June 2022 wrap-up: delightful and disappointing fantasy

June was a busy month at work, but I did some fun things in my free time. My boyfriend and I went to the movie Jurassic World: Dominion, we made some boat trips and we swam a few times in a lake near our house. I didn’t read a lot of books, but I did find a new favourite this month.

Books I Read

The City of Dreaming Books by Walter Moers – 5 stars
In four words: bookish, imaginative, funny, adventurous
What I liked: This book was amazing! It’s set in a city I yearn to visit if it was possible. In Bookholm everything is about books. It smells of ink and paper, books are everywhere and everyone’s life in this city revolves around books. With our main character (who is a dinosaur by the way) we get deeper and deeper in the city. He encounters strange creatures and even dangerous books. The writing style of this story was enjoyable: a bit poetic, humorous and imaginative. I also loved the illustrations.
What I disliked: The only demerit is the many info dumps. However, I didn’t mind them. I couldn’t get enough information about the fascinating City of Dreaming Books!

A Wizard of Earthsea (Earthsea Cycle, #1) by Ursula K. Le Guin – 3 stars
In four words: classic, familiar, coming-of-age adventure
What I liked: I was looking forward to finally read something by Ursula K. Le Guin. I enjoyed the story and liked the familiarity. The book feels like a predecessor of Harry Potter. The main character, Ged, is easy to like and it was interesting to see his character develop throughout the story.
What I disliked: I hoped to like this book more, but it just didn’t “wow” me. Some elements felt like overused tropes. Of course I cannot really blame the book for this. At the time it was written, the ideas were original. But I usually love books about schools of magic. So it was disappointing that only two chapters are set in the school of wizardry. The irregular pacing also didn’t work for me.

DNF

The Shadowed Sun (Dream Blood, #2) by N.K. Jemisin
The books of the Dreamblood duologies are interesting, but complex. A lot happens and little is explained. This isn’t a bad thing. But I wasn’t in the mood for this kind of book. For now I left The Shadowed Sun unfinished. I do hope to try this book again at a later moment.

Podcasts I Liked

• The Jane Goodall Hopecast is a great podcast if you feel a bit pessimistic about the climate. Every episode Jane Goodall and a guest give reasons for hope. I love to listen to this podcast in the morning, because I like to start my day positive and inspired. My favourites episodes are with Robin Wall Kimmerer: Hope is the Power of Plants and Indigenous Knowledge and Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson: Hope Is Courage And Taking Action Together.

Blog hiatus

This summer my boyfriend and I are going to Norway with our camper van. I’m really looking forward to it! I won’t take my laptop with me. So don’t expect any posts during July. I will be back in August.

Photo by Dino Reichmuth on Unsplash