Happy August, friend. This is not a month I usually look forward to, but after a June and July filled with travel, weddings, and family celebrations, I am happily anticipating a slower paced, relaxed month at home.
Despite our July travels, it turned out to be a better reading month than I was expecting. I finished four novels, plus made some progress on my Team of Rivals nonfiction project. The novels were mostly light and easy to read... exactly what the month called for!
BOOKS READ IN JULY
Olga Dies Dreaming by by Xóchitl González
fiction, ⭐⭐⭐⭐💫
How to Read a Book by Monica Wood
fiction, ⭐⭐⭐⭐💫
The Bodyguard by Katherine Center
romance, ⭐⭐⭐
Sandwich by Catherine Newman
fiction, ⭐⭐⭐⭐
The above graphic is a new feature at The Storygraph. As far as I can tell, Storygraph is a goodreads alternative which offers better statistics and lots of graphics. Last January I decided to test it out for a year, but so far it hasn't been quite as useful for me... probably because my friends are all on goodreads. Have you explored The Storygraph?
AUGUST READING POSSIBILITIES
by Doris Kearns Goodwin
in progress, I'll finish this month
by Valérie Perrin, Hildegarde Serle (Translator)
from my Summer Reading List, another WiT possibility
September by Rosamunde Pilcher
a buddy read beginning in late August
How was your month? What was your favorite July book?
I am thinking of you with the storm in the Gulf! I read a very unusual Trollope book last month - I think his only attempt at science fiction, The Fixed Period. I read some better fantasy/SF, Nghi Vo's The Brides of High Hill and Malka Older's Mars mystery, The Imposition of Unnecessary Obstacles. I hope August brings good weather and good books!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Lisa. Sanibel experienced some flooding today, but it looks the storm is getting worse as it tracks north. I had no idea Trollope even attempted science fiction! Not sure I'll ever go there, but I am going to need a Trollope fix soon... maybe this winter.
DeleteApparently I already had an account on Storygraph, just checked it. Later I will explore it a bit. I couldn't figure out some features and probably just got frustrated and forgot I had an account.
ReplyDeleteI gave up on the Messud novel around 50%...so distracted. Am reading a Flynn Berry book and looking forward to September. Also like the looks of the book Elena Knows which you just posted about.
Tomorrow we will have a cat 1 hurricane roll through the Tallahassee area. Will keep you posted!
Tina - Oh, too bad about the Messud novel. We'll see if I can muster the effort to get through it after the wedding in the fall. I've only read about 40 pages of Elena Knows, but am looking forward to more tonight. Stay safe during the storm ahead... some parts of the island were flooded, but when this is all done we may be the ones who got off easy. Take care!
DeleteYah, August has never been a favorite. Anything by Kearns Goodwin should be good. I have her book on the Kennedys and it's really good. The candidates for WITMonth sound good!
ReplyDeleteJinjer - I read DKG's book on the Kennedy's years ago when it was published and loved it. Will look forward to your WiT reviews!
DeleteI'm glad you were able to read more than you'd expected to read in July. Olga Dies Dreaming is a book I often think about reading. Since you enjoyed it so much, I may look for it.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with Team of Rivals. I'd love to read it, if only it weren't so long.
Deb - Olga Dies Dreaming was a great read and more substantial than you might think judging from the cover. I want to read her new novel, too.
DeleteA good month of reading! Enjoy your well-deserved rest in August. I hope it's filled with lazy days and good reading.
ReplyDeleteHelen - So do I... Hoping for many August lazy days of summer.!
DeleteI have explored Storygraph and started using it earlier this year in addition to Goodreads. Aside from the cool graphics, it was disappointing. I’m sticking to Goodreads which I’ve used for many years and hoping the cool graphics will be a feature here too. Sandwich was a standout read for me in July - it really spoke to me. Have a great week!
ReplyDeleteJodie - I'm sticking to goodreads, too, but it would be great if they could add better stats and graphics.
DeleteI hope August will be a relaxing month for you. I'm glad July was a good reading month for you, though. I haven't tried The Storygraph yet. Sounds interesting. I hope you have a great week!
ReplyDeleteYvonne - Storygraph has a lot in the way of content warnings for readers with specific triggers, too, but I still prefer goodreads.
DeleteYour book list looks very good. The ones I have read were all excellent, especially Olga Dies Dreaming.
ReplyDeletebest, mae at maefood.blogspot.com
Mae - Olga Dies Dreaming just keeps getting better the more I think about it. Her new novel sounds good, too, and I'm hoping to read it this winter.
DeleteSandwich looks spectacular.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite July read was The Berry Pickers!
Erin - Sandwich was such a good summer read!
DeleteAll these books are new to me. Have you read How to Walk Away by Katherine Center? I loved it!
ReplyDeleteVicki - The Bodyguard is the only Katherine Center novel I've read... so far. I'll investigate How to Walk Away, thanks!
