August started out as a strong reading month. I had 8 books added to my read list before my personal life was turned upside down. My grandmother passed away unexpectedly. The rest of the month was spent gathering family, helping my grandfather, and attempting to come to terms with our loss.
My grandma was a teacher and a lifelong reader. She encouraged my own love of books and helped keep me supplied with reading material. We exchanged books often. I have an early memory of her defending my “selective hearing” when I was reading. As a child, she too would get so immersed in a story, she would not hear her mother calling.
Some of my favorite times with my grandparents were the days we all sat in the living room, each quietly captivated by our own book. My grandma was always willing to read my stories and later in progress novels. She urged me to write because she believed our crazy and fascinating family was a source of endless inspiration. She thought of books and reading as a source of learning, escape, and comfort – a habit I hope to find solace in during this time of grief.
Here’s a glance into my reading life this August. I read 10 books total, adding another romantic comedy and new comic series to those initial reads.
Once Dead, Twice Shy by Kim Harrison
I previously discussed this book as part of my August Quick Lit. Kim Harrison is a new author for me. She was recommended to me by my cousin, a huge fantasy reader. She recommended a different series which I still need to check out. But I gave this one a go because it was available immediately through my library’s ebook catalog.
Once Dead, Twice Shy is the first book in a young adult paranormal fantasy series. This novel follows Madison Avery, who’s about to start her senior year but she’s also challenged by the fact that she died on Prom Night last year. We’re introduced to a paranormal universe that contains reapers, guardian angels, and time keepers.
I really enjoyed the beginning of this book as the paranormal beings and rules of Harrison’s world are introduced. The middle lost me a bit. It felt as though the story and characters weren’t really going anywhere. Things turned around for the last quarter of the book. I may check out the rest of this series and look forward to other books of hers.
Don’t Overthink It: Make Easier Decisions, Stop Second-Guessing, and Bring More Joy to Your Life by Anne Bogel
It isn’t news to anyone that I’m a huge Modern Mrs Darcy fan. I love the blog, I never miss an episode of her “What Should I Read Next?” Podcast, and I’ve really enjoyed her previous two books. Anne Bogel’s third book, Don’t Overthink It, was also an awesome reading experience.
I’m fascinated by any tips or strategies that can simplify life and add to happiness. I often feel overwhelmed and experience decision fatigue. Her book explained these complicated ideas and thought patterns as easy to grasp concepts. The solutions and strategies she shares for combating overthinking tendencies are also easy to understand and pretty simple. But she says herself that simple is often what works best. That doesn’t mean they’re easy to implement but her book offers a clear starting point to turn your thoughts around.
My favorite chapter was “Limit Yourself to Free Yourself”. It gave me better language to clarify an issue I’d been trying to discuss with my husband. From that chapter, I especially appreciated her ideas for streamlining decisions and routines so you save your mental energy for more important decisions. In the chapter “Decide What Matters”, I liked the idea of identifying the value behind each decision and the answer that aligns with your core value is clearly the best one for you. Also “Small Shifts Toward Simple Abundance” had lots of fun ways to bring small joys into your life.
The Mighty Thor, Volume 1: Thunder in Her Veins written by Jason Aaron, illustrated by Russell Dauterman
This is another comic series that I’ve been hearing a lot about especially via Book Riot. When I saw The Mighty Thor available through Libby, it seemed time to check it out.
I’m glad I did! My only experience with Thor has been the Marvel movies. I loved the twist allowing for a female Thor as our main hero. The artwork was beautiful and the story itself was darker and more raw than I expected going in. Jane Foster is “a Thor” trying to save the 10 realms and also fight cancer when in her human form. I’m intrigued by her character, the magical worlds that are at war, and the family dynamics of the gods fighting against each other.
The Testaments by Margaret Atwood
I first read The Handmaid’s Tale years ago for an english course in college. I reread it a couple years ago as a book club pick and flew through it. That was perfect timing with the Hulu adaptation coming out.
While I really enjoyed the series, it gave my husband a lot of anxiety. I don’t like horror books or scary movies but for some reason I love the dystopian genre. Which is a little odd, because it’s scary in a way that feels real, like there’s a possibility of the events happening.
The Testaments was just as scary and unnerving as the first and in the best way. This followup takes place about sixteen years after the cliffhanger the first book left us with. It is told from three female characters’ perspectives. I loved having the chance to get to know these women better and find out more of their stories. I do think if you have only read the first book and haven’t seen the show, some of the excitement may be lost for you. I’m not even sure that the first book touches on two of these characters. My only complaint is that the ending felt a little rushed to me.
The Bromance Book Club by Lyssa Kay Adams
The Bromance Book Club has been popping up as a recommendation on all my bookish sources so I immediately started it when my library hold came in. I don’t read romance that often anymore and this book reminded me that I need to change that. It was a refreshing change of pace for my reading life!
