September wrap-up & October tbr

Greetings reader, it has certainly been a while. 

Life has been... life, so I haven't really been able to write on here. But all of that will change soon, I plan on writing more on here and taking time off social media (a whole blog post to be expected on the topic). 

I read four books in September: Crime and Punishment, The Prophet, Layli and Majnun, and Some Kind of Happiness. 

Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky

I've been wanting to start Russian lit for a while now and I'm glad I started with Dostoyevsky's very emotional yet philosophical tale. Dostoyevsky's century-old message is still as unsettling, present, and alive as it is today. Crime and Punishment is about a poor university student, Rodian Roskilnikov, who commits a crime that he hopes would rescue him from his poverty, allow him to be a better person, and help others. Rodian Roskolnikov suffers a constant struggle with the moral dilemma he experiences after committing the heinous crime. It's quite intriguing to read the story of a criminal and how one could possibly live knowing that they have killed not one, but two people.

I rated this book a 4/5. I might read it again, but I wanna explore Tolstoy and Checkov next to gain a better idea of classical Russian literature. I highly suggest watching Jordan Peterson's video on the book but there are some spoilers so be aware of that.

The Prophet - Khalil Gibran 

I really liked this book. It was short and lyrical. Although there were some parts I disagreed with, overall I liked the style in which it was written. 

"Beauty is eternity gazing at itself in a mirror

But you are eternity and you are the mirror." 

You can see from the quote above how lyrical Gibran can be. And how beautiful at that! I had a fun time reading his poetry and look forward to reading more. I like that he wrote in prose and it is a style that I am looking forward to exploring more in the future. Despite the short length of the book, I did not want to rush reading it. I wanted to connect with its meaning and taste its sweetness on my lips. While reading it, I found myself to be very relaxed. I felt separated from my present world. I read that book during a very hard time of my life. His poetry helped me battle my depression by allowing me a safe space to escape to. Also, September is such a good month to read poetry. September and May. I think it is because in those months we experience the transition into the next (more extreme) seasons.

Layli and Majnun - Nezami Ganjavi 

I LOVED THIS! FIVE OUT OF FIVE! I really want to re-read it Insha Allah.

Some Kind of Happiness

Really cute but depressing children's fiction book. I liked it! 

October reading list 

October is probably my favorite month. It gets chilly and I love the spookiness of the season. 

11/30/2021 8:55 pm