Here are my latest reads.
I liked this one a lot, and having listened to it on audio made the experience even better. It's a YA novel, with the focus on Emoni Santiago, a chef in the making, trying to keep all the plates in her life spinning: raising her toddler daughter, graduating from high school and making decisions for the future, figuring out how she feels about the new guy at school, her relationship with her father - it's a lot. This novel made me hungry, and at the same time full of confidence and it showed that young people can handle hard stuff. I loved Emoni's character. The writing is beautiful and I want to read more from Elizabeth Acevedo.
This has been my fiction read over the last two weeks of July. I am so glad I decided to join the challenge hosted by two girls on Instagram to read a classic every month, and they proposed reading this over the month of July. It didn't disappoint, that's for sure!
Towards the end the events occured and happened in a faster pace than in the beginning, but I think that was a mirroring of how rapidly the universe of Macondo and the Buendia's house deteriorated. It reminded me of a quote from the ending of a Romanian novel: "the time no longer had patience with people."
The thing that surprised me the most, though, is how paced and naturally the story unfolded. Everything felt normal and acceptable, even the magical realism elements. No drama from the narrator, no shock at what happened, no judgment - just telling the story. It was what draw me in more and more, and what kept me turning one more page.
Towards the end the events occured and happened in a faster pace than in the beginning, but I think that was a mirroring of how rapidly the universe of Macondo and the Buendia's house deteriorated. It reminded me of a quote from the ending of a Romanian novel: "the time no longer had patience with people."
The thing that surprised me the most, though, is how paced and naturally the story unfolded. Everything felt normal and acceptable, even the magical realism elements. No drama from the narrator, no shock at what happened, no judgment - just telling the story. It was what draw me in more and more, and what kept me turning one more page.
An incendiary examination of burnout in millennials — the cultural shifts that got us here, the pressures that sustain it, and the need for drastic change.
I enjoyed this nonfiction a lot in July. It was my morning reading as I ate my breakfast. It started with a few historical aspects of what the millenials' and boomers' generations are, their beliefs and characteristics, and then it moved into different aspects of life. I resisted calling myself a millenial in the traditional sense for a long time, but as I underlined more and more of this book I felt understood! What I really liked about this book is that it didn't give any "tips&tricks" on how to fight burn-out; it just presented the situation and advised for change.
This middle grade book surprised me in a nice way. It's a mystery set around the school life of a few eight graders and their peers. I know for sure very few students talk as precious as these kids do, but overlooking that, it's a book I'll recommend my students. The English title would be "How I survived eight grade" and this is a sentiment many of my eight graders share, so they'll get a kick out of that!
An easy middle grade read for the weekend. Something got lost in translation, though, as I read this in Romanian, but it was still an enjoyable, quick read. Think Shakespearean theatre, small town, mystery, 12 year olds protagonists. I'll recommend this to my students.
Anxious People - Fredrik Backman - 3*
This novel is a different Backman, but at the same time, the same author most people grew to like reading. Just don't compare this novel to his others. Also, this is not a comedy, don't buy that line.
There are some funny moments, sure, but the overarching tone is sadness and overwhelm - the same goes for each character. It's a very inclusive novel because the characters are diverse (as diverse as they can be in Sweden), but mostly sad.
What I think is a redeeming aspect of most of Backman's stories, though, is the focus in the end on people's good, and an attempt to tie it all nicely. That can be a good or a bad thing, depending on how you see things.
Am I glad I read this novel? Sure, it was fine. Was is memorable? Nope. Will I reread? Def not. Will I recommend? Don't think so... Am I eager for him to write book three of the #Beartown series? YES, of course, can't wait!
I liked many of the poems in this short poetry book, but some I found cliche. For anyone spending time on Instagram, on bookstagram or plain Internet, the ideas of empowering women and being true to your self are not new. I'm all for that, sure, but in the form of a short poem it sounds like another catchy saying.
Every theme that has to do with women has been approached and ticked off in this collection, and I would have prefered a more in depth approach or focus on a specific theme/ direction. I couldn't help but notice that some ideas were sameness found on Instagram or have been repeated in different contexts over the last few years.
I underlined quite a few good lines and some turns of phrase made me stop and reread. I think for a reader whose go-to choice is not poetry this could be an easy introduction to this genre.
Every theme that has to do with women has been approached and ticked off in this collection, and I would have prefered a more in depth approach or focus on a specific theme/ direction. I couldn't help but notice that some ideas were sameness found on Instagram or have been repeated in different contexts over the last few years.
I underlined quite a few good lines and some turns of phrase made me stop and reread. I think for a reader whose go-to choice is not poetry this could be an easy introduction to this genre.
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