It’s been a while since I posted something here because things have been crazy hectic on my side. But I’m trying to get back on track and for that, I’m working to get a bunch of posts ready to upload. To ease back in, I’m here with a short blog post, a quick reading update in which I’ll tell you a little about the books I’ve been reading, those I am reading, and those I will read soon.
I’ve been quite overwhelmed with the length of my reading list at the moment but it’s completely self-inflicted. As a Booktuber and book blogger, my main concern is always to put out content that my viewers/readers will like or find value from. So for that, to stay relevant and help my viewers out, I have to read books that are fresh out of the oven. And I must say I’m failing miserably at that even though I’ve made a list and all. Who knew making lists doesn’t help sometimes? *eye-roll*
But I’m huffing and puffing to catch up while I’m working on a few good videos ideas that I hope my subscribers will end up liking. That has to count for something, right?
Anyway, enough straggling. Here’s the reading update that I promised:
Last Read:
I finished reading One True Loves by Taylor Jenkins Reid just a few minutes before starting this post and it was for one of those video ideas. I want to post the video on Wednesday (19 July) but there’s still a bunch of work remaining before that can happen, including filming the video.
One True Loves is the story of Emma, whose husband, Jesse, goes on a work assignment a day before their first anniversary. But soon, news of his helicopter going down in the Pacific reaches her and she is devastated. Days and weeks and months pass and he is now presumed dead. Emma grieves him but she knows she has to move forward. A couple of years after, she is now engaged to Sam and is out at dinner with him and her family, when she receives a call from Jesse saying that he is alive and that he is coming back to her. Thrown into the most unexpected, bittersweet moment and torn between the past and the present, Emma wonders what’s going to happen now that Jesse is returning.
I was really surprised at how much I liked this book, because halfway through I wasn’t feeling that Taylor Jenkins Reid magic. But it all really comes through in the latter part where she explores human connection and love from different perspectives. The book and the characters open up and bloom – something that TJR does with a flourish every single time. Glad I got to read this book!
Current Read:
Look, I’m usually reading multiple books at once, so when I say current read in this reading update, it means that I was reading One True Loves and this one at the same time, but I just finished OTL before this. 😛
The book I’m talking about is Babel by RF Kuang, a historical fiction about a boy saved from a fire in Canton and brought to London as a ward during the mid-1800s. He is assigned the duty of learning languages and keeping up to speed with all his lessons. This is what I’ve gleaned in the 45 pages I’ve read so far. The book has also reiterated the racism that Victorian era people ‘indulged’ in and it’s truly frustrating, wanting to punch a fictional character in the face and realizing you can’t because they’re fictional.
Next Read:
To rein myself in, I’m moving on to the next book I will be picking up, which is Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret! by Judy Blume. This is a book that I’ve seen on so many lists that I finally got fed up and requested it from the library. It wasn’t FOMO or anything. Just a plain, “Let’s see what the hell this book is all about” kind of frustration. It’s ironic and I don’t know how this one will go, but let’s see. Fingers crossed!
So that was my latest reading update – my last, current, and next reads. Have you read any of these books? What are your last, current, and next reads? Let me know in the comments below. I’d love to hear from you!
I’ll see you (hopefully soon) in the next blog post.
Until next time, keep reading and add melodrama to your life! ❤
The Melodramatic Bookworm 