June 2023 Reading Wrap-Up

I’ve been in a bit of a writing slump lately, though I’ve been trucking along with my reading. (“Discovering” BL manga has been a big help. It’s so much fun – humor, hyperbole, art, drama, sweetness. The genre has it all!) In any case, I’ve had the desire to get back to posting more regularly about my reading, but I haven’t managed to do it. What better way to dip a toe back into this pool than to write a monthly retrospective? So, here’s a little bit about everything I read in June.

Fiction

North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell: This is the fifth book I’ve read for this year’s TBR Pile Challenge. I’ll be honest, it was a struggle to get into/through this one. I can understand the appeal, and I think the book was an important work for its time. It reminds me of Zola, Steinbeck, and other talented social issue writers, which is probably no surprise considering Gaskell and Dickens were contemporaries and often collaborated. For some reason, I was originally under the impression that this one was about a war. (Maybe I was thinking of War of the Roses). Instead, it’s about class, and in particular, the separation between the working classes and owner classes, of which the northern and southern regions of England seem to have been clear markers. I often found myself thinking, “this could have been titled Pride and Prejudice Redone!” Unfortunately, for me, the plot and characters just weren’t as interesting, nor was there as much going on beyond the surface. That said, by the time I finished, I was much more invested and it was a satisfying read, in the end.

Vicious by V.E. Schwab: The only other book I’ve read by Schwab is The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, and like this one, I gave it four out of five stars. Schwab has some incredible ideas, but I find the stories themselves are not as fleshed out as I’d like from fantasy. (I guess I’m more of the “high fantasy” type than a contemporary/popular fantasy person, as I’ve had this same complaint with a lot of the more popular titles in fantasy these last few years.) That said, I think the premise is interesting. What is the nature of evil? If one bad person is on a mission to stop another bad person, does the first become a hero? Is there ever justification for murder? And what would we do for—or with—extraordinary power, if we learned there was a way to get it, but that it might cost us a part of our souls? I understand the hype around this one, and I’m looking forward to reading more Schwab. Perhaps the Shades of Magic series?

Nonfiction

Get the Hell Out of Debt by Erin Skye Kelly: I’ve been on a massive personal finance kick these last two years. Anything on budgeting, debt management, and retirement planning that sounds good, I’ve been trying. This is one of the better books I’ve read on debt specifically, though it has advice covering these other topics as well. If you’re struggling with debt and unsure where to begin, this is a good one.

Principles: Life and Work by Ray Dalio: This one sounded great and was categorized under personal finance at Barnes & Noble, but it was more like a memoir and a philosophy on running a business/managing people. It’s a very rare “DNF” book for me, but not because it wasn’t good, it’s just not what I was looking for and didn’t have a lot of relevance for me. Perhaps if I ever become a department chair, I’ll revisit it. I do think Dalio’s story is fascinating, though, and a lot of people will like this one.

The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle: This one is book six completed for my TBR Pile Challenge. In the last few years, I’ve been exploring religion and spirituality of all sorts, from Buddhism and Hinduism to Christianity and Islam, to Stoicism, Daoism and Confucianism. I’ve also been interested in philosophy and personal growth, exploring popular writers like Massimo Pigliucci and Brené Brown. The Power of Now is a title I’ve known about for years, and I’ve heard Eckhart Tolle speak on podcasts, like my favorite series, On Being with Krista Tippett. So, I was very much looking forward to this one. Unfortunately, I couldn’t get into it. I’ve noticed that I’m not too receptive to “question and answer” type books. (I recently read a Dave Ramsey personal finance book in this style and disliked that one as well.) The philosophy, too, is a bit too wispy for me. I did love that there are influences from a variety of religions in this one, with citations to Jesus and Buddha, and others. But overall, it felt like someone who wanted to be Buddhist settling for a vague mysticism instead.

Financial Freedom by Grant Sabatier: Grant Sabatier is a young, self-made millionaire who reached financial independence early and who is trying to help others do the same. As he explains, financial independence means reaching the point in one’s investments where they can live off the interest/returns on their investments (i.e. not needing to work). I found the first two-thirds or so of the book very helpful and interesting, even inspiring, but I lost interest later on, possibly because he started sharing ideas that, while likely accurate and helpful, are not things I see myself getting involved in, so they became irrelevant. For those who are younger and more entrepreneurial, though, I think this book will be well received.

Manga

On or Off, Vol. 4 by A1: This has become one of my favorite BL manga series. It started off a bit intensely with some lightly “non-consensual” situations, but it quickly became sweet and endearing. Some of the characters are hilarious, and the entire thing is well written and illustrated. Caution: For anyone reading my reviews of these BL manga titles and thinking about giving them a try, note that most of them are highly erotic and include mature content, including illustrations.

Therapy Game, Vol. 2 by Meguru Hinohara: This is another BL series I started recently and that I’m really enjoying. I’ve read volume one and volume two, and there are two more called “Restart,” that I’m really looking forward to after these installments.

Therapy Game Restart, Vol. 1 by Meguru Hinohara: As I mentioned above (can you tell I wrote these short blurbs at different times?), I love this series so much. I didn’t love this one as much as the two volumes in the original series, but I still gave it a 4 of 5, so it’s pretty darn good. In this installment, the two protagonists are finally, officially a couple, and they begin to figure out what a romantic partnership means as their professions and other obligations take up much of their time.

Therapy Game Restart, Vol. 2 by Meguru Hinohara: In this fourth and final installment of the Therapy Game series, Shizuma and Minato work through their jealousies and fears, and decide to start a life together, which means house hunting! The series concluded brilliantly and this was another 5-star read for me.

Escape Journey, Vol. 3 by Tanaka Ogeretsu: Another BL series I’ve really enjoyed! This one is a bit dramatic with love triangles and misunderstandings, but the storyline is still sweet and cute, with great illustrations. As far as I can tell, this is the final installment in the series, but I wouldn’t mind one more volume!

Why Don’t You Eat Me, My Dear Wolf? by Ao Koishikawa: This creative BL manga is a retelling of the Little Red Riding Hood fairy tale. A young boy is “sacrificed” to the Big Bad Wolf, to keep the wolf from attacking a nearby village. The assumption throughout the boy’s life is that, eventually, the wolf will eat him and the sacrifice will be fulfilled. There’s a twist, though, and not all is at seems. I give this one credit for being creative and for its great artwork. It wasn’t my favorite, though, and some people will find bits of the plot a little disturbing (e.g. grooming, of a sort).

Coyote, Vol. 1 by Ranmaru Zaria: Here’s another fantasy BL series that I really enjoyed. It’s kind of like a marriage between Bananafish and Underworld, where the fantasy world of werewolves meets the gangster vibe of Godfather. The more time passes since I’ve read this one, the more I look back on it with interest. I’ve purchased the rest of the series and look forward to finishing it. It’s a little dark, but it has its lighter moments, too.

Summary

• Total books read in June: 13
• TBR books completed in June: 2
• Favorite read in June: Get the Hell Out of Debt and On or Off, Vol. 4.
• Least favorite read in June: The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle.