Malibu Rising and Why I’ve Started Reviewing Books

Sometimes I dream that when I’m ready to retire I’ll become a librarian or I’ll own a quaint bookshop with a coffee shop whose shelves will adorn my favorite books and I’d live a picturesque life with days filled with discussing my favorite books.

Until I realize that dream I decided to start reviewing my current reads to give my friends and family a break from my monopolizing conversations, and to monologue about the merits and demerits of my current reads. I also think I’ve been scaring patrons in book stores by approaching them to suggest books to read, because recommending books brings me so much joy! Instead, hopefully my reviews will do a better job in helping someone re-ignite their own love for reading.

So let’s kick off 2022 with Malibu Rising, a novel by Taylor Jenkins Reid which originally came out last year. I adored this book, and rated it 4.3/5 on Goodreads, due to how well written it is. Reid’s words flow freely but above all it does what in my mind a book is supposed to do; tell a unique story about people’s lived experiences.

Malibu Rising focuses on four siblings who have had an unorthodox and harsh upbringing and are only able to rely on each other. Though these siblings are barely in their twenties they have seen and experienced more out of life than any retiree. The entire novel takes place over 24 hours but Reid beautifully weaves in the protagonists’ past experiences to inform the reader of why the scene unfolding is impactful.

The storytelling is non-linear — for one minute you’re in the present moment and in the next back in the 1970s, as Reid traverses through different time periods. Reid also beautifully portrays the changes that have taken place in Malibu and how it’s changed from a poor town to one flocked by the rich. I love the flow she creates between these two time periods so seamlessly, making it an immersive experience for the reader while remaining easy to follow all the way through.

During one of my English Literature classes in college, my professor explained how during Fyodor Dostoevsky’s era in the 19th Century, authors were seen as the store house for knowledge, enlightenment, and spiritual growth as that was the only way for people to gain knowledge. I truly believe everything written in a book is factual information, it is a naivety I’m not quite ready to let go. However, I also believe that books don’t always need to educate, and can sometimes just tell us a story, a story that is interesting but not hugely impactful.

If I tried I could channel a CBSE English teacher and decipher the themes as well as the challenges of life Malibu Rising alludes to, but I really don’t want to. We often think of books as a means to make us better and forget that for the longest time it was society’s sole source of entertainment. We forget that some books’ true purpose are to entertain and engage us via a story, a central plot. We often constrain ourselves to reading “smart”, non-fiction, books for no rhyme or reason, other than trying to “better” ourselves. As that’s what we think we’re supposed to do. 

Sometimes when we read these “smart” books, we never give ourselves permission to not like them as we worry that doing so will make us appear “dumb”. But I ask — who decides these value judgements? Who decides what is counted as smart? Why do we give others so much power over ourselves? Malibu Rising may not be a “smart” book but Reid’s words flow so masterfully that I’m sucked into her world and left always wanting more. Whilst reading the novel, I feel I’m sitting on the beach with the Rivas siblings, feeling every punch, kick, and frustration as my own, which to me is the mark of a good book.

However, this doesn’t necessarily apply to every single piece of popular literature I’ve read. I don’t think the Harry Potter series is that good, for instance. JK Rowling’s seven-part series was interesting for the time period it was written in, a new world filled with wizards but to me now, Harry Potter simply symbolize sorrow and snakes, my two least favorite words that start with S. But are some of my closest friends Potterheads? Absolutely. That is the subjective beauty of books. Not everyone is supposed to love them, and not everyone is supposed to be waiting for their letter from Hogwarts. 

I’ve read over 650 books in my lifetime. For context I’ve probably known how to read for 16 years so I feel I have some authority to say it’s okay to not like a book and it’s perfectly acceptable to read a book just for fun, if the storyline is engaging. We watch countless movies and tv shows of no substance to entertain ourselves, so why can’t we read books for similar reasons? 

I’ve often seen friends and family give up reading completely. They didn’t like popular books so they believed reading wasn’t their thing at all, but I disagree with them. They did like reading, and still do, but they just don’t like reading that particular book. Therefore, I hereby grant you permission to stop reading a book you don’t enjoy! Reading is supposed to be fun, not a chore!!