Winter 2024-25 Reading Synopsis (ft. a lot of rain)

Top Reads

1. Sunrise on the Reaping - Suzanne Collins

Suzanne Collins bringing back THG is both politically relevant to the current day and age, and also everything 11-year-old me ever wanted. Arguably this installment was the most gruesome yet

2. One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich - Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn

The description of both the prison itself and the mannerisms of the prisoners is bitterly realistic, one could almost feel the biting cold and exhaustion through the pages. Incredibly insightful piece of history captured from the author's own experience being imprisoned in Soviet Russia

3. Agnes Grey - Anne Brontë

Lovely classic romance in which Agnes has to overcome both her internal critic and the disrespect of others above her in the social hierarchy; her patience and good nature is put to the test and still she makes a good role model

4. Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen

I don't usually like romance but I seem to be having a phase. I've never wanted the two fictional ink-on-paper people to hurry up and fall in love SO badly. Those colourful sexy modern romances could NOT do this to me. I need help

Honourable Mentions

Kafka on the Shore - Haruki Murakami, loved the strange horror, but too much fuckin'

Penguin's Japanese Short Stories - Mixed authors, exact same comment as above tbh

Several People are Typing - Calvin Kasulke, hilariously accurate to what my office is like

Else

Have to be the stereotypical English guy and talk about how the weather was fantastic for about 10 days total so far this spring, and is now back to good old rain. I don't know how we're all expected to get enough vitamin D in this country.

Work's chaotic but going well. Passed the 6-month probation and my responsibilities just keep increasing. The more competent assistant left so I'm the sensible one now. I'll keep working hard.

Hope youre doing well if anyone reads this. Let me hear your thoughts.

That's all for now.

Current song: Saffron - Soda Plains