July/August Wrap up

I’ve returned from the dead aka vacation! I was gone for a whole month and, sadly, did not find the time to write or post on social media very much. Now that I’m back, I plan to post more, but we will have to see if I can accomplish that with school starting.

I decided to combine my July and August wrap ups, since I only got through a couple of books each month. Let’s get started!

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Atonement by Ian McEwan

This book was not what I was expecting. I went into this story thinking it was going to be quite dark and whimsical, and there were darker themes explored, but they weren’t necessarily the topics I gathered from the blurb on Goodreads.

Atonement mainly follows three characters—Briony (a character I enjoy and find incredibly annoying and selfish at the same time), her sister, Cecilia, and Robbie (he’s the charwoman’s son and works in the gardens of the sisters’ home).

This book is more mature than I thought it would be, focusing in-depth on sexual abuse, rape, perjury, and war. There are also a few steamy scenes. While I wasn’t a huge fan of some of these, McEwan did a brilliant job of making sure they were necessary to the story and that they added a new level of depth and conflict. He didn’t just throw them in for the sake of it.

The last third of this book really struck me, and was what I felt the most tense (as it should be, right?) As a reader, I got to see how the relationships between Briony, Robbie, and Cecilia unfolded and changed over time. The ending was golden and heart-breaking at the same time. McEwan did a great job of tying the beginning and ending of the story together and presenting the whole thing to the reader in a neat package. Everything in the story made sense. Everything was there for a reason, which I deeply appreciate.

If you are going to pick it up, make sure to do some digging into the content, unless, of course, you want to gasp and stare at the wall for ten minutes once you reach chapter eight like I did.

12 Rules for Life by Jordan B. Peterson

I know a lot of people have mixed opinions on Peterson, but I picked this book up because I enjoy listening to his lectures on YouTube and I wanted a more in-depth look at his psychological knowledge and personal beliefs.

Overall, I think the topics he discusses in this book are important. They boil down to some very necessary questions I believe everyone should ask themselves: Am I fulfilling my responsibilities? How do I combat suffering and pain in the world? What kind of life do I want to live and what iniquities are barring me from living that way?

I’m a big fan of all the humanities and find speakers like Peterson, who cover a broad spectrum of topics in that field of study, incredibly fascinating to listen to. Rules 1, 5, 10, and 11 were particularly interesting to me. All of the rules were very practical and it was easy to see how each one, when properly adhered to, can better peoples’ lives.

There were, of course, some things in this book that I disagreed with. Peterson and I don’t share the same religious beliefs, and while we may share many of the same morals, those morals don’t stem from a common belief.

From my understanding of Peterson’s philosophy, his goal for his life, and what he believes makes life meaningful is taking on responsibility and deciding to wake up every morning asking himself, “How am I going to do good today? How am I going to combat and avoid adding to the immense amount of suffering that exists in the world?”

These are good things to do, and they are honorable goals, but from my understanding of Peterson’s philosophy he builds his life on these principles and derives meaning from them. As a Christian, I believe the foundation for my life is the Word of God. Although Peterson’s ideas about morality and the morality spoken about in the Bible have many similarities, they differ greatly when it comes to the question, “Why is it important to live according to these morals?”

I believe it’s important because it is God’s Will for my life and it glorifies Him. Peterson believes it’s important because it allows us to combat some of the suffering in our lives and not fall into a pit of nihilism and uselessness. I agree that living according to some of the rules Peterson discusses can help us live more fulfilling lives, but I think that is secondary to following what God is telling us to do, even when it is painful.

The House in The Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune

This book gives me serious Miss Peregrine's vibes, but with less world-building. I picked this book up for two main reasons: everyone, and I mean EVERYONE, was talking about it, and two because the cover is stunning.

This was an enjoyable read, but it took me quite a while to get through, which has nothing to do with the book and everything with my ability to get distracted and not read for multiple days in a row.

This story follows Linus Baker, a worker at DICOMY (Department in Charge of Magical Youth), as he investigates and observes a house full of strange and potentially dangerous children.

The characters are by far the highlights of this story—Linus is hilarious and relatable, Lucy is a devilish child, Arthur is quite stoic at first, but begins to come out of his shell as the story progresses. The other children also add a lot to the story—they are unique, entertaining, and you will connect with them, I guarantee it.

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Thank you for reading this post! I plan to have a lot of interesting and fun blog posts coming soon. If you don’t want to miss out, please subscribe to my blog. When you subscribe, you will get emails every time I post. Make sure to leave a comment telling me some of the books you’ve read this summer.

It’s been a pleasure writing for you, and until next time—stay weird and stay writing. - Lexi