A Day in Bookland

August is over. And I read a ton of books. I am quite surprised myself... and on top of that, there was only one 'so-so' book and the rest were all amazing reads *throws confetti around* 💃💃 Love After Love by Ingrid Persaud (8.5/10). Take a Hint, Dani Brown by Talia Hibbert (9/10). Stamped from the Beginning by Ibram X. Kendi (10/10). Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-García (7.5/10). Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell (9.5/10). Pew by Catherine Lacey (6.5/10). Ship of Destiny by Robin Hobb (7.5/10). The Rage of Dragons by Evan Winter (8/10). The Deep by Rivers Solomon (9/10). I read this one twice and I highly recommend it. Once you know how everything connects you can fully focus on the themes explored. Almendra by Won-pyung Sohn (8.5/10) [translated into Spanish by Sunme Yoon]. How was your month? Follow

  Happy weekend & happy reading! Bloglovin

  I used to be a 'one book at a time' kind of gal but since last year I have realised that I prefer to be more than one because although sometimes it feels as if you are not making progress because you may not finish a book a week, then a few days later you finish three at once. In truth, since reading more than one book at a time I am getting a lot more reading done but at the same time I truly take my time with each and every title and on the long run, I prefer it. Since going on holidays I kinda created a reading routine that works for me and I thought I could share it with you all. First, let's start talking about nighttime. I love reading at night. I normally read for 30 min to an hour and after that I close the book and go to sleep. Reading at night relaxes me but doesn't put me to sleep so it's a win-win situation because I get some reading done and then I sleep better. And for the most part I pick up shorter books or novellas; recently though I have decided ...

"Hamnet, here, on this stage, is two people, the young man, alive, and the father, dead. He is both alive and dead. Her husband has brought him back to life, in the only way he can. As the ghost talks, she sees that her husband, in writing this, in taking the role of the ghost, has changed places with his son. He has taken his son's dead and made it his own: he has put himself in death's clutches, resurrecting the boy in his place [...] He has, Agnes sees, done what any father would wish to do, to exchange his child's suffering for his own, to take his place, to offer himself up in his child's stead so that the boy might live." You better believe I got emotional typing that quote. Maggie O'Farrell has destroyed my heart but also mended it at the same time. Her writing is gorgeous, so fluid, so lyrical. Hamnet  is divided into two parts. The first one we have alternating chapters going from the time Hamnet and Judith get sick, to when Agnes and her soon-to-...

LAST - Pew . I honestly don't know what to make of this book. I loved both the writing - I highlighted several passages - and the themes explored (identity, race and religion among others). However, despite a very strong beginning and my own drive to see where the book would take me, the ending completely underwhelmed me, to the point where I am wondering if I actually understood what the author was trying to do. NOW - Rage of Dragons . This is military fantasy and it is indeed quite heavy on the military training and the military divisions. However, I am really enjoying it. The societal class system, as well as the magic one, are extremely complex and I am fascinated by all of it. It also has a glossary at the end which is life-saving as I do tend to look at it here and there for certain words. NEXT - The Deep . I am keeping my promise and focusing on the books I received from my birthday - so far I've read Pew, Mexican Gothic (review soon) - and in truth I am 20 pages into th...

  This book has been on my shelves since last year but I always felt extremely intimidated by it; not just in terms of size but also in regards to the writing. Heavy academic non-fiction is always the hardest to pick up in my case. However I decided to join the readathon going on during june and july. It took me two months to read it completely but it is one of the best books I've read this year, one that I will go back to: to my notes and the pages and pages of highlighted paragraphs. There is not a single page that remains untouched. And it was a tough reading experience for sure. I thought I knew about racism in American and turns out I knew some things but not enough, or I didn't know the whole picture. A fitting example is Lincoln and the Civil War. We studied it at school but I can tell you, not in the right way. It was all simplified. North vs South. Good vs Evil. Lincoln and the North fighting to end slavery and free the enslaved. And one can say: well, he indeed accomp...

  LAST - Stamped from the Beginning . I still have a chapter + the epilogue left to read but it's safe to say this is a 5 star read. It is more on the academic side of non-fiction and it deals with a lot of information about racial prejudice spanning through centuries. Kendi's work is outstanding and opened my eyes to a loads of issues I had no idea about - especially about assimilationists and how their way of thinking has done more damage than good. This should be mandatory reading for everybody. It took me 2 months to get through it because I wanted to soak everything in. Most pages are highlighted and annotated. This is a must read. NOW - Hamnet & Mexican Gothic . I am halfway through both of them and enjoyed both. I'm typing this as I read another chapter of Hamnet that brought me to tears. O'Farrell's writing is a dream. And with regards with Mexican Gothic , I can say I am intrigued and disgusted at some scenes at the same time. Really atmospheric novel...

And I'm off! I arrived yesterday at my grandparents' place in the northwest of Spain and I plan to do absolutely nothing for the next two weeks. I tell a lie though, I should study a bit - but only a bit 🙊. And I probably brought way to more books that I will probably finish but I like having options so... here is the list: Stamped from the Beginning by Ibram X. Kendi . I have 130 pages left of this one. I started it in June but I am not rushing it. It takes me 30 minutes to read 10 pages because I spend most of that time highlighting and annotating. It's an incredible read. Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell . Another one I have started. Only 70 pages in. The writing is stunning! Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-García . Started it last night and so far, so good. It's giving me Rebecca  vibes. The Rage of Dragons by Evan Winter.  The Year of the Witching by Alexis Henderson. A Song of Wraiths and Ruin by Roseanne A. Brown. Pew by Catherine Lacey. The Deep by Solomon...

Love After Love by Ingrid Persaud [tw: homophobia, domestic violence & self-harm]. This novel is beautifully written and devastatingly, yet hopeful. We follow three main characters and all of them got under my skin. They go through so much and it's nearly impossible not to care for them, even when their actions and decisions frustrated me due to lack of communication. If only they had sat down to talk things through... but alas, that is also life. Love and its multiple representations are done so well. I was an emotional mess by the end and it's gonna take awhile before I can say goodbye to Betty, Chetan and Solo. Take a Hint, Dani Brown by Talia Hibbert. I adored this. It had me rolling from page 1 and it's such an addictive story - it plays with the fake relationship trope which I love - that it was almost impossible to put down. Dani and Zafir were absolutely adorable and their banter was *chef's kiss*. Despite its light tone, Hibbert deals once again with ser...

These are all the books my family (first picture) and friends (second picture) got me. I am so excited for all of them and I hope to read them all before the year ends - if I actually do so, might be the first time in years. So this post is the proof to hold myself accountable. Will it happen? We'll see in 2021! Follow