Hey bookworms. So I got a new job! And it’s at my favorite local indie so double yay! That being said, I just finished a 40 hour week of training and my kids start school this week so posting is going to be probably a little more limited. I’m going to try though! Let me get a feel for the new schedule and then we will be good to go! Also I’ll be doing Bout of Books this week when I can so go follow me on Twitter!
Month: August 2016
Upcoming August Books
Every month I try to make a list of all the books coming out that I’m excited to read. Let me know in the comments about any you’re excited about. Here’s what’s coming up in August.
Betrayals (Cainsville, #4) by Kelley Armstrong (Aug 9). I have been a fan of Kelley Armstrong forever and though many were disappointed by this series, I was not one of them. I think a lot were expecting a Women of the Otherworld part 2, but Armstrong is not a one trick pony. Where she was a master of urban fantasy, she’s even better at blending genres like she’s done with this series. It doesn’t fit in one and I love it. It’s mystery, fantasy, a bit of romance all in one. I’m hooked.
Another Brooklyn by Jacqueline Woodson (Aug 9). I am newly into reading Jacqueline Woodson’s poetry with Brown Girl Dreaming and fell in love. Another Brooklyn is Woodson’s newest work and i’m looking forward to seeing her in novel form.
The Obelisk Gate (The Broken Earth, #2) by N.K. Jemisin (Aug 16). Can I tell you how excited I am for this? I’m a huge fan of Jemisin’s work. I’ve devoured everything so far and the world building in The Broken Earth series has been amazing. Give it to me now!!! My speculative fiction book club ate The Fifth Season up!
A Torch Against the Night (An Ember in the Ashes, #2) by Sabaa Tahir (Aug 30). I have become a fan of YA fantasy and this series is probably what got me on that path. An Ember in the Ashes was probably one of my favorite books of last year.
A Scot in the Dark (Scandal and Scoundrel, #2) by Sarah Maclean (Aug 30). Just go buy this. Sarah Maclean will never steer you wrong and neither will I. Remember, consent is sexy and so are punny titles so Sarah is your girl. Do it now!
What books are you looking forward to in June?
*edited to fix a pub date
July Book Club Favorites
This month the Ladies Reading Speculative Fiction book club read Redwood and Wildfire by Andrea Hairston. We haven’t picked our August book yet so stay tuned!
Here’s what some of us enjoyed this month outside of our book club read.
Roses and Rot by Kat Howard. This hit all the right buttons for me: an artists’ colony on the edge of Faerie? Where do I sign up? Although, like any “true” tale of the Fae, that attractive idea is more of a snare than a treat. The voice of the novel manages to feel real and contemporary while weaving in all the peril and beauty of fairy tales. Excerpts of the main character’s own writing project insightfully explore the themes of those evergreen stories. Echoes of Tam Lin foreshadow the climactic struggle of artists from all disciplines competing to be good enough for the Fae. Anyone who has asked themselves why they work so hard to “make it” in the arts will understand the stakes. Add to the mix a “stage mom” worse than any stepmother, and a sister-love better than Anna and Elsa – Roses and Rot kept me enthralled. One of my top reads this year. –Juniper
Watership Down by Richard Adams. There’s a Seanan McGuire quote about Watership Down, which is roughly that it takes an extraordinary book and an extraordinary writer for a book about rabbits to be more reflective of the human condition than most books about humanity, and it’s completely spot-on. I’ve read this book so many times that I can’t even begin to count them all, and each time has been equally precious and important to me. There’s a tendency for people to look at Watership Down and think, “ah, a kids’ book about rabbits, this won’t be that rewarding,” and that tendency is incredibly unfortunate. Watership is one of the most rewarding books I’ve ever read, which is why I keep coming back to it. It’s about rabbits, yes, and you can absolutely read it to your children. However, its success lies in things that appeal to ten-year-olds and fifty-year-olds alike: This is a story about danger, war, camaraderie, loyalty, death, and need. It’s about refugees setting up in new territory, being welcomed and rejected in turn, and figuring out how it is that they must live their lives in their new home. It leans heavily on the loyalty and love between those who leave home together and fight together to find a new place in the world, and it always returns to hope, joy in the smallest things in life, and the bonds between us. -Anie
As for me. I thoroughly enjoyed Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi. It was a heartbreaking story told in 300 years of one family from Ghana. I loved the changing POVs as it moved from one generation to the next. You get a sense of how each character saw themselves and how then they were perceived by their descendants as well as how their choices (and in some cases their lack of freedom to make choices) affect the next generation.
What were your favorite books of the month?
