A round-up of all the books I’ve read this month
4 Minute Read
Hello and thanks for coming to my March book review! This month there was a massive shock as the world recoiled from a global pandemic. The disruption caused by the lockdown has been unprecedented with many nations in quarantine and many people confined to their homes.
In Copenhagen, I’ve now been stuck at home for two weeks! But, there’s an upside to this: more time for reading 📚! This meant that I finally got to do the 12 hour reading marathon I’d been planning for a while. I also adopted audiobooks into my commute earlier in the month which was a great addition to my reading repertoire. I’m mainly sticking to non-fiction books, self-help genre – that kind of thing. For some reason I feel like the content can be digested more like a podcast and listening to it on the way to work makes me feels extra productive 😄.
March book review includes:
- 12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos – Jordan Peterson ★★★★
- The Picture of Dorian Grey – Oscar Wilde ★★★★
- Unnatural Causes – Richard Shepard ★★★★★
- As I Lay Dying – William Faulkner ★★★
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1. 12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos – Jordan Peterson
Even if you’ve been living under a rock it’s unlikely you won’t have heard of Jordan Peterson. His name has become something of a buzzword across media outlets and in social circles. I’ve watched a great number of his interviews online (including the famous GQ and Kathy Newman ones) and also some of his lectures. To me, he seems like a very intelligent and interesting character; but, I can see why it’s easy to vehemently hate him if you misconstrue his arguments. Clearly some of his views are contentious hence why people have such a divided opinion of him! I thought it would be good to read his book first and then make up my mind from that.
I want to start off by saying how well the book is written. His broad vocabulary, taught sentence structure, inventive metaphors, and flowing dialogue are all exceptionally delivered. I can see why some people might find parts of it pretentious or overwrought, but for me it was excellent. I enjoyed the mix of philosophy, theology, psychology, and literature. His life-lessons learnt from great writers/thinkers and communist totalitarian leaders are very interesting (think Stalin, Dostoevsky, Nietzsche). My favourite sections of the book were the discussions about the route of evil and the concept of idea vs fact.
I found it interesting how the topics he is so vilified for in the media (gender roles in society, difference between the sexes etc.) were only a small fraction of what the book covers. It seems to me that many of the people attacking him probably haven’t read this book because if they had it’s hard to confuse his message as he explains his points with absolute brevity. Maybe that’s an unfair statement, but I suggest you read it for yourself and see if you disagree with me 😏.
Any Negatives?
I should probably have prefaced this review by saying: I don’t find self-help books particularly, well, helpful. So in that aspect, I can’t comment much upon how it made me feel as I didn’t pick this book up aiming to learn anything that would change my life. I did it mainly to see what all the fuss was about.
Where the book lets itself down is in its length. He labours over many points gaining no benefit from their longevity (evolution in lobsters, excessive bible quoting, too much emphasis and detail in his anecdotes). Also, the tone of the book is irritating at times due to the strident delivery of the writing. This gave me the impression that he is very much talking at me with an accusatory pointed finger. Another big detriment is that I believe he over analysed the bible which after a while also became tiresome.
2. The Picture of Dorian Grey – Oscar Wilde
There are times when you read a book and page after page, it becomes glaringly obvious you are experiencing brilliance. This was one of those moments. Every paragraph seems to contain a perfect quip or quote. Each line is calculated and delivered with astonishing brevity and poetic flourish. Oscar Wilde is, of course, famous for being a poet and a playwright, and it’s easy to see how this writing style permeates his work. Sadly Dorian Grey was to be his only novel, and sad it really is because he’s so damn good at it.
The characters are fascinating – Harry, in particular, is a truly remarkable character. Hate him or love him, you’ll undeniably find his dialogue compelling. The descriptive prose is just magical. And the story itself is brilliant. Part of me already wants to read it again to take in the things I missed the first time!
Any Negatives?
The book slowed around the midpoint, where Dorian’s life flashes by in a series of endless lavish pleasures. Each more indulgent than the last.
I felt this dragged the pace of the narrative and I found myself momentarily losing interest. But this is a small criticism, and I can see why it’s necessary for Dorian’s character development. His frantic desire to gorge himself on an endless number of empty artificial treasures builds on his obsession for vanity, youth, and beauty.
3. Unnatural Causes – Richard Shepard
I’ve always been fascinated by CSI, crime dramas, and detective police shows. I seem to have a strange obsession with the macabre; the more horrific a murder (or series of murders), the more it will capture my interest. Although I don’t think I’m alone in this fascination. You only have to look on Netflix to see the vast number of true crime and serial killer documentaries they have on display to see our collective love of morbid tales.
This book was first recommended to me after I read Mindhunter by John Douglas. It seemed to represent the opposing side of a criminal investigation. Mindhunter focused on profiling killers and finding those who were guilty based on interviews, crime scenes, and behaviour. Unnatural Causes also seeks justice, but the story is told from the marks of a body. Richard Shepard has been one of the UK’s most famous forensic pathologists for the best part of 30 years. He searches for clues and reads the body of those who’ve died from unnatural causes, to help gain insight into how and why they might have died.
I honestly couldn’t put it down, and I know that’s a cliche, but I really mean it this time. I just didn’t want to stop reading it, and I must have got through it – cover to cover – in about three sittings. It was all so fascinating, and riveting, learning about his profession and all the terrible cases he had to investigate. What really interested me was finding out what kind of a person would do such a job; or at least, what it takes to be able to cope with such a job.
Easily one of my favourite non-fiction books I’ve read in the last few years. If you can grimace, hold your stomach and get through the ghastly details, it’s worth every gristly minute of your undivided attention.
4. As I Lay Dying – William Faulkner
I so badly wanted to love this book. From the people who recommended it to me, to the other works of literature it was likened to, it seemed as though it was sure to be the perfect book for me. I love Southern Gothic novels, and American literature in general. Cormac McCarthy is my favourite author of all time, and he is often talked about in the same regard as William Faulkner. So when I finally bought this book and prepared to immerse myself in its pages, I was excited, there’s no two ways about it.
But sadly, expectations don’t always meet reality. And I may have built up mine too much to ever hope to reach them. I should start off by saying my biggest issue with the book was how confusing I found the narrative structure. I spent at least the first third – or maybe even half -of the book really quite confused as to what was going on. Each chapter is spoken from the point of view of a different family member amongst other community members they meet on their journey.
Once I looked up the names and wrote them down for myself to keep reference, I instantly became hooked into what was going on and became greatly more invested in each of the character’s struggles. So much so that I actually feel like starting the book over and re-reading the first half with the characters firmly fixed in my mind.
There’s also a real bluntness to Faulkner’s style that makes it easy to miss key plot points or character traits. Both in how he describes things and how much time he spends explaining them. I think ultimately this is one of those books that you will enjoy a lot more knowing a bit about it before you go into it. So, luckily for those of you reading this blog, you will likely have a much better experience of it by learning from my mistakes.
Last Words
I hope you enjoyed that review! Comment below if you have any thoughts yourself or if you have any book recommendations for me to check out! If you are new to my site and enjoyed these reviews then head over to my blog listing to check out what else I’ve been reviewing. If you want to see all the books I’ve read over the last couple of years have at look at my Goodreads account here.
Happy Reading! 📚
