My August Reading Wrap-Up
The summer holidays really are the greatest gift to my ability to keep on top of my TBR… if only I didn’t got to bookshops so often!
As a result, welcome to possibly the longest wrap up I’ve ever written on this blog. I read so many books in August, so it’s hardly a surprise we’re half way through September and I’m only just posting this! But I really did have an excellent month of reading, and have several new favourites - including another contender for the best book I’ve read in 2020!
Non-Fiction:
Why I’m No Longer Talking To White People About Race by Reni Eddo-Lodge
This was an eye-opening book, and one I wish I’d read sooner. I learned more about Black British history from the first chapter of this book than I’ve ever done in a classroom - and I took History until the end of Y12, so I had more exposure to the curriculum than some, and STILL didn’t know this. It’s a challenging read as there’s so much here to learn about, and I had to address a lot of my own ignorance, but it was an entirely necessary challenge and one I’m really glad I got to. I'm only sorry I didn’t read it sooner.
Fiction:
A Thousand Ships by Natalie Haynes
This was my first foray in to Greek mythology, and I really don’t know much about these stories. So this was the perfect introduction to the story of Troy, as it tells the story from so many different perspectives - and they were all female points of view. I loved the story from the female perspective, as it actually meant we discover the story of Troy from everywhere except the battlefield. I absolutely loved this, and will eagerly anticipate the next Natalie Haynes book! 4 / 5 stars
The Explorer by Katherine Rundell
This follows a group of children when their plane crash-lands in the Amazon and they have to survive and find their way to safety. It really reminded me of Journey to the River Sea by Eva Ibbotson, which I adored when I was in juniors. This is a wonderfully written book - probably one of the best-written MGs I’ve read in some time. The characters were really strong right from the start, and the story also has a lovely message about protecting the environment and incredible places like the Amazon Rainforest. I now understand why so many of my students were reading and recommending this last year! 4.5 / 5 stars
Asha and the Spirit Bird by Jasbinder Bilan
Another MG offering, Asha… tells the story of Asha’s journey to find her father, with the help of her spirit bird. This was definitely the younger end of the MG spectrum and as a result I found some parts rather implausible (but, then again, it’s not MG’s place to be gritty and realistic when it’s aimed at 9-yr-olds!). Overall it was a sweet story with a lovely sentiment behind it, and would be a great book for readers who have perhaps just made the leap in to the 9-12 section of the bookshop/library. 3.5 / 5 stars
Summer Bird Blue by Akemi Dawn Bowman
This was a book I finally finished as part of #Finishathon (and I think '#SummerBookHibearNation ?). I started it I think last year and put it down. I do not have ANY idea why I put this down, because this book is beautiful! It’s a really wonderfully written book about grief and music and friendship and identity - and the ace rep was really nicely done, I felt. Will definitely read more Akemi books! 4 / 5 stars
The Paper & Hearts Society: Read With Pride by Lucy Powrie
I pre-ordered this as soon as I read the blurb! The second in a trilogy, this book follows the character of Olivia as she creates an LGBTQ+ book group at her school after a parent complains about their child being able to access queer books. I loved the sentiment of this story, but I must admit I struggled with the writing. It feels like the sort of writing really suited to books at the top end of MG/bottom end of YA, which to me doesn’t match up with a protagonist in Y11 dealing with some very teenage problems. I’d have liked to see the writing style ‘mature’ more to match the protagonist’s age. But the sentiment behind this book is really great, and something I think should be in school libraries! 3 / 5 stars
Song of Achilles by Madeleine Miller
I’ll be honest, I still think about this book on a regular basis. It’s beautiful and gorgeous and tragic and those are basically the three things I want in a book. I want beautiful prose, I want gorgeous worlds and characters, and I want the most incredibly written tragedy feat. doomed humans. Song of Achilles ticked every single one of those boxes for me. Genuinely my book of the year so far, second only to Hamnet. Destroyed my feels utterly and I don’t think I’ll ever recover. 5 / 5 stars
The Beast Warrior by Nahoko Uehashi
This is the sequel to The Beast Player, which is one of the very few books I’ve read in translation. I loved the first book - I thought the writing was beautiful, and I really liked the fact that the story didn’t follow the tropes that perhaps I’ve come to expect from fantasy novels. When I got to the end of The Beast Player, it felt very abrupt so when I found out there was a sequel, I was so excited! The story follows Elin, who cares for the Royal Beasts, creatures that symbolise the ruler of the country. This book leaps forwards some considerable time from the first and follows Elin as she is older, and deals with the complex politics of the Royal Beasts versus the Toda and the fragile peace. 4 / 5 stars
Circe by Madeleine Miller
