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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
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