November Books

Just So Happens by Fumio Obata

This Graphic Novel tells the story of Yumiko a Japanese woman who has made London her home, she however has to return home as her father has passed away. The story follows Yumiko on her journey home and how the call of your past and people can be so strong. It’s a simple story but the artwork elevates the simplicity and makes it a quick and enjoyable read.

Hamlet by William Shakespeare

Often referred to as Shakespeare’s Masterpiece Hamlet is a enigma of a play, and as I am studying it for an upcoming essay I find it all the more intriguing as analysis always makes me appreciate literature more and more.

The Fruit of my Woman by Han Kang

This short story was first written by Kang in 1997 and upon reading it you immediately can see that it is somewhat of a precursor to her most famous novel The Vegetarian. While Kang’s writing style is more lyrical here than it is in The Vegetarian, both tell a similar story of a woman in peril.

Read for free on Granta.com

The Earthquake Bird by Susanna Jones

I watched the Netflix movie with Alicia Vikander in the title role of Lucy Fly and while I wasn’t blown away by the story I was intrigued to read its source material which is indeed better than the movie adaptation and leaves the ending a little more uncertain in terms of who dunnit. And the book also make Lucy’s obsession with Teiji far more creepy.

I Have the Right to Destroy Myself by Kim Young-ha

This is a re-read and I am just as enamoured by Kim’s prose and imaginative weirdness as I was when I first read it. It’s a dark little book but a fascinating one. Slightly reminiscent of Murakami but definitely is Kim’s own thing.

The Happy Prince by Oscar Wilde

Oscar Wilde’s Children’s story The Happy Prince is a short read but an enjoyable one nonetheless and it has its heart in the right place…or does it??? One reading of this story could tell you that its about encouraging children to be generous and helpful but on the other hand when you consider what transpires in the short story it could be a treatise encouraging the exact opposite!

Read for free on buk.io