I read 8 books in 24 hours and really want to go back to bed

Last week, I did a 24-hour bookathon (that nobody asked for, but because I was book-deprived I did it). In total, I read 8 books within 24 hours, including 1 unfinished book that was 50% finished! Based on my requests, I shall make a more elaborate review on each book based on my ranking in ascending order. So here we go!

8. The Alchemist

Yes, I voted a classic best-selling fable as the last in the ranking but HEAR ME OUT. I think that the plot in itself had a great moral. It's a story through the lens of a character finding his purpose in the world, and I really appreciated its adventurous context. Usually, in stories about people's purpose, it's done in a more capitalistic view, like being successful in your career and family life, or the opposite plotline being finding happiness outside of your career. But this story wrote this common trope in a refreshing way.

The only reason I put this story last is because its cultural context did not sit right with me. Having Paulo Coelho, a Brazilian author, write about a different religion (i.e. Islamism), can be a thin line to cross. But I feel like he wrote it in a way that only described the tip of the iceberg. And because of that, the plot sometimes tended to be quite sexist and self-centered to the man. For an author who is not even within this culture, it just makes me wonder why he made this the cultural setting in the first place? There are many other environments he can base the story off of, like East Asia, and ultimately, not have elements that make women look inferior. It's just food for thought, but just because this is the last in the ranking, doesn't make it a bad book.

7. The Midnight Library

If you enjoy stories about family and love, then this is a heartwarming and chill read. There were some scenes in this story that did make my heart fuzzy. But my main problem with this story is the way they described mental health. Trigger warning: This story addresses depression, anxiety and suicide.

I feel like this book romanticized mental health disorders, so it was described in such a watered down way, and the moral of the story was too shallow and unhelpful for people dealing with these issues. All of the "lessons" in this story can be found in your social media feed or off of a fortune cookie. In fact, I don't think the whole setting of this story would help people with depression at all. It might even worsen it, I won't lie.

I think that this story would have been better if the character realized that she needed to get proper help, and I believe that could have been executed even with the fantasy elements in this story. Alternatively, the character committing suicide did not have to be a plot device to fuel this story. If this story was about the character instead being ungrateful of her life, it would have still been just as heartwarming and the moral would then have been more impactful, since it would have better matched the tone of the author's writing.

6. What I Wish I Knew When I Was 20

Maybe it's because I just turned 21, but this book, to me, are just reminders on how I can pursue life after university. It focuses a lot on creative thinking and problem solving, so some of the content feels like what I've learnt in my courses at university. But I did appreciate the lessons on wealth and financial management in this book.

Although the content is pretty simple, I do enjoy books that refresh my memory on advice or lessons I've had in the past. Plus, I enjoyed the author, Seelig's writing. It felt like I was talking to a (smart) friend who just knows what she's talking about.

5. The Thursday Murder Club

The Thursday Murder Club did give me a couple of good laughs. It's a satirical piece that uses a lot of dry humour, so it may not be for everyone. But the characters were so fun to explore, since they're a bunch of old people at an elderly home solving a murder. It made the tone of the whole story interesting. Although it's a murder mystery, I couldn't help but feel light-hearted reading through the whole thing, just because of how innocent and nonchalant the main characters are.

4. Before the Coffee Gets Cold - Tales from the Cafe

This is the SECOND time Kawaguchi made me cry with his books. I usually have low expectations for sequels, since this is the second book of the Before the coffee gets cold series. And although, the first book is more heart-wrenching and impactful than this one, I believe that Kawaguchi wrote this book poetically. The characters are all multi-dimensional and layered, and I enjoyed the comeback of some of the old characters in the first book. Having that sense of familiarity and attachment to the characters is what made this story so melancholic. I'm still in awe at how a book as short as this can stir so many emotions all at once.

3. The Other People

I can be quite biased to mystery thriller books, but I believe that Tudor did a great job with The Other People. Compared to The Thursday Murder Club, this is obviously much darker, but I was surprised at how Tudor managed to put some sense of humour into a book as serious as this. It kind of made the book more "realistic" and "relatable" in some sense, as if this story could happen to you.

What I really appreciated was the sprinkle of harsh truths this book has in terms of how our society is like, especially about race. About how it's easier for people of privilege to get through the loopholes of the criminal system. And how people of privilege have an easier time abusing the system, meaning it's easier for them to commit acts of vengeance. With that, the dialogues in the story have made me go "daaamnnn" quite a lot of times lol.

Despite the (unexpected and probably unnecessary) supernatural elements, I believe that the book had well-executed twists, and that's what made this book engaging and easy to read in the evening when my brain started to slow down.

2. Finding Chika

Again, maybe I'm quite biased to Mitch Albom, but also, because this is a true story, there's really not much to critique. The author put his heart and soul into this book, that's for sure. Chika was his adopted daughter that passed away due to cancer, and this is an open letter to her. I don't have much to say other than this was poetically written, and what really wrenched my heart was in the way Albom wrote some parts of his book in how he believed Chika viewed the world. And what he wished to say to her before she passed away, hoping that somewhere out there, she's probably listening.

1. The Biggest Bluff

Saving the best for last. I loved The Biggest Bluff by Maria Konnikova. Although this is a personal development / non-fiction book, Konnikova wrote it in a way that felt like it was a fiction book that can be adapted to a Hollywood movie. It was absolutely entertaining reading through her journey from someone who didn't even know how many cards there were in a deck to an experienced poker player.

The book, in a nutshell, is about poker being a reflection of life but with instant karma. It talks about how you deal with failure, but more interestingly, how you deal with success and how backing out of success can sometimes be the best course of action. This especially applies if we do not know how to manage our emotions and ego. Just like how success can boost our confidence, failure can also make us angry and unwilling to accept the consequences and accountability. With that being said, uncertainty is a huge theme in this book, and a lot of her lessons resonated with me, since I tend to be a huge overthinker that struggles with making decisions quickly.

Another comment I have about the book is that I appreciated its unique take on poker. Poker is usually done in the perspective of math and statistics, but Konnikova wrote it in the perspective of her psychology background. Understanding the biases people have, such as overconfidence bias and gender bias, was so intriguing to me and it made me more aware of how I view the world. Who knows? Maybe I'll try playing poker soon and see what it's all about.

So these are the eight books I have read over the holiday! As fun and rewarding as it was to catch up on all of these books, I am definitely not going to do that again for a while. Maybe I'll do a Christmas special though this year ;)

Other than that, I hope that this made you interested in picking up one of the books that I mentioned in this review! Would love to hear your thoughts if you have read, are reading, or will read one of them.