What I Read in August

August really did slip away like a bottle of wine. Like where did it go?! I'd be sad except fall is my favourite season and September is my birthday month so LET'S GO.

Here's what I read in August. I'll be honest - I had a case of Booker burnout. I really wanted to read the whole Booker longlist before the shortlist was announced - and even though I didn't hit that goal I was proud that I got to 10/12! And of course the two that I didn't read are on the shortlist - but that's ok!! I have until October 17 to read these!!

August is also my first month this year without a five-star read!! Now, out of my four-star books for this month, The Lying Life of Adults is my fav and after writing my review for it I bumped it up to 4.5 stars - but it still didn't hit that 'blew me away' category.

I liked it! (4 stars)

Dating You, Hating You by Christina Lauren: A really fun and cute rom-com. I liked the focus on career and how the main character didn't have to choose between her work and love - and it also showed some realities that women in the workplace deal with.

When We Were Bright and Beautiful by Jillian Medoff: This was a really good dark fiction book! A young woman's brother is charged with rape, and the family bands together to protect him. I liked the legal drama element to it; the twist was a bit predictable but I enjoyed the writing and story so much that I wasn't bothered by it.

I'm Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy: A very vulnerable memoir about Jennette's abuse at the hands of her mom (and the adults around her who did nothing about it). It was really interesting and sad. I didn't watch any of her shows, but it adds to the reckoning with how terrible child stars are treated.

The Lying Life of Adults by Elena Ferrante: I liked this more than The Lost Daughter, but not as much as the My Brilliant Friend series. I liked the first 'act' more than the second, with the main character grappling with complicated family dynamics. What is the truth? What should she believe? Ignore? In traditional Ferrance fashion - she portrays her seemingly everyday characters so richly.

Maps of our Spectacular Bodies by Maddie Mortimer: A really uniquely written book about a woman dying of cancer and her body having a narrative voice. It was beautiful and I really enjoyed it (and I can't believe this author is younger than me?!).

Girl, Forgotten by Karin Slaughter: I went into this one very blind and think that helped my enjoyment of it. All I’ll say is that you’re jumping back and forth between two time periods: in the present day with our MC and in 1982 the lead up to a murder of a high school girl. Our MC is investigating this case decades after the fact for a very interesting reason. There are strong ties to the first book but can be read as a stand-alone. After reading this I really, really want to dive into Slaughter’s backlist.

The Last White Man by Mohsin Hamid: Really beautiful, lyrical prose. It's a very interesting premise of white people turning brown - and how two people deal with it. Kinda dystopian-esque which is up my alley.

It was good (3 stars)

Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan: I read this 80-ish page book over the course of a week - which I think was to my detriment because I didn't super love it. Similar to The Colony, it's one that I liked more when reflecting on it vs. when I was reading it.

The Women Could Fly by Megan Giddings: I think I would have enjoyed this one more if I read it at a different time. It was very slow, and the pacing reminded me a bit of Practical Magic. In this world, women are monitored if they aren't married. Our main character Jo's mother goes missing when she's younger, and as an adult she tries to look into what happened to her mom and if the rumours of her being a witch are true.

The Last Housewife by Ashley Winstead: A well-written and fast-paced (but predictable?) thriller - that wasn't nearly as dark as people said it was (I think I am jaded?). Only one reveal was a bit surprising for me, but not jaw-dropping. I do appreciate though how Winstead doesn't throw a twist in for the sake of it. I've listened to a lot of podcast interviews with this author, and I really like her but didn't love this book.

The Binding Room by Nadine Matheson: A slower sequel compared to the original; I really liked the mystery but felt it almost spent too much time on the characters' personal lives more than the crime. I liked the way it teed up book three!

The Colony by Audrey McGee: The beginning was really intriguing, then it got slow. I certainly appreciated it. Using English and French visitors to Ireland to show colonialism/imperialism with a backdrop of the troubles in Ireland was a choice!

A Hundred Other Girls by Iman Hariri-Kia: Light, fun, Gen-Z Devil Wears Prada-influenced book about a young girl in a magazine newsroom. A little young adulty, but a quick, fun, Sunday read.

After Sappho by Selby Wynn Schwartz: A love letter to literature and big female figures in it. The non-linear jumpy narrative (with a lot of characters) didn't really work for me, but I liked the writing.

Why did I read this (1 star)

Glory by Noviolet Bulawayo: I wasn't vibing and should have DNFed. I could not get into this or care. It was told using the device from Animal Farm (about the revolution in Zimbabwe) but I just could not get into it!