This year, I made a resolution for myself: to read. As much as I hate to admit it, most of the books I read were (😭) the ones assigned to me at school, and that simply will not do. After brainstorming a little, I concocted a plan to help me fulfill my formidable task. Below are the goals I have for every month:
1. Must read the AP Lit book completely.
2. Complete a minimum of two non-school books per month throughout the school year.
3. Complete a minimum of three non-school books per month during summer break.
This month, I checked out two books: Behold The Man by Michael Moorcock and The Shadows Between Us by Tricia Levenseller. The former follows a failed psychologist named Karl Glogauer in his quest to find Jesus. That’s right, he builds a time travel machine (a symbol for a womb) and goes back to 28 AD where he is discovered by the Essenes. Due to his mysterious appearance, they believe Glogauer to be a mage and the leader of the revolution against the Romans. A bunch of stuff happens and then Karl ends up becoming Jesus himself. As a Buddhist, I think a lot of the references and Biblical allusions flew right over my head and smacked Bryce Hadley right in the face instead. After getting himself crucified, Karl’s body is dug up by doctors who still believe he is some mystical being but later find a normally rotting body. Not only was this ending unsatisfying, but Karl doesn’t seem to have undergone any type of character development. At the novel’s conclusion, he still seems to be searching for some type of meaning to his work.
After closing the cover on Behold the Man, I turned my attention to The Shadows Between Us. After finding this book on Pinterest, I knew I was in for a mediocre ride. This YA fiction depicts Alessandra Stathos in her quest to court and then murder the elusive Shadow King. Lo and behold, they end up falling in love, but not before the king finds the poison Alessandra left unassumingly in her wardrobe back when she planned to kill her hot babe. As much as this book is mid, I did enjoy the brief yet cringey break from the dense reading of AP Lit.
With AP exams coming up, I can’t promise that I will fulfill my two book goals. However, I have The Will of the Many by James Islington and The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie on my radar for now.