What a busy month, not just for reading, but for life starting to get back to normal, if it can be called that. I suppose we’ll just say “the new normal.” I finished up judging for a writing competition (books that won’t be mentioned here), but I still managed to read a good amount of books until I hit the slump. Power reading will do that to you. I read 29 books in the last month, so while I am excited to get back to my own personal reading habits, including reviews for this blog, it’s been difficult.
Out of the six books I said I wanted to read in my August TBR, I managed to read four of them. I still plan on reading the other two, but likely closer to their release dates.
Read This Month
- Silence of the Girls by Pat Barker
- Daggerspell by Katherine Kerr
- The Penelopiad by Margaret Atwood
- Kindred by Octavia Butler
- Renegade Star by J.N. Chaney
- Citizen: An American Lyric by Claudia Rankine (Audio)
- The Two Towers by J.R.R. Tolkien (Re-read)
- The Princess Diarist by Carrie Fisher (Audio)
The first half of the month felt like a mythology class, as the first three books on this list pertain to Greek myths or Irish magic. None of them particularly blew me away, but I enjoyed each one. Each was by far different from anything I have read before. The Silence of the Girls is told from the perspective of the Trojan woman captured by the Greeks and given to Achilles. While it was great to get a story perspective from the other side, the story felt like it was still about Achilles. The same vibes happened with The Penelopiad. It was meant to be about Odysseus’s wife and the thirteen slave women, but it still felt like it was about him.
The two audiobooks I listened to varied wildly, but were both equally captivating. I am always looking for more ways to diversify my reading, and Citizen not only provided that, but gave me a new perspective. It was also great to finally get to Kindred.It did not disappoint!
Did Not Finish
- Tomboyland: Essays by Melissa Faliveno
- Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo
Both of these were put to the side this month and are only in this section because I am not sure when I will be getting back to them. Tomboyland appeals to me because of the Midwestern aspects, and I enjoyed the essay I read, but I stopped to pick up other books. I was listening to Clap When You Land on audiobook, and it was mesmerizing, as with all Acevedo’s audiobooks, but I got it from the library. As I have little time for audiobooks, I’m unsure when I can get back to it.
Review
All of the books I read were three stars or better, so I can say I recommend each and every one. Kindred, The Princess Diarist, and Citizen are my top picks for the month of August. Of course, The Two Towers is always highly recommended as well.
What did you read last month? Have you read any of these?