This story follows a major league baseball player whose wife has just asked for a divorce. Wanting to help him win his wife back, his teammates bring him into their secret romance book club. Turns out they’ve all been there at some point in their marriages or relationships and reading romance helped them understand their partners and communicate better.
This was a funny, sweet, and just steamy enough love story. I was literally reading parts out loud to my husband when he wondered why I was laughing. I can’t wait to check out the second book in this series that came out earlier this year!
The End of October by Lawrence Wright
I first saw The End of October by Lawrence Wright recommended on Modern Mrs Darcy’s summer reading guide. It’s popped up on a lot of book lists recently since it centers around a pandemic. Some people avoid these books at all costs in the current climate while some people like to lean into them. Being the later, I gave this book a try.
The beginning was so great! This book had so much promise! The middle slowly became bogged down in tons of scientific information (which was fascinating), a whole political cyberwarfare plot line (which was less fascinating to me), and a jumpy timeline that made the story hard to track. I wish I could have spent more time getting to know the characters and seeing how their stories progressed within these circumstances. There were a lot of big events that felt glossed over in the middle and the end.
If you have any triggers for harm to animals, this may not be the book for you. There are many other triggers in this book as well, but that seems to be one that often gets overlooked in warnings. While it ties into the underlying moral message of this book, I was still surprised by the amount of detailed animal testing scenes it contained.
The Hazel Wood by Melissa Albert
The Hazel Wood by Melissa Albert has been recommended on so many book lists since it came out in 2018. I was excited when it was picked as our August book for my IRL (in real life) book club. It was one of those that came so highly recommended, I knew I’d read it eventually.
Alice and her mother, Ella, have moved around for as long as she can remember trying to escape the bad luck that follows them. They are estranged from Alice’s grandmother, Althea, a famous and mysterious author of the dark cult classic “Tales from the Hinterland” and Alice never understood why. When her mother is kidnapped by creatures claiming to be from the fairy tale land, she turns to the only person who can help her, Ellery, a fellow classmate and Hinterland superfan.
I was surprised by it’s goodreads rating after all the recommendations of this book. It’s 3.58. I try not to judge books by their rating because you never know. Everyone has different reading tastes and some lower rated ones might be perfect for you.
Unfortunately this one was a disappointment. The beginning started out pretty good although I did not find Alice to be a very likeable protagonist. The mystery, creep factor, and adventure intrigued me. Halfway through the book I got pretty lost in both the setting and story line and remained that way until the end. I was relieved with the ending. I had heard it ended on a cliffhanger but I found the story to be well wrapped up. Maybe my expectations going in were just too high after all the hype surrounding this novel.
Normal People by Sally Rooney
I needed this book! After two rather disappointing reads, Normal People by Sally Rooney, turned my reading month back around. I read it within a 12 hour period. I started it at 9 at night and then finally had to go to sleep around 1 am. First thing in the morning, I finished the last 20%.
Again I was surprised by this book’s polarizing reviews. It seems people either loved it or hated it. I’m firmly in the loved it camp but I’m a sucker for on and off and on again love stories especially ones that include friendship and span years. The lack of quotations through the story did not bother me. The writing made me think of an adult version of Rainbow Rowell’s contemporary work.
I fell in love with Connell and Marianne right from the start. While I found some of their choices and lack of communication to be frustrating, I understood their reasoning thanks to Rooney’s character development. We really get inside of both of their minds. There were also heavier themes in this book than I expected such as domestic abuse, depression, and suicidal references.
Undercover Bromance by Lyssa Kay Adams
I was really excited when my hold for Undercover Bromance came through so quickly after finishing The Bromance Book Club by Lyssa Kay Adams. My reading experience of this romantic comedy was put on pause by the loss of my grandma.
I eventually was able to go back to the book and become immersed in the story. Undercover Bromance tackles some heavy themes including sexual harassment and domestic abuse while maintaining a lighter tone with lots of humor. It was an interesting balance.
It’s hard to know if it was the book or just the life circumstances but I didn’t enjoy this one as much as the first book in the series. However I’m very excited to find a release date posted now for the third book in the series. Crazy Stupid Bromance is expected to publish on October 27th this year. I’m looking forward to reading it.
Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur, Vol. 1: BFF written by Amy Reeder, illustrated by Natacha Bustos
I adored experiencing Amy Reeder’s Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur comic series for the first time. Lunella Lafayette is the coolest preteen genius not yet superhero ever! I loved her spunk, confidence, and ingenuity as a determined inventor.
The sweet story and beautiful artwork was just what I needed at this time to have a little escape. This first volume does leave off on a bit of a cliff hanger. I have the second volume, Cosmic Cooties, in my kindle library already so likely check back next month for that review.
Who inspired your love of books? What have you been reading this month?
