Everything I read in August
and everything I can't wait to read next
Welcome to the August reading wrap up!
This month was truly a mixed bag with thrillers, dystopian fiction, romance, and fiction. Not only were the genres varied, but so were my thoughts on these books. From an incredible, sweeping family drama that reminded me of a 90s movie in the best way to a disappointingly flat European summer romance, there’s a little bit of everything in here. If you enjoy longer format book reviews infused with a lot of personal feelings and related ramblings, this is the place for you.
This month’s breakdown:
6 BOOKS TOTAL
GENRE:
3 contemporary fiction
1 science fiction
1 literary thriller
1 romance
FORMAT:
2 physical books from my personal collection
2 digital copies from the library
2 digital books I purchased from the Kindle store
AVERAGE STAR RATING: 4.1 - not as high as recent months, but still an overall enjoyable month of reading! (I find star ratings a flawed way to gauge books but haven’t come up with anything better, so 5 star system it is)
I actually have been pondering implementing a new system where I rate each book from 1-5 in 3 categories that I tend to consider when rating books:
Reading experience (the most important!)
Quality of execution
Characterization
Maybe we’ll test drive it next month! Does anyone have a book rating system they love?
PAGES READ: 2346 (average length 391)
PS: If you, like me, are meticulous about tracking the books you’ve read, I highly recommend the digital reading log templates sold by this seller on Etsy. Simple to use, easy to read, and just a good time for anyone who is interested in their reading stats.
Please note: There are affiliate links in this post. All books are linked out to two sources- bookshop.org, which supports local and indie bookstores when you purchase through them, and Amazon for those who prefer it. If you purchase through these links, I’ll receive a small commission at no cost to you.
PARABLE OF THE SOWER | OCTAVIA BUTLER | SCI FI / SPECULATIVE | Would recommend
"Octavia Butler's Parable of the Sower is a stunner. It's a terrifying vision of a dismal future brought on by the willful ignorance, racism and greed of human beings, and an eerily dangerous parallel to our present path” - WSJ
Read if you: want to read something that engages new parts of your brain | spent your childhood reading dystopian series from the library | have a strong stomach for tough and visceral content
This dystopian novel was written in the 90s, cementing Butler as a prescient and powerful voice (which we already know, of course) as it reads more like a prophecy than fiction. Despite having been published in 1993, the story starts on July 20th, 2024. Lauren Olamina lives in a relatively safe community behind guarded walls. Outside this community, the world has succumbed to abject poverty brought on by climate change, capitalist greed, and wealth disparity (sound familiar?). When she is forced to venture out beyond the walls after a tragedy, she joins forces with an unlikely group of misfits as they journey north in search of safety and a semblance of normalcy. There is poetry / religious verse (of a new religion devised in Lauren’s mind) interspersed throughout, which I found clunky at first but understood as the story continued. I read a lot of speculative / dystopian fiction, and while this wasn’t my very favorite I think it was singular in its accuracy and foresight. Octavia Butler is nothing short of genius and I’m excited to read more of her works.
Parable of the Sower bookshop.org link | amazon link
THE MOST FUN WE EVER HAD | CLAIRE LOMBARDO | CONTEMPORARY FICTION | Highly recommend
"Remarkably alive and wise, Claire Lombardo's story of the Sorensons is a stunning vision--not just of family or love, but the funny, tender mystery of human connection itself, with all its intensity, charm, and wonder"- Affinity Konar
Read if you: have fond + nostalgic feelings for the movie Father of the Bride (1991) | wished you felt closer to your siblings or understood your parents better | watched and enjoyed the shows Parenthood or Brothers & Sisters
This was my favorite read of the month, which is no surprise as it checks off so many of my boxes - sweeping family saga, spanning over decades, robust characterization. I felt intimately connected to the entire Sorenson family, comprised of 4 daughters and their imperfect parents. I loved how Lombardo explores the human condition in such a familiar way. I found myself thinking “oh GOOD, other people DO think about that!” more than one time. She expresses so clearly in her writing what it means to be human: flawed, but trying. I couldn’t stop thinking of these characters in the house from Father of the Bride which I think is quite a compliment. I deeply enjoy reading stories about how we often misunderstand our parents and vice versa - after all, we are all experiencing the world for the first time and simply doing our best to fulfill these roles we’ve never held - mother, daughter, sister. I’ve been noticing this theme more frequently, such as in Real Americans, another favorite read this year. As one of three daughters, I appreciated her depiction of sisterhood and the complicated nature of family in general. This book reads like a 90s movie in the best way, and Lombardo is a new auto buy author for me.
