The Machine Stops - EM Forster.

A novella published in 1909 that was prescient about the role of technology in distancing humanity from...well, humanity. It almost felt personal; was personal, in how it detailed dislike for human interaction and a preference for screens, and man's rejection of nature, and willingness to sacrifice meaning for comfort.

Favorite moment: when societal collapse occurred because everyone's beds were taken away, relatable lmao

Favorite quote:

— Across the Universe by Beth Revis

Starting off this year's #tbrbusterchallenge on a high note with another great read from Kate DiCamillo. She knocks it out of the park again with this emotional, thoughtful tale of a toy rabbit thrust into a journey that lands him into the hands of several people, learning about love and loss throughout the way. At this point, having read a good amount of her books, I just have to accept the fact that I'm going to get extremely emotional one way or another. I think it's the genuine amount of feeling the author puts into her writing and the reflective qualities of her tone. The internal journeys are treated just as importantly as the external and I love that in a book. It feels like a classic fairy tale, one that feels timeless and has a good balance of wonder and tragedy.  Bagram Ibatoulline's artwork brings an extra charm to the story, with illustrations that carry the same amount of emotion as the text. Some of them gave me a Norman Rockwell kind of vibe, and the style overall fits so well with the tone of the book. There's not much I can else say about the book other than it's just good. I really don't have the words to explain it. If you like sweet, simple, but still emotionally impactful children's stories, then this book is right up your alley.

Just Finished: So You Think You Know What’s Good For You? by Dr Norman Swan

help me pick the next book for the #tbrbusterchallenge2022

House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski

Meichi Ng is way too good at moments like these, which are both very funny and painfully real

50 books in 2022 #1: Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami

Rundown:

Reading Challenges: 

Reflection:

Please read Barely Functional Adult by Meichi Ng

note from Barely Functional Adult: leave recent graduates alone lmao

First book of the year:

Thoughts: I didn’t love all the stories in the anthology, however I still enjoyed Esquinca’s style of writing. My preferred short stories were La vida secreta de los insectos, El corazón marino and Pabellón 27. My favorite part of the book was the epilogue: the behind the scenes of each story!

My review of Barely Functional Adult by Meichi Ng !

Ng wrote in the introduction to this book, “Here you will find the stories i needed to read at different points in my life—i didnt get to read them when i needed to, but i hope these stories will come to you at a time when you do.” And they definitely did for me—Ng captured the lost feeling of early 20s, post-grad life in the stories included in this memoir, as well as the feelings from later stages of life that i havent known but have been scared of. I want to shove this at everyone my age to be like, hey this isnt just us, and also at my friends who are much older than me to be like hey, this is where i’m at, were you here too?

This book was, as the blurb on the back promised, hilarious and poignant at the same time, and i highly, highly recommend it

It begins!

Here are the first two books I will be reading for @bookbandit's Third Annual TBR Buster Challenge - The Nature of Witches by Rachel Griffin and You Should See Me in a Crown by Leah Johnson.

Wish me luck!

The Woman Who Walked Into Doors by Roddy Doyle.

TBR Pile Challenge--book 2

On my TBR pile since August 2, 2015

JACK IN THE GREEN by Diane Capri

Gaspar and Otto, FBI agents, are sent to Tampa hunting for Jack Reacher.  They are to interview a former officer Thomas Weston about the murders of his first wife and three children and Reacher’s investigation of it.  Hoping to get a lead on Reacher, they instead become involved in murder.

I have to admit I have not yet read the Jack Reacher series but it is on my TBR pile.  I have not read the first books in this series but I was able to follow along very easily.  I thoroughly enjoyed this quick read.  I liked Gaspar and Otto.  I liked how they were able to get some people to talk.  I also liked the history of Reacher being told through others’ eyes.  I look forward to reading both series.