Can we say that I’m a pro at cheating when it comes to reading challenges? Because I feel like I am. And the worst or the best part of it is that I don’t feel guilty about it. Maybe a little bit embarrassed but in no way I feel really bad about it. At the end of the day, reading is a hobby not a chore and that’s how it has to feel.

That being said, let’s make a little wrap up of my reading during the month of October (quite late, I know). It was quite a “bad” month in terms of books finished since they were only two. Notice that I’m saying “books finished” and not reading because I read quite a lot of modules for uni that were the main reason this wrap up is this short.

My intention for the Victorian October challenge thingy was to read three books: The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Brontë, North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell and Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens. It turned out that I spent most of the month reading The Tenant of Wildfell Hall and freaking loving it. I don’t think I have ever used so many tabs in a book while also making notes on it with my pencil. It’s one I’d totally recommend and even though the details are no longer fresh in my mind, I can say without hesitation that it has become one of my favourite classics along with Jane Eyre and Persuasion. 

When I finished it, though, it was almost the end of the month and I didn’t see myself finishing any of the other books I had chosen for the month. Therefore, I decided to drop the Victorian Challenge and read a book I have had in my shelves for a long time and have been meaning to read for so long: A Room of One’s Own by Virginia Woolf. This is my first read from her and I’m definitely picking more of her books. It also got a lot of notes and tabs all over it. Really interesting and really important the points she makes (even from her “privileged” position) about the situation of women within society.

If you’re wondering why I named this post “How Victober turned into LeoAutoras”, let me tell you about this very necessary initiative by the Spanish bookish community that wants to give more visibility to female authors by dedicating the month of October to only read books written by women. 

Oh, I almost forgot. I read three books and not two as I said before. At the same time I read Woolf, I also read With a Twist by Staci Hart. A novel that falls into the romance genre which I’m feeling very drawn to lately. And I love how this author does it, as well. It feels light, sexy and cute without being cringe-worthy. Well, not too much at least. And the same can be said about the covers of her books which is not something you can usually say about romance novels.

It’s been a while since I read this book and I’ve been procrastinating to write this review –or write anything on the blog for that matter– so I don’t remember every single detail of the novel. Which might be good so there’s less opportunities for a spoiler to slip. Luckily, I took some notes after I finished so I’m going to base my review on them. I hope they make sense for you.

First of all, let me tell you I’m usually not a fan of detective stories. I don't mean that I don't like them, it's just that they are not the kind of story that excite me in the first place. Unless there's an additional element that make them more appealing or that spark an interest in me. What sparked my interest for Jackaby was its magical/fairy-like element –I'm a sucker for anything magic– along with its setting really picked up my attention. Give me anything set in the 1800s or beginning of the twentieth century and you’ll make me happy, specially if you mix it with magic. That made me love The Infernal Devices trilogy and Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell’s tv show (yes, I know it’s originally a novel but the TV show was very well done, ok? Also, haven’t read the novel because its density kinda scares me. I know, I’m a monster) and it hooked me on Jackaby as well. Although, in this case, it’s more like a supernatural fairy-like element than magic with spells and that kind of thing

We have two main characters. On the one hand, Abigail. We read the story through her eyes and voice. She’s a very particular young woman for the time in which she lives. She travels alone from her native England to the US. She is quite a practical woman though, independent and with an adventurer spirit but she is also innocent and you can really tell that despite all her bravery she is still really young and naive in some aspects. You know what? I think she is quite a Gryffindor kind of character and I liked her quite a lot and enjoyed following the story through her experience. 

On other hand, there’s Jackaby. He’s a weirdo, guys, and not because he can see things no one else can. The nice kind of weirdo though, the kind you get fond of. He is quite the Holmes style as well in his eccentricities. He is absent-minded, always in his own head, but also pretty determined. He is, actually, a bit of a Mr Norrell kind of character although Jackaby is more extroverted and open-minded than Clarke’s character and far more likeable. He is quite an interesting guy and I’m looking forward to more of his and Abigail’s adventures.

I already have the second and third installment in this series of books and, if the story develops in a similar way than it did on this first one, I’m pretty certain I will like them as much.

Now tell me, have you read it this series? Did you enjoyed them?

Last year I participated in a challenge created by a group of women from booktube who had a very nice idea. They were going to read five books written during the Victorian era (that is from 1837 to 1901) and each one was going to have a specific characteristic chosen by each one of the challenge creators. If you want to know more, go to my entry here for more information. If you don’t understand Spanish, click on any of the names listed and it will take you to the creators' videos were everything is explained in detail (and in English, of course).

