What I read for the 2020 Reading Rush | Reading Wrap Up

Check out my TBR post here where I discuss which book covers which prompt.

It’s been almost a week since the readathon ended. I’ve been hesitant about posting a wrap up post. I won’t go into details here, but I’d kindly ask you to watch this video to be better informed on what’s happened: The problem with The Reading Rush.

The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling – I have to admit I didn’t seem to care for the story that much, I’ll either reread the book or watch the movie in the future. I chose because I thought it’d be an easy pick for a readathon.

Down and Out in Paris and London by George Orwell – An interesting turn from Orwell’s well known 1984 and Animal Farm. The protagonist spends some time working and living in extreme poverty in Paris, in the second half the setting is London where he’s reduced to begging because his services were no longer needed. A discussion of poverty and a deeply moving portrayal of a person being reduced to a beggar yet maintaining their character and persevering through hardships. I don’t think I’m doing it justice with this explanation, so please click through to the Goodreads page and check the book out.

Breakfast at Tiffany’s by Truman Capote – I love the movie and finally made time to read the book. Sadly, I was very disappointed. I didn’t care for the audiobook’s narrator, it was almost taking me out of the story, nor did I find the characters as intriguing as they are in the movie.

The People in the Trees by Hanya Yanagihara – written in Yanagihara’s unique style, every sentence packed with meaning, but on a topic that infuriates me. Basically, it discusses the discovery of a long-living tribe in a remote island in Micronesia leading to a hunt for the ‘Elixir of life’ that all but ruins the island’s flora and fauna as well as turning the inhabitants lifestyle closer to a destructive, Western one, full of worldly possessions and vices (alcoholism). And there’s still more punches to the gut as you go on reading this. I’m yet to decide how I feel about it nor what to rate it.

An Anonymous Girl by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen – a young makeup artist in NYC ends up joining a psychological research on the topic of ethics and moral to earn some extra cash. We know something is not quite right, but it’s difficult to say what exactly. I kept turning the pages and was finally surprised by the plot twist in a thriller novel after quite some time. One I’d recommend to everyone interested in psychology and thrillers.

An Absolutely Remarkable Thing by Hank Green – *sigh*…I didn’t care for this one. It’s eerily reminding me of another book I’ve read last year in the genre (which I liked much better). I found the plot getting way over the top way too quickly and I wasn’t there for the drama. And the political turn it took at the end? What even was that? Though millenials may appreciate the instant internet fame and it’s consequences plotline, I, for one, did not. I do think this could be turned into a good TV show though, that’s an adaptation I’d watch.

Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid – I technically finished this the day after the readathon ended, but I did read the bulk of it in the reading rush week, so I’m still including it here. The book club book that caused some controversy, I only found out there’s a group read when checking out the website forums and added it to my TBR last minute. I’m glad I did, I was there for the whole story and Emira was a character I’d like to spend more time with. The ending made me lower my rating a bit, I found that last scene/paragraph a tad problematic (Emira basically thinks another of the characters will be able to buy whatever they need), but overall a solid book.

Writers and Lovers by Lilly King – 5 stars and one I’d like to own a copy of to annotate. I wanted to give Casey a hug, cheered her on to complete her book already. I definitely felt her apprehension about losing touch with her creativity under a mountain of student debt and tumultuous relationships, reading and writing being her form of escape. The audiobook was excellent and one I’d recommend for sure.

Overall, the readathon was a success. I read 7 (almost 8!) books and a total of over 2094 pages in 7 days and completed all the prompts. I did deviate from my TBR but that didn’t surprise me. I’m happy with that but not sure if I’ll participate in next year’s Reading Rush.

Did you participate this year? Which books did you read?