Welcome to my reading space!
Currently Reading: The Restaurant at the End of the Universe
date started: 06/29/2025
So far, it's pretty good. Adam's humor is still as sharp and funny as ever.
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
date finished: 06/27/2025
Adam's humor is really funny and is placed in the book very well. There are very little serious moments and they are always undercut with humor in an expert way.Unlike Marvel movies that rely too much on quips because they don't trust the viewer to take their make-believe seriously, Adams gives the reader more grace. Yes this is space, yes the earth was destroyed, yes it is funny, and yes, it is make-believe.
Heaven
date finished: 05/09/2025
Really cutting and pierces your heart with how brutal the book can be. It ends very abruptly but that's not always a bad thing. I was hoping for an epilogue of sorts but I guess the abrupt ending accurately mirrors life, some endings and departures are so swift and cutting; we hardly ever get enough information for an epilogue.
The Yacoubian Building
date finished: 05/07/2025
I don't like short stories but I like the concept of it. Vignette type stories where we follow multiple characters that live in the same universe is a happy compromise for me and this is just that. I like that the characters' growth and plot also reflects and says something about modern Egypt, classism, and patriarchy.
Hardboiled & Hard Luck
date finished: 04/20/2025
I really like it when an author is committed to one theme/idea and you can see it throughout their various books. I think for Banana Yoshimoto that thing is grief. In this book, she grapples with what it feels like when there were so many things left unsaid and unforgiven that you can't unpack because the person you want to work this out with is dead.
If Beale Street Could Talk
date finished: 04/18/2025
This book has beautiful silky writing that will break your heart. Baldwin creates a real and heartbreaking world where even though all hope is not lost, it is definitely hard to find.
Fair Play
date finished: 04/16/2025
I love how nicely Jansson's crafted the quiet creative life. It is beautiful and serene. I couldn't imagine being in a life like that but it is nice to see how the other side prefers life.