Did not spark any enjoyment-★☆☆☆☆
Okay-★★☆☆☆
Entertaining-★★★☆☆
Incredible-★★★★☆
Life-Changing-★★★★★
Reading Rate: 14.78 Pages/Day
Reflection
This month, I was able to read two books. One is a play; the other being a novel. The specific titles of these books include ‘A Streetcar Named Desire’ by Tennesee Williams and ‘The Swallows of Kabul’ by Yasmina Khadra. I am impressed with myself in reading a variety of genres. I believe that my reading rate could have been much higher, possibly at least twenty pages, but during this month I would say that I still skipped a few days of reading, in hopes to make it up for the next day. In order to overcome this obstacle, I was hoping to read at least ten pages in the morning and ten pages in the evening after school. My goal for March is to read at least one play, a memoir, and a poetry book. Books that I specifically want to dive into, include Home Body by Rupi Kaur, They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera, and The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls. Overall, I believe these goals will get me to read more challenging literature and a much broader reach for different genres. I believe these will also help increase my reading rate for the next month.
The Books that I have Read this Month:
A Streetcar Named Desire by Tenessee Williams (212 pages)-★★★★☆
The Swallows of Kabul by Yasmina Khadra (202 pages)-★★★☆☆
A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams
This was a great piece to read. The author made the wise decision to write this as a play, as I was able to fully imagine the mannerisms of the characters. I enjoyed visualizing the characters on a live stage, moving around; furthermore, I was able to fully indulge in the play due to the very descriptive imagery that was provided. I gained a deep connection to many of the characters in the novel, one, in particular, being Blanche Dubois, who is a delicate, refined, and sensitive individual, and very cultured and intelligent. I loved how her personality progressed throughout the novel, and it was what essentially made me want to keep reading this book. Another character that is also very prevalent within this text is Blanche’s younger sister, Stella. The sister is an emotional center of this play; however, she also possesses traits, such as being calm, with a soothing feminine voice, which counteracts her husband, Stanley. Stanley is also a very important character in this story, as he has a strong hatred towards Blanche, but he is loyal to his friends and very passionate towards his wife, Stella. This piece conveys very powerful themes including fantasy, femininity, and masculinity. Quite a lot of conflict occurs within the text of this book, which I believe is a very critical aspect in what makes a play so much more interesting. Without giving too much information and detail about the overall message of the play, I believe that this is one to indulge into, as its main focus lies in such a brilliant way of portraying women, or the general thoughts and ways of society.
My rating towards this book is four out of five stars. As I have mentioned before, the characters had such an interesting nature, different from many of the books that I have read in the past. The overall setting of this piece was incredibly descriptive, which allowed for a very compelling play; furthermore, I loved the contrast between characters, which have allowed for that sense of conflict between them. I found myself continuously flipping through pages, waiting for something new to occur, sometimes I could not put it down until I was fully satisfied with the outcome of the acts that prevailed one after another. The actions of the characters were very expressive and liked how the author went into much more detail about why the characters acted upon their actions. The reason for rating this play a four out of five stars was mainly due to the fact that it did not really leave me inspired, it was a book that I found very enjoyable to read, but I would say that it was not particularly ‘life changing’. After reading this book, I did not really take the time to reflect, which means that I will probably not be thinking about this book in the future. Overall, this is a novel that I still fully recommend for anyone to read.
The Swallows of Kabul by Yasmina Khadra
This novel was well-written. Upon first picking up this book, I had a good sense that it was going to be somewhat related to a Khaled Hosseini novel based on the setting of Kabul. I love Hosseini’s works, so I already had very high expectations for this novel; also, I would say that this book was very enjoyable. The dynamic plot made the piece compelling to the eye, and some parts left me feeling quite surprised, and often angry at the actions of some of the characters. This novel evoked a sense of varying emotions in me, which made it very interesting to read. This novel occurs during the ruling of the Taliban, and the character that is frequent within this text is Mohensen. He comes from a family of wealthy shop owners and has a wife, named Zunaira, who he finds exceedingly beautiful. She was previously a school teacher, but as a woman, she is no longer allowed to leave her home without a male escort and without covering her face; therefore, she is required to wear a burqa. Atiq, a prison keeper, is also a very important character in this novel. He is a man who has adopted the Taliban ideology, struggling to keep his faith and his wife, Mussarat. Mussarat has once helped Atiq, but he is now dying of sickness and despair. Themes that lie often within this text include love, violence, and survival. These themes are powerfully expressed, and convey the full meaning of what the author is trying to convey. The novel also represents the complexity and intricate detail of the Muslim world. Many who read this piece can gain some sort of insight once indulging in this book.
My rating towards this novel is three out of five stars. I found this book very interesting, and I was able to learn and grasp a better understanding of the nature of Kabul, especially during the time of the Taliban. A lot of imagery was prevalent within the text, which allowed me to fully visualize the setting. I would say that this piece evokes quite a lot of emotions that can often leave readers feeling distraught, angry, disappointed, and melancholic, which is a great way for one to fully indulge in a piece of literature. I was able to feel what the main character, Mohensen was feeling as he seemed to be facing a lot of turmoil within the novel. I found myself wanting to learn more about the plot and to see what was going to occur next. The reason for rating this novel a three out of five stars is primarily due to the fact that it was an enjoyable read, but I was not quite left inspired, or it was not necessarily life-changing for me. I often took long pauses with this book and kept coming back to try to finish completing it. If you love the works of Khaled Hosseini, I still believe that this is a great novel to read as it provides some education of Kabul during the ruling of the Taliban, and it was very entertaining to read due to the sense of emotions that prevailed.