What I Read: August

August quickly got very busy but there was still some time in there for poolside reading! Starting work again meant more commuting and more time for audiobooks!

Books:

• The Daisy Chain Flower Shop by Laurie Gilmore- This was delightful. I needed a palate cleanser after some heavy reads and this was just what I needed! I'm typically not a big fan of epilogues, but this one was so wonderful. I loved that she set it 20 years later.

• Heart the Lover by Lily King- I was expecting this book to be similar to Writers & Lovers, which I liked, but this book was in a whole different sphere. I can't pinpoint exactly what it was about this book, but I couldn't stop reading and my whole heart was in it. It was absolutely beautiful.

• Come and Get It by Kiley Reid- I was so excited when I came across this book in a book store. I had no idea Kiley Reid had written another book. I tried to temper my expectations because I figured since I hadn't heard of it, it probably didn't live up to her first book. I was still a little disappointed and had a hard time getting into it, but once I did, I ended up enjoying it. It was a bit of a painful train wreck, but one I couldn't stop reading! Tyler's character, in particular, was infuriating.

• Teddy Bears Never Die by Cho yeeun- I really enjoyed this book. It was horror, but also had heart. The characters were lovable and the story was fast paced. I liked how she switched between characters throughout the book so you got to hear from multiple voices.

• The Things We Never Say by Elizabeth Strout- This book was beautiful. I love how she shows the little ripples an act of kindness can have in someone else's life without you knowing their impact. There was also a sadness to the book which left me in a melancholic mood when I finished it.

eBooks:

• Platform Decay by Martha Wells- This was my least favorite Murderbot. It started out really good and then I got bored with it which is rare. I was disappointed in this one and had it been the first in the series, I may not have finished it.

• The Midnight Train by Matt Haig- I was really disappointed in this book. I really liked The Midnight Library, but this one was boring and I never got into it.

Audiobooks:

• All in Her Head: The Truth and Lies Early Medicine Taught Us About Women's Bodies and Why it Matters Today by Elizabeth Comen, MD- This was a fascinating look into how the sexist beliefs beliefs and/or complete disinterest in the female body of doctors in the past, still impact our medical system today. It was a great reminder to keep fighting for care when you know something is wrong. I went to the doctor when my kids were little because I was exhausted and didn't feel like myself. He brushed me off and told me I was just tired because I had little kids. I knew it was more than that, but was embarrassed and accepted his answer. It took me years, needing to use my rescue inhaler throughout the fall and spring, and getting a new doctor to finally get referred to an asthma and allergy doctor to finally get relief from my severe allergies which were making my asthma worse. It only happened when I went in and kept pushing for it because I, by then, knew exactly what was going on. It's scary to think about how it could have been different if it was actually cancer or something more directly life threatening.

• None of This Is True by Lisa Jewell- Lisa Jewell is the queen of the unreliable narrator. This book had me gripped as all the pieces started to fall into place.

• Finley Donovan Is Killing It by Elle Cosimano- This was a fun book that reminded me of the Stephanie Plum series. Not super believable, but an enjoyable read with the main character getting lucky and things ending up in her favor. 

• The Only One Left by Riley Sager- There were times when the book had me guessing and invested, but I spent a lot of the book either annoyed or bored. The schoolyard chant in the beginning made me think of Dark Places by Gillian Flynn, but that's where the similarities ended, unfortunately. I have lots of friends who like this author so I'll give him another try, but this one wasn't for me.

• The Push by Ashley Audrain- A friend recommended this book to me and I devoured it. It was so well written and fast paced, I couldn't stop listening. There was a lot of really sad and dark content. I tell Ty about a lot of books I read, but when I gave him a sentence synopsis of what was going down in this one, he said, "I don't need to hear more." This one had me questioning everyone and not sure exactly what I thought all the way until the very end and it ended on a banger. Definitely read the trigger warnings before going into this one because it won't be for everyone.

• Endling: The Last by Katherine Applegate- I loved this book. The kids and I read this together 5 years ago and they didn't like it as much as I did. I think they may have been too young for it. We had some day trips planned and wanted an audiobook and they wanted to listen to this again. They really liked it this time and fell in love with Bix, Tobble, Gambler, and the world Applegate created.

• King of Ashes by S.A. Cosby- I think he was going for a theme here that keeping secrets will tear your family apart, but all the secrets and keeping each other in the dark was so frustrating. I've only read 2 of his books, but keeping the main female characters in the dark has been present in both of them. I find it super annoying when the only role of female characters in books is to provide sex for the male lead or for the male lead to protect them.

• Midnight on the Potomac: The Last Year of the Civil War, the Lincoln Assassination, and the Rebirth of America by Scott Ellsworth- Ellsworth is so good at giving a lot of facts and information in a well-written and interesting way. While most of the information in the book was familiar, there were a few nuggets of information I learned from the book which made it even more enjoyable.