It’s been a while since I posted one of these reading posts and I missed it. Apparently I forgot how to blog as well because yes that’s a random photo of a beach. It’s all I had. In case you missed my last post, I explained why I’ve been m.i.a here, at least for the most part. Spoiler – I’ve been writing my own book (for years) and I’ve finally got a first draft down. You can check out the last post for more on that. But today, it’s back to my own reading.
At some stage I’ll do a separate post with the books I read earlier this year (they’re but a few – I’m very much behind on my Goodreads goal), but today’s post is about all the books I’ve been reading for the last month. I’m going to try my darnedest to catch up on the Goodreads goal. I’m (clearly) a bit rusty though. Let’s go:
Loved it:
The fountains of silence ~ Ruta Sepetys
Post civil war Spain under the fascist dictator General Franco. Tourists are welcome into Spain after the war but as the tourist photographer and son of US oil tycoon Daniel would soon learn, not all Is as it seems in Spain and that gross inhumanities are still occurring after the war.
At the same time Daniel meets Ana, hotel worker and daughter of deceased political parents who were against the fascist dictator. They form a sweet relationship and how it develops was, in my view, so natural and sweet.
After salt of the sea I knew id read anything Supetys writes. It’s been a while since I read anything from her but this didn’t disappoint. She’s a beautiful historical fiction writer and this was another brilliant piece of work. Definitely recommend.
4.5/5 stars
Goodreads link here
I also read the Diary of Anne Frank for Erin’s Book Challenge and while it falls in this category, I did not write a review for it.
Liked it:
Layla ~ Colleen Hoover
I probably should have read reviews of this book first, even though thats something I rarely ever do. I didn’t and I went in blind. I don’t read any paranormal stories and have always refused to watch horrors. I just prefer to protect my peace if that makes sense. I also hate cheating thropes.
It was a weird one. It was obviously well written, so well written, but a lot of it tested my moral compass, and frankly creeped me out a bit (the paranormal stuff). I enjoyed it though, mostly, even if I figured out what was happening pretty quickly.
3.5/5 stars
Goodreads link here
Such a fun age ~ Kiley Reid
Emira is a mid-twenties black babysitter who she gets accused of kidnapping while in a high end store with Briar, the (white) toddler she babysits. Alix, an influencer, is the mum of the toddler she was babysitting and after the incident, she is determined to get to know Emira more. The incident with Emira is taped by a guy named Kelley whose history and story is tangled up with Emira and Alix’s stories.
I’m not quite sure how I feel about this one. Ultimately, it was a decent debut. I liked that there was an attempt to discuss some very tough and relevant topics – race, unconscious bias and privilege being the main ones. Those aren’t easy topics to delve into so the attempt should be acknowledged. That said, I also felt like some of the tough topics were glossed over just a bit, and there were some problematic bits that had me a little concerned: Kelley saying the N word nonchalantly and the exaggerated ebonic dialogue of all the black people, even the rich/educated/ progressive ones, to name a couple. I also thought that the main characters could have been a little less surface level and more multi dimensional (Alix, particularly, annoyed me quite a bit). Still, it was an easy read, and a good story. I never once felt bored.
3.5/5 stars
Goodreads link here
Not my vibe:
The book of two ways ~ Jodi Picoult
This is one of those books you’ll either love, or you really won’t. When Dawn’s plane crashes she doesn’t think of her husband but of her ex and so she embarks on a journey to Egypt, a place from her past, to discover what’s left unfinished.
My first thought was that I travel a lot (pre pandemic) so I really should stay away from plane crash books but here we are. Picoult has long been one of my favourite authors because she is a talented writer. This book is no exception. It is a solidly written book. There’s no doubt about that. Picoult has a way of transporting you into her worlds and she did that here. And maybe that was my problem. See, I almost didn’t finish this one because it was almost too much. It was so heavy on the theme of death that it was almost uncomfortable at times. Also, it was long and there was a bit of information overload.
Like I said, it was well written, so it will be loved by many, it just wasn’t necessarily for me.
2.5/5 stars
Goodreads link here
Like I said, it’s been a while, but I’m glad to be back and reading again. Don’t forget to check out my last post for some cool (to me) updates on me and where Ive been.
