My Month in Books
I decided that I wanted to start spending less time organizing my reading into categories for these posts so that I would have more time to give a little blurb about each one. So that's what I did this time. For anyone interested in seeing which books counted for what challenges, I keep lists on my challenges page.
I read 26 books in August:
No Funny Business by Amanda Aksel (3 stars)
The Roughest Draft by Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka (3 stars)
This is not a romantic comedy, regardless of what the cover suggests. That wasn't a problem for me, as I loved the writing style, but the behavior of the characters when one of them was married was too close to infidelity for me to feel comfortable.
You're My I.T. by C.N. Holmberg (5 stars)
My mom friend who also loves books was reading this author's fantasy novels on Kindle Unlimited, and she stumbled across this nerdy romance series. This gave me serious Attachments vibes and I absolutely loved it. I'm planning to read the second one and I hope there might be more!
Royal Valentine by Jenn McKinlay (3 stars)
I love novellas and I sometimes love this author, so this was worth a shot. Unfortunately, it was pretty generic despite the cool setting (a literary museum) and if it had been longer I probably would have abandoned it.
Mystery and Manners by Flannery O'Connor (5 stars)
I read this with my local book club, and absolutely loved it, both for Flannery's staunch defense of the faith and her writing advice. I also really enjoyed our book club discussion.
The Attraction Distraction by Jenn McKinlay (3 stars)
I read Royal Valentine because I actually wanted to read this one and didn't want to go out of order. This one was marginally more enjoyable, and it even had a bit of a mystery plot (the author writes a cozy mystery series I love), but it still didn't quite pass the 3-star mark.
All That it Takes by Nicole Deese (4 stars)
All That Really Matters, to which this book is a sequel, was one of my favorite books of 2021. This one was quite good as well, and it had some really strong pro-life themes which is rare and much appreciated.
My Big Heart-Shaped Fail by Cindy Callaghan (4 stars)
The author sent me this tween romance novel for review, and it was really cute. So much of the characters' behavior rang true to my own middle school experience and it was a pleasant, quick read.
I have been looking for a copy of this book after hearing Anne Bogel talk about it over a year ago. I finally find a nice little hardcover edition in New York in July and made it a priority to get it read before the end of summer. I loved the way the book is structured around the author mulling over different types of shells and I really enjoyed her reflections on women and the creative life.
Very Sincerely Yours by Kerry Winfrey (5 stars)
I have abandoned a lot of my cozy mystery series because I find that my interest generally just wanes after the initial book of any given series. But I still like these, and this one was fun. I have a bunch of paperbacks from later in the series, so I want to catch up and start getting through those.
Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte (3 stars)
I read this in college, and I remember the professor saying it was important to pay attention to dogs in the story. I did that this time, and it didn't do much for me. I think Charlotte Bronte is my girl, not Emily. (This was my 30th book for my re-reading project.)
This is my favorite book of all time, but I had yet to listen to the audiobook. It's the revised edition, but I'm realizing that may actually be my preferred edition, and Jeremy Irons does a phenomenal job as the narrator (as he also does acting the role of Charles Ryder in the miniseries.)
Minn of the Mississippi by Holling C. Holling (5 stars)
This Newbery Honor book was the follow-up read-aloud to Paddle-to-the-Sea, but my kids didn't like it nearly as much. I thought the writing was lovely and found it a pleasure to read aloud, but we decided to take a break from Holling for a bit.
Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant by Anne Tyler (5 stars)
I've been hanging onto this book all year waiting for the Goldberry challenge prompt of a book published the year I was born. It was worth the wait. No one writes about family like Anne Tyler. I have at least five more of her books on my TBR and I can't wait to read more.
Nicholas Carey by Ronald Welch (3 stars)
I'm still reading through this series with my husband and a friend. This one was better than the one that preceded it, but I didn't love like a few of the earlier ones.
An Occurence at Owl Creek Bridge by Ambrose Bierce (4 stars)
One of the ladies who did the Faulkner buddy read with me started a group for classic short stories. This was our first one. The ending was spoiled for me by Alfred Hitchcock Presents, but I still loved the writing and enjoyed the experience of reading it.
