Hello bookworms! This is my first post in this community, and I am so happy to finally make it! ππ
Despite having my name linked to one of my biggest passions, which is travelling, I always thought it was also going to be the single topic I approach on this blog. But with the passage of time, I realised that there are a lot more passions I would like to share and possibly connect with more people. That's how, over the years, I made it into the photography, cooking, movies, and gaming zones (to name a few), but I really don't know why it took so long to write something for the book club.
I am part of the generation that technology popped up in her life quite late, having a lot of other passions keep me entertained, where reading became a thing from an early age, way before being 'forced' to read the popular books suggested by the schools.
Nevertheless, reading was always part of my life, which came in many forms, without feeling the pressure to dedicate some of my free time to this activity because I was enjoying it on my own already. Actually, I am part of a family that always loved reading and being surrounded by people who constantly hold a new book in their hands or have a library getting bigger from one week to another, it sort of made me curious to start reading as well, still keeping the tradition these days when, I receive books as birthday presents yearly which are always welcome.
Anyway, enough with the introduction as no one really enjoys long introductions, considering that a new month has just began I thought that I could dedicate one of my posts to a monthly recap of what I've read in September, with the hope that maybe I'll inspire others to give these books a chance, or even discover some new titles that could get on my TBR list.
Through these kinds of posts, I plan to share in one or two paragraphs my thoughts about each book I've read, without giving any spoilers, but still offer my honest feedback.
1. The Art of Sexuality (RO: Arta SexualitΔΘii)
by Emily Nagoski
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September started quite strongly, attending a wedding of a friend, then getting ready with the birthday party celebrated in the woods, so I didn't get to read as much as I wanted, but I still found time to complete this book that I wanted to get for a while.
The Art of Sexuality by Emily Nagoski offers an accessible and well-researched look into human sexuality, with plenty of interesting insights and explanations and even 5 case studies that pretty much cover all the couple situations out there. While the book presents useful information, I found that it repeated much of what I already knew and didnβt fully deliver the clear advice or practical answers I was hoping for. I still find it a good read, but perhaps at a younger age when people have to learn more from this book rather than you get to learn at nearly 30 years old.
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
2. Phantasma
by Kaylie Smith
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I received Phantasma as a birthday gift from my sister and her boyfriend, which I have had on my book wishlist for a while. Despite not having a lot of time to read during my birthday celebration, I couldn't stay away from starting to read this book at the cabin, finishing it in just a few days.
At first it seemed like too much fantasy for my taste, with a lot of terms I wasn't familiar with, but as soon as the action started, I couldn't let it go of my hands for too long. Reading fantasy books happens quite often in my life, but Phantasma felt so different from what I've read before, exceeding all my expectations with its crazy twists and rich world-building.
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
3. Enchantra
by Kaylie Smith
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As soon as I finished Phantasma, of course, I couldn't wait for too long and began reading the 2nd volume, which is Enchantra.
Despite being very impressed with the first volume, I wouldn't lie by saying that I didn't begin reading Enchantra with a sense of scepticism, thinking that not much could happen anymore with the dark romance storyline. However, I ended up being surprised in a nice way with an even stronger volume that I enjoyed more than the first, the story focusing on a whole new environment and mix of emotions. It's impressive how Kaylie managed to create a continuation of the 1st story, which already felt like giving its best.
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
4. Feline Philosophy: Cats and the Meaning of Life (RO: Filosofia Felina: Pisicile si Sensul Vietii)
by John Gray
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The 4th book read was a short and quick one that I felt like the best break after the previous books, which were all large volumes, finishing this one in just one day.
I picked Feline Philosophy: Cats and the Meaning of Life as a person who loves cats, and ever since I became a cat mom, I read pretty much anything cat-related with the hope that I get to understand better cats' needs and the way they communicate with people. However, this book was a bit different from what I've read in this area before because it's more like a comparison between a human life vs. a cat life, that despite having lots of things in common, we still fail terribly when it comes to enjoying life, which is never a problem for cats in general. My 4-star review is given, though, because I didn't fully agree with all Gray's points of view, and it also felt a bit chaotic with too many case studies included in the book. But it's surely a good read, where we all have something new to learn from.
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
5. Full Disclosure (RO: Rezultat Pozitiv)
by Camryn Garrett
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Another quick and easy read was Full Disclosure by Camryn Garrett, which I got for a bit over 1β¬ at a local store, being on sale.
Despite its cheap price, it turned into a relaxing read with the story of a young girl who faces lots of racial challenges as well as situations caused by being HIV-positive, which is often misunderstood by people. The book has only around 250 pages, and even if it's a pretty basic story with not too many twists, it still managed to avoid becoming a boring read, which I am grateful for.
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
6. The Boyfriend (RO: Iubitul)
by Freida McFadden
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The last read of the month was The Boyfriend by Freida McFadden, the author being a lot in trending lately in Romania, with plenty of books that are waiting to be read.
I've managed to stay away from The Housemaid series, which is more popular because I wanted to read some of the other books of Freida before jumping in this series, and The Boyfriend came as the 2nd read from this author that even if it's a good read with plenty of unexpected twists, I found the previous book I've read from Freida better than this one. I am not sure if it's a good thing or not to compare various books of the same author, but the thing that I managed to figure out some of the things that were going on, made me want to finish it faster, so I can move on to a different book. Nevertheless, Freida's writings are some of the best thriller/mystery/crime books I've read in my life. So I fully recommend the author if you haven't read anything from her so far.
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Gabriela Travels is the FOUNDER of "Festival Mania" who started this community from the passion of attending various festivals and with the purpose of encouraging more people to explore festivals all around the world and share their experiences.
At the same time, Gabriela is an independent Graphic Design Freelancer since 2019 completing over 600+ orders in this time and collaborating with various businesses and people from all over the globe.
Additionally, Gabriela has her own corner on the internet since 2017 where she writes various articles for her blog, the most popular being the travel ones (300+ articles written on this field), but also approaching other topics as well, like game and book reviews, lets plays, movie and series reviews, photography posts, cooking recipes and more, boosting the total number of articles written to 750+ blog posts.
Gabriela is also a gamer since she was 11 years old and gaming remains one of her biggest passions along with traveling, owning a YouTube channel for each of the two.
~ @GabrielaTravels ~