Quotable gems for impressing your English teacher.

“This thing we call life mustn’t ever become something endured.” — Han Kang

Summary: 

A man who is going blind and a woman who cannot speak are the two main characters in Han Kang’s “Greek Lessons.” The loss that these two characters experience creates an engaging conversation about who we are as people and how to survive. 

Get ready to shine at your book club as you delve into the profound themes hidden within these pages. There is a world of heart-wrenching beauty and intricate themes hidden behind the enchanting cover of this book.

A book that delves into overlooked parts of history.

“Was there any point in being alive without helping one another?” — Claire Keegan

Summary:

“Small Things Like These” by Claire Keegan offers a quietly devastating portrayal of a small Irish town during Christmas. It sheds light on a chapter of Irish history often overlooked, focusing on the oppressive institutions that housed fallen women and addresses these issues with outstanding sensitivity.

Despite its short length, it sets a leisurely tempo—perfect for a cozy fireside read on a snowy day (or during one of those rare Southern California hailstorms). The author’s talent for creating vivid worlds with elegant prose is truly undeniable.

A book that embodies failing knowing that everyone else is also failing.

“When you’re having a hard time, it’s natural to feel like you’re having the hardest time in the world. And it’s not selfish to feel that way.” — Baek Sehee 

Summary: 

“I Want to Die But I Want to Eat Tteokbokki” by Baek Sehee is about Baek Sehee, a successful young social media director at a publishing house when she begins seeing a psychiatrist for her depression. This book delves into a series of therapy sessions that explore the intricate workings of human thought processes. 

This book is tailor-made for those of us who ponder 2+2 on a math skill check like it’s the meaning of life. It’s a deep dive into the art of catastrophizing events and exploring the gap between our subjective perceptions and objective reality.

Recommend some realistic science fiction stand-alone book set in the distant future that will make you question your existence.

“I saw a civilization that could destroy itself before it even reached the nearest star.” — Sequoia Nagamatsu

Summary:

“How High We Go in the Dark” by Sequoia Nagamatsu begins with Dr. Cliff Miyashiro’s arrival in the Arctic Circle, driven by his late daughter’s research, takes a chilling turn as he stumbles upon a virus emerging from the thawing permafrost. This unleashed plague becomes a transformative force, shaping life on Earth for generations to come.

Through interconnected stories, this book navigates heartwarming and heart-wrenching experiences in the context of a global pandemic (#relatable). It beautifully blends diverse emotions and narratives, offering a poignant exploration of both the pandemic’s broad impact and its intimate influence on individual lives. 

Translated fiction for the young student that wants to escape to a foreign country. 

“Both laws rely on the same misconception of reality, the only reference being oneself: in the first case, we imagine everyone else has lived our life, while in the second, we long to recapture our past identity through people who are frozen in time, whose features are the same as when we last saw them.” — Annie Ernaux

Summary:

“Exteriors” by Annie Ernaux, originally in French, presents a seven-year span of random journal entries that vividly depict contemporary life on the outskirts of Paris. It offers observations about human behavior and explores the lessons we can learn from people we’ve never truly known.

A book for those who collect tote bags and snap pics of life’s every nook and cranny. “Exteriors” has Ernaux gazing “out” into the wide world beyond.

A book that feels like reading sheet music.

“Sound helps us get closer to what we feel. Besides, language always has to be so exact and I never know exactly how I feel.” — Caleb Azumah Nelson

Summary:

“Small Worlds” by Caleb Azumah Nelson describes the main character, Stephen, who stands on the brink of major life choices, societal expectations push him towards the conventional route of a university degree and leaving home. However, when he chooses to pursue his true passion, music, his decision triggers unexpected fractures within his world and family.

This book is a musical journey inspired by jazz, featuring references to specific songs that set the tone. Nelson’s writing style resembles a musical composition, employing repetition to create a rhythmic narrative with its chorus, verses and bridges.

Books that make you feel like you made your masterpiece. 

“We all know how loving ends. But I want to fall in love with the world anyway, to let it crack me open. I want to feel what there is to feel while I am here.” — John Green

Summary: 

“The Anthropocene Reviewed” by John Green—a non-fiction collection of essays that will help you see the miraculous, silly and deeply personal aspects of the “human-centered planet.” 

“One chapter helped me see the masterpiece that is Dr. Pepper while another gave extraordinary empathy for loneliness caused by the pandemic,” arts teacher Kimberly Rohrs said. “This book made me realize that humans are both destructive and creative. We are masterpieces.”