March Reads 2020

Let’s talk about books!

We all know… We all standing at the same page right now, quarantined and bored. But what is going on exactly? I believe that we are divided in different stages right now. Some of us just waits for this to over, some of us trying to be extra productive until its over, and some of us (this is my case) trying to find a balance. By balance, I mean try to be productive, but dont pressure yourself too much to be productive, something extraordinary is going on and its a lot to take in, I know. I always like to fill up my to-do-lists and check on them as much as I can (also pressure myself when I couldn’t complete all of them), I should clone myself in order to finish my list. In this heavy duty, over the top to-do-lists with unrealistic goals there was one that I always wanted to do, I will share the books I’ve read in a month and share my opinions about them, but at the end I always tell myself that I dont have any time.

But… Guess who has LOTS of time right now?

I try to step up my game on the reading department, I will try different genres, and try to cover them as much as possibble, so this is actually my Book Diary at the moment. If you have any suggestions please leave them. FYI, there will be lots of unpopular opinions as well.

Also if you have extreme highs and lows or you are bored as hell just know that it’s normal. Let me give you an example, abnormal reactions to a normal situation may be scary, but this is different, we are all giving normal reactions to an abnormal situation. So take a deep breath, grab your coffee and let me share what I’ve read throught the month.

Edith Eger — The Choice

Lets start with my favorite one. This book offers so much, all chapters are filled with life lessons. Eger was sixteen when she was sent to Auschwitz with her family, it is such a personal/honest book which makes you feel like you are reading her diary but yet so reliable. Her sufferings, the surviver guilt that she carries throught the years and most importantly her recovering. You may think that her pain is such a big pain that the pain of your own is meaningless, well let me tell you, this is the first idea that Eger tries to break, “Never compare your pain with others”. The nature of humans and our capacity to heal is something else. Her insights after surviving from the Holocaust, her story of how she becomes a psychologist and the experiences she has with her clients and the way she heals with them on the way is breath taking. I am so glad to have a chance to meet her with this book. By the way, she gives amazing speeches and TED Talks as well, she is definitely a shinning light.

Kazuo Ishiguro — Buried Giant

I was kind of late on the train with this one. I adore Ishiguro’s style of fantasy and how he adds layers and metaphors so silently, which is not suprising he is a Nobel-Prize winner. This lovely eldery couple lives in a place where no one stores long term memories, but somehow they recall that they might have a son and decide to travel to find him. Was it a great story with an amazing metaphoric plot? Yes. Was it a fun read? No. I got lost and bored in the dialogues. In the middle of the book I found myself trying to push myself to finish it, you know what they say, reading should never be a chore.

Sophie Mackintosh — The Water Cure

Sophie Mackintosh’s debut novel. I was thinking about reading this book since it was longlisted for the Man Booker Prize in 2018, yes 2018 (see how much I procrastinate). First of all, I can’t be the only one who loves the name of the book, specially after reading the book, the name makes so much sense and gives you the same energy of the book while you are reading it. It is a dystopia, BUT filled with literal toxic masculinity. Isn’t it weird when you can relate a book so much when it is a dystopia? It says too much about our patriarchal society. They summarized it as a “dystopic feminist revenge fantasy about three sisters on an isolated island, raised to fear men”. The interesting part it shows to the reader even if someone is not present, people are still acting like the missing one is still with them and follow their rules and rituals which made me question the similarities between the missing characters and the norms that we hold as a society. Our history and our government sets some rules and we follow it blindlessly even when they are not there and the norms doesn’t serve us anything. We have this endless need of feeling to be loved and love back which is an amazing instinct that the book gives. In addition, there are lot of symbols in the book as you can guess, but I like the rituals the most. The rituals the author created in the book so unexceptional yet so mysterious. Which makes perfect sense in the book and they explain these rituals in such a logical way, it sound ridiculous for us since we don’t have such traditions which is another sign that the beliefs and norms that we hold currently are not always right or logical. This book definitely holds a place in my heart.

Elif Batuman — The Idiot

This is Elif Batuman’s first novel, so I will try to be as gentle as I can. If you want to have a fast read, without over thinking and trying to understand symbols and such, also you like young adult books, this is the book for you. It is easy to read and follow. This young girl goes to Harvard, meets with her first love and learns how to use emails. Can someone please tell me what I am not seeing in this book? What am I missing? Oh, I almost forgot, this book was a finalist for 2018 Pulitzer Prize. And that’s it. Literally, thats all I can say about this book.

Tarjei Vesaas — Ice Palace

They say that it is a legendary masterpiece from a Norwegian writer. This metaphoric tale has two little girls become friends and spending only one night together. After that night one of them goes missing and the other one is devastated. As a winter-obsessed person, I knew that I will love this book just because of the environment and I did enjoy reading it. There is a saying that the biggest twist for the plot is the story that was untold. In one sentence this is how I would explained this book, it doesnt say much directly, but the untold part says a lot.

Alan Watts — Psychotherapy East & West

Alan Watts is a spiritual philosopher, he combines Zen and other Eastern philosophies, with modern theories of psychology, this book was originally published in 1967. He believes that psychotherapy is limited without a touch of Eastern philosophies. The both disciplines should be helping and feeding one another, it should not be compared to find which works the best. It is a first step for a reader to reach a feeling of true liberation. He combines Western science and art and the Eastern view, while creating a perfect sense and shows the common roots.

“If you read this far, thank you :) Don’t judge me just because I write about my March reads on May. Also feel free to discuss or suggest a book, it’s extremely appreciated. Stay home and stay safe.”