March 2020 –
Books Read/ Page Count/ Rating Out of Five
(In order from first read to last read)
- The Lords and the New Creatures by Jim Morrison, 141 Pages (Rating= 5/5)
- Supernatural : Bone Key by Keith R.A. DeCandido, 287 Pages (Rating 3/5)
- A Beautiful Mind by Sylvia Nasar, 390 Pages (excluding Index and Acknowledgements) (Rating 4/5)
- The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway, 45 Pages (Rating 5/5)
- In Cold Blood by Truman Capote, 384 Pages (5/5)
Plays:
Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller, 139 Pages (5/5)
Miscellaneous:
World Literature Textbook – 139 Pages
Articles – 41
In Progress:
Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy, 10 Pages (so far)
Total Pages Read: 1535/ 31 = 49.5 pages per day
Favourite Books :
- The Lords and the New Creatures : I reviewed this poetry compilation on my February reading ladder, however now that I’ve read the entire thing I feel that there is much more I can say about it. Honestly, I feel that many of the poems included in this book are a genuine definition of many of the struggles people faced in the 1960s and 1970s. There’s a constant theme of war, which likely hints at the tragedy that was the Vietnam War. With the mention of Vietnam, we see a hatred through Morrison’s words due to his “hippie” perspective on the world, and the people within it. One of the other topics frequently seen in Morrison’s work is the mention of death and freedom. “Doors of passage to the other side, the soul frees itself in stride….”
That is easily one of my favourite lines from his poems. There’s so much that can be interpreted through it, but I guess you could say the same thing for all of his work. Much of Jim’s life work poses questions; ones of life, death, sobriety, war, racism,and government rule. We’re left up to our own devices and have the opportunity to make decisions for ourselves. But he influenced us to make those decisions. I think that’s an important thing to realize; he made us think and examine our beliefs. Which many have the inability to do now. Although he is widely recognized for his contributions to the world of music, his poetry is often overlooked. I found that this was another chance to peer into his mind; to understand him more. I’m thankful I had this enlightening opportunity.
2. The Old Man and the Sea : This is easily one of my favourite books (or short stories – depending on your opinion) that I’ve ever read. It was also my introduction into the world of Hemingway; what a wonderful gift this book was to my vocabulary. There’s no argument to the point that Ernest Hemingway is a widely recognized author, but there’s always room to squabble and decide if Hemingway was really as talented as people make him out to be. In my opinion Ernest was one of the most talented and innovative writers that have come along, however he has a lack of recognition in our current times. I highly suggest delving into the world of the long dead man.
This book was written extremely well in my opinion, and I loved it even more due to the finality of it. There was so much told in so little words that you can feel how much each word meant within the text. I felt sympathy for the old man in a way that I rarely do for characters. His naive perspective and belief in himself rivaled what I often see today; the ability to believe in anything until they are proven wrong. I have the exact opposite reaction; I’m fairly cautious, so this contrast really made the main character stand out to me. There is so much more I could say about this short novel, however I know I have to keep my review to a moderate minimum.
3. Death of a Salesman: This play blew my mind, and although I love to exaggerate – this is no exaggeration. There was so much pain put into so little words, and it was conveyed to the reader, or watcher, in a simplistic way that could not be ignored. The way Arthur Miller could shift the tone of the scene was simply immaculate; it almost felt that you were as lost as the characters were considering the drastic changes in scenes. With the death of the man that the story followed came anger and grief, even though I’m just a reader. I felt as though someone I had personally known gave up on life as well, but I guess that’s the sign of well crafted literature; it made me feel.
Reflection: Honestly my reading this month was basically a flop. I didn’t challenge myself too much, as I more or less promised I would in my February reading ladder, and my reading rate dropped by a considerable amount even though I have had plenty of time within quarantine to read. I did not end up having the opportunity to read Anna Karenina, Moby Dick, or The Great Gatsby, due to the unexpected cancellation of school. However, I have now bought copies of all three books, but I have no genuine idea when they will get here (except for Anna Karenina – it already arrived). I didn’t really expand my reading too much; I mostly stayed in the genres I’m familiar with, even though I wanted to break into new ones. Although this month was a let down in my opinion, I know I can do better, and I truly did love and appreciate all the things I read this month.
Goals: Let’s just hope no more unexpected hindrances come up to smother my monthly reading goal.
Within April, I would like to read around five books, two of them being Moby Dick and Anna Karenina which will help me to improve my writing ability, and basic understanding of the English language. I also plan to reread a “candy” like book that I immensely enjoyed, surprisingly, which is Five Feet Apart. My goal also includes reading more nonfiction starting with Serving the Servant, which is another one of the biographies I own about the late, great Kurt Cobain (if you haven’t noticed yet – I love him). Once again, my World Literature textbook will be a large part of my reading along with the Checkmate writing companion, and a few other nonfiction novels revolving around mythology and auto mechanics. A requirement for my English class is to once again read To Kill a Mockingbird; I wouldn’t say I’m excited, but I am eager to see if I will change my opinion on the novel after this second read. I expect a lot from all of these novels, so all I can say is that I hope I am not let down.
References: A Beautiful Mind
