Back to school. Back to Work. Life might be slowing down my reading, but I was very pleasantly surprised with some of these August picks!

Total Books: 6
Audio: 2
Physical: 2
Mix: 2
DNF: 3

Genre: Stressful Fiction
Format: Physical
Rating: 4.25/5

Summary: An author discovers she’s debuting a novel at the same time as her high school bully.

I should have hated this book: unreliable narration, Covid-times setting, insecure female lead, high school bullying, extreme paranoia and misunderstandings. YET! I gave it a try because Jesse Q. Sutanto wrote a lovely rom-com I read last year and it was endorsed by Mindy Kaling’s book group. While it was incredibly disturbing (Yesteryear vibes), the writing was a big page-turner for me. I devoured it in two days. Would I recommend it? Maybe. Did it kick my August reading off on a good note? Yep!

Genre: YA Adventure and Historical Fun
Format: Audio/Physical Mix
Rating: 5/5

Summary: The littlest mermaid becomes a pirate!

My Lady Jane was one of my absolute favorites last year, so I decided to try this collection again. Would lightning strike twice? Actually, I liked this one even more! The trio of authors bend history, creating hilarious adventures with pop culture references and puns. They mix fairy tales, magic, and historical lore in quests and very light romance. It might not be for everyone, but it was the FUN reading I’ve been looking for this year.

Genre: Middle Grade Silliness
Format: Physical (for the font and pictures!) and Audio (for Kate McKinnon!)
Rating: 4.75/5

Summary: Millicent Quibb reunites with the Porch sisters to solve a mystery!

Were you one of the only people laughing out loud in theaters during the lady-version of Ghostbusters? Well, then this book is for you. It is peak Kate McKinnon humor mixed with ridiculous plot and adventure. I went back and forth between the physical and audio book, because they were both delights.

Genre: Unsettling Fiction
Format: Audio
Rating: 3/5

Summary: People throughout a lady’s life keep dying. What’s the deal?

The ratings on Goodreads for this book were off the charts and I saw it everywhere. (Which means I was destined to hate it but was also curious.) I will say plots including “did the old lady murder people?” work better for me than “will the old lady solve murder?”. Yet, I saw one of the twists a mile away and shrugged at the other one, so I am no fun at all. It was interesting but I definitely drifted off in the second half. If you are obsessed with this book, you can also blame it on my head cold at the time.

Genre: Fairy Tale Retelling
Format: Physical
Rating: 5/5

Summary: Look, MAYBE THE STEPMOTHER HAD HER REASONS.

If you want to keep your Disney Cinderella innocence, stay far away from this one. It is a dark retelling with interesting twists and not what I expected at all. Reading this novel was like watching a movie, and I was fascinated with how she wrote herself out of a very hard pivot from the traditional tale. I was mesmerized.

**FUN FACT: I just learned mesmerized originated by an Austrian physician named Dr. Mesmer. I will be thinking about this for a ridiculously inappropriate amount of time tonight.

Genre: Magical Realism
Format: Audio
Rating: 3.25/5

Summary: A woman wishes herself into the next book of her favorite romance author, but the author has decided to write a thriller instead!

The first half of the story had this book on the best-of-the-year trajectory, but oh, how it fizzled. Major trombone slide sound effect. It was SO FUN and I chuckled out loud for pages and pages. But then the characters got whiny and over-the-top mushy, and it was a very tough plot to finish. I applaud the ambition and the humor, but it did not stick the landing.

The Quit List

10% The premise was a fun twist on Romeo & Juliet, but I was not prepared for the casual crassness and potty humor? It was more jarring than fun, so NEXT!

19% I forgot that live-forever-books are usually buummmmmmmmers. NEXT!

41% Do you know how hard it is for me to quit an audio book with a decent narrator? However, I let this one go and do not have regrets. It wasn’t bad, but I was drowning in the characters introspection. NEXT!

I have no idea what September will bring, but I’m going to try to pick up the pace. Maybe. Happy Reading!