Honestly, August is the worst. Getting back into the swing of school and routine, starting the cheer season — it’s just always hectic and not a great reading month. Of course, 2020 is 2020 and, while this was definitely a HIGH STRESS month, it was not as busy as I typically would have been. *A moment of silence to all the events that have been cancelled or postponed this year.*
Because I’ve had much more free time on my hands, I was able to read 8 books, which is actually more than I read in either June or July. Shocking, honestly. Also managed a lot more pages than I normally do, and my reading was super diverse. A good reading month to offset a not-so-great August.
Books are listed in the order they were read. For more mini-reviews, check out my What I Read tag.
Monthly Stats
- Total Books Read in August: 8 Books
- Total Authors Read in August: 8 Authors
- Total Pages Read: 2,336 Pages
- Total Hours Listened: 20 Hours
- Total Books Quit: 0 Books
- Average Days Per Book: 3.59 Days per Book
- Average Pages Per Day: 75.4 Pages per Day
City of Girls by Elizabeth Gilbert
Premise: When Vivian Morris receives a letter from Angela asking about Vivian’s relationship with Angela’s father, Vivian goes back to when she was 18 years old in 1940s New York City. What follows is a story of love and loss and musical theater.
Rating: 3 Stars
Thoughts: I feel like I’m wrong giving this book this rating, since so many of my friends rated it much higher. So maybe you can chalk this up to pre-school blues or time and place. I do think my reading so many Beatriz Williams books this summer also played a role, since she is the queen of historical fiction and sassy main characters, and, at the end of the day, this book just couldn’t live up to my favorites by Williams.
This book is one of those rare instances where I liked the supporting cast so much more than the main character. Vivian was shallow and rich and white and privileged, and she flaunted her carefree attitude throughout the entire book. It was cute when she was 18, but when she’s writing this book as a 90 year old and she’s still selfish and whiny… it’s less cute. I would have liked to see a lot more character development. Also, the secret of Angela’s father (which I won’t give away, but) felt a bit… anti-climatic? I would have loved for her relationship with him to be more central to the book. It felt like the author got to the end of the story and then was like, “oh wait, I never tied up those loose ends” so she scrabbled something together. It was a good story, and I really and truly loved all the side characters, like Peg and Olive and Marjorie, but I just wanted more meat to the book.
Who Should Read It: Anyone who enjoys light historical fiction novels. Anyone interested in the world of theater.
The 57 Bus by Dashka Slater
Premise: Sasha is an agender teen who enjoys wearing skirts and vests. Richard is a teenage boy who was goofing around with his friends. When Richard sets Sasha’s skirt on fire, both of their lives are changed.
Rating: 4.5 Stars
Thoughts: I have planned on reading this book since February. Literally…. I checked it out from the library back in February for Black History Month, ended up keeping it on my shelves throughout the entire quarantine. Returned it in May, then checked it out again in June for Pride Month… and now it’s August and I’m just getting to it. I’m not sure why I waited so long though. It was such a quick, informative read, and I absolutely tore right through it.
This book started as an article for The New York Times and it definitely reads like an investigative nonfiction book, but in a really smart way. The structure of the novel and the way it bounced between Sasha and Richard was so perfectly arranged. It also touched on so many timely issues, with Sasha’s gender as the focus of their section, and Richard’s poverty and race taking the forefront of his story. There was no right answer in this book… what happened to Sasha was awful, but all of the events that led Richard to commit this act seemed like the dominoes were stacked against him from the beginning. I just learned a lot from this book and I feel like I will be thinking about it for a while.
Who Should Read It: Anyone interested in learning more about the justice system. Anyone wanting to know more about gender fluidity. Anyone looking for a good nonfiction read.
Red, White, & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston
Premise: First Son of the United States Alex cannot stand Prince Henry. He’s arrogant and aloof and obviously thinks he’s better than anyone else. But when an altercation forces Alex to play nice with Henry, they discover that they have more in common than they could have ever guessed.
Rating: 4.5 Stars
Thoughts: Y’all. I am LIVING right now for some light and fluffy books. I seriously don’t think I could have made it through the past two weeks without the narrator of this book whispering sweet nothings in my car. And sweet nothings they were… this book is steamy! I don’t read a lot of romances, but there was nothing that would stick in my brain, except for Alex and Henry’s budding frenemy-turned-romance romance.
A few of my favorite things about this book: the banter between Alex and Henry. Nora and June and Alex’s friendship. Literally all of the side characters (Zara and Sean and Amy and Cash). The fact that Henry is like… a real live prince. The fact that there’s a woman president in 2016. I don’t know.. there isn’t much NOT to like about this book, especially if you’re looking for something wonderfully easy to fall into.
Who Should Read It: Anyone who liked The Royal We. Anyone who likes the royal family. Anyone looking for an easy and scrumptious read.
