I seriously can’t believe it’s the last week in August already!! Where has the time gone? Well, I’m home laid up on the couch with the stomach bug (boooo!!!) so I figured I’d be proactive and write my August wrap up now! I know, I know…. I’ve been horrible at keeping y’all updated on my book adventures and delicious food. I’m so selfish!! 😂
For July I read 17 books! Yes, you read that correctly……SEVENTEEN 😱 Where did that come from? Who am I? I have impressed even myself! I usually average between 10-13 books a month, so that was a record! I didn’t rush through any of them and enjoyed every single one. I’ve found my secret to reading so much though! I need a good mix of audiobooks, graphic novels/manga, and print books. Reading is reading, no matter what the format!
Drum Roll Please!!! Prrrrrrruuummmmmm!
For August I have currently read 14 books and I have 2 in progress! I will definitely be matching my record of 17 books, but it’d be awesome if I could beat it! Regardless, I’ve read some amazing books this month!! My books that are in progress are Heartless by Marissa Meyer and Shadow of the Fox by Julie Kagawa. But first, I’ll give a run down of top three favorite books of the month so far.
Top 3 favorite books of August
- The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang
- Sadie by Courtney Summers
- The Devouring Gray by Christine Lynn Herman
These were 3 of my 5 star books this month (yes I had more), but they are the 3 that have stayed in my head since I read them! A close 4th are the Sweep Series books by Cate Tiernan.
Review for The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang-
I absolutely loved this book!!! The class struggles displayed with Rin’s story, the warfare and the magic of Shamans were all amazing pieces of an extremely dense and fantastically woven story based on real life history of China’s past. There was Gore and things that might be triggers to some people, but it was all appropriate and had a purpose to this story. I feel the ending was beautifully written and transitions us to the next book perfectly. So glad I grabbed The Dragon Republic to start immediately because The Poppy War just devoured my soul and spit it back out. Seriously amazing book, especially for a debut novel.
Review for Sadie by Courtney Summers –
I chose the route of the full cast audiobook for Sadie, per the recommendation of some close friends. I was not disappointed!!! What a fantastic audiobook and a great story! I cannot even imagine what I would do if I were in Sadie’s shoes, but my heart felt for her and I desperately hoped for her to find peace. I wonder what happened to her in the end, but I guess we’ll always wonder. This is one of those books that I will find myself thinking about on occasion for the rest of my life.
Review for The Devouring Gray by Christine Lynn Herman –
I love absolutely everything about this book!!! I love the plot, the amazing characters, the setting (bc upstate/western NY and garbage plates are life, duh!) and I love The Gray. What a spooky evil!!! There were so many small events leading up to the ending, and yet still some questions left unanswered leaving for a perfect transition to the next book. Do I have to wait??? Wahhhh 😭 Isaac has such a great, quirky and sarcastic personality that goes hand in hand perfectly with Violet’s personality. I love the use of familiars, brings in a touch of witch practice. I also really enjoyed the conflict between generations, it was really relatable. I could keep going on about everything I loved about this book, but at that time I’d have listed everything in the book and I don’t like to give spoilers. 😄 So read this book!!! You seriously won’t be able to put it down!!!
Now that I’ve thoroughly caught you up on my reading escapades, here is a cute picture of Baxter at the lakehouse during one of our long weekend stays. Please feel free to oooo and ahhh over his eternal cuteness while I bid you adieu for now and Happy Ready!! 😃🤓
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