Just finished reading The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin. Loved it! The world was so vivid and detailed and yet the way it was exposed to the reader never felt too heavy. This is one of the many (ad sadly, old--it's currently out of print here) Italian editions this book has had. I borrowed this copy from a very tiny library close to my university.

Just finished reading this book--it was an enjoyable YA mystery novel, although I have to admit that I bought it mostly because of the gorgeous cover picture. I found the protagonist believable as a teenager, with all the frustrating choices a teenager might do, so if that isn't your cup of tea I'd suggest to look elsewhere for a good piece of detective work, but the story did keep me glued to the book for the last 100 pages or so.

Now reading!

This book was a blast, I had so much fun reading it. There were hilarious parts and then serious parts, and I liked how they were balanced. Molly, the protagonist, is an explosive characher--I've barely finished the book and I already miss her adventures.

The protagonist of this book is great, and she's still a child at the moment. After being given the role of Mary in the school play (while her rival, who wanted to play Mary, gets Joseph's role), hilarity ensues.

Since the Italian edition is apparently out of print, I got this old copy for very little online.

I'm now starting Rita Mae Brown's Rubyfruit Jungle. The dedication is hilarious!

I loved Pen (as expected).

I should have gone to sleep about two hours ago, but of course I couldn't put the book down right when things were getting interesting...

"I don't feel wrong inside myself. I don't feel lile I'm someone I shouldn't be. Only other people make me feel like there's something wrong with me."

It took a bit longer than I had expected, but I'm now reading Girl Mans Up!

Last year I hoarded queer YA, in part because I wanted something light to read, in part because I couldn't even believe there were so many books I could relate to this way (and I'm very lucky to be able to get so many of them). Now I have a problem many share when confronted by a pile of books yet to read--which one should I pick first?? I'm leaning towards Girl Mans Up, but it's hard to decide...

The books I'm reading at the moment. The one on the right, 蟲と眼球と白雪姫, is the 5th book in a series, and although I'm struggling a bit with it, at this point I just want to know what happens to the characters. As for If I Was Your Girl, it's very interesting, I'm enjoying it a lot.

A great book, but man, was it depressing.

Questi classici che trovi a casa dei nonni. Peccato che l'edizione più recente non abbia questa copertina!

Getting ready to visit my aunt and my grandparents for Christmas. I was worried because I need to read A Little Life as fast as possible, but the book's size--the Italian edition is 1100 pages--is huge, and I feared that it would get ruined inside the backpack... But surprisingly, it fit perfectly in my handbag (I don't carry anything except my phone and iPod with me anyway). My mother joked that if I hit someone with the bag I would kill them...

"[...] capitava spesso che facessero un salto al secondo piano e che per annunciarsi bussassero e aprissero la porta simultaneamente, benché Malcom avesse detto e ripetuto che il secondo gesto rendeva automaticamente inutile e privo di senso il primo".

Ho riso, anche perché il resto della mia famiglia usa questo metodo quando irrompe nelle stanze altrui...

Just finished The Vegetarian (but isn't she vegan? Anyway). It was weird and deeply unsettling, but at the same time somewhat oniric. The middle section didn't completely convince me, and I think the best part was the first one, but I liked the third (and last) part.
On a sidenote, I love the cover picture.

Although I have yet to finish Americanah, today I went to the library to get Hanya Yanagihara's A Little Life, since I had reserved it a little while ago. I'm also halfway through Han Kang's The Vegetarian, which I got from the library a little after Americanah, but I still had to start reading (until today, that is). The Vegetarian is really peculiar, almost weird, but that doesn't mean bad--in fact, I'm quite enjoying it.

A light but fun book. The world building and the magic in the book are quite interesting. I'm not sure whether to read the other books in the series or stop here (especially since my library doesn't have the other books yet), though.
To take the photo I took out the origami paper sheets I received as a present back when I was studying in Japan :3

My latest library #bookhaul --I had booked The Haunting of Hill House, which looks quite battered for a library book, and "Topolino e la guerra dei mondi" (it's a Mickey Mouse comic I read many years ago. I loved it back then, but my mother gave my copy to some distant cousins, without asking me first, a few years ago, and I've been craving to reread it since :/), while I borrowed the third book on a whim...

The next book I'm reading. This, as usual, is the Italian hardback edition.

Now reading The Joy Luck Club.

Reading Waiting for Godot while listening to Sting, wrapped in a blanket and drinking mint tea~

Today I went to a book fair for small publishers that's held every year in my city. There is one publisher in particular that has these lovely book covers and publishes a lot of works (from novels to essays) from allover Asia. The book in the center, which I bought today, is Flowers in the Mirror, by Li Ruzhen. The others are only some of the books I've bought in the past (it's to the point that the publisher's staff recognize me haha).

This book wasn't an easy read, but it really changes your perspective. It's so powerful and eye-opening.

Today was... uhm. Not a good day. To cheer up I went to a second-hand bookshop I like a lot, and found, among others, a surprising amount of books in English for very little and a book about Depeche Mode for a friend. I'm still reading Stone Butch Blues, but I keep adding books to my to be read shelf...

Today I went to the library to return The Scorpion Rules (which I liked, in the end), and ended up reading there The Argonauts by Maggie Nelson in one go (really interesting!). Now I'm reading Stone Butch Blues--I've heard a lot about this book, and surprisingly, my library had it. On a sidenote, when I'll finish it, this would be the 100th book I read this year! Some were quite short, though, so the number isn't as impressive as it might sound...

Currently reading a YA novel (I took the photo in a rush. The flash strategically covers my library's logo). It's a somewhat atypical dystopian novel--there are AIs, but also loads of goats and assorted vegetables. The first half of the book didn't really convince me, but this second half took an unexpected and interesting turn. I still have a little less than 100 pages left, though, so my opinion might change once again before I finish it.

A scary book cover for today's #AllHallowsRead #photoadaychallenge--this is a collection of short stories by Japanese authors. This book series, usually for sci-fi books, is sold at newsstands, and I really like their cover graphics--this one looks quite scary! The authors included are Komatsu Sakyo, Bando Masako, Inoue Masahiko, Kamon Nanami, Minagawa Hiroko and Shibata Yoshiki.

Today's theme for the #AllHallowsRead #photoadaychallenge is "a scary read that deserves more recognition" --my pick, Zoo, is a short story collection by Otsuichi (a popular horror author in Japan, but not enough overseas). In this collection are included several horror stories. This is the two-volume Japanese bunko edition, but the book is also available in English.

Eight day of the #photoadaychallenge for #AllHallowsRead --today is #recommendsday.
It's hard to choose just one book... So I've picked two.
The most famous one is Stephen King's The Shining; the other is a Russian sci-fi book I loved when I read it earlier this year, set in a future where the population of Moscow lives underground inside the city's metro tunnels and stations because the surface has become too dangerous for human life.

My copy of the 150th Anniversary Edition of The Annotated Alice arrived today and it's gorgeous (while my photographing skills are abysmal). My aunt, who found it next to our mailbox, got scared because it was inside a huge mail bag and weighted a ton haha.

"A favourite YA/Children's scary read" is today's #AllHallowsRead #photoadaychallenge theme--I remember buying this book one summer before leaving for my grandparents' house, probably the year the movie adaptation came out. The cover is quite sinister for a book aimed at young readers, isn't it?

Today's theme for the #AllHallowsRead #photoadaychallenge is "a dark fantasy book"--the first one which came to mind was Carmilla. My copy has a completely unrelated picture on the cover, though... This old Italian edition, which also includes a book by G.K. Chesterton, was sold at newsstands. I think my mother bought it years ago (the price is still in Italian lira) as a beach read or to kill time while on the train.

My latest library #bookhaul ~ I got The Scorpion Rules because I had heard about it (and then, the library copy was all new and shiny haha), while I have been interested since forever in Stone Butch Blues, The Joy Luck Club, Americanah and David Leavitt's book.

Today's theme for the #AllHallowsRead #photoadaychallenge is a Halloween book that's not scary. I really enjoyed this short, little book. From the title and the cover I had expected it to be somewhat scary, but that wasn't the case.

For today's #AllHallowsRead #photoadaychallenge --spine chilling poetry. I admit I don't read much poetry (next to none, actually). My first thought for today's theme was Shakespeare, but I don't have anything of his nearby... Macbeth is a favourite of mine.
"...I am in blood
Stepped so far that, should I wade no more,
Returning were as tedious as go o'er." (Act III, scene 4)

For the third day of the #AllHallowsRead #photoadaychallenge --a book featuring the day of the dead. I've intended to read for quite a while! @Litsy

Today, for the 2nd day of the #photoadaychallenge for #AllHallowsRead --my first horror book, "L'autobus del brivido" (The creepy bus) by Paul von Loon, back in elementary school. This isn't the normal Italian edition, but a special version made to be sold along "Topolino", an Italian comic series featuring Disney comics I used to be subscribed to. I don't remember anymore the stories in it, but I do remember that it terrified me!

First day of the #photoadaychallenge for #AllHallowsRead --my tbr pile.
Not really that spooky, probably, though...

This novel by Jeffrey Eugenides was amazing--I just couldn't put it down! #Recommendsday
(This is the Italian edition!)

Non ho parole per definire come questo libro mi stia facendo sentire. Ho passato quasi tutta la giornata a leggerlo, lo poso per dormire a fatica...

È stata una lettura affascinante. Non mi sarei mai aspettata di trovare così interessante un'autobiografia che si interrompe con il narratore ancora adolescente. Si tratta sicuramente di una vita interessante nonostante il breve lasso di tempo narrato, ma a rendere questo libro coinvolgente non era la sola descrizione degli eventi... La passione per la lettura, per il sapere, gli affetti... Non riuscivo a staccarmi più dal libro.

Ho scovato questa citazione di Delitto e castigo. Me la segnai quando lo lessi, sei anni fa 😁

Da giovane temevo che il cervello ne patisse,
ma per certo adesso so
Papà Guglielmo disse,
Che il cervello non ce l'ho.

Una nuova edizione di Alice si è aggiunta alla mia collezione!

All'inizio ho trovato il libro un po' lento, ma a poco a poco lo sto trovando sempre più affascinante. L'infanzia di quest'uomo è stata davvero particolare! 😮