August Reading Wrap Up

 I read nine books, DNF'd one book, and listened to two audio books in August. I added three of the stories below to my favorite reads list, which means that my reading month was excellent!. Especially for a month that seemed to fly by. I hope that you all had a good reading month too!

The first book that I completed in August was The Stone Sky. It was amazing! A perfect ending for the Broken Earth trilogy. This was the first book this month that I added to my favorite reads list. Jemisin is an amazing storyteller and I am looking forward to continuing making my way through her backlist. You can read my full review of The Stone Sky here. 

Seeking Sarah is a well written story of a woman who is forced to face the fact that her childhood belief about her mother is all a lie. Although the story is well written, it was hard for me to like any of the characters. Brooke is definitely wronged, but her actions and reactions were not ones that I could empathize with. She didn't behave like an adult who could think past her own selfishness. Although I disliked pretty much everyone in this one, I had not trouble reading it! Billingsley writes in a way that I kept turning pages even as I was shaking my head. You can read my review of Seeking Sarah here. 

Because historical fiction is what I read all through high school, I still have a soft spot for them. Every once in a while I still like to pick up one and escape into a read that is meant to be simple entertainment. No deep themes, nothing that will me cry or want to wail at the injustice that pervades the world. The Wolf of Kisimul Castle was a good fit for that. It's a quick read that fit the bill for one of my guilty reading pleasure. You can read my review for The Wolf of Kisimul Castle here. 

Trail of Echoes is book three in the Detective Elouise Norton series and it is just as good as the first two. Lou's personal life is still in shambles as she is trying to move forward. Another set of cases involving poor young black girls means Lou has to put aside her personal issues and throw her talent and focus behind finding out who is preying on these vulnerable children. If you enjoy detective stories, I recommend picking up book one, Land of Shadows. These are best read in order. 

I've already received book four, City of Saviors which I will be reading in September.

I thought for sure that Stay with Me would be a favorite read, but it didn't quite do it for me. It is very well written, but it is yet another story where I disliked every major character. I think that for me, if I find the characters selfish and/or immature I have little patience for them. It literally inhibits my ability to enjoy the story. I need to empathize with and want to root for at least one character and as the story unfolds I loose respect for everyone. Stay with Me is getting lots of high praise from so many readers that I feel that I somehow missed some pivotal thing about this story that makes it resonate so well with other people. I hate it when I feel like the only person who doesn't get it, but it is what it is. I'll be looking forward to reading the next book by Adebayo, maybe the next one will be the one I love. You can read my full review here. 

Day Shift is book two in the Midnight, Texas series and is a slow burn read, and I say that in a positive way. The main story and the history of the characters in this series unfolds very slowly and I like that. I can understand that some may find the slow revealing of details a little tedious, but I am enjoying it. I want answers, but I am enjoying the slow tease of getting bits and pieces as the series continues. I'll continue on to book three at some point soon. 

Every Light in the House Burnin' is the first book by Andrea Levy that I have read. Levy managed to write very characters who felt very real and relatable. I am looking forward to reading more stories written by Levy. You can read my full review here. 

The Red Tent was my DNF. I tried, but I just couldn't get into this one. I am finding that I have little patience for stories that continuously tell me how beautiful a character is as if that is the only truly remarkable feature. It may be my cranky old lady coming out, but I just can't with that nonsense right now. I was expecting a book with more depth than what I got in the first 85 pages. I did not read reviews for The Red Tent before I started it, but I knew that it is very popular with lots of people. I fully admit that this could totally be a case of me not being in the right mood to receive this story. I was expecting one thing and when I got what I felt was trivialities immediately in the story, it soured my attitude. After I DNF'd it I read some of the negative reviews and I think that maybe this just isn't one for me. 

The Tragedy of Brady Sims is the second book that I added to my favorites list in August. I read it right at the end of the month and it was amazing! It's a novella done perfectly right. You can read my full review here. 

I loved Luther as a television show and was excited to find that there was a book written by the creator. HAD to get a copy! Luther: The Calling is everything that the show was. This was a good read with characters and actions that are dark and disturbing, which made for some uncomfortable reading in parts. If you enjoyed the show, you will probably enjoy this book, but be ready for some creepy craziness! AND there are going to be more Luther in 2018! You can read the article about it here. 

Unfortunately, Radiance, wasn't a winner for me. The best part of this one was the narrator, who did a great job. The few things that happened were resolved very quickly and too easily. The world was interesting and I enjoyed the fact that neither Brishen nor Ildiko were initially physically attracted to the other, but instead went into their marriage with the idea that they could at least be friends. I would have enjoyed this more if there had been more character and plot development. Even with a decent ending to the story that obviously leads into the next book, I am not sure if I would continue on with this series.

The Book of the Unnamed Midwife was the third story that I added to my favorite reads list. The story sucked me in right away and I totally related to the Midwife. Her emotions and actions were so real and relatable. The Midwife is a strong protagonist who is pragmatic in a world that has lost all sense of rule and order. Elison showed what reality could be when everyone who survives a catastrophic event is basically left to fend for themselves. The Book of the Unnamed Midwife is scary in it's simple straight forwardness and raw look at basic human nature. I'm looking forward to getting book two as an audio book. I am a little hesitant because of some of the negative reviews of book two, but I am willing to take a chance. Also, the narrator, Angela Dawe is absolutely amazing. One of the best narrators that I have come across. I'll be looking up audio books solely based on the fact that she is performing them. She's that good! I highly recommend this one as an audio book.