Buenas. ¿Cómo lleváis el verano lector? En mi caso, voy un poco lenta, la verdad. Estoy escribiendo varias cosas, ocupada en otras y entre eso y el calor, por mucho que lo lleve bien, pues no me concentro mucho leyendo y sólo le dedico huecos que tengo programados para ello, así que, que no os extrañe si en mi siguiente resumen sólo encontráis dos lecturas como mucho.
En este, son tres y sólo una en español, así que empezaré por esa y luego cambiaré a inglés para hablar de las otras porque me temo que sólo una está disponible en castellano. Recordad que la disponibilidad de compra de los libros está enlazada a su portada.
En fin, allá vamos:
Español/Readings in Spanish
Para no perder mi inglés, tengo por costumbre (no siempre, pero suelo hacerlo) sólo leer en castellano a autores/as españoles/as o libros en otros idiomas, ya que mi nivel sólo es alto en inglés. En otros, puedo llegar a cuentos cortos, pero prefiero no arriesgar porque algunos idiomas los dejé muy atrás y ahora mismo, no tengo ganas de ponerme con cierto búho en particular, la verdad. En fin, que este libro, que me descubrió mi amiga Elena, es originalmente alemán y bueno, ese idioma me generó mucho estrés, así que obviamente me fui a la recomendación de mi amiga en castellano.
Jesús me quiere - David Saffer (traducción de Lidia Álvarez Grifoll. Ed. Planeta -Booket-). - ⭐⭐⭐⭐
La idea de leerme este libro salió por unas risas que me estaba echando con mi amiga por redes, comentandoun primer amor en una peli española, Camino, la cual está basada en un hecho real y es muy religiosa. Como la niña protagonista en la peli está enamorada de un niño de su clase llemado Jesús, le comenté a mi amiga la gracia que me hacía que la familia de ella se pensara en ciertas circumstancias, que se refería al hijo de Dios. Y ya Elena me comentó qe había un libro llamado Jesús me quiere; voy a mirar la sinopsis y va justo de eso.
Marie, está en la treintena y se queda soltera al plantar a su novio en el altar. Se siente odiada por todos y su vida familiar es de todo menos estable. En esas, le pide a Dios una ayuda así como para encontrar el amor de verdad y ¡Pum! (literal). Casi se le cae el techo encima. ¿Quién lo repara? Joshua, un carpintero guapísimo, muy amable... Pero rarito. Marie se decide a pedirle una cita sólo por conocerse un poco. Pero se arrepiento cuando durante la cita más cosas raras pasan y él le acaba confesando... Que su nombre real es Jesús y es el hijo de Dios.
Parece una comedia, ¿verdad? Pues, aunque tenga momentos de esos, no es una comedia al uso ni mucho menos, una romántica, aunque hay varias historias de amor. La verdad, yo quería que fuese romántica, el personaje de Marie se merecía eso, pero tampoco acaba mal. Pero empezar algo por los jajás y acabar casi llorando... No me lo esperaba. Aún así, es de mis mejores lecturas del mes en español al menos. Te ríes, te emocionas y te enganchas. Recomendable.
Books in English
And now, let's dive into the English part of this entry. Remember to click on the book covers if you wish to buy a copy.
I'm a Fan - Sheena Patel (Granta Publications). - ⭐⭐
Turns out, I'm not exactly a fan of this book, which disappoints me, because I was expecting a modern version of Gone Girl so to speak, even though this isn't about anything like that.
Here, we see how a woman in her mid 30's is obsessed with the lover of her lover. He is very popular and their relationship began through DM's and messages and what she thinks it can turn into something more, never really does, so while both of them still see each other casually, she obsesses with this influencer from Instagram who happens to be the lover this man can't separate from, even though he is married and has more lovers... He is clearly toxic, but the protagonist never acts on it, even though she is aware of his toxicity, of her own towards the Instagrammer, even.
Initially, I was super intrigued, hoping for something huge to happen due to her obsession, but the ending only leaves you with the feeling that she will just stay that way, waiting for nothing. And it is quite disappointing. Good premise, a not-so-good development. And it's sad because this novel is shortlisted for the 2023 Women's Prize For Fiction and other awards and it's being highly praised, even from Jack Edwards, from whom I got the idea to add it to my readings, but still... It is very well written, although I think sometimes it is very descriptive and other times, it feels too short, but really: I don't get the fuss.
The Viscount Who Loved Me (Bridgerton #2) - Julia Quinn [Piatkus ed.] - ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Yes, that is a picture of the book I got. Indeed, the version linked has the TV series protagonist on the cover instead because I can't find it anymore. But I would recommend another cover because the Kate described in the book is not the one from the show. You have a mini-review of this book here, so I won't extend myself about it, but It was my favourite English read of the month.
I almost forgot to add another read; It must be because it is a non-finished one. Nevertheless, I think it is important to add those as well, because if something it's not of my liking, maybe it can be of yours, maybe not, but I would not be fair if I deny you the chance to at least know about such stories. Thus, here we go again:
In this book, we have the story of an actor Ryan Kowk, who wants to do everything he can for making Asian representation in the film industry valuable and relevant, but his low numbers when it comes to his projects make him doubtful of everything. So, as a last resort, his agent books him as a contestant in a show similar to the British Bake-Off. He accepts although the memory last time he baked pastries makes him grieve for his mother, a loss that still keeps affecting his family even though they try not to show. Unsure about this new project, one morning he just fancies a coffee and a donut but bad luck, that day he ends up ruining by accident all the freshly made ones Lindsey McLeod has been preparing since very early in the morning. Despite this awful start, Ryan, who is immediately attracted to Lindsey, asks for her help through baking lessons for the contest.
I chose this one because I like donuts (a lot, although I don't eat them much anymore) and I thought it would be fun, Instead, I find an absurd insta-lust and a very, very detailed description of how pastries (and donuts) are made. It gets long and boring; plus the love story makes no sense. On her part, she doesn't even know who he is, and only after the lessons are suggested she takes an interest in his work. Okay, cute. Understandable. But the crush is too immediate, too physical. I am definitely not into that and I feared that it was going to be long before they even acted on their attraction (and I read nearly 100+ something pages, I could have finished it, but I realised I simply did not care about them, nor about their families, so I stopped reading it.)
I kind of expected the lessons were going to be a big part of the story, but not THAT. It looks as if it is there to supply the storyline that is missing: Long, really detailed descriptions that leave you wanting donuts all the time more than wanting for the couple to work. If you are into cooking, this might be for you. But only because of that, not because of the romance. It's such a slow burn that there is not even gas in the lighter.
And that's it. I hope you'll like this. What about your June reads? Are more numerous than mine? Don't hesitate to leave a comment down below if you'd like to share those with me.
Pues esto sería todo. Si os apetece, dejadme en comentarios qué tal vuestras lecturas de junio.
Nos vemos el próximo viernes / See you on Friday! ^_^
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