Mongolia's Book Group discussion
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What's the best book you've read this year
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I started reading The Witcher series by Andrzej Sapkowski. The book series was used as the inspiration for a hugely acclaimed video game series, and is the base for a Netflix show currently in production.The first two books (The Last Wish and Sword of Destiny) are collections of short stories, and I really enjoyed them a lot. It's a very different take on fantasy, drawing mostly from Eastern European and Slavic folklore.
Now on book 6 of 8. The books remain interesting but sometimes crawl a bit more slowly due to a heavier focus on politics and court intrigue.
Some memoirs I enjoyed! "What I Talk About When I Talk About Running" by Haruki Murakami: Based upon the name of Raymond Carver's collection of short stories, this quirky, delightful and philosophical collection of journal-like entries is of Murakami's marathon and triathlon training and doing. You don't have to be into running to enjoy his metaphorically zesty thoughts on the meditative qualities running gives him.
"All You Can Ever Know: A Memoir" by Nicole Chung: A look into a Korean-American's adoption from white parents, this book had me sobbing Niagara Falls at the end. It delves into the depth and complexity of race, culture and identity in adoption. As well as the trope narrative of adoptive parents being a Jesus-like figure for their adopted children. Chung grapples with those topics with such humility, grace, and self-awareness. She weaves in her own current experience of non-adoptive motherhood and how her upbringing influences her parenting now. Empathetic and cognizant, Chung re-questioned my ideas of how adoption, race, culture, and family intersect and influence each other. Darn good book.
The best books I've read so far this year are:
Non-Fiction:
White Fragility: Why it's so hard for white people to talk about racism. I loved it because it was a really descriptive and unique take on how race is perceived in the US (specifically by white people) and why we've gotten to a political point where people refuse to acknowledge that sometimes they might do or say things that are a bit racist and inconsiderate.
Fiction: Little Fires Everywhere. I loved this book because of all the connected stories of this town that seems perfect on the outside, and how secrets can affect a whole community when they come to light.