I finished my February book ahead of time!
In my other blog, I pretty much just summarized. I won't do that; I need to learn to expand my thoughts and stuff (how poetic, right?)
In a way, this reminded me a lot of Reading Lolita in Tehran. I loved that book (I still do), and its message was inspiring--even in the worst of times, literature has the power to give hope for a brighter future. It's an inspiring message, one that I feel is particularly applicable to my life.
I've been struggling a lot lately--the grades aren't where they should be, I hate my job, blah blah blah etc. Books like these help me put my life into perspective. My life is good. Great even. Fucking WONDERFUL, even. And a lot of that has to do with reading.
While the Harry Potter books aren't exactly high-brow literature, they were my childhood. They taught me that as long as I believed in myself, I could face anything. Without them, I would not be out here all on my own, thriving in a subject I truly do love and enjoy. All of this faith in myself was inspired by a book, and without it, I'd be nothing.
Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress reminded me of that, too. It resonated with me in a way I haven't felt in a long time, and I'm honestly thrilled to have read it. I lost touch with my inner reader; I finally feel like I'm getting her back.
Originally, I was going to read Crime and Punishment, but now that I have two months to finish my March book, I decided on something significantly longer--Don Quixote. Wish me luck!