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, 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...