Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe was beautiful! I’ve had the hardcover on my bookshelves for over two years. I also knew that Lin-Manuel Miranda was an excellent narrator. But the more people told me to read it, the more I put it off. Yes, I blame my irrational brain. I wanted to read it but then I refused because others encouraged me to. Thankfully, Hazel picked it for our June Epic Recs, so I couldn’t deny her pick. I went on to alternate between print and audio.
THE MEMORY OF LIGHT by Francisco X. Stork
The Memory of Light is such an excellent book. It’s not excitingly adrenaline-pumping, although there are some intense moments. On the contrary, it’s an exceedingly introspective book dealing with the realities of mental illness. It portrays the complexities of mental health and the difficulties of diagnosing and treating those who are mentally ill.
DRAMA by Raina Telgemeier
Some of you might recall that I blogged about Drama being under review at my local library. It was in their online catalogue but listed as “under review” for over half a year. I had placed a reservation for it and trouped down to the library to collect it after I received an allocation notification. The librarian told me that there was a system error. She couldn’t tell me either when this title would be available again. When I could get my hands on Drama at the Frankfurt Book Fair in October, I pounced on it. It’s only natural to want what you otherwise can’t have, aye?
POSSESSION by Elena Johnson
I still am surprised that I made it past the first 100 pages and went on to complete Possession. The writing was mechanical and some parts made next to no sense. Sure, Vi’s world is not a world that we know, so things naturally are different. No matter how different and imaginative her world is though, it is possible to weave in explanations into the story without stilting the writing. Sadly, I was confused and and hated the stilted writing style.