August has been a weird month. It feels like nothing happened, yet... I feel like it was one big month of stress. I don't know, life is weird. I've been really struggling with getting reviews and some posts up, so I'm a little behind, but hoping to catch up on everything this month, so bear with me. :)
It's currently 100 degrees where I am, which is not what it should be since we live within about five miles of the coast. I grew up in the 100+ degree summers, but I have not missed them the past couple years, haha. In good news, we finally managed to find an awesome dog trainer and even managed to get our dog's vaccines updates with an amazing vet who does house calls since he struggles a lot with car anxiety and going to the vet, so it's a good month for River! It's not a good month for our wallets because dogs just milk you for every dollar, but that's another story.
In book news, it's been weird. I've had a lot of success with audiobooks, but boy have I just been unsure what I want to read lately when it comes to physical books. I DNF'd a lot of books in August, but I don't remember all of them so they probably won't all be on this post. Audiobooks have become one of my favorite ways to intake books, something I would've never expected a year or two ago. I've also been recommended a couple dark romance/fantasy types of books and they are not great but not bad and weirdly addicting?? It just feels like popcorn for my brain while I'm cleaning/painting/etc. and it's a nice relaxing way to get entertainment without having to focus too hard. I've been struggling a lot with focus lately and what almost feels like brain fog, so I'm trying to work with/through that. Hopefully things get better this fall because I'm really excited to get into all the fall reads! I'm currently in the middle of Alan Moore's Illuminations and am having a slow-moving but good time with it.
How has your reading month been?? I hope you're all staying healthy and safe (and cool!) and doing well and had a great reading month. Please do share any books you read and loved in August (or hated, sometimes venting is helpful!), or let me know if you've read any of the books I read! :)
# books read: 14
Tomorrow Factory by Rich Larson
Source: Purchased | Format: Hardcover
Thoughts: I picked this up after reading Larson's Ymir, a month or so ago and really enjoyed these unique stories. If you read and liked Ymir I'd definitely recommend this collection, and if you haven't read Ymir, I'd recommend it if you enjoy sci-fi/futuristic type things with plenty of action and interesting characters.
Babel, or the Necessity of Violence: An Arcane History of the Oxford Translators' Revolution by R.F. Kuang ★★★
Source: NetGalley | Format: eARC
Thoughts: My full, overly long review for this one is up here, but in short: I didn't really love it. It had a lot of strength, but also a lot of weaknesses.
Ithaca by Claire North ★★★
Source: Publisher | Format: Physical ARC
Thoughts: This was another bit of a disappointment for me. I loved the concept and writing, but the execution didn't work for me, unfortunately.
The House with the Golden Door by Elodie Harper ★★★★★
Source: Owned | Format: Hardcover
Thoughts: I loved this sequel! I was so happy that it was just as amazing at The Wolf Den and I genuinely cannot wait for the final installment.
Bronze Drum by Phong Nguyen ★★★★
Source: Publisher | Format: Paperback
Thoughts: This was a really interesting story about two sisters of Ancient Vietnam who lead a rebellion with an army of women–based on true history! This was really interesting and made me want to look up more about Vietnam's history!
A Strange and Stubborn Endurance by Foz Meadows ★★★★★
Source: Publisher | Format: Physical ARC
Thoughts: I absolutely adored this book about two men forced together in an arranged marriage amidst a bit of a mystery. I need a sequel!
All of Our Demise by Amanda Foody & Christine Lynn Herman ★★★★
Source: NetGalley | Format: Audiobook
Thoughts: I was very unsure how I felt about All of Us Villains so wanted to pick up the sequel to see how things continued, and I was pleasantly surprised. This isn't a favorite duology by any means, but it played with some interesting ideas.
Magpie by Elizabeth Day
Source: Publisher | Format: Hardcover
Thoughts: This was a pretty fun and twisty thriller!
Amy & Lan by Sadie Jones ★★★★★
Source: Publisher | Format: Physical ARC
Thoughts: I loved this little coming of age story about best friends Amy and Lan and found it very bittersweet throughout.
Come With Me by Ronald Malfi
Source: Libby | Format: Audiobook
Thoughts: Finally, my first Ronald Malfi book! I listened to this on audiobook and sped through it so quickly because I couldn't put it down.
The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware ★★
Source: Owned | Format: Paperback
Thoughts: I have to say, I didn't really love this mystery/thriller. The protagonist was just a bit too unlikable and made some truly terrible choices throughout. Loved the atmosphere and setting, but that's about it.
The Never King by Nikki St. Crowe
Source: Libby | Format: Audiobook
Thoughts: This began my trying out of some dark fantasy romance! I've been recommended this book for quite a while now by various people since it's a dark Peter Pan-inspired story, and it's definitely... different than I expected, but fun. This was an audio read and although it was almost kinda cringe-y the entire time, I also found it to be so entertaining and I had a lot of fun. And as you can see, I've continued the series!
The Dark One by Nikki St. Crowe
Source: Libby | Format: Audiobook
Thoughts: Just as fun as the first, a great way to relax and be entertained.
Learn My Lesson by Katee Roberts ★★★
Source: Libby | Format: Audiobook
Thoughts: After enjoying Nikki St. Crowe's books, I saw recommendations for Katee Robert's series so decided to try one. I didn't love this one as much as I might have expected, but it was still fun enough that I may try out a few others since I find the villain/character choices hilarious.
DNF/To-Be-Finished:
Illuminations by Alan Moore
This is not a DNF! I am currently reading this, but it's really requiring some extra focus on my part so I'm going through it slowly and just reading one story at a time between other books. It's great so far, though!
Venomous Lumpsucker by Ned Beauman
This had such a promising start! But then we hit a weird wall where it felt like the book was going off into a lot of tangents and was just overall kinda odd... so I decided to put it down for now.
(other than reviews)
Top Five/Ten Tuesday:
Can't-Wait Wednesday:
The Friday Face-Off:
