novels from my TBR so I'd say that May was productive. Anyway, here's the list of books I read in May.

Books read in May

	19 Love Songs - David Levithan (★★★)
	19 Love Songs is a book by David Levithan which collects 19 love stories. Some stories involve several characters from Levithan's previously published book. The stories are presented in various format. Some are written in poem. There's a story which is in comic format. There's also a story in journal format. I always love Levithan's books because of how he writes his stories. He tends to not use complicated words, if he does, sometimes he uses it ironically, which I like. Still, the proses are beautiful. If you enjoy Levithan's other books, you might like this one too. However, note that some stories in this book have appeared in other short story collections that he collaborated in.
	The Narrow Road to the Deep North - Richard Flanagan (★★★★)
	To be honest, The Narrow Road to the Deep North is not the kind of book that I would typically pick up to read. I picked this up because it's the winner of 2014 Man Booker prize. It's a well-deserved win. This book follows the life of a prisoner of war during World War II. It tells the part of history that I wouldn't be aware of even though it happened relatively close to my country. It's a difficult read though, since it tells the darker part of the history which was brutal and horrifying. Still, I think it's necessary to tell. The description in this book is quite graphic so if you don't mind that, I recommend this book to read.
	The Island of Doctor Moreau - H.G. Wells (★★★)
	This book has been on my to-be-read list for quite some time. I always love H.G. Wells's books. In fact, I think sci-fi books that I've read are mostly his books. However, what motivated me to read this book the most is it's referenced a lot in my favorite show, Orphan Black. Now, I understand why. This book talks about the ethic of scientific experiment which is also the theme of the show. What I like from this book is, it's not complicated and relatively easy to digest for a sci-fi book. Also, although the science in this book is not plausible, I think it's quite impressive that this book is written in 1896. The Island of Doctor Moreau is a sci-fi classic that you don't want to miss.
	Saints - Gene Luen Yang (★★★)
	Saints is a part of a graphic novel duology by Gene Luen Yang. The duology tells the story of the Boxer Rebellion which is the anti-foreign, anti-Christian movement happening in China between 1899 and 1901. This duology tells the story from two different perspectives. Even though it's a 'series', it doesn't really matter in which order you read the book. Based on reading this book only, I can see that the main characters from the two books will meet each other and are connected in some way. Saints tells the story from the perspective of a female Christian. The story is a bit surreal because the main character has this weird vision (and trippy) which sometimes dictate her action. In the whole duology scheme, this book only tells the story from the Christian side of the rebellion. The story itself is horrifying. Still, this graphic novel gives me some insight on one of the bloodiest history in China (and sadly, the country has quite a lot of that).
	Boxers - Gene Luen Yang (★★★)
	Boxers is another half of the Boxers-Saints duology. This one tells the story from the boxers side of the rebellion. The boxers are basically commoners who were trained in martial arts. As we know, there is always at least two sides of story in every war. Reading this one after reading Saints, I get the general idea of the whole rebellion. Unsurprisingly, each side thinks they're doing the right thing. One thing that I learn from these graphic novels is people are afraid of changes and something that they don't understand yet. The solution is rather simple but difficult to actually implement which is to communicate, and not use violence. Sadly, when do we ever learn? Overall, if you're a history buff, you might want to check this out. Even if you're not, the graphic novel format makes the history part tolerable.

May Favorites

Book

The Narrow Road to the Deep North

TV shows

Rokuhoudou Colorful Days

This series follows the life of four men who work at the traditional Japanese style café. The series has 10 episodes with each episode's running time approximately 24 minutes. Rokuhoudou is one of those feel-good shows. Since it centers around a café, a lot of beautiful shot of yummy looking food is everywhere. I like to watch the show at the end of my working days to lift up my spirit because this show is so delightful. If you're looking for a short and heartwarming show to watch, I recommend watching this series. This series is available on Netflix.

Movies

The Power of the Dog

I have this personal project of watching all of the films that are nominated for the Academy Award Best Picture. The Power of the Dog was nominated so of course I feel the need to watch it. Not to mention, Benedict Cumberbatch. No regret. The Power of the Dog is a slow burn film which covers the theme of masculinity among other things. Though Ben's character is not the most likable in this film, his acting is still *chef's kiss* great. This film is available on Netflix.

That's it for my May Wrap-Up and favorites. I must say, I'm happy with my reading experience on May. When I feel like I've accomplished something in my reading journey, it motivates me to read more. Do you also get that kind of feeling? I'm excited for June and I'm hoping I could read a lot more in June.