What I Read: August

Working on this post I was surprised by how many books I made it through this month. I read some shorter books, so that helped, but August was crazy with school starting and the busyness of all of that. Reading always helps me relax and feel calm.

Books:

• The War That Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley- I read this aloud with the kids on the way to and from Colorado on our trip. Then we finished it shortly after we got home. I read it myself a while ago and figured they would like it. Carter loved it and Elise actually seemed pretty invested in the story.

• Jane in Love by Rachel Givney- The premise of this book sounded so good. Jane Austen ends up in the future, meeting a man she falls in love with. It was okay. I thought I would like it more than I did.
  

• Three Sisters by Heather Morris- This was the third book Morris wrote based on a true story of a survivor of Auschwitz. Each book was so well written, beautiful, while also devastating. This book had me sobbing at one point. It was so hard reading it, knowing it was based on real women. When I read The Tattooist of Auschwitz, I didn't realize it was a real story. I loved that this book included pictures of the women it was based on.

• Prince Caspian by C.S. Lewis- I started this with the kids and neither of them wanted to finish it, so I read it myself. I started out a little bored by it, but it ended up being pretty good.

• Rumble Fish by S.E. Hinton- Jeremy mentioned multiple times loving this book when he read it in middle school. I had never read it so I decided to. I didn't like it as much as The Outsiders, but it was good. I liked the twist of who the motorcycle boy was. I also liked that it started in the present and then followed his memories to the past and then jumped back to the present.
  

• The Woman of Light by Kali Fajardo-Anstine- This book had so many things I love. Some mythology, Native American culture, and a story that alternates between the past and the present (especially because the past and present were used to show generations in the same family). It was so good and look at that gorgeous cover!

eBooks:

• Another Brooklyn by Jacqueline Woodson- I didn't remember reading this until I was already reading it and added it to Goodreads. After re-reading it, I realized why I didn't remember it, I didn't really like it very much.

• Miracle Creek by Angie Kim- This book was so suspenseful and interesting. The ending was sad and I hated that a little bit, but it also made sense. I really liked this one. 
  

• All Systems Red by Martha Wells- This was the first book in the Murderbot Diaries. My mom recommended them to Ty and then he talked me into reading them. I loved it and it was perfect as an ebook because the chapters were short. I enjoyed it so much!

• Artificial Condition by Martha Wells- The second book in the Murderbot Diaries. I wasn't sure the next book could be as good as the first because I liked the first one so much, but I liked this one just as much! I would have gotten the 3rd book immediately after, but an ebook I had on hold came in as I was finishing this one.
  
  
  

Audiobooks:

• Harlem Shuffle by Colton Whitehead- This was different from his other books I've read. I definitely didn't like it as much as his others, but it was okay.
  

• To Sir Phillip, With Love by Julia Quinn- This was Eloise's story. I was really excited about it due to the side stories they added about her in the show, but none of that was in the book. I'm getting a little annoyed with Quinn always making characters not like each other and then fall in love. Does she realize people can like each other when they meet and still fall in love? I'd like to see a different dynamic in one of these books. This was my least favorite, which was disappointing because I love Eloise's character, but maybe I'm just getting a little tired of them.

• Devolution: A Firsthand Account of the Rainier Sasquatch Massacre by Max Brooks- Mom mentioned liking this one a while ago. I had it on my to-read list for a while and was in the mood for a sasquatch book so I decided to listen to this one. It was so good. I liked that he left the ending up in the air so you could imagine what happened to them in the end. I may have to read World War Z now. As a general rule of thumb, I prefer sasquatch books over zombies, but this author was awesome!
  

• The Hostile Hospital by Lemony Snicket- Book 8 in the Series of Unfortunate Events. I'm starting to be over this series, but they are short books and I want to know what happens at the end so I'm riding them out to the finish.

• The Nineties by Chuck Klosterman- This was a Book Club pick. There were parts that were really interesting. I was a bit annoyed by what he chose to include. It was obvious he picked the artists, movies, and actors he liked at the time and didn't necessarily choose the most popular or most impactful. He even mentioned that at one point.