The Most Fun We Ever Had bookshop.org link | amazon link
THE WEDDING PEOPLE | ALISON ESPACH | CONTEMPORARY FICTION | Would recommend
"So much more than a funny story (though it is very funny). Espach has penned a keenly observed novel about depression, love, the ways women make themselves small, and how one woman got over it. Fully realized and completely memorable” - Booklist
Read this if you: dream of affording a lavish seaside New England wedding | have ever felt lost or had to start over | are planning to watch The Perfect Couple on Netflix this week
A certified “book of the summer”, The Wedding People was indeed as delightful a ride as everyone said it would be. I’ve been visiting Newport, RI throughout my life and spent some time there earlier this year with my grandparents, so it was lovely to recognize some of the landmarks and locations they visited. In fact, the first wedding I ever attended was held in Newport. Even if you’ve never been, you’ll feel like you have once you finish! We follow Phoebe, whose life has recently fallen apart at the seams in every conceivable way. She checks into a luxury 5 star hotel for an unusual reason - she plans to end her life there. Instead, she realizes the hotel has mistakenly allowed her to make a reservation during a massive, flashy wedding and she is the only person on the premises who is not a guest. After a chance encounter with the bride in an elevator, the course of Phoebe’s weekend and life are changed forever. As someone who has been deeply immersed in the weddings of several people close to me in the last couple years, Espach’s depiction of “wedding people” and what it means to be a bride were funny and poignant. This is a story that will make you reflect on what it means to be alive, and how that’s different than feeling alive.
The Wedding People bookshop.org link | amazon link
LONG BRIGHT RIVER | LIZ MOORE | LITERARY THRILLER | Would recommend
"Tough, tense and twisty - but tender, human and deeply affecting, too ... I don't have a sister, but when I finished the book I called my brother, just to hear his voice” - Lee Child
Read this if you: enjoy detective dramas with a female lead | are interested in stories about the effects of the opioid crisis like Demon Copperhead / Dopesick | want to have compassion for people and circumstances you don’t understand
While I haven’t gotten to Moore’s recent phenomenon, The God of The Woods, I was able to get my hands on a library copy of this one. Both novels are being adapted into tv shows, and this one will certainly make for good television. We follow a detective named Mickey, one of two sisters orphaned by the opioid crisis. The opening of the book is powerful, a simple and devastatingly long list naming all the people in their lives touched by addiction. While Mickey has been successful in her efforts not to perpetuate the cycle, her sister Kacey has fallen victim to addiction herself and lives an unstable, transient lifestyle. When she goes missing amid a string of murders in the area, Mickey will do anything to find out what happened to her while balancing a great deal of trauma and conflict of her own. Great for fans of author Rebecca Makai, I think this book will surprise you in more ways than one.
Long Bright River bookshop.org link | amazon link
JUST ONE TASTE | LIZZY DENT | CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE | Wouldn’t Recommend (personally!)