Of course I leapt straight in to this after Song of Achilles. For me it was never going to be as good as her debut - because I rated that so highly - but despite that, I still adored the writing here. Madeleine Miller has such an incredible writing style, and so I was bound to enjoy it. But Circe is a solo character, and I think what I loved so much about Song of Achilles was the relationship, so for me this was missing that element that would have swept me away. Still really enjoyed it, but not as blinding as her debut. 4 / 5 stars
Cinderella Is Dead by Kalynn Bayron
Honestly, the hype around this was GREAT. A f/f reworking of the story of Cinderella? Sign me up! This is basically a Cinderella dystopia where women are seen as second-class citizens and queer relationships aren’t tolerated. But of course Sophia has decided she’s not going to get farmed off at a ball, she’s not going to be forced away from the girl she loves, and she IS going to save the country from its heinous dystopian levels of intolerance. I thought this was great fun, and would be a fab entry-level YA story. For me, however, it did feel like it was going through the motions in places. But it did that well, and I can’t complain about that! 3.5 / 5 stars
A Good Girl’s Guide To Murder by Holly Jackson
This was a buddy read and my first foray in to crime! And I’m so glad I buddy read it (with the lovely @live _ laugh _ loveliterature over on insta!) because honestly, the joy I had from us exchanging excited voice notes when we got to the end of our given chapters for the day / week was fantastic! We follow Pippa on her EPQ… which happens to be solving a murder that was put to bed years ago. And my goodness, the TENSION! I swear reading this book gave me a heart attack. There were a few moments where I felt like Pippa behaved a little out of character, which I wasn’t so keen on, but overall this was a heart-pounding book that I raced through! 4 / 5 stars
Re-reads:
These are both five star reads for me, and you should go and read both asap!
Under A Dancing Star by Laura Wood
This is one of my favourite all-time books. A Much Ado About Nothing prequel set in 1930s Italy… It’s perfect! (And once you’ve finished it, go watch the Branagh-Thompson film. So many hours of joy!)
When Bea gets the chance to spend the summer in Italy with her bohemian uncle and his fiancee, a whole world is opened up to her - a world that includes Ben, a cocky young artist who just happens to be infuriatingly handsome too. Sparks fly between the quick-witted pair until one night, under the stars, a challenge is set: can Bea and Ben put aside their teasing and have the perfect summer romance?
With their new friends gleefully setting the rules for their fling, Bea and Ben can agree on one thing at least: they absolutely, positively will not, cannot fall in love...
Red, White, and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston
I was first given this as a gift, got told it was “a gay prince book”, and never looked back. It is a preposterous premise (which I initially thought would be too ridiculous) and yet is one of the most compelling, more-ish, re-readable books I’ve read in YEARS. I love these characters with all my heart and can’t wait for the author’s second book!
When his mother became President, Alex Claremont-Diaz was promptly cast as the American equivalent of a young royal. Handsome, charismatic, genius--his image is pure millennial-marketing gold for the White House.
There's only one problem: Alex has a beef with the actual prince, Henry, across the pond. And when the tabloids get hold of a photo involving an Alex-Henry altercation, U.S./British relations take a turn for the worse. Heads of family, state, and other handlers devise a plan for damage control: staging a truce between the two rivals. What at first begins as a fake, Instagrammable friendship grows deeper, and more dangerous, than either Alex or Henry could have imagined. Soon Alex finds himself hurtling into a secret romance with a surprisingly unstuffy Henry that could derail the campaign and upend two nations and begs the question: Can love save the world after all? Where do we find the courage, and the power, to be the people we are meant to be? And how can we learn to let our true colors shine through?
Graphic novels / Manga:
Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up With Me by Mariko Tamaki and Rosemary Valero-O’Connell
This is the first graphic novel I’ve read that hasn’t been cute and wholesome and heartwarming… and I thought it was really interesting. It addresses toxic relationships, friendships, and all with the most beautiful art style. I think I prefer my graphic novels cute and wholesome, but this was a very good story about some important issues. 3 / 5 stars.
Lumberjanes Volume 1
I’ve finally started Lumberjanes! After reading Nimona (and watching the first four seasons of She-Ra!) I knew I loved Noelle Stevenson’s writing and art style. And Vol 1 of Lumberjanes didn’t disappoint. it was nonsensical and hilarious and full of friendships, hijinks, and adventures. I adored it! 4 / 5 stars
Natsume’s Book of Friends Vol 1
August was the month I read my first manga! It was really interesting to compare as a reading experience to graphic novels - it turns out I find colour really important when I’m reading graphic novels, because as I read this manga I found myself really struggling to imagine some of it. I wanted the same story, just in colour! The story itself is about Takashi Natsume, who can see and talk to spirits that nobody else can see. He then tries to free all the spirits in the Book of Friends by giving them their names back. A nice first manga and I’m going to read Vol 2 soon hopefully! 3.5 / 5 stars
