Yay! last blog post! Happy end of the semester/ year! Hope everyone is having a good end of the semester and is excited for summer!!!

I actually had so much fun in this course! I originally took this course because it sounded super cute and fun, and I’m happy to say it did not disappoint. I’m super happy that I achieved my goal of 11 books and that I actually ended up enjoying almost all of the books that I read. 

I’ve always been a reader, but I feel like this course allowed me to enjoy ‘school readings’ and take some of the pressure off for understanding everything and just allowing myself to consume literature in an academic context in a fun-ish and accessible way. This was also my first time reading translated fiction so it was a very fun and exciting experience for me.

I feel like I really branched out of my comfort zone in terms of the types of books I read and definitely found some new favourites. My favourite books of the course are My Brilliant Friend, The Hour of the Star and Money to Burn. I loved the storyline of all these novels and the drama that took place. I think my least favourite may have been The Book of Chameleons (sorry if this is a hot take), but I think It’s just because I didn’t fully understand everything that was going on – and there was a lot going on. But I think that’s also something that I’ve learned in this class, is that it’s okay to not fully understand what’s going on. In fact I think I learned the most from the books I did not fully understand like Agostino and the Book of Chameleons. Writing these blog posts, watching lectures and engaging in content helped me to better understand. The informalness of the blog posts is also very freeing, it has helped me understand complex literature and themes in ways that are accessible to me. 

I also really loved the recurring theme of coming of age and identity throughout the class. Cause even at university age we all still have a lot growing up to do, and these coming-of-age stories can relate in many different ways. I felt this a lot in My Brilliant Friend which was my favourite out of all the books ths semester. 

My final discussion question (which isn’t really a discussion) would be to please recommend me some books for the summer (maybe with a similar vibe to My Brilliant Freind) pls and thank u!