August 2023 Wrap-Up & Favorites

Source: personal collection

Hello fellow readers! I'm behind on my wrap up post again. I travelled a lot in August so I didn't have much time to post anything or write anything. The books I finished in August are either manga or a novella or even a book that I started reading months ago. Anyway, without further ado, here are the books I finished in August.

Books read in August

	Souichi's Convenient Curses - Junji Ito (★★)
	This manga collects several stories revolved around a character named Souichi. Souichi is a weird kid. He likes to bite iron nails because he's anemic. That is also why he always looks so pale and creepy. He likes to scare people, especially people he doesn't like. Sometimes he would wreak havoc on people although more often than not, it would backfire on him. He claimed to be able to do black magic. On some occasion, the black magic seem to be legit. The reason why I only give two out of five ratings for this manga is because of all Junji Ito's works, Souichi is the one that I don't think I will read again. It's not that it's bad, in fact I think Junji Ito has developed Souichi's character into an antagonist so well that he annoyed me. I don't understand how his family still able to care for him. In Indonesian term, my patience is as thin as a piece of tissue. He's so childish, selfish, and creepy. He drives me nuts, I just can't. However, if you think you can handle Souichi's madness, go ahead and pick this manga up.
	Galatea - Madeline Miller (★★★)
	Galatea is a short story by Madeline Miller which re-imagine the myth of Galatea and Pygmalion. In Greek mythology, Galatea is the name of an ivory statue carved by Pygmalion. Pygmalion fell in love with the statue. He prayed and the Goddess Aphrodite brought Galatea to life. Pygmalion and Galatea then got married. In my opinion, the myth of Galatea itself is creepy. However, Madeline Miller takes it up another notch. In the short story, Pygmalion is obsessive that he locked away Galatea and put her under the supervision of doctors and nurses; also preventing her to see their daughter. I think this short story is a story about a woman, struggling to gain independence; which, despite of using such an old tale as inspiration, this story discusses relevant topic to this day. Galatea is not my first Madeline Miller. I've read Circe and enjoy it. I must say, I enjoy this one too. Although her writing can be too slow paced, the prose is beautiful. Miller's books The Song of Achilles and Circe are already popular, but if you're still hesitant to pick her book up, you could start by reading this short story as an introduction to her writing.
	Gyo Complete Edition - Junji Ito (★★)
	Gyo is the most disgusting Junji Ito story that I read by far. A lot of body horror and the things human body can excrete are present in this manga. Don't read this while eating, I'm warning you. The story itself is as absurd as other Junji Ito's story. It's more of a science fiction than supernatural. It's about a couple who found a fish which able to walk on land. Apparently the fish is attached to a device similar to spider legs which then enable it to walk. The overall story in my opinion, is just weird and gross. It starts out as a mystery/science-fiction which then becomes an apocalyptic B-rated horror movie. I actually am not a horror fan. I read horror mostly because of the mystery, out of curiosity. With Junji Ito's works, I do enjoy how twisted his stories are and how they creep me out. This one, not so much. By far, Gyo is the least enjoyable story by Junji Ito that I've read. I wouldn't recommend to read this one. If you're looking for Junji Ito's body horror and twisted stories, I'd recommend Tomie or Spiral instead.
	Why We Sleep - Matthew Walker (★★★★)
	I often have trouble falling asleep. That's the reason why I picked this book up. I've googled tips on how to fall asleep. None works for me. So I thought, maybe if I understand sleep a bit better I would be able to solve this problem. I must say, this book gives a lot of insight regarding sleep. In general, this book is divided into four parts. The first part explains the mechanism of sleep. The second part explains the importance of sleep. The third part looks into dreaming. While the last part talks about the state of sleep in modern society. What I like from this book aside of the research-based information, is how Walker simplified the science so people who don't specifically study the subject (like me), could understand easily. Walker also slipped some lighthearted humor which makes reading the book more enjoyable. In the end, the question remains, does this book help in solving my sleeping problem? Yes and no. No because it's still up to me to adjust my habits to solve my problems. However, this book does help in pointing me to the right direction on adjusting my habits for better sleep. Overall, I recommend this book to read, even though you have no problem with your sleeping habits.

August Favorites

Miscellaneous

Asian Kung Fu Generation Concert

FINALLY! I watch Asian Kung Fu Generation concert live! In person! God only knows how long I've waited for this. I mean, I grew up listening to their music. There are two Japan rock legend that are on my wishlist: L'arc~en~ciel and Asian Kung Fu Generation. Some songs that I listen to religiously are on the setlist; some not. But for those which I expected the most? It's like the anticipation has been paid off. Did I have fun? Most definitely. If they're planning to come again, I'd love to see them.

There you have it! I didn't read much, didn't watch anything interesting. August was such a busy month for me. The first half of the month was spent on a project at work while the other half was spent on travelling. I'm just glad that the storm has passed. At least this storm. How was your August? Did you do anything interesting? Or do you have any book/film recommendation?