2021 reading has been slow, but steady. Like a turtle! Who doesn’t like turtles?
I have read four books this year, and started three others. Reading hasn’t been as a big of a priority this year, but I still try to make time for it. I want to complete my reading bucket list for the year, even if it’s been slow movings! Here’s what I’ve kicked off the new year with, between Audible and Kindle!
1. Homebody by Rupi Kaur. People like to make fun of Rupi Kaur’s poetry, but you know what? I like her! I think her spoken word performances of her poetry is calming. It’s a lot more easy for people to understand than TS Eliot. That’s not a slight to TS Eliot, but in a world where culture is becoming increasingly classist, Rupi Kaur is accessible and has plenty to say about universal topics like equality, abuse, and love (remarkable how often they coincide). Homebody is Rupi Kaur’s third poetry collection, following Milk and Honey and The Sun and Her Flowers. Her poetry grew in popularity on social media websites like Tumblr and Instagram, and Rupi has paved the way for a niche genre of writing called “Instapoetry” for that very reason.
Homebody is divided into four parts: mind, heart, rest, and awake. They are all named for their central themes, dealing with depression, love, self care, and empowerment, respectively. Like her other collected works, Rupi’s poetry is simplistic, typically limited to one page, MAYBE two, and rarely more than a paragraph’s worth of thoughts. The simplicity was a source of criticism, and even satire, but my opinion is that people can’t feel overwhelmed by it. It’s lamentable no matter what your skill is with poetry. And if we’re all reading, and learning, and communicating, isn’t that better?
Here were a few of my favorite lines:
“i get so lost in where i want to go i forget that the place i’m in is already quite magical.”
“i became confident once i decided that having fun was far more important than my fear of looking silly.”
“i want to leave this place knowing i did something with my body other than trying to make it look perfect.”
“i will never have this version of me again/ let me slow down and be with her.”
2. Interview with the Vampire by Ann Rice. I didn’t cheat! I haven’t seen the movie yet. I saw like ten minutes of it fifteen years ago. That doesn’t count! Still, I remembered enough of it to know Brad Pitt was in it, with Tom Cruise and Antonio Banderas, so the fact that I still haven’t seen it all the way through is impressive enough. Anyways, I started Interview with the Vampire at the end of last year, and finished it last month. The narration itself was fun, but it definitely leaned into the Bela Lugosi, Transylvanian, “I vant to suck your blooood” vampire accent.
Louis de Pointe du Lac, a plantation owner who lost his wife and child, recounts his life to a young reporter as a vampire, upon being “turned” by a centuries old vampire known as Lestat. A life of the undead is often a lonely one, with companions few and far between. Louis travels with Lestat through the centuries and across continents, turning a young girl and finding other vampires for companionship. Unlike Lestat, who revels in his eternal life, Louis is full of self loathing, but cannot bring himself to die.
I felt that the novel dragged in some parts. I mean, Louis had A LOT to say about how desperately miserable he was for the entirety of his life. I’m no vampire, but I feel like I would find reasons to stay vibrantly alive. The novel itself is enjoyable, and there are certain tones that I think are executed very well. Something tells me the movie might be better.
3. Star Wars: Dark Disciple by Christie Golden. A long, long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away… I continued reading Star Wars novels. It’s just fun, especially with characters I already know (foreshadowing). A character that gets a fair amount of attention in the Clone Wars series, but not the films, is Asajj Ventress, who went from slave to Jedi to Sith to bounty hunter. The Jedi assign Quinlan Voss to track down Ventress, team up with her, and use their combined forces to take down Count Dooku, a critical Sith Leader (perhaps, second only, to the legendary Darth Sidious).
Asajj Ventress is a fascinating character. Her journey through the use of her abilities, as a Jedi, as a Nightsister, as a Sith, is fairly well established in the television series, and is given even more depth in Dark Disciple. Voss is charmed by her strength, wit, and ambitions, and Asajj eventually warms to him. For a woman who almost exclusively hates, to see anything greater than toleration is more than remarkable.
I listened to Dark Disciple on Audible, so it felt like I was listening to an extended episode/season arc of The Clone Wars. The characters were well depicted, the voice actors for each character provided depth, and I was engaged the whole time. I would absolutely recommend this to anyone who enjoyed the series!
4. The High Republic: Light of the Jedi by Charles Soule. This novel was another Star Wars book, but it was more of a “deep track” than a popular hit. Aaron, who lives and breathes Star Wars, loved the novel, and it made him feel hopeful for the new world of Star Wars, post Disney sequels. He was already excited about The Mandalorian and the extended series to come (featuring Obi Wan Kenobi, Ahsoka Tano, and Boba Fett, among others), but this just cemented his hope.
In the Outer Rim Territories, centuries before The Clone Wars even begins, the Legacy Run is carrying some 9,000 passengers and cargo when an impossible obstacle occurs, tearing the ship apart and sending them into oblivion. It is up to Jedi Master Avar Kriss, along with her fellow Jedi, to save the passengers, and the planet the wreckage is headed towards, before it’s too late! It’s also up to the Jedi to suffer, and survive, the consequences of when things go wrong.
Because I’m still so attached to characters I know, and thereby aren’t easily interested in new characters, this novel didn’t grab me as much as Dark Disciple. I still enjoyed it though! To be fair, I also didn’t love Clone Wars or Ahsoka Tano at first. Now, they’re my favorites! I am optimistic to see what comes next in the new Star Wars Canon.
I am currently reading three books: Columbine by Dave Cullen, Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier, and The Chiffon Trenches: A Memoir by Andre Leon Talley. Hopefully by the time my next book review rolls around, I’ll have plenty to say about all of these books and more!