In the words of Taylor Swift, August truly did slip away into a moment in time.
It was a fun reading month. I read a variety of books and even started on some autumnal reads since the weather already feels like we’ve left summer behind.
I read a total of seven books in August, making my reading tally for the year so far 56 books. The ones I read last month and what I thought are below.
The Long Walk by Stephen King ⭐️⭐️
Oh boy, was this a long walk indeed. It almost put me to sleep. I sometimes find King writes too much, and I guess that works a lot of the time because the way he makes us care about the characters is how we become shocked by the stories he tells. But barely anything happened for a long time in this, expect for the characters walking. And then more walking. You get the gist.
This follows a group of teenagers who volunteer for the Long Walk – a trek where there can be only one winner, the last one alive.
Some parts felt slow and tedious as the pace was almost non- existent but I ended up giving it an extra star simply for how the story wrapped up. It’s definitely a book for those looking for a psychological read. But it just didn’t work for me. I will be reading some more of his books though as I have enjoyed some in the past.
Girl, Goddess, Queen by Bea Fitzgerald ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Oh wow. This was brilliant. I’m not someone who knows a lot about Greek mythology. But this is a great introduction to the story of Hades and Persephone.
It’s a young adult romantasy focussing on Persephone as she runs away to the underworld to escape her father’s arranged marriage. Along the way, she finds friendship and love in the most unexpected of places. Most importantly, she discovers her true self, her powers and what she can bring to the world.
This was so addictive. The characters, world building and the pace was perfection. I liked Styx a lot. She added a lot of humour and had some great witty dialogue.
The Paradise Problem by Christina Lauren ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Christina Lauren are a great duo to get me out of a reading slump. They hook me in every time.
What’s great about a rom-com, for me, is the characters having their own lives, their own issues, without just focussing on the relationship between the two main characters. It was done really well in this one.
Anna Green, a struggling artist, agreed to marry Liam Weston in university to save a bit of money on housing. They part ways and never talk again. Until Liam needs Anna’s help. They pretend to still be married, while attending Liam’s sister’s wedding abroad. Like in most fictional weddings, chaos ensues.
The disparities between the two main characters’ upbringings and financial backgrounds have a big impact on the story and I thought it was done very well.
While this was great overall, I did find some parts dragged a bit. And some of the actions of the characters felt unrealistic. But the majority of the time the book was a fun time.
The House in the Cerulean Sea by T J Klune ⭐️⭐️⭐️
I was so excited to pick this one up and I did enjoy it but not as much as everyone else it would seem. The pace was slow for me and I think the 400 page book could have been condensed quite a bit. I also found there was a lot of mention about the main character being round and large that felt overdone by the author and quite the opposite of the message of the book.
What I did love was the story of found family, hope, caring for others and not judging people based on their appearance or where they come from. The children and their magical capabilities was fun to read about too. The dialogue between the children was often witty and I found the story overall to be a cute one.
It is a story about an orphanage that’s being inspected, with the threat of closure. The orphanage is a home to magical children – from the son of the Antichrist to a garden gnome. It sounds strange but it’s really sweet.
The Bell Witches by Lindsey Kelk ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
I’ve been a fan of Lindsey’s for years and I was so excited to get an advanced reader copy of The Bell Witches. The book follows Emily. After the death of her father, she has to move to Savannah to live with her grandmother and auntie. There she discovers she’s a witch.
There were many things about this I enjoyed – from the setting, the twists, the magic, and the characters.
On the other hand, there were some plot points I didn’t love, including the insta- love between Emily and Wyn. It’s also very slow paced.
Overall though, it was a nice atmospheric read and reminded me a lot of the paranormal books of the 2010s.
Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This was a heart wrenching and difficult read, following a school student who has become ostracised following a rape.
I adored the descriptions of art, as the main character sinks her self deeper into it to escape what happened. Even though it can be a hard read at times, I think it’s an important one. The writing style is really beautiful too.
City of Bones by Cassandra Clare ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
How have I not read this before? This was insanely gripping, fast paced and had me hooked from start to finish. I already read A Clockwork Angel last year, in my attempt to dive into the Cassandra Clare world. But it came to my attention not to continue with that trilogy as her first series, The Mortal Instruments, would spoil it for me. So I finally jumped into the magical world starting with The City of Bones.
This follows Clary, who witnesses a man being murdered one evening. She can’t do anything about it, or call the police because the body disappears into thin air.
This was such a good read! It has demons, a unique magic system and a great bunch of characters. There were so many twists and turns throughout which made it even more enjoyable. The New York City setting is perfect too. I can’t wait to dive into the next one in September.
Did you read any good books in August? Let me know your favourite below. I’m also on Instagram, Twitter and Threads – @bookwormgirl_24
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