Japanese Mythology

 

I bought this on a whim from Amazon because of the cool cover. You really shouldn't judge a book by its cover because this was the worst mythology book I've ever read. Half the book deals with Japanese history which I didn't really see the point of. The other part of the book categorized alphabetically talking about gods and other things. I walked away feeling I really didn't learn anything from Japanese mythology. I've already started another book on the subject.

The Whitsun Weddings

 

This is English poet's Philip Larkin's most famous collection. I liked The Less Deceived more. Three poems stuck out for me. "First Sight" suggests that nothing is everlasting in life. He goes on about how lambs learn to walk in snow, kind of like how humans start out in innocence begin they begin their journey through this world alone. In "Ignorance" he goes on about how we really aren't aware of the people around us and the unpredictability of life. "Wild Oats" was the poem I remembered the most. He talks about how he chose a plain girl over a beautiful one because he found it easier to talk to the other. He goes on about how he regrets his choice. At first, I was annoyed, but then this really explains the way of life. I've had unrequited crushes like that too. Larkin seems like he was more likable than the usual poet. He didn't live an extravagant life. He kept the same librarian job through the rest of his life but the little poetry he wrote is truly outstanding. 

Princess of Cleves

This had a mediocre rating on Goodreads. I'm glad I ignored it and read it anyway. It's not a masterpiece but I enjoyed it. This classic was written in the late 1600's anonymously probably because I'm guessing it was a female writer. A woman is infatuated with another man during her marriage. She doesn't have an affair, but she does confide in her husband about the man. The news brings about her husband's death. Seeing her mistake, the woman changes her life and becomes holy.  I thought it was involving. The book apparently was the first psychological novel written. 

The Less Deceived

 

I was surprised by how much I liked this book. It's really good poetry. It's simple to the point where it's easily comprehensible without being pretentious. I never heard of Philip Larkin before so that was where some of my skepticism came from. He's not as giant of a name as Sylvia Plath. However, I still have a lot to learn about poetry. There were three poems that stood out for me. "Maiden Name" takes a different approach on marriage saying that a girl has something to lose when she gets married. Her old identity gets lost in the process. "Born Yesterday" goes on about how happiness can be found in just being average. "Triple Time" is about the missed opportunities of adulthood. It doesn't look like Larkin wrote a massive amount of poetry which is a shame because he really was talented.