August Wrap Up Week 1

I've read 4 things this week. A short story, a manga, a biography, and a favorite of the year.

I picked up The Best Girls by Min Jin Lee on Amazon because I have prime so it was available to "check out" for free. It was 18 pages of the role of girls and women in an Asian society. It was marked as a horror but only became horrifying at the very end. I enjoyed the twist and the writing. I gave it 3.5 stars.

Then, after five months on my library holds list,  I listened to Becoming by Michelle Obama. I like that she narrated herself and found joy in some of the tidbits she shared, like Barack was always running late and never picked up his socks/mess. The first half was more enjoyable than the second as it felt more like a story in the beginning but devolved into a list of events. Overall, a good read. I gave it 4 stars.

Concurrently, I read Boy Swallows Universe by Trent Dalton. This is one of my favorite books I've read this year. The story is about a young man growing up in Australia, his life immersed in a criminal drug ring. His babysitter is a ex-convict who was charged with murdering a taxi driver. His brother is mute and his parents sell heroin. This was zany, poignant, and just a wonderful coming of age story. I gave it 5 stars.

Lastly, I picked up Monster volume 2 by Naoki Urasawa. This is a manga following a doctor who chooses to save the life of a young boy instead of a politician. The little boy is a monster, a serial killer who repays the doctor by killing anyone the doctor has a problem with. However, it just looks like the doctor is the serial killer and the police suspect him. This continues on from the first volume. I gave it 3.5 stars.