recently read: tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow
10: by gabrielle zevin and before the coffee gets cold by toshikazu kawaguchi
Knowing what book someone is reading and what parts they resonate with most can be so intimate. It reveals their interests, where their head is at, and what excerpts are so significant that they will mark up a page because they think it’s worth revisiting at a later time. I’m fascinated by what books others gravitate towards and I find that it helps me get to know them better and gives me a small glimpse into who they are at their core. No one asked for these book reviews, but maybe it’s my way of showing who I am and what I’m interested in – beyond the clothes, the products, and my career. Or at the very least, encourage some to look up from their phones and instead towards the pages of a good book.
Book no. 30 of 2022
Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin
An easy 5 out of 5 stars and one of my favorite books of 2022. I loved it so much that I had to include it in both the Seen Library pop up and most recent book giving. When a friend described this book as one about life’s what ifs and could have beens, I immediately put it in my to be read pile. I didn’t expect to like it as much as I did. Centered around video games, but more-so about friendship, love, and hope after tragedy. I devoured it and escaped into the world of Sadie, Sam and Marx. I highly recommend.
Favorite quotes:
“He looked at her and thought, ‘This is what time travel is.’ It’s looking at a person and seeing them in the present and past, concurrently.”
“The world seemed filled with interesting books, plays and movies, games, food, people... To Marx, it seemed foolish not to love as many things as you could.”
“We are all living, at most, half of a life, she thought. There was the life that you lived, which consisted of the choices you made. And then, there was the other life, the one that was the things you hadn’t chosen. And sometimes, this other life felt as palpable as the one you were living.”
“The boredom you speak of… it is what most of us call happiness.”
“She realized she wasn’t old at all. You couldn’t be old and still be wrong about as many things she’d been wrong about and it was a kind of immaturity to call yourself old before you were.”
Book no. 29 of 2022
Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi
I first heard about this book from a Seen Library feature with the Space of Time founders. It’s an easy, quick read that’s warm and full of life lessons — especially the reminder to tell those you love them while you still can. It was a nice book to read and one that makes for a great gift for family and friends who aren’t big readers. I got it for both my dad and father in law. I accidentally ordered and read the sequel instead of the first one, though… Oops.
Favorite quote:
“Seasons flow in a cycle. Life, too, passes through difficult winters. But after any winter, spring will follow.”
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