Book Reactions - Tumblr Posts

I just finished reading The Last Graduate (spoiler ahead) over the course of a day. And can I just say?

I’m fine and it’s fine and I’m sure everything is fiiiiiiine. I’m sure it’s fine!

I just finished a Hell of an audiobook lately

Its name is The Troop, written by Nick Cutter, narrated by Corey Brill,

And it has proved one of the most intensive experiences with literary media in my entire life.

Listen… listen here as I try to contextualize that. I’m a person who enjoys doing chores while Wayne June’s voice serenades me with the writings of Lovecraft, Poe, and Red Hook Studios. I grew up on a Little Shop to John Carpenter’s The Thing horror pipeline. I’ve played I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream at least three times to myself by now.

There were points where I laughed my ass off. Points where I yelled either in cheer or anger. A point or two where I almost cried. Many points where I gagged, physically gagged several times while driving down the road because of Cutter’s linguistic assault. I took needed breaks off and on and yet I still kept coming back for more. It’s… where do I actually start? With that Stephen King review where he mentions that The Troop scared the hell out of him?? With this?

TL/DR: This shit makes “Lord of the Flies” look like an episode of Rugrats.

I picked up this story working on no more knowledge than what I suggest anyone else interested in the roller coaster experience also start from: This is a story about a handful of Boy Scouts encountering a very hungry, very sick guy in the woods while on a camping trip.

I was hoping for something like World War Z, which is a phenomenally written work by Max Brooks. This was not much like WWZ in content, but in terms of the quality, pacing, and amount of thought put into the writing itself, I can’t think of a better comparison. Every scene is tapestried with descriptions and immersive detail to make sure you understand the full pov of its characters. You will know exactly what they hear, what they smell, what they taste, in ways elating and in ways that will make you lose your appetite.

The themes themselves share more spiritually with… Kitty Horrorshow, if anything. I can’t elaborate much on that without spoilers, and I honestly don’t encourage a jump into this text any less blind than this.

All that said, this is a true disturbing work in the sense that it is sure as hell not going to be for everyone. I don’t think it’s really even for most people in its entirety. There are several scenes dedicated to the quite graphic portrayal of childhood bullying, body horror, parasites, violent harm done to animals domestic and not (extreme emphasis on this one), and the general etc. that comes with the territory of this being a horror novel with primarily 14 year olds as main characters. Be merry and be discretionary with this knowledge. I’m going to hope the nightmares about eating wallpaper and worms settle down as the days pass, as I still thank this book for adding them to my garden.

Thoughts on Books from a Non-Reader

How Do You Live by Genzaburo Yoshino

As you read from above, I call myself a "non-reader", but really what I'm trying to communicate is that I don't think I've read books for fun since the fourth grade. I've had spells here where I've tried to read extensively but after one book I just never got back into it. These set of notes I'm going to make will hopefully keep me motivated to read more! These notes aren't for critical analysis of a book (although hopefully it's a skill I develop), but instead are just my thoughts on what I've read. Spoilers ahead...

Now on the book: WOWZA! I think this has to be my favorite book I've ever read (which is not saying much lol since I don't have a lot to compare it to). This book was written to be an ethics book that ended a series of books referred to as Nihon Shosan Bunko Bunko. The story follows Copper, a 15 year old boy who has recently lost his father, and how he develops as a young adult morally. He is supported by his uncle, who writes journal entries giving advice to Copper on how to lead a great life. The story alternates between the lived experiences and reflections that Copper has and journal entries that his uncle writes for him. As someone who thinks a lot about the kind of person I want to be, I really appreciated the lessons on "Copernican" ways of thinking, relations of production, poverty, and regret. Even if some of the lessons shared in the book are things that I feel to be true for myself, it makes me really happy to know that Copper has someone as kind as his uncle helping him develop as a person (I know these aren't real people but it still made me really happy).

"I think I have to try to be a truly good person. As you said, I am an expert consumer, and I don’t produce anything. Unlike Uragawa, I couldn’t produce anything even if I wanted to. Still, I can become a good person. I can become a good person and create one good person for the world."

I really loved Copper as a character. He is extremely conscientious and really thinks about the impact of his actions on other people and the world at large. How he grieves for his father wasn't explored all that much in the story, but I imagine that his father would be extremely proud of the life Copper is choosing to live. Before he passed, Copper's father wanted him to become "a fine example of a human being". To know that Copper is working so earnestly towards fulfilling his father's final wish fills me with an indescribable joy.

Overall, this book is a 10/10 for me and I think it was the perfect start for me to get back into reading! I'm currently in the middle of Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata and Lonely Castle in the Mirror by Mizuki Tsujimura. If anyone has any book recommendations for me, I would love to become a mutual and hear them from you! I would especially love the recommendations of any South Asian authors (as someone who is South Asian myself). Please share whatever thoughts you have!