Happy Tuesday, everyone! I hope that your week is going well and that you are also doing well. Whoa, time flies fast! The first third of the third month of the year is already in the books. I hope the year is going well for everyone. I hope everyone has opportunities to shine, grow, and showcase their capabilities. I hope you are all able to read the books you want.

As it is Tuesday, let me share a Top 5 Tuesday update for the year. Top 5 Tuesday was originally created by Shanah @ the Bionic Bookworm, but is now being hosted by Meeghan @ Meeghan Reads.

This week’s topic: Top 5 books that made me cry

However, it is rare that I cry over a book. Instead, I am featuring the books that made me emotional, or plucked the proverbial heartstrings. Here is my list.

Title: Anxious People
Author: Fredrik Backman
Translator: Neil Smith (from Swedish)
Publisher: Atria International
Publishing Date: 2020
Number of Pages: 336
Genre: Humorous Fiction, Literary

Snippet from my review:

Doused in humor prevalent in Backman’s works, Anxious People, however, was more than just a novelty act. In his latest work, the Swedish writer has again demonstrated why he is a writer to look forward to. His lenses magnify our human tendencies. He vividly captures who we are and what we are. The humor belies his deep insights but both elements shine through. His insights make the reader reflect on himself or herself, without being preachy or pushy. Backman plays to his strongest card, and that is the keen understanding of what it is to be a human being. In Anxious People, Backman has crafted a timely, relevant, and rewarding read that mirrors the concerns of our time.

Title: Stay With Me
Author: Ayọ̀bámi Adébáyọ̀
Publisher: Canongate Books
Publishing Date: 2017
Number of Pages: 296
Genre: Literary Fiction

Snippet from my review:

Stay With Me, is, literally, a magnetic story that will remain glued on the reader’s minds. A distinct and memorable story was fashioned through Adébáyọ̀’s graceful, precise and powerful storytelling. It is a story many can relate to. The colorful albeit tumultuous background, the flawed but intriguing characters, the simple but interesting plot, the moral crossroads were capably fused into a breathtaking and memorable tapestry by Adébáyọ̀’s cunning ability.

Title: On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous
Author: Ocean Vuong
Publisher: Arcade Publishing
Publishing Date: 2019
Number of Pages: 264 pages
Genre: Bildungsroman

Snippet from my review:

On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous is peppered with amazing and original passages that reflect realities in its different forms. It is a novel about our varied experiences and the different relationships that define us and has left imprints on us. Vuong captured these moments with vivid acuity and raw honesty. There is a different kind of pall that hovers above the narrative, but it was barely noticeable because of the swirling beauty of Vuong’s writing.

Title: A Little Life
Author: Hanya Yanagihara
Publisher: Anchor Books
Publishing Date: January 2016
Number of Pages: 816
Genre: Coming-of-age

Snippet from my review:

One of the themes that the book explored is the relationship among men in general. It dwells on the behavior and conflicts among men in general, like homosexuality, father-son relationships, and, generally, male relationships. An iteration of male relationships is emphasized by the noticeable absence of significant female characters and interactions. which the book focused on. The interactions are mostly among and between male characters.

Title: Human Acts
Author: Han Kang
Translator (from Korean): Deborah Smith
Publisher: Portobello Books
Publishing Date: 2016
Number of Pages: 224
Genre: Historical, Literary

Snippet from my review:

But whilst Human Acts is no perfect masterpiece, it gave a visceral and luminous experience. In seven heartbreaking chapters and seven distinct characters, Kang delivered a literary masterpiece that evoked the very same emotion she felt seeing the picture of a mutilated girl, one of many victims of the flourish of blood and barbarity. She reminded her readers of the fragility of our human spirits. Kang powerfully described the feeling of being shot; of the moment the bullet enters then exits the body; of how, in between the egress and the ingress, the bullet shatters something tender in us in slow, painful motion. She trudged the thin line of indifference to deliver a work where emotions spring eternal, evoking a collective sense of humanity, not once, not twice but seven times.