My TBR list

Books I'm hoping to go through on the upcoming months

Portrait of a Young Woman in White by Jacques-Louis David, 1798.

This week, I wanted to write about the EU elections results, where the far-right won or was the second most voted party in many countries. I started writing about how stupid it is to be against immigration, in general, but especially on a continent where the average age is 42 years old and the fertility rate is 1.5 children per woman. I found I had much to say, but I also felt drained from doing so. Also, I know it's not really about immigration, this discourse is just something the far-right uses to get votes. So, what's the point?

Maybe I'll pick up my draft next week, or maybe I won't.

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Anyway, here are the books I'm looking forward to reading next, along with very brief descriptions of what they're about:

My year of rest and relaxation by Otessa Moshfegh

Shy by Max Porter

The Dark Side of Skin by Jeferson Tenório

Danubia: A Personal History of Habsburg Europe by Simon Winder

I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman

Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt

Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami

'Exterminate All the Brutes’ by Sven Lindqvist

Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi

Currently reading: Crying in the H Mart by Michelle Zauner

Due to a cancer diagnosis, Michelle has to return home to take care of her mother in Oregon. It turns out that everything she avoided by being half-Korean was exactly what she craved when it came to reconnecting with her mom during her last months.

The memoir recounts Michelle Zauner's experiences growing up as one of the few Asian American students at her school; of struggling with her mother’s particular, high expectations of her; of a painful adolescence; of treasured months spent in her grandmother’s tiny apartment in Seoul, where she and her mother would bond, late at night, over heaping plates of food.

It has been a pretty interesting read, discussing topics such as cancer, taking care of your parents, how missing someone who died doesn't mean they were flawless, and grief. Also, the experience of being an immigrant or the daughter of an immigrant. How it feels to be divided. One person with two different cultures and families in far away places.