Reading and selling a house in August is hard

August was a tough month for me. I’m moving to a different state for work and a house lived in for 10 years does not move easily. This was also my first time selling a house and, boy oh boy, does that take up all your time. It’s done though, fingers crossed the buyer doesn’t back out at the last moment and I wasted my time, and I was able to get some reading done. I took my N.E.W.T.s and, surprisingly, passed. I, however, read NONE of the books I had planned to read. LOL.

 

 

 

 

***SPOILERS POSSIBLE    *NOTE: UNDERLINED TITLES WERE SHOPPED FROM MY OWN SHELF

 

Beowulf (Unknown) ♠♠♠♠

What an epic! What a tale! I tried reading this on my Kindle but couldn’t get a good feel for it. I then switched to listening to it and it was just amazing! Seamus Heaney perfectly invoked the bard in himself and I felt like I was listening to this adventure sitting by an open fire at night. I cannot fathom it has taken me almost 35 years to experience this story.

This poem should be listened to! ASAP!

 

Awesome! (Craig Shuttlewood) ♠♠♠ NEWTs

A book about friendship. A book about jealousy. A book about finding yourself. These themes are staples in children’s lit and this book just didn’t shine for me.

Share this with a child. This is a quick read and has an important message. 

 

 

Sloth at the Zoom (Helaine Becker) ♠♠♠♠♠ NEWTs

Now, this is something special. The illustrations are fun and whimsical. The story is imaginative. But most importantly, this will be fun for adults to read as it has tons of silly jokes to keep you entertained. The puns on time are hilarious and well-placed.

Read this if you like: groany puns, sloths, puns about sloths

Don’t read it if you: can only live on the fast lane

 

Red Queen (Victoria Aveyard) ♠♠ NEWTs

I did a reading challenge once that had a prompt about love triangle tropes. This book would fit this perfectly. It was just too much. I listened to this as an audiobook and honestly, I think that’s the only reason I finished the book. At least, I could get other things accomplished meanwhile.

This series is for you if you like: dystopian societies, love triangles, magic/strange powers

This series isn’t for you if: you’re looking for something fresh

 

The Astonishing Color of After (Emily X.R. Pan) ♠♠♠♠

I loved a good book about grief. I love a good book about mental illness. This novel combined both and did it so well! The idea of experiencing emotions in color is intriguing, to say the least. This story wavers between realism and fantasy. It feels light and airy like the bird that it features but it tackles heavy topics and makes the reader think. It is full of symbolism and magic. This plot happens to you. It requires surrender to the oddities and the weirdness.

 

A novel perfect for you if you: want to leave your comfort zone a bit, are not scared of experiencing someone else’s grief, enjoy metaphors and symbolism

Don’t read this if you: are not prepared to think about what you just read

 

Endless Night (Agatha Christie) ♠♠♠♠♠ NEWTs

Agatha Christie turns Gothic in this novel. It’s creepy. It’s odd. It reminds me of King’s Salem’s Lot or Stroker’s Dracula. The characters in this book might be some of her best characters she has written. Such complexity and so very human.

Branch out to this book if you: are looking for a different kind of Agatha Christie, enjoy some evil and weird tales

This is not for you if you: are looking for a true detective mystery

 

The Guardian’s Trilogy (Nora Roberts) ♠♠♠♠ and ♠♠♠♠♠ NEWTs

 

 

 

Yet another fun series by my beloved Nora Roberts. This one boasts magical beings and hidden treasures. The first book was my favorite as the love story sort of took backstage to the actual adventure and thus felt more real. I also quite enjoyed the villains – some were human, others were not, and some transitioned in between. Indeed, the villains were unusually complex. The crescendo of the journey was a bit of a let-down as it needed a lot more battling and maybe even a loss here and there, but overall this is a really solid trilogy if you’re into the romance genre.

Start this trilogy if you like: good and bad magic, unusual romantic pairings

Avoid this trilogy if you: need your romance to feel real

 

Faceless Killers (Henning Mankell) ♠♠♠♠ NEWTs

Another audiobook, although I read the last few pages on my Kindle because my audiobook library expired and they had the eBook available. To be honest, I was a bit underwhelmed. Yet putting this into the perspective of the year it was released (1991) I have to admire its relevance even today: racism, media abuse, and fear-mongering are all phenomena we still experience at the moment. Kurt Wallander, the main character, feels authentic. The case he has to solve is something we probably all heard about now, something that can actually happen. I am not sure I am going to continue with the Wallander series but I am glad I at least read the first book.

Pick up this book if you: want to read a good mystery, enjoy the occasional Nordic noir story

Put the book back down if you: need a fast-paced thriller