Last year I felt quite proud of myself after deciding to participate in this challenge and actually doing it. I didn’t read all the books I had planned and didn’t finish them all in October for various reasons, mainly uni eating all my time. However, if you follow me on instagram, you might have read me telling time and again how awful I am at giving myself a set TBR and sticking to it. Therefore, even though I kind of failed on the challenge, I didn’t feel like I did. I enjoyed this challenge and I discovered a series of books that I knew very little about. Not only that, it created in me the wish to read more books from that period.

And so here we are again, deciding to give it another go to this very autumnal challenge –because I think Victorian reads have a very autumnal vibe– and giving myself a TBR list for the month of October. It's not as ambitious as last year but it is ambitious enough taking into account my life and reading situation. Also, I’m ignoring the categories set by their creators and I’m just going to read some Victorian books I’ve had in my shelves waiting for October which are:

Have you read any of them? Let me know your thoughts on them if you did and on this challenge in general. Which Victorian books have you read and enjoyed (or not)? 

I’ve been struggling to find a topic to write about on this blog, guys. I’ve been lacking in inspiration as per usual and couldn’t find anything exciting to talk about. I couldn’t review the book I was reading because it’s the second installment in a series. And I’m not one to review books from a trilogy or a series, unless they are the first one because you can’t help being spoilery when reviewing the second, the third or the whatever number book of a series. Lucky for you (I guess?), there’s a review coming soon because between the second and third book in the Liveship Traders trilogy, I read a novel I’m willing to review. Go me getting slowly but surely out of my reading slump!!

But that’s a topic for another day. Today I’m bringing you a book haul since I’ve realized that I’ve bought more books that I had expected in the past couple of months even though I had been quite good at saving/not buying books in the previous months (April doesn’t count because St Jordi is in April and you can't not buy books on St Jordi)

So, in the past few months I’ve acquired some books. Some I bought because I’ve wanted them for a while, others because Instagram made me and one my dad gave it to me.

So, without further ado, here they are:

ONE OF US IS LYING by Karen McManus

The lovely woman behind @thebiblioteque Instagram and blog made me buy this book. Well, not her per se –she didn’t point a gun at me or anything– but her review of it. It sounds so intriguing and fun. When you read the synopsis, the first thing that comes to mind is The Breakfast Club + murder. And then you go to the praises of the book or the reviews you can find online and they say the same. Which only makes me want to read it even more. Hopefully before the summer ends.

THE TENNANT OF WILDFELL HALL by Anne Brontë

I have been listening a lot of good things about Anne’s second and last novel. Apparently is supposed to be quite feminist which is probably one of the reasons why she is not as known as her other two sisters (damn patriarchy!). That, as well as the love for Victorian reads I got from last year’s Victober or Victorian October challenge*, made me buy this book. Also, this editions are just too pretty to ignore and I don’t need many excuses to get me one of them. Although I can't seem to be able to take good quality pictures of them as you'll see in the next book on the list.

*I made a post explaining what Victorian October was back when I wrote this blog in Spanish. You can read it here if you want or you can go to one of the original creators that I linked in my post. Their explanations are in English.

MANSFIELD PARK by Jane Austen

The last of the six full novels written by Austen to get to my shelves. Now my collection of her novels is complete and I must proceed to read them all. I have only read and finished Persuasion –which I loved– so far and it’s time for me to get to the others. There’s actually a Jane Austen challenge going on in the Spanish book community but I’m a bit late for that already so I just had an idea. Since October is probably going to be, again, my Victorian reads month, why don’t make September the month to read books from the Regency era. That way, I will have an excuse and a reason to read all Austen’s work. Why do you guys think? Is it a good idea or I’m just being naive thinking I could make my “mood reader” self have a TBR for two months straight?

LIVESHIP TRADERS (#1 and #3) by Robin Hobb

If you follow me on instagram, you’ll know I really love Robin Hobb’s novels. I read the Farseer trilogy last year and fell in love with her world-building, her diverse set of characters and her amazing writing style. After that I got myself the first two books in the Tawny Man trilogy so I could follow more stories from the same characters you found in the Farseer one. But alas, before I could even start them, I found out that it was advised to read the Liveship Traders trilogy before you got into the Tawny Man. Well, no problem, let’s read it then. Even though it’s set in the same world, the action happens in a totally different place with a bunch of totally different cultures and characters. 

I bought the first book then, read it, gave it five stars and I even did a review that you can read clicking here. Later on, I asked my dad to let me read his ebook version of the second. I bought the third on paper again though and it’s one of my current reads. The pace is quite slow and I’m at that point where everything is going wrong and the characters are going through the toughest of times so it’s quite a depressing struggle read right now. Still, really enjoying it and loving the whole story.

A DARKER SHADE OF MAGIC by Victoria Schwab

I'm really excited to start this trilogy. I've heard so many good reviews and I've seen it all over bookstagram. The hype is real, guys. Apparently, people love it and love Victoria Schwab's writing with passion. I do want to climb into the Schwab's loving bandwagon and I'm going to start doing so by reading this trilogy. The premise actually sounds really interesting and fun as well. Just like with One of Us is Lying, I'm hoping to read this one before the summer ends. Fingers crossed I don't get distracted and let the summer go by too quickly. 

