A Day in Bookland

In this weekly post I am also including the previous week because I only managed to finish Vera by Elizabeth Von Armin and I didn't wanna do a post to include just a couple of lines about a single book. About Vera , I'll say it was a terrifying read. Von Armin manages to depict perfectly well what phycological abuse within a relationship is. It is an incredibly readable novel despite its subject matter. The ending is feels like a nightmare. The whole story is a cautionary tale. DEC, 4th - Finished A Song of Wraiths and Ruin by Roseanne A. Brown. I had fun with it but I struggled with the writing at the beginning as well as the obvious lack of information about the world and magic system (which was intentional for plot development). I do think it has a lot of potential and I'm intrigued to see where the story goes next. DEC, 5th - After seeing A Dowry of Blood all over booktube and tiktok I decided to give it a go. I don't tend to have the greatest luck with hyped up...

NOV, 19th - Earlier this morning I finished Summer by Ali Smith. I felt its ending was a bit rushed and I wouldn't have minded staying with these characters a bit longer but all in all I was satisfied with it. Spring remains my favourite out of the four novels.  NOV, 21st - After being sick for a few days my brain was less foggy to read for longer than a few minutes so I took full advantage of that and managed to read a bit. I finished The Ex Hex by Erin Sterling and although it was a cute and quick read and thankfully the juicy scenes didn't make me cringe, I found that the author use of HP terms a couple of times to explain magical things instead of coming up with her own terms is just very lazy. I also got enough time to finish book II of War&Peace , which means I finished volume I and can continue with volume II. Follow

  Hi there! Last week I didn't make a post because I didn't read a single page. I've been going through a kind of slump since all I do is study and I literally have no energy to read afterwards, not even at night, before going to bed. Hope this week is different. NOV, 8th - I finally read Carmilla by Le Fanu and I have mixed feelings. It was atmospheric and in my opinion better than Dracula but felt the story was way too long. And yes, I'm well aware that objectively this isn't the book's fault but mine for reading it so slowly but I can't really shake off my impression that it took me ages to finish it when it was less than 150 pages. NOV, 9th - This morning, as I was drinking my coffee before sitting down to study, I read the final pages of Spring by Ali Smith. I enjoyed the two previous installments of her seasonal quartet but Spring makes it to the top no problem.  Follow

  OCT, 25th - Finished Sorrowland by Rivers Solomon. This is a strange yet poignant read in which Solomon interweaves a fantastical tale with both social commentary and critique. It was a bit slow at times but Solomon's writing was, as always, phenomenal. They are becoming an author I will always read no matter what they publish.  OCT, 27th - This morning as I was drinking my coffee, I read the last two chapters of We Have Always Been Here: A Queer Muslim Memoir by Samra Habib. Very accesible to read thanks to its simple and plain writing style, Habib's memoir deals primarily with her identity, her sense of belonging, her queerness and her relationship with Islam. She doesn't dive deep into certain issues and I respect her decision despite feeling some elements could've been explored more for a more rounded narrative. OCT, 31st - Early morning today I read the last pages of The Last House on Needless Street . What a read! I didn't know where this story would go...

OCT, 20th - Late last night I finished Dune . Read part III in one sitting which is something I haven't done in a while. What I can say is that part I and III were good but I found part II very boring and the old-fashioned writing style made me struggle sometimes to engage with the text. The story was good though and will be worth rereading.  OCT, 23rd - Very slow reading this week but at least managed to get to part IV of Book II in War&Peace and I only have to more parts before finishing Book II 🥳. Probably this will be my last update for the week since tomorrow Sunday it's my cousin's son's birthday and we are all getting together to celebrate. Despite not being able to read a bit more, I did make some progress with Sorrowland by Rivers Solomon & We Have Always Been Here by Samra Habib. Both good so far. Most likely will finish them both next week since I have two other halloweeny reads I want to read this October. Cannot believe the month is ending next ...

  OCT, 14th - Last week I decided to give in to the booktok hype and get myself a copy of The Spanish Love Deception. The main reason was because I needed a lighter read, like a palate cleanser, after all the depressing/sad shit I've been reading lately. The book did what I wanted it to do but of course it wasn't perfect. You can tell it's a debut and it is indeed full of clichés as well as so many unnecessary repetitions: a professional editor would have taken so many pages out. My main problem with the novel was the last third of it and the reason for it was the smut: it was so cringy and did nothing for me; and the language used felt so out of character. Anyway, as I said the book did what I wanted it to do and that's enough. OCT, 15th - Finally reached part iii in Dune. Not gonna lie, part ii dragged on and on and on. In other news I have started my reread of Piranesi - been meaning to pick it up again since it was announced it won the Women's Prize. Cannot ...

