Goodreads Monday is a weekly meme started by @Lauren’s Page Turners but is currently hosted by Emily @ Budget Tales Book Blog. This meme is quite easy to follow – just randomly pick a book from your to-be-read list and explain why you want to read it. It is that simple.

This week’s book:

La Regenta by Leopoldo Alas

Blurb from Goodreads

Married to the retired magistrate of Vetusta, Ana Ozores cares deeply for her much older husband but feels stifled by the monotony of her life in the shabby and conservative provincial town. And when she embarks on a quest for fulfillment through religion and even adultery, a bitter struggle begins between a powerful priest and a would-be Don Juan for the passionate young woman’s body and soul. Scandalizing contemporary Spain when it was first published in 1885, with its searing critique of the Church and its frank treatment of sex, La Regenta is a compelling and witty depiction of the complacent and frivolous world of upper-class society.

For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.

Why I Want To Read It

Happy Monday, everyone! I hope you all had a restful weekend. I hope you were able to recuperate and prepare for the workweek ahead. I know. Nearly everyone loathes Mondays; I am among those who loathe Mondays. At least I used to dislike Mondays with a passion, but on the brighter side, I see Mondays as doors for new starts and opportunities. As such, I hope everyone is starting or has started the workweek – the second this July – on high note. I hope everyone makes it through – or survives – the workweek. I hope that the weekend equipped everyone for the tedious week ahead. I hope everyone gets to achieve something this week or at least makes significant progress toward their goals. I wish everyone a great week ahead. More importantly, I hope everyone is doing well, in mind, body, and spirit, not only this week but for the rest of the year.

Time does fly fast. Just like that, we are already midway through the seventh month of the year. We are also already in the second half of the year. How has the year been? I hope that it has been treating you with kindness. As 2025 moves forward, I hope everyone be showered with blessings, positivity, healing, and growth. I hope the coming months will shower everyone with good news and kindness. I wish success and blessings for everyone. Reading-wise, I am on the right track on my goals. I am well ahead of my target of reading at least 100 books. However, I have been lagging behind in my reading challenges. Ticking off books from these reading challenges will be my priority in the second half of the year. I am currently reading Umberto Eco’s Foucault’s Pendulum, just the eighth book from my 2025 Top 25 Reading List I read.

With the start of the week is a fresh Goodreads Monday update. My reading journey has currently taken me to Europe, hence my current read. My 2025 Top 25 Reading List is also riddled with several works of European writers. I am looking forward to this reading journey because I know that there are still several sections of the continent that I have yet to explore. In line with my reading motif, I will be featuring works of European writers in this weekly blogging update. This week, I am featuring Leopoldo Alas’ La Regenta. I would have not come across the book had I not searched for recommended works of Spanish literature. It was one of the books that came out, immediately piquing my interest because I have never heard encountered Alas before nor have I read any of his works.

Apparently, Alas, born Leopoldo Enrique García-Alas y Ureña and more popularly referred to as Clarin, is a prominent name in Spanish literary circles. He is a journalist and is also considered the most influential literary critic in late 19th century Spain. However, his heritage came in the form of his novels. Among his most prominent works is La Regenta (The Regent’s Wife) which was originally published in two volumes in 1884 and 1885.It is often considered as one of the greatest Spanish novels of 19th century. I am even more surprised that this is the first time I encountered the book. Or perhaps I did encounter it somewhere such as must-read lists but it barely registered. Nevertheless, I am looking forward to reading one of the greatest works of Spanish literature but for now, I will have to find a way to acquire a copy of the book.

How about you fellow reader? How was your Monday? What books have you added to your reading list? Do drop it in the comment box. For now, happy Monday and, as always, happy reading!