And last but not least.

ARIANWYN by James Nicol

My father and I are both adults that read middle-grade novels from time to time. Here’s one example of that. My dad got this book from I don’t know where, read it and gave it to me because he thinks I will like it. He’s usually right so I’m going to give it a go soon. Also, it’s going to be the first read in Catalan that I do in a while. I don’t usually read in Catalan even though is one of my mother tongues. Mainly because I am not very fond of translations in Catalan since, for some reason, the dialogues don’t sound very natural to me. Maybe is because I speak in a western-Catalan dialect and the translators usually write in a very standard/too formal way or in an eastern-Catalan/Barcelona’s dialect. I don’t know but for whatever reason, the voices don’t feel natural to me and make the reading a bit too uncomfortable.


That's it for today. What books have you acquired in the past months? Have you read any of the ones I've mentioned in today's haul? 

I don't think I've really had an actual favourite author until last year when I met Robin Hobb's work. Of course, I like other authors. I'm a Potterhead and a big fan of Middle Earth's stories, I have read all six books of A Song of Ice and Fire and read almost all Isabel Allende's work, to name a few. However, I've never respected and loved an author's work in the way I do with Robin Hobb. But I'm getting ahead of myself. Let me talk you first about Ship of Magic and show you why her works have been auto-buys for me since I read her Farseer trilogy.

Ship of Magic is the first in the Liveship Traders trilogy and is a story about traders and pirates and ships who can talk. If you're not convinced with that, I don't know what will. These talking ships are build from wizarwood, a senient wook: 

"Rare and valuable a liveship will quicken only when three members, from successive generations, have died on board. The liveship Vivacia is about to undergo her quickening as Althea Vestrit’s father is carried on deck in his death-throes. Althea waits for the ship that she loves more than anything else in the world to awaken. Only to discover that the Vivacia has been signed away in her father’s will to her brutal brother-in-law, Kyle Haven..."

And so the drama ensues. 

We follow not only Althea's journey and her many struggles but also Wintrow's, her nephew who is abused by his father, the infamous Kyle Haven (who I hate with all my heart) aboard the newly awaken Vivacia. The ship is such a character in herself that you feel for her as much as you do for the other human characters. We also follow the struggles of the rest of the Vestrit's family, Althea's mother and sister. And her niece. Oh my days, how much I hate this girl. Malta's her name and she is a spoiled VERY stupid girl of thirteen years old who I would love to punch in the face several times every time she opens her mouth or does something stupid which is all the freaking time. Among the main characters we also have Brashen Trell, a once nobleman turned sailor. Brashen... Oh, Brashen, what should we do with you? My poor heart bleeds for him. He doesn't always takes the best decisions but he's not a bad guy. He only needs some love and someone to help him redirect his life into a better place. And last but not least, Captain Kennit. The lucky pirate who is indeed very cruel and greedy but somehow finds himself becoming some sort of hero.

I feel very strongly about this characters, guys. 

Hobb knows how to create well developed characters who make you feel empathy, rage, tenderness and all kind of emotions that invest you so much in the story. They are complex and they are full of contradictions. She creates strong female characters who also have a lot of flaws. Her characters are, in fact, very human. They all make bad decisions and good decisions and you root for your favourites when things look tough and cross your fingers when things seem to get slightly better but you know it's not going to last long because that's the way Hobb writes, she likes to make her characters and her readers suffer.

There's so much more about this trilogy that I won't be able to tell you in a review because the worlds she builds, as her characters, are very complex. I haven't told you about the Rain River Wilds, for example, and its mysterious inhabitants, the magic in these lands and the curse that, apparently, affects everyone who lives there. I haven't told you about the issues that she presents like, for example, sexism. We see it clearly in the form of Kyle Have, the most abusive, sexist bastard I've read of in a long time. But we are also presented a some sort of regressive society who once saw women and men as equal that is changing into a very sexist place.

Also, Hobb's not afraid to get dirty talking about the infamous situation of the slaves, how they are treated like objects, worse than sheep and how that affects them as humans or to be kind of explicit about illnesses, wounds or even amputations. And as for the way she describes life aboard a ship... I know nothing about sailing so I have no way to know if what she explains is accurate but she sure looks like she knows her stuff.

Overall, I would say that this is not a book for everyone. It's quite action-packed but it's not your typical fast read and sometimes, all the drama that the characters have to face are a bit overwhelming and the topics can get a bit depressing. Still, I enjoy so much this book. I'm usually a very character driven reader and so I have loved worrying about them, rooting for them and following Althea and the others in their journey.