Week 8: On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous

Hooray! I finally finished another book. I think that’s 5 total for the summer so far but I do have to go back and count. Like many I talk to, there is plenty of reading happening and not so much posting. I learned fellow reader @gguccidoll12 is reading or has finished reading The Guest List, which I received from @wolfechelsea during our summer reading swap. That might be where I go next after having finished Ocean Vuong’s On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous.

The book was as satisfying as expected– I resonate with much of what I had heard: raw, jarring, heavy. It was an inspirational read for me– one of the quotes that hasn’t been mentioned yet but has stuck with me for days is when Ocean mentions the word for missing and remembering is the same in Vietnamese. He then says, I miss you more than I remember you. I never had words for that feeling and especially this year, it feels too true.

The air is full of smoke as fires burn around us– it’s a visual reminder of the destructive nature of our times. I pray for peace and health to all my lovely reader friends.