Hereās my second monthly books review! If you missed the first one which was in May, hereās the link for you to check that out.Ā
JUNE BOOKS
Daisy Jones & The Six; Taylor Jenkins Reid - 10/10 āļø
Open Water; Caleb Azumah Nelson - 7/10 āļø
Malibu Rising; Taylor Jenkins Reid - 10/10 āļø
Los dĆas con Felice; Fabio Andina (in Spanish) - 5/10 āļø
Lapvona; Ottessa Moshfegh - 10/10 āļø
Itās been a very good reading experience this month š„¹
DAISY JONES & THE SIX
Iād heard amazing things about this book and I was a little sceptical because the hype can sometimes let you down, but this was not the case. This book was AMAZING. Itās written as if it were an interview throughout the whole book - this at first I found unsettling because Iād never read anything like it and I found it confusing to remember who everyone was and what their relationship with the band was, but it soon all starts to make sense.
The bookās about a band called The Six and their rise to fame along with a female singer called Daisy Jones. When joined together, magic along with tragedy happens (but I wonāt get into detail to avoid spoilers).
This read feels like youāre watching a documentary about the band in your head. You see and feel everything so intensely and at some points it can be very āwowā - but itās worth it.
If youāre a Taylor Jenkins Reid fan and have read Malibu Rising and The seven husbands of Evelyn Hugo, you may be pleased to see Mick Rivas lurking around and thatās also quite satisfying, itās a cool Easter Egg to experience.
Overall Iād rate this book a 10/10 āļø because T.J. Reid is a Goddess and sheās done it again.
OPEN WATER
This is a short read (146 pages), itās very nostalgic and melancholic. There isnāt a super defined plot in which things/events happen. Two young Black British young adults meet at a bar and become best friends. The trouble starts when the friendship evolves into something more, but both parties arenāt on the same page.
Thereās some insight into how the young man suffers racism and has to just deal with it, unless he wants to (probably) end up killed for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. I was interested in learning more about these injustices and I expected it to have more importance throughout the book, but it was kind of put on the back burner most of the time. The book focusses on the relationship between the two and itās a sad, slow, melancholic read - not much happens but itās pleasant.
7/10 āļø is my rating.
MALIBU RISING
This was the Book Clubās read for the month. I chose it because it gave me summery vibes and I wasnāt wrong. Itās a longer read (369 pages) and it will have you hooked. This book is also very hyped up at the moment along with all of Taylor Jenkins books, but they are so worth it. Theyāre well written, have great plots, keep you interested and they also make you feel things which help you to connect to the characters and the story.
Itās 1983 in Malibu and Nina Rivas is holding her annual end of the summer party which EVERYONE goes to, itās the party to be seen at. Every celebrity under the sun is there and things always get out of hand. This story is intertwined with her childhood along with the stories of her three other siblings; Jay, Hud and Kit. Letās just say that they didnāt have it easy having Mick Rivas as their father, but they all end well-off with a common love for surfing.
Iād recommend this book to anyone who wants to read a GOOD book and not put it down, I loved it and itās a 10/10 āļø from me.
LOS DĆAS CON FELICE
I saw this book in a bookshop in Bilbao and randomly felt drawn to it. The cover made me love it even more because itās baby blue with a snowy, foggy forest. The story covers 9 days with Felice, an old aged man who lives in the tiny mountain village in the Swiss Alpes. The main character and narrator of the book spends from dawn until dusk with Felice and narrates everything they do and speak about together.
Thereās no real plot throughout the book, āno plot, just vibesā and itās a cute vibe. If you love the idea of being in nature and silence then youāll enjoy this book. Itās very slow paced and nostalgic. Every morning Felice walks up the snowy mountain before the sun has risen to take a dip in a freezing cold natural pond/pool and then, the day beginsā¦
I expected a bit more of a plot and I kinds got bored towards the end so Iād rate it a 5/10 āļø.
LAPVONA
Anyone who knows me, knows that I LOVE Ottessa Moshfegh and I had been waiting patiently for this book to be published. Iād read that it was gross, disgusting and disturbing and I thought it would probably be like any of Ottessaās other books - theyāre all dark and vile feeling but this one was on another level of grossness. Oh wow.
Poo, thereās so much of it in so many different contexts. Murder, thereās a lot of it and these āaccidentsā are described in chapter and in verse, you WILL feel like you saw it happen in front of you with your own eyes. The village witch/ wet nurse breastfeeding grown men in her forest cottage will disturb your mind with images you wonāt forgetā¦ Thereās so much EW to this book, but I L-O-V-E-D it. I donāt know what that says about me, but Iām embracing it.
Usually in Ottessaās books thereās more vibes than plot but here there is one and its very well thought out and written. Little Marek is the son of a village shepherd who told him that his mother died during childbirth. They live in poverty surviving each day thanks to their faith in God (this is where religion and hypocrisy come in). On the top of the hill lives Villiam in his manor who lives a very different life to those in the village. He controls everything and is (of course) best friends with the townās priest, Father Barnabas.
A tragic event leads to Marekās life being turned upside down and a few other peopleās tooā¦
This book is a solid 10/10 āļø for me, I wish I could read it for the first time again, and again and then, again.
OUTRO
Thank you for being here, thank you for helping me grow as a writer, reader and person. I hope that this is the first POMELO book review post of many more to come šššššššš.
If you have read any of the books mentioned above or would like to recommend one to me, please comment below to start a conversation. You can also share it with someone else who likes reading by pressing the share button below.