{"id":330,"date":"2024-12-30T16:49:21","date_gmt":"2024-12-30T16:49:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.admissions.uiowa.edu\/solenn\/?p=330"},"modified":"2024-12-30T16:49:21","modified_gmt":"2024-12-30T16:49:21","slug":"semester-reading-recap","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.admissions.uiowa.edu\/solenn\/2024\/12\/30\/semester-reading-recap\/","title":{"rendered":"Semester Reading Recap"},"content":{"rendered":"

Hey everyone! Solenn here.<\/p>\n

As the year draws to a close, I want to discuss some of my readings from the semester, for class and personal. As an English and Creative Writing major, this is what I do for the majority of my free time (or not!). Being in a UNESCO City of Lit also means that I fit right in with plenty of friends, peers, bookstores, and coffee shops to encourage my hobby. Let’s get into it!<\/p>\n

August:<\/p>\n

Black Sheep and Kissing Cousins<\/p>\n

\"\u200eBlack<\/p>\n

I read this textbook for my Advanced Creative Writing course on Object Biographies and Family and Oral Histories. This book discusses different family stories and how they impact descendants. It was a very interesting read, a solid 7\/10.<\/p>\n

\"Gentlest<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

I received an ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) of this book before it went to print to buy! It’s a sapphic romance set in ancient Greece. The start of the story was very intriguing, but it truly fell short for me after that. A solid 4\/10.<\/p>\n

September:\"\u200eA<\/p>\n

Also read this for my creative writing class, it was cool to learn more about some artifacts in the British Museum’s collection. A solid 8\/10.<\/p>\n

\"In<\/p>\n

I had to read something by an Iowa faculty member! This is a fabulous memoir about surviving an abusive sapphic relationship and it’s painful but beautifully written. I’m inspired to improve my writing. 10\/10.<\/p>\n

October<\/p>\n

\"Percy<\/p>\n

The newest novel in the PJO universe. I love new additions to my childhood favorites. I sat outside Art Building West’s koi pond one sunny Sunday for like three hours reading this. 8\/10 because Percabeth.<\/p>\n

\"Sixty<\/p>\n

One of my textbooks for Cultural Misunderstandings: France vs. The USA. Super interesting to learn about a wide variety of Francophone culture such as romance, work, food, and social etiquette. 8\/10.<\/p>\n

\"Au<\/p>\n

The other textbook for the class above! Also discusses aspects of the French culture such as regional languages and cultures, school, etc. 8\/10.<\/p>\n

November<\/p>\n

\"All<\/p>\n

This is on the list of my top five reads of all time. It’s set in Saint-Malo, a seaside town in my beautiful region of Bretagne, France during WW2. The writing is phenomenal I took so many notes, and it’s dual POV. I cried reading this book and felt empty after reading it for like a week. READ IT. 100\/10.<\/p>\n

\"People<\/p>\n

I don’t generally like Emily Henry or romance novels, but this one is friends to lovers, my favorite trope. It was also fairly realistic and not too cringey, quite enjoyable and a good pallet cleanser. 7\/10.<\/p>\n

\"Thin<\/p>\n

I bought this book in Ireland this summer after reading an excerpt for class. Her writing style is a mature, better version of mine so I’m stoked to emulate it. I loved reading about how Ireland really is a healing place, and the writing is just beautiful. 11\/10.<\/p>\n

December<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

I got an ARC version of this book as well! I thought it would be cute considering it is a romance set in Ireland. I liked reading about the places I visited, but the writing was weak and very predictable. The book ended better than it started but this was honestly forgettable. 4\/10.<\/p>\n

That is my semester reading wrapped! I cannot wait to see what 2025 has in store.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Hey everyone! Solenn here. As the year draws to a close, I want to discuss some of my readings from the semester, for class and personal. As an English and Creative Writing major, this is what I do for the majority of my free time (or not!). Being in a UNESCO City of Lit also means that I fit right in with plenty of friends, peers, bookstores, and coffee shops to encourage my hobby. Let’s …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":152,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-330","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.admissions.uiowa.edu\/solenn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/330","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.admissions.uiowa.edu\/solenn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.admissions.uiowa.edu\/solenn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.admissions.uiowa.edu\/solenn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/152"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.admissions.uiowa.edu\/solenn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=330"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/blog.admissions.uiowa.edu\/solenn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/330\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":334,"href":"https:\/\/blog.admissions.uiowa.edu\/solenn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/330\/revisions\/334"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.admissions.uiowa.edu\/solenn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=330"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.admissions.uiowa.edu\/solenn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=330"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.admissions.uiowa.edu\/solenn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=330"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}