My last book review post was in May, which might imply I haven’t been reading, but I have! In fact, I am almost caught up with my reading goal. The highlight of my month was visiting the Stockholm Public Library, where I fell in love with its architecture and vast book collection. Unfortunately, the library is now temporarily closed for renovation and will not reopen until fall 2027. If you get the chance, do visit when it reopens – it’s a haven for book lovers.
I’ve been pretty unlucky with the books I’ve read lately; they’ve been okay, but none have been 5-star reads. Hopefully, August will bring better books! If you have any great 5-star recommendations, please share them with me!
Also, the New York Times recently shared their list of the 100 best books of the 21st century. While I agree with some choices, others left me puzzled. That’s the beauty of books – they are so subjective, and everyone has different criteria for what makes a great read.
I’ve also been considering sharing my weekly article reads. Would that interest any of you? I think it could be great for those who want to get into reading but can’t commit to an entire book. Let me know your thoughts!
Let’s get into it, shall we?
The Boy in Striped Pajamas ⭐⭐⭐⭐
tw: Holocaust
I watched this movie a few years ago and was already familiar with the plot and the ending. Bruno, a nine-year-old boy, moves from Berlin to another city because his father has gotten a new job. As you read the novel, you learn that the new city is Auschwitz, a town with concentration and extermination camps operated by the Nazis, and the father is a Nazi officer.
This is a book about the Holocaust from the perspective of a child who has no idea of what’s going on. The story really highlights childhood innocence as Bruno befriends Shmuel, a Jewish boy in the camp, without understanding why he is on the other side of the fence.
It got me thinking, how old is old enough for children to be told what is happening when atrocities occur around the world?
Invisible Women: Data Bias in a World Designed for Men by Caroline Criado Pérez ⭐⭐
I hated this book! I was so excited to read it because Caroline wrote about the importance of data in the modern world and how it affects our daily lives, especially women’s lives. The big challenge is that “data fails to take into account gender, because it treats men as the default and women as atypical, bias and discrimination are baked into our systems. And women pay tremendous costs for this bias in time, money, and often with their lives.”
Why didn’t I like this book? The author relied heavily on statistics without incorporating any storytelling elements. Every page was filled with stats or reports about how women are affected by men being the default, and that was it.If this topic interests you, I would recommend a similar book called Everybody Lies: Big Data, New Data, and What the Internet Can Tell Us About Who We Really Are by Seth Stephens-Davidowitz. It offers better storytelling to show what data can mean to different people based on their age, race, and income level, instead of just mentioning statistics.
The Silent Woman by Minka Kent ⭐⭐
Another miss. This thriller novel started off well but became pretty predictable, even though the author tried to mislead the readers. Jade, a successful biographer, agrees to write the biography of her late grandmother-in-law, who used to be a socialite. Jade is married to Wells, a recently divorced architect. What is surprising in their marriage is that Wells takes care of Sylvie, his ex-wife, in the guest house. Sylvie was involved in a pool accident and is now mute. One day, Sylvie writes a note to Jade telling her to RUN.
I thought it was pretty meh for a thriller novel, as the plot was not that exciting and too predictable. They introduced the neighbours, and I wished there were more of them. If you enjoy thriller novels, I would not recommend this one because it lacked the great suspense that is key to enjoying a thriller.
Let’s Get Physical: How Women Discovered Exercise and Reshaped the World by Danielle Friedman ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Loved this book!! I really enjoyed learning about the history behind the most successful fitness trends and what led to their popularity among women. It was fascinating to see how fitness evolved from being used as a beauty tool to becoming a key aspect of a healthy lifestyle. Each chapter focuses on a popular fitness movement, like barre or Jane Fonda’s aerobics classes, and how these trends transformed the fitness space.
It’s an educational book if you want to understand the history of fitness and how race plays a part in who has access to fitness classes or the environment to include fitness in their lifestyle. However, I think the book is quite American-centric, focusing primarily on the multibillion-dollar industry in the US.
In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto by Michael Pollan ⭐⭐⭐⭐
I have been reading a lot about health and wellness, and Michael Pollan is a familiar voice when it comes to food and nutrition. In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan is about the importance of eating whole, unprocessed foods and the benefits of a plant-based diet, encapsulated by Pollan’s mantra: “Eat food, not too much, mostly plants.”
I like how Pollan does not claim that one diet is better than another but instead advocates for moderation and eating to promote health. Different cultures have different relationships with food and their perceptions of the purpose of eating. However, I do feel that his approach leans towards a vegetarian diet, emphasizing the importance of mostly eating plants – and I agree with him! The reality is that most of the food sold in grocery stores is not real food. If your great-grandmother wouldn’t recognize your grocery store purchase, you haven’t bought real food.
For this reason, I am working on being more mindful of my food intake to ensure it’s healthy. I will stick with purchasing fresh food from markets and avoid processed foods.
Matilda by Roald Dahl ⭐⭐⭐⭐
This was a fun read because I wanted to revisit books I loved when I was young, and Matilda was a favorite of mine. Matilda is a young, smart girl who enjoys reading, but her family thinks she is annoying and superior because she believes she is smarter than them. She starts school and finds it hard to adjust due to Miss Trunchbull, the school’s headmistress, and her hateful behavior towards kids. Matilda suddenly discovers she has superpowers when she is attacked by Miss Trunchbull.
However, I didn’t like the fatphobia exhibited in Miss Trunchbull’s character. It seems like her body size is depicted as the main reason why the children are scared of her, rather than her personality.
Despite this, I would still recommend reading it because it’s a great young adult novel.
Okay, I believe we’re now caught up with my book reviews! I hope to be on track with my reading challenge schedule by next week and will stick to reading four books per month to avoid feeling overwhelmed.
See you all next Sunday. I’m currently working on several detailed reviews, so stay tuned – it’s going to be pretty exciting here if you enjoy reading, makeup, cooking and marathons!