The Rural Diaries by Hilarie Burton Morgan
Premise: Hilarie Burton, of One Tree Hill fame, met her husband, decided to have a child with them, then moved out on to a farm. This impactful memoir discusses her new life as a farmhand, as well as the grief and love that come from living in a small community and struggling with infertility.
Rating: 5 Stars
Thoughts: Y’all. I read (ok, listened) to this book in three days. That means, in the last 72 hours, I’ve listened to an audiobook for 8 of them. That’s a lot, considering it usually takes me two weeks to get through an 8 hour audiobook. But man… I was looking for excuses to drive around or put on my headphones. I cleaned my gutters! This book was so enchanting and real and honest, and I could not put it down.
I don’t typically like books set in small towns, having grown up in one myself. But the author’s outlook on life and her skills on the farm seriously impressed me. She was so honest about her struggles to get pregnant and stay pregnant, and it just really resonated with me. There were also copious amounts of baby animals and Paul Rudd, so, I mean, how could you go wrong? Listen to this one on audio, and it will be like a friend having a conversation over coffee. Trust me… this one is worth it.
Who Should Read It: Anyone who enjoys honest and vulnerable memoirs. Anyone who likes stories of people changing their lives.
Gods of Jade and Shadow by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Premise: Casiopea Tun is no better than a servant in her grandfather’s house after her father dies. But when she opens a mysterious chest and awakens a god, her life becomes a rollercoaster that forces her to rethink everything she’s encountered and everything she wants from life.
Rating: 3.5 Stars
Thoughts: Ok so I was reading four different books at once (I know..) but when the hurricane was coming and my mind went into anxious overdrive, I abandoned all of those and picked up this book. I needed something lighter and easier to focus on, and an adventure story featuring vengeful gods seemed right up my alley. And it was! I finished this book in three days!
It was definitely a slower start and I wasn’t a huge fan of the writing style… it was pretty simplistic and felt more like a translation almost? It makes sense because the author’s native language isn’t English. But there were some moments where the dialogue felt a bit stilted and forced, and it drew me away from the story. That being said, it was a great story, full of adventure and intrigue and love, and I really, really enjoyed the fast-pace (once it got going) and the Mayan folklore that came through the plot. Also always a bonus when the book has a glossary at the end of it!
Who Should Read It: Anyone who likes folktales and mythology. Anyone looking for a great slow burn love story. Anyone who wants to expand their reading horizons.
If Beale Street Could Talk by James Baldwin
Premise: Tish is pregnant and Fonny is in jail. Everyone knows he shouldn’t be there, but being black in 1970s New York City is enough to put you under suspicion immediately. Their families set out to clear his name, but it may not be enough to get him out of jail.
Rating: 3 Stars
Thoughts: I started reading this book, then switched to audio halfway through. The audio was a definite improvement, especially since the book doesn’t have chapters and it’s difficult to follow the stream of consciousness sometimes. The audio, on the other hand, was really good and helped me connect with the characters in a deeper way.
What struck me the most is how similar this story was to the stories I’ve read the last few months in Just Mercy and The Sun Does Shine. Both of those books were written in the 2010s, but Fonny’s story could have easily slipped into those pages, despite being written in 1974. Corrupt, racist justice systems targeting and punishing Black men, despite a severe lack of evidence. It was a short story (probably too short… I would have liked a bit more ending on it), but I think I’ll be thinking of this one frequently.
Who Should Read It: Anyone interested in the justice system. Anyone looking for a short classic. Anyone wanting to read more Black authors.
The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver
Premise: The Price family follows their father Nathan out to the jungles of the Congo on a mission to convert every African person to Christianity. While Nathan is preaching, his wife and four daughters are spinning a tale of hardship, loss, and heartbreak, and then, maybe, finding themselves again.
Rating: 3 Stars
Thoughts: I picked up this book with a quick fury, thinking I was taking over an AP class to teach in which this was the summer reading pick. Luckily, I am not having to teach the class, but as I was already 300 pages into the book when I found out that fact, I decided to just continue on reading it. Don’t get me wrong… it was a bit of a slog at the beginning. But by the end, I felt really connected to the characters.
There are some really good things about this book. The writing? So good. I mean, each character had such a distinct voice… this is the best I’ve ever seen multiple perspectives written. And the characters were so full-bodied. They had motivations and were predictable (in a not-boring way) and felt so real. Some of them, especially the dad, were a bit stereotypical, but I think that was a plot device, not poor writing. There was intentionality behind every single word (and, at 540 pages, there were a lot of words). That being said, by the time I got to part four, it felt like I was reading an entirely different book… like the sequel to the first one. I actually enjoyed the second half more than the first because the characters were more fleshed out, but it did feel a bit excessive.
Who Should Read It: Anyone who likes symbolism and irony and character development (so, basically, English teachers). Anyone who enjoys reading about weird and crazy experiences.
