I love reading, always have done and throughout the years I have had ups and downs with my reading. Some years I have read loads and others I've not hit my reading goals. Like a lot of people I use Goodreads to track my reading and setting my reading goals every year as well as having a reading journal which I bought from Paperchase a few years ago. I thought I would share what I read every month and my thoughts and feeling, as well as what books I'm considering to read next and what I'm currently reading at the time. I originally set my reading goal to 15 books at the beginning of the year and since then I've increased it to 20 and most recently 25. I'm currently on 20 books and will most likely hit my target of 25 so I will then most likely increase the goal again.
August Wrap Up
Queenie by Candice Carty-Williams
3/5
Queenie Jenkins is a
25-year-old Jamaican British woman living in London, straddling two
cultures and slotting neatly into neither. She works at a national
newspaper, where she’s constantly forced to compare herself to her white
middle class peers. After a messy break up from her long-term white
boyfriend, Queenie seeks comfort in all the wrong places…including
several hazardous men who do a good job of occupying brain space and a
bad job of affirming self-worth.
As Queenie careens from one
questionable decision to another, she finds herself wondering, “What are
you doing? Why are you doing it? Who do you want to be?”—all of the
questions today’s woman must face in a world trying to answer them for
her.
I found this book incredibly hard to read, I liked Queenie but found her very frustrating as she was such a self destructive character. Her emotions and experiences were very realistic which is what I think made it hard. It takes a while to get into this book and the pace of which it is goes at and I think one of the reasons is because of Queenie and her attitude which can come across as lazy and closed off. One thing I did enjoy about this book is the female friendships as it shows realistically the good and bad. I think this book had the impact the author wanted it to have on the reader, unfortunately I wouldn't re read this book necessarily but I would recommend for the themes it addresses such as race, depression and relationships.
The Minute I Saw You by Paige Toon
4/5
Some people believe that it’s possible to fall in love simply by gazing into another person’s eyes . . .
When Hannah and Sonny meet, a spark ignites that is hard to ignore and
impossible to forget. Weeks later, their paths cross again, but Sonny
appears distant and reluctant to meet Hannah’s eye. It soon transpires
that Sonny is at a crossroads. He’s committed to making serious life
changes – ones that can’t and won’t include romance.
Hannah has
her own reasons for wanting to keep their budding friendship platonic.
Plus, she’s only in town temporarily, housesitting for her uncle. But as
the summer hots up and the chemistry between them intensifies, Hannah
and Sonny discover that there’s more to each other than meets the eye...
This book was an easy read, it seems lighthearted but has a hidden sadness within it. I really liked the characters of Sonny and Hannah, they are realistic characters and had so many emotions. I like the use of communication in a relationship in this book as Sonny and Hannah are upfront about their pasts and how they are dealing everyday. The friendships that develop as well are so positive. I like the slow burning romance between Sonny and Hannah and how trusting their relationship is. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants an easy to read, romance which has interesting themes running throughout.
Why I'm No Longer Talking to White People About Race by Reni Eddo-Lodge
5/5
The book that sparked a national conversation. Exploring everything from eradicated black history to the inextricable link between class and race, Why I'm No Longer Talking to White People About Race is the essential handbook for anyone who wants to understand race relations in Britain today.
This is a non fiction book that covers a lot different aspects that affect racism in England. It's splits into different sections and I learnt so much from this book. I learnt a lot from the History chapter because we are not taught anything that Reni addresses in that chapter and she states how she to dig to find these points of history. It discusses things that we don't see as problem and how it is because of the colour of our skin and how words aren't used properly. It really made me question a lot about how I live my life and what I can to be better going forward. I implore everyone to read this book because it will educate you and question what you believe in and think is right.
Currently Reading
The Love Square by Laura Jane Williams
She’s single. But it can still be complicated…
Penny Bridge has always been unlucky in love.
So she can’t believe it when she meets a remarkable new man.
Followed by another.
And then another…
And all of them want to date her.
Penny has to choose between three. But are any of them The One?
At the time of uploading this I am 90 pages in which is 6 chapters, so far it is an easy read but I haven't felt invested in the story yet. Penny seems like a likeable modern character but I don't feel deep enough into the story to make a judgement on her yet. I feel like there's more to come as I have only met one of the three love interests. Definately going to carry on reading and seeing where this story takes us.
