Interlude - Recap and Abandoned Causes (Buh-Bye!)

Another quarter gone!

We are now halfway through the year...and I am still dreadfully behind on the goal. At 30 books, I am on track for 59 books for the whole year.

...Goddammit.

Whatever. Like I've said before, the wealth of books I've read this year so far has already outstripped probably all the years of my life. I am reading some absolutely fantastic novels, and ones I would not have normally picked up.

I do feel like I'm repeating myself, though, so enough of that. Continue on below for the books I tried to get into in Q2 but just could - not - do it!

Frog Music by Emma Donaghue

The best line I found to describe this book, or what I read of it, is by Patrick McGrath in this article:

"Despite these various exotic ingredients, “Frog Music” refuses to come to life, quietly collapsing under the weight of its own tedium."

There's both too much and not enough going on at once. The setting wants to be alive, and it appears to have all the ingredients. The fashion, the slang, a heat wave that's almost its own character, and era-appropriate ("appropriate") racism - it has it all! Somehow, though, all these components fail to come together and spark. Maybe that's it. Each component is seemingly, on the surface, vibrant; the characters have interesting backstories and quirks, and the setting is well-researched (maybe overly so). But put all those "exotic ingredients" together and the recipe sadly falls flat.

The Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fuck by Mark Manson

When I first started this book, it was because I felt as if its bright orange cover was haunting me. I'd catch glimpses of it in coffee shops; I'd overhear random people chatting about it; it would pop up on my various newsfeeds. I've never read a self-help book before (unless Chicken Soup for the Various Types of Souls counts, in which case I've DEVOURED those books and just let the tears flow), so some of my thoughts might be simple givens of the industry...so, sorry if they are.

At first, it blew my mind. The message is so simple: you have limited fucks to give, so spend them wisely on the things that matter. I experience some pretty strong social anxiety, so this is directly applicable to every day life. For example, I often worry and worry about doing the "right" thing in the moment, and am highly uncomfortable with the thought that I might be breaking unspoken rules/norms. But, really, why am I spending so many fucks on shit like standing in the "right" place while waiting for my Starbucks order, or maintaining the perfect level of eye contact as I pass by stranger in the mall?

But, not unlike the petering out of new years' resolutions, I started setting this book aside in favour of others (what can I say, fiction is my jam), and eventually it stayed where it was, closed and collecting [metaphorical] dust. Maybe that's just how it goes with self-help books. You have to power through when your resolve loses steam, put it down but also pick it back up. The biggest factor for me is that Mark Manson seems like a bit of a dick. At one point in the book, he states that we need to question ourselves more, and consider the fact that we might be wrong. To illustrate this, he uses the example of a friend who has a weird feeling about his sister's fiancé. Instead of making a fuss, the friend should consider that he might be wrong about the fiancé - and in any case, it's not his place to react to his adult sister's choices. Manson then says that despite his friend's heebie-jeebies, the fiancé is a solid guy; pretty nice, has a good job, doesn't beat her up, and doesn't cheat on her. OH GREAT JOB, MR. FIANCE. GREAT FUCKING JOB. Is that really the lowest possible standard for a "good" guy? Sure, okay, I live in a nice cozy white, Canadian bubble - but still! My argument would be, hey, he seems like a good guy: they respect each other and enjoy each others' company. Not, he's a good guy because he doesn't beat the shit out of her. Wow, what a saint. Even if Manson was being sarcastic, or I'm just being oversensitive, that whole example just rubbed me the wrong way.

I will say this: from what I read, it appears that the author takes his own advice of you-do-you and giving no fucks. There are some great lines in the book, but there is also a lot of what I would deem lazy writing. It very well may be that I'm misinterpreting his highly conversational writing style, but I did think some sections could have been tightened up to be less redundant. TLDR: Started it, got uppity about an example used, gave up. BYEEEEE.