2024-02-16
Is it too late for this post? Hopefully not!
The Dispossessed by Ursula K. Le Guin
I read this book at the very beginning of the year. It was beautiful. Le Guin painted two very distinct worlds that both saddened, infuriated, and intrigued me. It also filled me with hope. I love pretty much everything Le Guin writes. Her imagination is boundless. She was able to concoct all of this with great precision. I think this one might be one of my favourites from her.
Beloved by Toni Morrison
This was my first Morrison book. I'm ashamed to say that I haven't heard of her until 2023. This was a haunting yet clever book. Morrison's prose was excellent. She really shines near the end of the book. Goosebumps.
The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams
I read this in high school and it devastated me because I saw myself in Laura. I read this again, over a decade later. It still devastated me and I still see myself in Laura. I am tearing up just thinking about it. This might warrant another blog post.
To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf
Another devastating book. In my reading journal, I wrote "devastating but in an understated way." I love how effortlessly Woolf can write character studies like this. And I love her treatment of the passage of time.
On a Sunbeam by Tillie Walden
If you love sci-fi, you'll love this graphic novel. I didn't know what I was getting into when I first started reading it. I fell in love fast. The worldbuilding is so concise but not in your face. The characters jump out at you, fully formed, and feeling so real. Walden's art style is perfect for this story. Perfect.
The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
Man, I do not remember The Picture of Dorian Gray being like this when I first read it in high school. I found Lord Henry to be such a prick but he was an interesting prick who said the most outlandish things. Dorian was an interesting character too but for entirely different reasons. I need to find the uncensored version and re-read it again!