A Day in Bookland

I didn't want to write this post. But after much consideration I've decided to stop blogging. I don't want to go into much detail but I felt bad simply abandoning the blog and not saying anything. I hate when others do that. So, this blog will remain open and I will not delete any post but that's that; I'm not going to post anymore. I haven't found any joy in blogging for the past few months. It saddens me quite a lot having these feelings but doing something for the sake of doing it it's counter-productive. This is also a way to say thank you to all the people out there I've met through this site, as well as everybody who took their time to read and share their thoughts with me.  Anyways, I will not disappear off the face of the earth and I will still use my Twitter ,   Goodreads and Instagram to share my love for books and reading if anyone is interested. Maybe I'll go back to blogging in the future, who knows, but it will be a new blog to h

Happy Friday! As you can see my reads haven't changed much from the ones at the beginning of the month. The only book I managed to finish was The Hazel Wood  but I'm so close to finishing Middlemarch  -- I'm on book 7 and things are starting the get very very interesting.  Now, I'm debating whether I should DNF Tender is the Night . The book simply doesn't make any sense but I feel bad not finishing it because it was the first choice for the online bookclub I recently joined. The book is divided into three books. I have finished the first one and I'm starting the second one. Truth be told, I only read 30 minutes per day of it because all my time is dedicated to Middlemarch . Once that's finished, I'll try and read more of Tender is the Night  because I want to be done with it as soon as possible.

I received this beautiful edition in the mail yesterday and I just couldn't not share it here. I read Rebecca last year and despite not writing a full review of it here on the blog, it became one of my all time favourites. Still today there are moments when I find myself thinking about the story and the characters. Du Maurier brings to life and incredible story and memorable characters and it's one of those books I'll recommend to anyone.

HAPPY INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY! To celebrate it the Women's Prize for Fiction announced the longlist and I'm so so excited! I know I won't be able to read all of the books because I'm on my last year at Uni and I'm dealing with a dissertation but there are some titles I'm planning to get to before the winner is announced. In this post my idea is to tell you all about the books I've already read, the ones on my immediate TBR, the ones I'm planning on getting and those that I won't probably pick up and why. Here we go!

The Hazel Wood  by Melissa Albert { Goodreads } Published by Flatiron Books in 2018 Hardback edition; 368 pages The Hazel Wood  tells the story of Alice, a 17-year-old girl who has always been on the run alongside her mother never staying too long anywhere because when they do, bad things happen. One day she's told her grandmother -- the author of very dark and famous fairy-tales -- is dead and Alice's mother, Ella, believes their bad luck is over. They settle in New York. Little did they know bad things will never end and when Ella is kidnapped by someone who claims to come from the supernatural world Alice's grandmother created, she must try and find The Hazel Wood to bring her mother back.

This post is more like a March TBR really. These three books are what I'm planning on reading this month. I've already started The Hazel Wood and so far, it is quite average. I think I should learn my lesson here and stop pre-ordering hyped new releases with amazing reviews and just wait until they come out to check out as well negative reviews. Middlemarch  I've been meaning to read for ages but it's one of those books I find super intimidating. Why did I decide to pick it up then? Glad you asked. There is some read-a-long going on on Instagram called #middlemarching and it was the perfect excuse for me. My aim is to read 50 pages a day. The other book is Tender is the Night  by Fitzgerald. It's the book for a bimonthly online book club I recently joined and I'll be reading it through March and April most likely. What are your reading plans for March? Follow

Feb, 1st - 15:15. Finished the second book in the first volume of the Riyria Revelations and I was pleasantly surprised. I still think the world building is the weakest thing about the story because it's not greatly developed but the story is well-written and entertaining. I'm planning on continuing reading the series because now I'm intrigued enough to want to know how everything will unfold. Feb, 7th - 10:33.  I'm finally prepared to go and see the movie Call Me By Your Name because I just finished reading the novel. I enjoyed it quite a bit. It is a celebration of love and an exploration of sex and identity. It's quite explicit though so if you feel uncomfortable with that keep it in mind if you're planning on reading it. My full review of the book is HERE (I also talk a little bit about the movie).

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University break is almost at an end and next Monday I'll start not only my courses for Semester 2 but I'll also have to start writing my dissertation now that all I want to do is laid out and my tutor said I'm ready to start. I have four courses; two are related to linguistics and the other two are literature-related and today I wanted to share with you my reading list for them. 

Call Me By Your Name  by André Aciman { Goodreads } Published by Picador in 2007 Paperback edition; 248 pages Call Me By Your Name  is the love story of Elio and Oliver, a love that blossoms during summer in Italy. Elio is there with his parents and Oliver is their guest for the summer time while he works on a book. There, they fell in love but are unprepared for the consequences of that love; a love that will stay in their hearts forever.

