The books I read in March were all over the place, as you can see below. I often read like that, because I’ll get bored when I read too much of the same genre or topic right after another.
8. Sämtliche Erzählungen (Collected Stories) – Franz Kafka
To be honest, this collection of Kafka’s stories was such a slog in parts. I’m a big fan of his most famous stories, The Metamorphosis and my personal favourite, In the Penal Colony. However, this collection contains many of Kafka’s unfinished stories without much of a context, which made reading them feel disjointed and confusing.
9. Resurrection – Leo Tolstoy
I’ve had a deep emotional connection to this book for years without having read it. Shortly before my Grandma died, she gave me this book. (Read more about my Grandma and what she meant to me here.) She was so proud because she ordered it in English! She didn’t speak a word of the language, but she knew I read a lot in English so she went to the trouble of acquiring it in that language. After her death, I couldn’t even look at this book, let alone read it, because it hurt too much. It’s only recently that I started feeling strong enough to start reading it. It’s a beautiful book. I enjoy Tolstoy very much anyway, especially his diverse cast of characters and his deeply empathetic way of describing them. Even though the book was written a hundred years ago, I felt deeply connected with them, and I think that’s an astonishing feat. I’ll always treasure this book as one of the many valuable things my Grandma gave me.
10. Sexus und Herrschaft. Die Tyrannei des Mannes in unserer Gesellschaft (Sexual Politics) – Kate Millett
I picked this book up at a streetwalk library, otherwise I would’ve bought it in English. The translation was a bit odd. That said, Sexual Politics is a fantastic book. I haven’t read every author mentioned in her analysis (specifically Henry Miller and Norman Mailer), but it was still a riveting, and honestly devastating, read. What a scathing take-down!
11. Mr. Kiss and Tell – Rob Thomas/Jennifer Graham
This is the second book in the Veronica Mars series, set after the 2014 movie. I’m a huge fan of the original TV series. Veronica’s snarky wit and tough personality spoke to teen me, and I related deeply to her fraught relationship with her mother. I guess you could say that show brought me through some tough times. That’s why I love to see the character Veronica grow up, just as I’ve grown up, and follow her exploits as an adult. In Mr. Kiss and Tell, Veronica must investigate the rape and assault of a young woman. Meanwhile, her father tries to once and for all topple the reign of the second, but equally corrupt Sheriff Lamb. As is par for the course, the story is pretty dark and tackles serious societal issues, but told in a wise-cracking, often caustic tone.
If you want to see the other books I’ve read in 2023 so far, take a look at the post carousel below:
