Student blogs

A friend from my research experience recommended that I read Circe by Madeline Miller, I have already read The Song of Achilles by the same author and enjoyed it, so I jumped right in. Circe is an adaptation of Greek myths like the Odyssey from Circe’s perspective, and I just finished it, it is fantastic. If you like magic, Greek mythology and retellings of your favourite stories, this might be for you.

I just finished Black Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse without realising it is the first in a series. I loved the world building in this story even though it took me a couple chapters to follow all the plot lines because this story is written through multiple points of view: Serapio the Crow God reborn, a Teek ship captain called Xiala, Sun Priest Naranpa and Okoa, a Shield from clan Carrion Crow. The first chapter dragged me right into the fantasy world and I was so invested I finished it in a few days. If you like rich world building and LGBTQ+ representation in fantasy, this is the one for you (Happy Pride Month everyone! rainbow)!

Human Acts by Han Kang is another book I think I may have already recommended which is a lot more depressing if I am honest. It follows stories of fictional people but is based on a true event, a student uprising in Gwangju, South Korea in the 1980s. It is a tough one to get through so approach with caution, but if you like political stories, this could be a good read for you. Another popular read by the same author is The Vegetarian.

Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials is an iconic trilogy I quoted in one of my first blogs and I will never stop recommending this, I read this growing up and it still holds up as one of my favourite series. The author has expanded the universe with more stories from other perspectives and it was recently adapted into a BBC series that I started watching. If you like parallel universes, witches, angels, talking bears, then this is for you.

My current read is The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang hooked me in by the first sentence and I am already invested in Rin’s story. The history of the fictional country her story is set in is very rich but a little convoluted for the first chapter or so but I think I have finally settled into it. This book is definitely very gripping so far and currently the book I read on the train.

Next on my list, a second hand copy of Conversations with Maya Angelou that I recently got given as a thoughtful gift from a friend.

Ariel Bisset and MinaReads are some creators I follow for book recommendations. Ariel also has a newer series on her channel I am enjoying of her working on her house that she just bought.

The books I have recommended are pretty long and after not reading for a while I was in a slump, so some alternatives are listening to audiobooks instead or reading digital comics or graphic novels so you still get the visuals and you can enjoy the different art styles. Download apps like Webtoon, Tapas and Manta have large libraries of free comics so scroll to your heart’s delight!

Hope everyone is enjoying their first weeks of freedom!