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Hi fellow readers! I had a good reading month in June. I read all books that I
planned to read and I found a show that I enjoyed watching although I ended up
finishing it in just a day (lol). So, need to wait for another season. Anyway,
here's the list of books I read in June.
Books read in June
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Money: Vintage Minis - Yuval Noah Harari (★★★) |
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Money is a part of Penguin vintage minis collection which contains
excerpt from Harari's books Sapiens and Homo Deus. While Sapiens tells
the history of humankind, Homo Deus describes Harari's vision of the
future of humankind. However, in this vintage minis the excerpt
focuses on the examination of the economic aspect of humankind. Since
I've read Sapiens, the part where Harari explains the origin of money
system is nothing new to me. But if you really look for the history of
money and our economic system, it's easier to read this book instead
of the full book. While the excerpt from Homo Deus has a broader look
on our economic system. Since it talks about the future, it discusses
the possibility of the use of automation in our life which if I
reflect in our current situation, it's already happening. Overall, if
you've already read Harari's books Sapien and Homo Deus, I don't
recommend this book for you because the content is the same. But if
you haven't read those books and you're interested in some history of
our money, you could try reading this book.
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Sweet Bean Paste - Durian Sukegawa (★★★★) |
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Sweet Bean Paste tells a story of a dorayaki seller who made an
unlikely bond with an elder woman with tragic past. It is a book that
invites us to reevaluate our life and take a close look at how we
live, our purpose in life. This book is a reminder for me to enjoy my
life and take it easy one thing at a time. It's an unexpectedly moving
tale that will stay with me. On a lighter note, I suggest you to
prepare some desserts to eat while reading this book because this book
made me crave for some dorayaki.
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Brooklyn House Magician's Manual - Rick Riordan (★★★) |
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This book is the companion to Riordan's the Kane Chronicles series.
Brooklyn House Magician's Manual is supposedly a book which can be
used as a guide for young magicians who just join the Brooklyn House.
It basically contains supplementary info regarding the world of Kane
Chronicles. It gives short explanation of several Egyptian Gods and
Goddesses who are also the characters in the series. Just like the
main series, this book is fun and written as if it's written by the
members of House of Life. You do need to read the main series before
reading this one because it takes a lot of references from the main
series. I'd say that this is such a fun supplementary book to the Kane
Chronicles world.
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The Midnight Library - Matt Haig (★★★★) |
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I'm not sure if there's anything that I could tell you more about this
book. This book was everywhere on the online book community when it
was first released. I'm pretty sure you've heard of this book
somewhere. In fact, I'm actually kind of late to jump on the
bandwagon. Thanks to my sister I finally read this book and I'm glad I
did. The Midnight Library is a book about second chance. This book
offers a scenario where it's possible for people to get another
chances at life and give another try at their regret. It's definitely
an intriguing premise. I get quite an insight from this book. I
recommend this book to read if you haven't already.
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If Cats Disappeared from the World - Genki Kawamura (★★★★) |
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This is the book that I had no expectation whatsoever before reading
it, but end up being the one which stay with me after. This book had
me bawling my eyes out and a two-hour phone call with my family back
at home. Why cat, you'd say? Apparently the cat is important to the
narrator of this book because that's how he connects with his mother
even after she's gone. When he got the news that he's dying, he's
forced to look back on his relationship with his family and reconnect
with his estranged father. If Cats Disappeared from the World will tug
at your heart strings, I recommend this book to read.
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The Awakening - Kate Chopin (★★★) |
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The Awakening is a novella first published in 1899 which incited
controversies during the publication. It brings up the subject of
women's role in society and individual freedom. This novella is also
considered as the early feminist read. Aside of the Awakening, the
edition that I read also includes other four short stories revolving
around the theme of gender and identity and opposition on societal
norms. I wouldn't say that this book is an entertaining read but it
does give me an insight on the issue.
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June Favorites
Book
Sweet Bean Paste
The Midnight Library
If Cats Disappeared from the World
TV shows
Stranger Things
Season four of the show is finally released in June. It's divided into two
volumes though and the second volume which contains two episodes is released
at July 1st. By the time I post this review, I will have watched the two
volumes. But from the first volume alone, I can tell that this season is the
scariest and the most thrilling season of the show.
Abbott Elementary
Hilarious. The creator of the show is Quinta Brunson, whom I'm familiar with
thanks to Buzzfeed. It uses the mockumentary format. It's like the Office sets
in a public elementary school. I binge-watched the first season in a day
because it's that addictive. I can't wait to watch the second season of the
show.
Movies
Se7en
I've been meaning to watch this classic psychological thriller. I finally got
the time for it and I understand why people recommend this film to watch. This
film definitely has the most devastating and bleak ending but it's still a
good film which I also recommend to watch
The Devil All the Time
When this film first came out on Netflix, people raved on how good this film
is. Some people that I know also said that this film made them want to vomit.
I can see why. It's bleak as heck. The narrative style, the tone and
the theme remind me of another film which I can't remember. Watching it gave
me the sense that I've watched similar kind of film before. Anyway, I enjoyed
it. Thankfully it didn't make me want to vomit but it sure is depressing.
There you have it! Overall, I'm proud of myself that I manage to finish six
books in June. Not to mention, the books I finished give me a lot of new
perspectives on life. If you could see my favorite books in June all have the
same theme. I'm looking forward to read a lot more books in July and share my
thoughts on them here. Hope you have a wonderful month ahead!
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