August Review

I'm sorry, I know this is a bit late.

As I've mentioned a couple of times, August was not a good month in terms of reading.

I've been in a weird slump.

I stopped reading two books this month because I just found them hard to get into and decided to put them down before I started resenting them because I felt like I had to finish them.

I picked up other books I had on a whim and thankfully was able to get through them, sadly it's only three this month, but I was just happy to read anything at all.

The first being:

Get it Together, Delilah! by Erin Gough

Published April 2017 by Chronical Books LLC

This book follows Delilah. A girl who knows who she is and is comfortable with her sexuality. But she's finding not everyone else is. She is being bullied at school, and she feels her best friend isn't comfortable with her any more. So when Delilah's father goes to travel the world to try to get over his ex-wife, Delilah's mother, after she's left them for another man, Delilah finds herself running the family cafe, the Flywheel. With her new found best friend Charlie, who is constantly doing antics to get with the loves of his life, Delilah is finding it difficult to figure out what she should do when the Flywheel starts to take a plunge in business. But when Delilah's long time crush enter's the Flywheel Delilah finds herself fumbling and mumbling not sure how to pursue this gorgeous woman.

I gave this book two out of five stars. It wasn't bad, but it was problematic. The biggest problems I had with it were:

1) The lack of adults: Delilah's mom leaves and is hardly in her life let alone the book. Delilah's dad leaves to get over her mom, and completely trusts that she'll go to school and make sure their business is running ok. The manager of said business is immediately deported, so Delilah steps in as manager. A few adults sprinkled here and there but Delilah doesn't take them as seriously but they're able to do so with her for a short time.

2) Get your fuck up fixed before parent finds out, don't have to tell parent you fucked up. What kind of message is this sending? Delilah essentially bankrupts and leases out the property in which her cafe resides, then re-opens it, and doesn't tell her father a thing, lies through out the whole book telling him everything is fine. I kept hoping for him to return home early and walk in to the disaster Delilah had made and there would be some message about the importance of communication between parent and child. But no.

3) Accept me while I can't accept you: Again through out this whole book Delilah is very comfortable in her own skin. She is a lesbian and she really doesn't care who knows, she just doesn't like getting bullied for it. Fair enough. But to then not be able to accept her friends for who they are is a bit hypocritical. To the point where I almost threw the book because she couldn't accept that the girl she'd been pining over this whole book, can't reciprocate publicly because she comes from a traditional, religious Latinx family, and this family is important. But Delilah criticizes it and can't accept it because of how proud she is of her own sexuality. She eventually does accept the terms but it feels reluctant and I'm a little irritated the girl accepted Delilah back.


Chemistry by Weike Wang

Published May 2017, by knopf

This book follows an unnamed narrator, it's her third year of graduate school in chemistry. Pressure is mounting, and she's realizing that her theory is just that, theory. With her Chinese parents pushing her success and her boyfriend waiting for an answer to his proposal, this narrator is taking a step back and having to figure out what she's doing and what she wants out of her life.

This book reads as an inner monologue, its a little broken and has scattered thoughts but ultimately still chronological. The way it's written, you can tell the English wasn't the narrator's first language and it makes her all the more adorable. Her story is fairly interesting and despite that she was going with chemistry and a graduate degree, I can relate in the fact that's she's trying to figure out life outside of school. She's trying to figure out her self and who she is away from her parents. It was relatable in that fear of failing and failing my parents, and the cultural aspect is really interesting in that it's one of many we don't really think about, and it helps differentiate some traditions are strictly Chinese vs how we tend to think it's the same with all "Asian" cultures. It also gave an interesting perspective on the pressure amounted to immigrant children and children of immigrant parents, as well as bullying in school and out. I almost wish there was a bit more into her life, but at the same time I loved the random little science facts she talked about through out the book.

The last book for the month of August was:

The Dark Life by Kat Falls

Published May 2010, by Scholastic Press

This book follows Ty, he is one of the first children born in the new frontier to settle under the sea. A couple years away from being able to stake his own claim to some land, Ty is passionate about keeping his homestead safe, from danger and from politics. On land, space is limited, and desired, as the oceans have rised and land has become sparce. But when outlaws start attacking government supply ships, Ty's worried about the status of their homestead, and his ability to stake his own claim.

This book wasn't what I expected. I kind of expected this book to be more of an adult book, but it's YA, which isn't bad but there were a couple of problems I had with some of the concepts. But over all an interesting book, it peaked my interest and love of marine life but also my fear of the unknown darkness that is the ocean. Gave it four out of five stars.

Alright sorry for the short review and apologies for the late review.

Until next time

Litta