When He Was Wicked by Julia Quinn (3 stars)
I felt like checking in with the Bridgertons so I zipped through this story, which is about Eloise. These later books of the series just don't have quite the same magic as the first four, but this was entertaining even if I did feel like I had to fast-forward through more sex scenes than usual.
Sold on Love by Kathleen Fuller (3 stars)
This Christian romance series is very sweet. I liked the first one best, but this third installment was better than book two.
Just Another Love Song by Kerry Winfrey (3 stars)
I loved this book's dual timeline and all the 90s music references, but I didn't feel at all comfortable when the story asked me to basically root for a divorce and against a mom being with her child.
The End of Summer by Rosamunde Pilcher (4 stars)
As much as I love Pilcher's long books, there is something so satisfying about these more compact romance novels. I enjoyed this one on a park bench while my kids played.
Six Feet Deep Dish by Mindy Quigley (5 stars)
The writing in this new cozy mystery that I got from Netgalley is top-notch. I also loved the Chicagoland setting and the message at the end.
Stay Awake by Megan Goldin (5 stars)
I had this from Netgalley but ended up listening to the audiobook in a single day. What a gripping story.
As for the rest of the family's reading...
- Ten Little Fingers and Ten Little Toes by Mem Fox and Helen Oxenbury
- Ten Little Babies by Gyo Fujikawa
- Richard Scarry's Just Right Word Book
- My First Seasons Library
- Dear Zoo by Rod Campbell
- The Busy Little Squirrel by Nancy Tafuri
- Into the Sand Castle by Cindy Jin
- All About Alfie by Shirley Hughes
- Fire Truck by Peter Sis
- The Elephant and the Bad Baby by Elfrida Vipont and Raymond Briggs
- Richard Scarry's First Little Learners Treasury
- Sea Creatures Do Amazing Things by Arthur Myers
- Birds Do the Strangest Things by Leonora Hornblow
- Hello, Star by Carolyn Haywood
- Robert Rows the River by Carolyn Haywood
- Penny and Peter by Carolyn Haywood
- By the Shores of Silver Lake by Laura Ingalls Wilder
- Prince Caspian by C.S. Lewis
- Deer Valley Girl by Lois Lenski
- King of the Dollhouse by Patricia Clapp
- Our Little Macedonian Cousin of Long Ago by Julia Darrow Cowles
- Muggie Maggie by Beverly Cleary
- The Panama Canal by Bob Considine
- The Boxer Rebellion by Irving Werstien
- Dvora's journey by Marge Blain
- The Wright Brothers by Russell Freedman
- The Great Fire by Jim Murphy
- Down The Colorado with Major Powell by James Ramsey Ullman
- The Building of the First Transcontinental Railroad by Adele Nathan
- The Copper Kings of Montana by Marian T. Place
- Disaster at Johnstown: The Great Flood by Hildegarde Dolson
- The Wound of Peter Waine by Leonard Wibberly
- Blizzard by Jim Murphy
- The Secret of Terror Castle by Robert Arthur
- The Mystery of the Stuttering Parrot by Robert Arthur
- Miss Pickerell Goes on a Dig by Dora Pantell
- Miss Pickerell Goes Undersea by Ellen Macgregor
- Nellie Bly, Reporter by Nina Brown Baker
- The Alaska Gold Rush by Mary McNeer
- The Panama Canal by Elizabeth Mann
- Conquest of the North and South Poles by Russell Owen
- Shaken Days by Marion Garthwaite
- Teddy Roosevelt and the Rough Riders by Henry Castor
- Klondike Gold by Alice Provensen
- Andrew Carnegie and the Age of Steel by Katherine Binney Shippen
- Andrew Carnegie by Clara Ingram Judson
- Theodore Roosevelt by Genevieve Foster
- Bully for You, Teddy Roosevelt by Jean Fritz
- One Bad Thing About Father by F.N. Monjo
- Adventures of the Boy and the Monkey by Leon Garfield
- Nicholas Carey by Ronald Welch
- Red Pawns by Leonard Wibberley
- The Last Battle by Leonard Wibberley
- The Hidden Treasure of Glaston by Eleanore Jewett
No comments:
Post a Comment