“Olive Stone is about to spend four weeks in Italy with the most beautiful man she's ever hated”
Read if you: watched From Scratch on Netflix and wish it didn’t make you cry so much | wish your parents owned a restaurant to leave you in their will | need a palate cleanser between tough reads
In theory I should love this book - the main character is the daughter of a famous tv chef and inherits his restaurant despite a fraught relationship with him. She goes on a cross country journey through Italy with Leo, the hot chef that expected to inherit the restaurant, her dad’s protégée, to complete her father’s unfinished cookbook. I am named after Emeril Lagasse (it’s true, my middle name is literally Emeril) and our dog’s name is Ramsay after another tv chef namesake. My relationship with my boyfriend was partly built on our shared love for food media (hence Ramsay, a la Gordon) and food is one of my favorite themes in books. I have often been compared to Ina Garten and I also have a parent in the culinary business. So why didn’t I love this one? It may be because I simply am not a romance reader - I used to read maybe one a month or so, but this is one of only 3 romance books I’ve read this year. I crave books that are more propulsive and, frankly, dark and twisty. BUT I absolutely can appreciate a well written romance, and unfortunately I just think this one misses the “well written” mark. I felt the characterization and food descriptions fell very flat and I wasn’t invested in any of the characters or the storyline. If you love romance, Italy, and chefs, maybe you’ll feel differently. If you are a romance reader, I loved Dent’s earlier book The Summer Job!
Just One Taste bookshop.org link | amazon link
TRANSCENDENT KINGDOM | YAA GYASI | CONTEMPORARY FICTION | Would recommend
"Gyasi's profoundly moving second novel takes place in the vast, fragile landscape where the mysteries of God and the certainties of science collide. Through deliberate and precise prose, the book becomes an expansive meditation on grief, religion, and family" -The Boston Globe
Read this if you: enjoy a difficult coming of age story like Maame | have ever questioned faith and science as forces in your life | kept a detailed childhood diary that would mortify you today
If you haven’t read any of Gyasi’s work yet, I highly recommend starting with her incredible novel Homegoing, one of the most well executed and impactful books I’ve ever read. Transcendent Kingdom is completely different but still thought provoking and impressive in its storytelling. I often say my highest compliment for non-fiction is that it reads like fiction. Conversely, I can only praise this fiction book as reading like a true story. I’d attribute this to incredible characterization - our main character Gifty truly feels like a real, fully actualized person - but also the infusion of science and fact that she shares throughout her story. Gifty’s family immigrated to Alabama from Ghana and she grew up entrenched in evangelical Christianity while addiction and mental illness ravaged her family. As she grows older, loses trust in God, and pursues a career in science, she reckons with the hard questions in life - is anyone watching over us? Are the answers to our suffering etched in our brains? Or is it part of a larger plan? This is a wonderfully sad and introspective story about science and religion and family and their intertwining threads that shape us and our fates.
Transcendent Kingdom bookshop.org link | amazon link
My Immediate TBR:
I still haven’t read the book of the summer, The God of the Woods, and I plan to pick up a physical copy before an upcoming weekend trip. That will officially close out my summer reading and, if it’s as immersive as everyone says, will also hopefully distract me from my nerves on the plane. I also plan to get my hands on Claire Lombardo’s newer novel, Same As It Ever Was, as I absolutely loved The Most Fun We Ever Had.
I currently have digital library copies of:
Butter (SO excited for this one!! A story about food, murder, body image - come onnn)
The Morningside (More dystopian fiction)
Youthjuice (one of the many beauty / wellness thrillers of late)
And two books I might buy if the library holds take too long:
Rainbow Black (“murder, intrigue, queer love, dark humor AND satanic panic”)
All the Colors of the Dark (saw both and with this one this week and immediately added to the list)
I think beyond these I will let the library, the weather, and my mood determine what comes across my desk next!
Don’t forget to share your favorite books of the month + let me know what you’re reading next. And if you’ve read any of the books mentioned here, I’d love to know what you thought! Any that you’re now planning to read? Tell me!
I felt exactly the same about Just One Taste! I love Dent and The Summer Job was great, but just couldn’t get into it :/
Okay, so I'm not the only one with airplane nerves. I really enjoyed God of the Woods. The Brightside is on my too large stack of books. And I'm V curious about Youthjuice but need to read The Glow which I have had since last summer first.