I've read Charlotte and Emily in the past but never ventured into Anne. But it was time. And I'll be dedicating all my free time to read this story. I'm almost at page 200 and although it took me a little to get used to her writing style, I'm enjoying the read nonetheless. Happy Friday to you all! ************************* ************************* ************************* POST EN ESPAÑOL Por fin he podido empezar a leer a Anne Brontë, que ya tocaba. Siempre estoy diciendo lo mucho que adoro a Charlotte y Emily, y espero que mi reacción con Anne sea la misma. Llevo unas 200 páginas o así y aunque es cierto que me costó un poco al principio acostumbrarme a su forma de escribir, estoy disfrutando mucho la historia. ¡Espero que tengáis un muy buen finde! Follow

"I won't buy any more books" I said at the end of 2017 and clearly, I didn't keep my promise and you know what? I do feel bad about it but I'm also happy with what I got so I'm just going to try and wash away the guilt. However, this is indeed the last book haul in a while and I mean it. I've made a bet with my sister and my mother: after my last final (the 6th of February) I can't buy anymore books until April when Circe  by Madeline Miller comes out. I need some cheering on this one though. My will power is non-existent. There is again a mix of a lot of things and some titles in Spanish. I haven't really made a post talking about it but I'm gonna start writing my posts both in English and Spanish. I've already started doing it on Instagram. For that reason I'll try and be as brief as possible so we don't get a very long post. Let's focus on the books!

The first reading diary of 2018, and I hope this year I can make one for each month. Last year, I didn't do one for December because I literally read one book and I felt like one book was not good enough for a whole 'reading diary' post but I've decided that even if I read one or ten, I'll do one. They're my wrap-ups in a way.

La amiga estupenda  by Elena Ferrante { Goodreads } Published by Lumen in 2012 Paperback edition; 389 pages If someone hasn't heard about Elena Ferrante yet, they've probably been living under a rock. This writer, whose identity is completely unknown, has become a complete literary hit. I've been meaning to give her a shot for the past two years and it finally happened. I have to say the first book didn't disappoint. La amiga estupenda  ( My Brilliant Friend  being the English title) starts when Lenù, our narrator, receives a call from Rino, Lila's brother, to say Lila has left without a trace. After that, Lenù takes us back to her childhood to tell us about her friendship with Lila. This first installment of the quartet talks about the childhood and adolescence of these two girls who live in a very poor neighbourhood in Naples. I have to say the most interesting aspect of the novel is indeed this friendship - a very dark and toxic one in my opinion.

Lucy of Lucy the Reader did a video with Penguin Platform and then I saw Simon's video  and I actually liked the idea of the tag and I decided to do it so here we go:  First read of 2018. The Changeling by Victor LaValle.  This is a story about a father who must overcome his fears and look for his wife once she disappears after seemingly committing a horrible act. I did write a full review of it if you're interested but it was a phenomenal read and one I highly recommend.

I'm not even sure why I'm doing a weekend reads post since my finals start this upcoming Monday and I'll probably be immersed in my notes revising 24/7. However, I've started reading La amiga estupenda  by Elena Ferrante ( My Brilliant Friend  is the title in English) because I'm making a more conscious effort to read more in Spanish this year since I kinda miss it and this has been on my radar for quite a while. I'm one third of the way through and it's a very interesting read. The friendship between the narrator and one of the girls from the same neighbourhood is fascinating and dominates the story. Follow

The Changeling  by Victor LaValle { Goodreads } Published by Spiegel & Grau in 2017 Hardback edition; 431 pages Apollo is about to become a father. He's ecstatic about it but at the same time there is a fear at the back of his mind. His own father abandoned him when he was a little baby and he is scared about not being a good father because he didn't have a fatherly figure while growing up. Once the baby arrives, he starts to settle into his new life, being a committed father and then, one day, everything changes. Emma, his wife, starts acting strange and after seemingly committing a terrible violent act, she disappears. Now Apollo's odyssey begins. He must find her and bring her back.

First weekend reads of 2018! I'm still kind of shocked that 2017 is over and I'm currently stuck on my desk with all my notes all over the place, studying and revising for finals. However, I'm taking a bit of time at the end of the day to read for a few minutes the beauty that is the changeling  by Victor Lavalle.  I'm absolutely in love with the writing style and I'm taking my sweet time with it. If you've checked my reading goals for this year you already know 2018 is the time I put the word enjoyment back into my reading and one way of doing that is just reading at my own pace. Some days I'll read, others I won't and that's okay. I don't want 2018 to be a race for me. What plans do you have for the weekend? Here were are celebrating the Twelfth Night and I'm going to the Three Wise Men parade with my family. Hope you have an awesome weekend ^^ Follow