Welcome to my post! Today is my weekly Sunday wrap up, where I talk about the books I’ve read and how my week has been.
My Week
It’s been a busy week! My Oxford interview was on Thursday, so I spent most of the week preparing. The actual interview was only half an hour, so I didn’t get as much time as I would have liked to talk! When the full interview process is over I will probably go into more detail, but overall it was challenging but interesting. Everyone applying is amazing, so I’m not expecting to get an offer but we’ll see what happens in January!
After that, I had to finish off my history coursework. The deadline is Monday, so guess what I’ve been doing this weekend! It’s such an interesting topic though (Civil Rights Movement 1880-1960s), I’m actually sad I can’t do more – there’s so much to research and write about that I haven’t covered, but unfortunately I’ve already reached my word count!
My Week in Books
An ARC-filled week: I requested way too many ARCs last month, thinking I wouldn’t be accepted, but now I have to face the consequences! Right now my Netgalley score is 67%, but after I review We Are All Birds of Uganda I should be at a respectable score.
I finished the last two thirds of Bestiary this week. I was really looking forward to this but unfortunately it wasn’t the book for me. I had a problem with the gross details/description of the book, and the magical realism, plot and language that was hard to follow. However, it did touch on a lot of important themes, like queerness, family and belonging, so I can see why other people might like it. Overall though, I rated it 2 stars.
Next I finished Open Water. This was such a poetic debut which packed a lot in just 145 pages! It was a love story but also the exploration of what it means to be black in the UK, so it was beautiful but also hard-hitting. I loved the 2nd person narration, which felt intimate but also universal at the same time. I rated this 4.5 stars!
Finally I got to We Are All Birds of Uganda. I’m at about 80%, so I’ll finish it tonight. At first I found it hard to get into the dual perspective and timeline, because I was much more interested in the modern timeline, although the history was fascinating to research. However, I like the direction it’s going in now, so I think I’ll end up liking it much more than I did at first. I’m not sure what I’m going to rate it yet, so you’ll have to wait until next week!
If you want to hear my thoughts on these books in more depth, check out my Goodreads. I’m always interested in what everyone else is reading, so I would love to be friends!
Thanks for reading! How was your week?
—ella♥
ella isn’t writing 