Here I am, on the last day of the beautiful month of May, creating my wrap up for you. To be honest, between a tumultuous personal life, the end of my wonderful internship in the library and the start of my new job at the tourist information center, this month did not let me much time to pick up my books. However, I managed to finish 14 books, which feels great. May is the month when I resumed reading comics, which is super cool! let me share with you the 14 books of the month, hoping it will inspire you for the TBR to come.
Comics
I read 8 comics this month, which all belong to the same series: Lou! I am not sure these books are even available in English but it they are, I highly advise that you check them out. They were my favorite books when I was a teenager and reading them was such a comforting thing (if you ever feel down, consider reading an old favorite: it will automatically make you feel better).
Each of the 8 books are around 50-pages long and tell a part of Lou’s story as she grows up. We follow her journey from teenager-to-be to adult-to-be, with all the things that come with it. It is a light read and even if you are learning French, I think I would recommend it as to me, comics are the best way to get into a language without feeling too overwhelmed by it.
Essays (in French)
I feel like I read a lot of French works this month (oops) but as I know many of you speak French as well, I still want to share my reads with you.
Livres d’enfants d’hier et d’aujourd’hui. Babar, Harry Potter et Cie (Beaux livres) by BnF
Je suis amoureuse de tous les ouvrages édités en partenariat avec la BnF suite à l’une de leurs sublimes expositions. La littérature jeunesse étant au cœur de ma recherche, de mon métier et de mes passions, je savais pertinemment que j’aimerais ce livre avant même de l’ouvrir (et cette couverture… ⭐️).
Si vous désirez vous informer sur l’histoire de la littérature pour la jeunesse, ses évolutions, ses modes et ses désillusions, je vous conseille ce livre à 100%. Par ailleurs, la bibliographie présente en fin d’ouvrage vous donnera toutes les clefs pour pouvoir, si vous le désirez, approfondir votre réflexion.
Essentielles Librairies, Christian Thorel
Cet essai sur la place et le rôle des libraires de la loi sur le prix unique à aujourd’hui fut très instructif. Je dois admettre y avoir appris beaucoup dans la mesure où l’on entend souvent la voix des politiques sur la loi de 1981, mais rarement celle des libraires.
J’ai également apprécié les références au présent, à la COVID-19 et à son impact sur la librairie française et sur le livre en général.
Je recommande ce livre à tous ceux qui s’intéressent à la librairie, d’un point de vue amateur ou professionnel.
Middle Grades
Esio Trot, Roald Dahl
I actually liked that super short read. Sometimes, I like reading books dedicated to really young children in order to have titles to recommend when they ask me – given that I am a librarian – what I advise them to read. This one is very cute, even though I find it a bit sad for Alfred (you’ll see) but altogether, very pleasing book to read!
Winterhouse Hotel, Ben Guterson
I have hesitated between 4 and 5 stars quite a long time for this book but the ending was so wholesome that I had to give it a generous 5⭐️. We follow the adventures of Elizabeth, who lives with her (not super kind) aunt and uncle. When she gets invited to Winterhouse Hotel for the winter break, she feels a bit surprised, and not super pleased; she is going to spend Christmas all alone in a place she does not know.
However, Winterhouse is full of mystery and the young Elizabeth may find in the hotel things she did not know she was looking for. This book is the perfect Middle Grade mystery, and I must say that I plan on reading the 2 other books of the series rather soon!
Contemporary fiction
Needle Mouse, Jane O’Connor
That is a book I enjoyed so much (once more). I feel like all of my reviews start this way but I also think that I start knowing my tastes and what may or may not work for me in a book. This one was recommended to me by one of my lovely colleagues and I had to try it. I am not used to reading romance at all, but this book made me think it might be a good idea to read more of it. I know that it is not a « romance » in the strict meaning of the word as we do not follow the almost-perfect-not-perfect relationship between two characters, but it is still what resembles the most in my reading habits (I am more used to Crime and Punishment, so far, far away from romance).
This book follows the path of Sylvia, a 50-something woman in love with a man who does not seem to love her back, living a life she does not fully enjoy and struggling to enjoy her time with her family. What makes Sylvia happy, among other things I can’t tell here, is taking care of hedgehogs in a dedicated center. Even if in the beginning of the book Sylvia seems very negative and a not-so-easy-to-like character, she ends up blooming in the course of the story. To be honest, I did not really like her in the first part of the book, but the second part of it was just perfect. I love seeing characters become happier and live a more fulfilled life in the course of the story.
If you want a book based on romance, family relationships and the struggles of a 50-something woman going through what so many women go through without talking about it, go for that novel. Of course, it is hard to read at times, but I think it is the perfect mix between addressing tough topics and making readers laugh hard. If you can put your hands on a copy of the book, I highly recommend you give it a try.
Normal People, Sally Rooney
down after closing it, but is not it the goal of such a book? Leaving you a little different after reading it? I know a lot of people consider Normal people to be their favorite novel and I can easily understand why. This book it full of sincerity and mundane beauty. I was not sure how to call it but Ido think that “mundane beauty” is a pretty appropriate phrase.
As I fell like about everyone knows the initial plot, I won’t go too much into explaining it. However, one thing I want to stress is the language used in the book. I found it very appropriate to the story, mundane as well in a way. Time elipses and the apparent lack of punctuation made the reading difficult and fragmented, but is not the life of “normal people” always this way?
As you can tell, a lot of 5 stars crowded my reading month. Everything I want to tell you today is that when things seem to go all wrong, there is a nothing a good book and a big cup of coffee can’t solve. I wish you the best of all days,
The English-speaking Frenchie 