OCT, 5th - Finished Winter by Ali Smith and I have mixed feelings. Certain aspects of the novel I absolutely adored, specially the chaotic and disruptive dynamic between the characters as well as Smith's playfulness with language. However, I have the feeling that something about this novel escapes me: as if I had not been able to unravel all its secrets. I will be reading Spring as soon as the library loan comes through. OCT, 8th - I have been reading Why We Sleep since late September and today I finally finished it. I have to say it was an enjoyable, fascinating and frustrating read (in regards to the second half). Despite being very accesible and easy to get through, this book has a big problem: lack of references. Also he kinda suggests that we should commercialise sleep in order for people and companies to care about sleep with full tracking and everything. I dunno, a few things rubbed me the wrong way. I enjoyed the beginning a lot, when he gives us general information ab...

SEPT 27th - Did I manage to read at least half of Dune before going to watch the movie? Nope. I managed to get to page 178 - I am enjoying the book, btw. But I went to watch it and gosh, it was amazing! You have to pay attention from minute 1 to the end but I think Villeneuve has made a great job at presenting such a vast world in an understandable way. My sister came with me and she loved the film as well despite knowing nothing of the world. The music and cinematography? *chef's kiss* SEPT, 30th - As a way to celebrate the last day of the month I have finished The Night Watchman by Louise Erdrich. I read it in Spanish through the library and I have to say it was a good one. The first half of the story I enjoyed more than the second half, in which I felt the story deflated a bit. If you are interested in a full wrap-up for September you can check it out HERE . OCT, 1st - October is here! Cosy vibes all the way! Early nights, a blanket and hot chocolate: that's my routine. I...

This week starts with me reading 6 books. SIX. Someone please come and stop me from starting any more I beg of you. The six titles are: Dune by Frank Hebert, Why We Sleep by Matthew Walker, The Night Watchman by Louise Erdrich (library e-copy), Vozdevieja by Elisa Victoria, Autumn by Ali Smith (library e-copy) and War&Peace by Tolstoy.  SEPT, 21st - I finished my reread of Autumn after lunch and I am so happy I decided to reread it before continuing with the seasonal quartet. I enjoyed it a lot more this time around... not just regarding the accurate portrait Ali Smith does of British society in a post-Brexit world but specially how she builds the lovely and tender friendship between Elisabeth and Daniel. Will be reading Winter as soon as it becomes available at my library. SEPT, 25th - I've had a really slow reading week this time and just finished Vozdevieja by Elisa Victoria. This is a story that focuses on Marina, a 9-year old girl during her summer in Seville. I ...

Since I've been very shitty with blogging I decided to try and make things easier by introducing a weekly update of my reading, almost like a vlog in written format. I really can't promise I will be consistent but let's hope I can at least post more than once every other month.  SEPT, 14th - Finished late at night Long Live the Tribe of Fatherless Girls by T. Kira Madden. One of the most beautifully written yet brutal memoirs I've ever read. It blows my mind how anyone can write about such horrible things in such a beautiful way. Highly recommend it but keep in mind you can find trigger warnings for everything. I am not normally triggered by much, if anything I might feel very uncomfortable, but there was one specific chapter which made me wanna vomit and I had to put down the book for a few days.  SEPT, 15th - And I am done with Exciting Times by Naoise Nolan. An okay read: you can tell it is a debut. What I enjoyed the most was the discussion around language and the...

What better way to come back to the blog than with a bookhaul? My family and friends really outdid themselves this year and I ended up with this amazing haul for my birthday. I am very excited to read them all but considering how many there are and how lenghty (looking at you War and Peace & Fortunata y Jacinta), it is more than likely I won't be able to get through them before the year ends. Last year I gave myself the challenge and did it but I am not sure about this year. Will try though. Guerra y Paz by Leo Tolstoy. Fortunata y Jacinta by Benito Pérez Galdós. La escritura indómita by Mary Oliver. El palacio de hielo by Tarjei Vesaas. Todo el mundo puede ser ANTIFA by Pol Andiñach. El legado de las diosas by Katerina Tucková. Long Live the Tribe of Fatherless Girls by T Kira Madden. The Covent Garden Ladies by Hallie Rubenhold. By Ash, Oak and Thorn by Melissa Harrison. Wake, Siren: Ovid Resung by Nina MacLaughlin. Have you read any of these?  Happy reading! Follow

