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hmwoodward's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
What a truly delightful book. Ross Gay takes you on a journey across a year in his life as he reflects on all the things, both big and small, that bring him delight. Some are mundane and obscure, but they're all so relatable. Part of that relatability is due to human nature, but it is also in large part due to his stream of consciousness writing style. You feel like you are in his head or having a casual conversation over beers on a patio as he shares his stories.
The essays don't hold back from discussing the less delightful things in life as it leads up to what delights him. He covers life and death, capitalism, racism, and more. He doesn't shy away from addressing the way these things can impact you and celebrates the delights in spite of them.
The format of this book was excellent. Each day is captured in a short essay and, since it is a book of delights, always has a happy ending. You don't need to rush through this to enjoy it and don't need to read front to back to enjoy it. The bite-sized nature allows you to come back for more whenever you are ready.
I would have given this 5 stars even if I had read it in a different period of my life, but I found such comfort in it during an especially hard time here lately.
The essays don't hold back from discussing the less delightful things in life as it leads up to what delights him. He covers life and death, capitalism, racism, and more. He doesn't shy away from addressing the way these things can impact you and celebrates the delights in spite of them.
The format of this book was excellent. Each day is captured in a short essay and, since it is a book of delights, always has a happy ending. You don't need to rush through this to enjoy it and don't need to read front to back to enjoy it. The bite-sized nature allows you to come back for more whenever you are ready.
I would have given this 5 stars even if I had read it in a different period of my life, but I found such comfort in it during an especially hard time here lately.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Racism, Death of parent, Cancer, Cursing, Terminal illness, and Medical content
Minor: Alcohol
jayisreading's review
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
As the title suggests, this book is nothing but a delight. I really welcomed Gay’s reflective words that called for hope and gratitude for all things big and small that we so often overlook. A handful of these very short lyric essays—many only being a page long—celebrated the wonders of nature, but I was most taken to the essays that dealt with human connection. Perhaps I felt this way due to all the man-made tension that exists in the world at the time of reading this book. Whatever the reason may be, it was a heartwarming reminder that humans make so much meaning out of our interactions with one another.
While I appreciated the nature of what this book tackles, I found that Gay’s writing style didn’t always work for me. His particular flow was a little difficult for me to follow, not so much because the writing was dense (though the run-on sentences did get to me a few times). Instead, it was more a reminder that we all have different thought processes that make sense to some, while others might struggle a bit more with them.
If you’re looking for short and uplifting essays to read, though, The Book of Delights is absolutely one to pick up. What I also appreciate about this collection of lyric essays is that you could read one a day in the morning, should you want some food for thought to start your day, or you just want to be reminded of the ordinary joys that exist in our lives.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism
Moderate: Grief
Minor: Death, Homophobia, and Murder
undecidedpersonality's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
fast-paced
3.75
Content Warnings
Minor: Animal cruelty, Classism, Incest, Excrement, Miscarriage, Racism, Sexual content, Hate crime, and Pregnancy
lllem00n's review
dark
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
4.0
what a lovely book. i have been looking for and relishing in the delights around me since finishing.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism
savvylit's review
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
4.5
The Book of Delights is so accurately named - this collection of essays is absolutely fit to bursting with delightfulness. I love reading other folks' journals and reading these essays was no exception to that. The Book of Delights is essentially Ross Gay's gratitude journal for his 43rd year. He chronicles his experiences while making poignant observations about the joys that many of us often let go unnoticed - vivid wildflowers in a concrete corner, reassuring gestures from strangers, a song that calms in times of stress.
If you need a little extra joy in your life or if you like lyrical essays, this book is for you.
If you need a little extra joy in your life or if you like lyrical essays, this book is for you.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism, Grief, and Death
readandfindout's review
reflective
medium-paced
3.5
Style/writing: 3 stars
Themes: 3.5 stars
Perspective: 4 stars
Themes: 3.5 stars
Perspective: 4 stars
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism
agus02's review
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty and Racism
skudiklier's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
4.25
This is a lovely book! It took me a bit to get into it, but once I did I found so much to appreciate. I told myself going in I wouldn't take any notes, but then some lines and essays were so good I couldn't help it. I also really want to read more of his poetry!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism and Cursing
Minor: Sexual content and Animal cruelty
caspian's review
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
5.0
just BEAUTIFUL. ross gay does a lovely job of seeking out specific examples of BLACK joy and it is so powerful!!!
Content Warnings
Minor: Racism
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