DeleteWhat a gorgeous photo. I think I could fall into that sunset. Yeah I still want to read Sandwich and Olga Dies Dreaming sometime. I think I was pleasantly surprised by the audio of Prophet Song in July ... it's strong cup of coffee which you might like. See what you think sometime. Have you returned to FLA or are you still in CT? That photo could only mean one thing .... lol.
ReplyDeleteSusan - That photo was taken at our town beach right here in CT! We'll probably stay here through the holidays again... unless we get called to FL to deal with problems there.Prophet Song has moved on and off my list a few times. It sure sounds like a tough read, but one that may ultimately be worth it. Maybe I'll get a copy from the library and see.
DeletePleasantly surprised by the photo of CT, nice! That's lovely. I think Prophet Song might only be accessible through the audiobook b/c the print copy with no paragraph breaks & quotes ... makes it seem way too dense. But the audio is pretty gripping. enjoy your days.
DeleteSusan - Ugh, no paragraph breaks or quotation marks! Thanks for the heads up...will definitely go the audio route if I try it.
DeleteNot just books but other than Rosalind Pilcher even the authors were new to me. Thank you for the updates.
ReplyDeleteMystica - Pilcher is an author I've enjoyed for a long time! Over the past few years I have been rereading some old favorites, but also trying a few I missed.
DeleteI just started How to Read a Book last night. So far, so good! I should start noting the setting of the books I read. It seems like there have been SO many set in Maine! Not sure if I'll make the switch from Goodreads to Storygraph. Old habits die hard! Looking forward to the Pilcher read later this month. I wish I had made a bigger dent in my Summer Reading stacks, but maybe I'll continue working on those books until November when I dive into the nonfiction challenge. Sending good vibes to Sanibel!!
ReplyDeleteLes - I agree! Maine has really exploded in popularity... both as a vacation destination and novel setting. We've visited quite a few times over the years, but not since the pandemic. That's probably why that setting appeal to me so much now.
DeleteI have no intention of switching from goodreads to storygraph, but I will stick with it for the rest of the year at least. Probably too much effort to maintain them both.
If all goes well, I should manage to finish over half of the books on my summer list. That's better than my usual record, so I'll take it!
Looks like Sanibel had a bit of flooding yesterday, especially at high tide, but overall did pretty well. Now we wait and see what comes next...
I hope all that rain up your way hasn't caused you any problems. We've gone from days and days of heavy rain to almost drought conditions in what seems like just a few days.
ReplyDeleteI did briefly try the StoryGraph site but had much the same reaction to it that you mention. I like a lot about it, but it doesn't seem to offer quite the level of "connection" that GoodReads does, so I didn't fool with it for very long.
I'm curious about your upcoming book possibilities, especially the translated one. I'm reading a translation from the Norwegian right now and struggling a little with it because it just doesn't "sound" right inside my head.
Sam - Seems like there's been a lot of rain both in Sanibel and up here in CT now, too. We've been lucky so far in both places, but are expecting a lot more rain this week here.
DeleteI expect I'll stop using Storygraph when the year is over. Despite the graphics, it's just not as useful to me as goodreads. I've really come to depend on the ratings and reviews of my friends there.
Elena Knows pulled me in pretty quickly, which is good because it's so short. It appears that a young woman has commit suicide, but only her elderly mother suffering from Parkinson's Disease seems to know that is not the case. No issues with the translation so far. We'll see...
You have had a really busy summer and can imagine a quieter August is something to look forward to.
ReplyDeleteI am so glad to see you enjoyed Olga Dies Dreaming. I have that one on my TBR shelf and look forward to reading it. I like the new Storygraph features for the end of the month. I enjoy Storygraph, but, like you, I've found it has its limitations--the biggest being that most people I know are on Goodreads. It's definitely not as social a setting as Goodreads is. I love the stats though and so have stuck with it. I have been using it for about a year and a half now, I think.
I hope you have a wonderful month of August and get in lots of reading!
Wendy - I'll have a decision to make about Storygraph at the end of the year. I know I won't give up goodreads, so have to figure out whether the extra effort to record everything is worth the graphics and stats. Hmmm...
DeleteI should reread September this year. It's been absolutely ages since I read it. How to Read a Book is on my TBR as is Fresh Water for Flowers. I hope you're having a great week!
ReplyDeleteKatherine - I'm looking forward to reading more Pilcher this year. How to Read a Book was a lovely story... my mother enjoyed it, too.
DeleteI am growing fonder of August all the time. It starts to cool down, especially overnight, and I love harvesting from the garden. I imagine you will love September--very classic Pilcher, and feels good overall. I should reread it myself.
ReplyDeleteLove the cover of Days Work but have no idea what it's about based on the cover!
How are you liking the annotated Persuasion. I find Annotated works to be a lot of work, actually. I usually end up reading the notes and not the actual text.
JaneGS - I may have read September sometime along the way, but have no memory of it all. Just love Pilcher! Don't know much about Dayswork, but it's book club selection so I'll give it a try. It somehow concerns Herman Melville... we'll see. This is the first time I've read an annotated work and initially it took me out of the novel too much. Now I'm reading a chapter, then going back to the notes. That's working much better. Plus, I've picked up some interesting facts.
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