A Day in Bookland

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