September TBR
I'm not 100% sure what books I definitely want to read in the month of September but I aim to finish The Love Square first and then read another 2 books in the rest of the month after that. I have a few on that I want to get around to reading before others.
Girl, Woman, Other by Bernadine Evaristo
Girl, Woman, Other
follows the lives and struggles of twelve very different characters.
Mostly women, black and British, they tell the stories of their
families, friends and lovers, across the country and through the years.
Joyfully
polyphonic and vibrantly contemporary, this is a gloriously new kind of
history, a novel of our times: celebratory, ever-dynamic and utterly
irresistible.
I bought this last month and I've seen it on Beth's Book Club on Instagram and it was a huge hit as well as being a joint winner of the Man Booker Prize 2019. I'm trying to diverse my reading and learn as I go and I think this will be a very eye opening read.
The Starless Sea by Erin Morganstern
Far beneath the surface
of the earth, upon the shores of the Starless Sea, there is a
labyrinthine collection of tunnels and rooms filled with stories. The
entryways that lead to this sanctuary are often hidden, sometimes on
forest floors, sometimes in private homes, sometimes in plain sight. But
those who seek will find. Their doors have been waiting for them.
Zachary
Ezra Rawlins is searching for his door, though he does not know it. He
follows a silent siren song, an inexplicable knowledge that he is meant
for another place. When he discovers a mysterious book in the stacks of
his campus library he begins to read, entranced by tales of lovelorn
prisoners, lost cities, and nameless acolytes. Suddenly a turn of the
page brings Zachary to a story from his own childhood impossibly written
in this book that is older than he is.
A bee, a key, and a sword
emblazoned on the book lead Zachary to two people who will change the
course of his life: Mirabel, a fierce, pink-haired painter, and Dorian, a
handsome, barefoot man with shifting alliances. These strangers guide
Zachary through masquerade party dances and whispered back room stories
to the headquarters of a secret society where doorknobs hang from
ribbons, and finally through a door conjured from paint to the place he
has always yearned for. Amid twisting tunnels filled with books, gilded
ballrooms, and wine-dark shores Zachary falls into an intoxicating world
soaked in romance and mystery. But a battle is raging over the fate of
this place and though there are those who would willingly sacrifice
everything to protect it, there are just as many intent on its
destruction. As Zachary, Mirabel, and Dorian venture deeper into the
space and its histories and myths, searching for answers and each other,
a timeless love story unspools, casting a spell of pirates, painters,
lovers, liars, and ships that sail upon a Starless Sea.
Finally a new book from the author of The Night Circus which is a beautiful, magical book. I haven't actually heard much about this book but if it's written anything like The Night Circus then I'm sure I will enjoy it. The synopsis is so detailed yet doesn't give anything away which is interesting.
The Beekeeper of Aleppo by Christy Lefteri
Nuri is a beekeeper;
his wife, Afra, an artist. They live a simple life, rich in family and
friends, in the beautiful Syrian city of Aleppo - until the unthinkable
happens. When all they care for is destroyed by war, they are forced to
escape. But what Afra has seen is so terrible she has gone blind, and so
they must embark on a perilous journey through Turkey and Greece
towards an uncertain future in Britain. On the way, Nuri is sustained by
the knowledge that waiting for them is Mustafa, his cousin and business
partner, who has started an apiary and is teaching fellow refugees in
Yorkshire to keep bees.
As Nuri and Afra travel through a broken
world, they must confront not only the pain of their own unspeakable
loss, but dangers that would overwhelm the bravest of souls. Above all -
and perhaps this is the hardest thing they face - they must journey to
find each other again.
Again another pick from Beth's book club on Instagram that just intrigued me. This was popular in the book club. I don't know too much about it and I'm going to keep it that way but I have a feeling it is going to be an emotional one.
Something I found this year is that I'm reading a lot of books that I wouldn't usually have picked up and I want to continue it and the discovery of Beth's Bookclub has really helped me in that. I hope you enjoyed this post and maybe even found some new recommendations.
Links:
Instagram: bystaceyx
Beth's Book Club Instagram: Beth's Book Club
Goodreads: Goodreads
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Goal Reflection and Continuation for the Year
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