Reading Recap: August Edition
I did it ya'll! I set out to read 6 books this month and I did it! Is there anything better than the feeling of accomplishing a goal when it seems like the whole world (your children) want to sabotage you? No, there is not.
Here are my six:
The Home for Unwanted Girls
🌟🌟🌟🌟
"To calm herself, she tries to remember the stories her father used to tell her to help her fall asleep. One of his favorite aphorisms comes into her mind and she can almost hear his voice, as if he's speaking to her now. He who plants a seed plants life."
My book club read this and we were surprised by how much we liked it. The ending seemed rushed to most of us, but overall, the story of a young woman who is forced to give up her child made us all feel things. It was plot driven and told in the alternating perspectives of the mother and daughter.
Vile Bodies
🌟🌟
"'It's just exactly like being inside a cocktail shaker,' said Miles Malpractice.'"
Ladies and Gentlemen, I present a two-star book. This is rare for me. I wrote about it here if you're interested. It was interesting and I'm glad I read it but the whole time I was reading I wanted to throw the book out the window.
Sunburn
🌟🌟🌟🌟
"Still, he has to admit that yellow, the color used for warnings and caution, suits her."
And just like that, we're back to four-star books...phew, what a relief! This was so good that I couldn't wait to talk about it until my reading recap so here is my Sunburn post. Best read on the beach, but if you have a hankering for something dark and noir any time of year, this should be top of the list.
The Murder of Roger Ackroyd
🌟🌟🌟🌟
"It is completely unimportant. That is why it is so interesting."
I love a good Agatha Christie and have a particular fondness for Hercule Poirot. This is always listed as one of the top Poirot mysteries and I snagged it on audible when it was discounted. This turned out to be great timing because I had a ton of laundry to do and I was happily locked in that little room folding a mountain of clothing and wondering how Ackroyd could have been murdered. There was a big twist at the end which had me yelling at my phone.
Do you do that? When I'm listening to an audiobook and there is a surprise turn in the plot I always talk about it to the narrator. I'm sure this is totally normal behavior.
Bury Your Dead
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
"I'm sorry. I was wrong. I need help. I don't know."
I am a huge Louise Penny fangirl. I am reading through her Inspector Gamache series and it is a delight. But this book, wow, it was like she hit her stride. There was so much quality historical content, the characters were excellent and I was so happy to see them again, and the storyline kept me on the edge of my seat.
It is my firm belief that everyone should find a series that suits them. Coming back to the same world, the same people it just makes you feel at home. And I can't wait to go back to Three Pines.
Less
🌟🌟🌟🌟
"What does one ever ask an author except: 'How?' And the answer, as Less well knows, is obvious: 'Beats me!'"
My husband has a project to read all the Pulitzer winners. I think he's almost up-to-date. So each year, when the winner is announced, I run off to the bookstore and present him with a copy of the book. The 2018 winner was Less.
I've read a few Pulitzer winners and they usually don't strike my fancy. They can be dark and depressing and heavy and obtuse. I love literary fiction, but it seems like the Pulitzer committee sometimes takes itself too seriously. Anyway, Less is not like that.
Less is about Arthur Less, a gay man who is about to turn 50. He lives in a world of writers and decides to embark on a trip to celebrate his birthday and also avoid an awkward situation at a wedding.
It was funny. There were some deep truths about life and aging. The wordplay was at once humorous and then suddenly poignant. It was a great book to end summer vacation.
Six books with a variety of star ratings, but all of them worth the time. I am happy.
What did you read in August? Anything you're excited to read in September? Spoiler alert: I won't be reading six books in September.
The Home for Unwanted Girls
🌟🌟🌟🌟
"To calm herself, she tries to remember the stories her father used to tell her to help her fall asleep. One of his favorite aphorisms comes into her mind and she can almost hear his voice, as if he's speaking to her now. He who plants a seed plants life."
My book club read this and we were surprised by how much we liked it. The ending seemed rushed to most of us, but overall, the story of a young woman who is forced to give up her child made us all feel things. It was plot driven and told in the alternating perspectives of the mother and daughter.
Vile Bodies
🌟🌟
"'It's just exactly like being inside a cocktail shaker,' said Miles Malpractice.'"
Ladies and Gentlemen, I present a two-star book. This is rare for me. I wrote about it here if you're interested. It was interesting and I'm glad I read it but the whole time I was reading I wanted to throw the book out the window.
Sunburn
🌟🌟🌟🌟
"Still, he has to admit that yellow, the color used for warnings and caution, suits her."
And just like that, we're back to four-star books...phew, what a relief! This was so good that I couldn't wait to talk about it until my reading recap so here is my Sunburn post. Best read on the beach, but if you have a hankering for something dark and noir any time of year, this should be top of the list.
The Murder of Roger Ackroyd
🌟🌟🌟🌟
"It is completely unimportant. That is why it is so interesting."
I love a good Agatha Christie and have a particular fondness for Hercule Poirot. This is always listed as one of the top Poirot mysteries and I snagged it on audible when it was discounted. This turned out to be great timing because I had a ton of laundry to do and I was happily locked in that little room folding a mountain of clothing and wondering how Ackroyd could have been murdered. There was a big twist at the end which had me yelling at my phone.
Do you do that? When I'm listening to an audiobook and there is a surprise turn in the plot I always talk about it to the narrator. I'm sure this is totally normal behavior.
Bury Your Dead
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
"I'm sorry. I was wrong. I need help. I don't know."
I am a huge Louise Penny fangirl. I am reading through her Inspector Gamache series and it is a delight. But this book, wow, it was like she hit her stride. There was so much quality historical content, the characters were excellent and I was so happy to see them again, and the storyline kept me on the edge of my seat.
It is my firm belief that everyone should find a series that suits them. Coming back to the same world, the same people it just makes you feel at home. And I can't wait to go back to Three Pines.
 |
| this was literally me every day of grades 5-12 #introvert |
Less
🌟🌟🌟🌟
"What does one ever ask an author except: 'How?' And the answer, as Less well knows, is obvious: 'Beats me!'"
My husband has a project to read all the Pulitzer winners. I think he's almost up-to-date. So each year, when the winner is announced, I run off to the bookstore and present him with a copy of the book. The 2018 winner was Less.
I've read a few Pulitzer winners and they usually don't strike my fancy. They can be dark and depressing and heavy and obtuse. I love literary fiction, but it seems like the Pulitzer committee sometimes takes itself too seriously. Anyway, Less is not like that.
Less is about Arthur Less, a gay man who is about to turn 50. He lives in a world of writers and decides to embark on a trip to celebrate his birthday and also avoid an awkward situation at a wedding.
It was funny. There were some deep truths about life and aging. The wordplay was at once humorous and then suddenly poignant. It was a great book to end summer vacation.
Six books with a variety of star ratings, but all of them worth the time. I am happy.
What did you read in August? Anything you're excited to read in September? Spoiler alert: I won't be reading six books in September.
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