  I enjoyed this because Thomas focuses mostly on the internal conflicts of the main character and how her decisions affect her and everybody around her and still deals with a lot of racial issues that Black (and Brown) young people have to deal with in the US, especially in poor neighbourhoods. Bri is a teen going through a difficult time. She can seem hot-headed, opinionated and, at times, selfish, but she is just trying to be herself, help those she loves and pursue her dreams of becoming a rapper. I was reminded though of why I rarely read YA contemporary fiction these days: one, dramatic teens (don't get me wrong, I get where they are coming from but still makes my eyes roll) and two, intentional lack of communication between adults and kids which drives me up the wall. Follow

  I picked up The Duke and I because I wanted to watch the tv show and I can only say: what a disappointment. Went into it obviously not expecting a literary masterpiece but an entertaining, easy to read book set in the Regency era. I knew I was going to encounter sexist remarks (coming from both male and female characters) and was fully prepared to not get super mad at them. And although the first half of the novel was enjoyable: I thought the family dynamic is probably the best thing about this book; the second half was an absolute disaster. Not only the writing gets absolutely horrendous but there is also sexual assault (tw for rape) and the character who does it faces no consequences whatsoever. Reading that scene completely destroyed my enjoyment of the novel and I am pretty sure I won't be continuing with the rest of the books. Follow

  Encuentros con libros  by Stefan Zweig is an essay collection and it was my very first time reading him and I have to say it won't be my last. I really enjoyed his writing style and you can tell how much he loved books and reading. However, I would point out that there is not a single essay here dedicated to a female writer although I am unsure if it is because the editor of the collection didn't include one or Zweig simply didn't write any. And you can also tell from the very beginning that the author comes from a very privilege background - in one of the essays he is surprised by the fact that an Italian man he has met during his travels can't read nor write... as if he couldn't fathom that illiterate people were a reality. As I said above though, what I take from this collection is Zweig's passion for books and literature. Follow

The Burning God is the last book in the trilogy so not going to talk much about plot and there won't be any spoilers. I just want to give my general thoughts. I think this was a fitting conclusion. Heartbreaking but fitting... and dare I say, unavoidable. It is not an easy journey to go through. There is not a moment to breathe. It is all relentless destruction with this one. And page by page, Rin unravels. The trauma, devastation and betrayal she has suffered throughout is impossible to escape. One complain I have is that it felt like Kuang sacrificed character-driven moments (which were more present in the previous two books) for the sake of the plot. All in all though, an impressive trilogy but not for the faint-hearted. Follow

  In All Boys Aren't Blue, George M. Johnson explores their identity as a Black Queer man while sharing their experiences growing up. Some chapters, I felt, were better thought-out than others and in general the writing was simple and easy to get through. I would have preferred a more mature writing style but since this is targeted towards teens/young people - which I have to say I didn't know prior - I kinda understand. Some things though felt repetitive. All in all, I enjoyed it as a whole and as the author said if one person in helped by them sharing their story then all will be worth it.  Follow

Cluny Brown by Margery Sharp is a fresh and light comedy with a deep critique of English social conventions of the 1930s. We follow Cluny, a girl who, according to the people around her, doesn't know what her place in the world is. However, she is not about to let others tell her what that place should be. She does what she wants even when her actions might be seen as outrageous and of course she always gets in trouble.  I found the story to be very endearing and I enjoyed the tone and rhythm throughout. The final chapters, in which we get both the peak of the tension and the resolution of the story, are absolutely fantastic.

Plain Bad Heroines by emily m. danforth. I truly thought I would love this and I didn't. I enjoyed it and I am glad I read it but I will be lying if I said I am not disappointed. What I loved about this book was the first part of the story and Libby's storyline during the second part, as well as the atmosphere danforth managed to create throughout; but all in all, I expected more. Something was missing for me and I found the last chapter very underwhelming: I was expecting the two storylines (the present one and the past one) to fully merge but it felt like they never did so what was the point really? However, concerning my overall enjoyment of the story, I do think I am to blame, partially, for not giving it my full attention and instead reading it here and there. My enjoyment - and especially my engagement with the novel - would have been greater had I read it more consistently. Maybe it is one to reread in the future.

  Territorio de luz by Yuko Tsushima (translated into Spanish by Tana Oshima). Enjoyed this one as a whole and appreciated how raw the portrayal of single motherhood was and how both mother and daughter were affected by it.  It is a very disjointed narrative mainly because it was published, monthly, as a series of 12 stories in a magazine between 1978 and 1979, so there were chapters that I enjoyed more than others. Sometimes I was very invested and other times I was a tad bored. Despite its narrative structure not being completely to my taste, I have to say it was an interesting read - probably one which will get richer with a reread. Follow