August Wrap up

I had a lot going on in August as far as reading.  I got about halfway through the month and felt really slumpy, but I had so many books to get through by the first week of September that I knew I had to push through.  I think the slump was partly due to the fact that I started out with a couple of books that I just didn't like.  They weren't terrible but they weren't things that really gripped me and I was just reading them for challenge prompts.  I also think I took on way too much by doing NEWTs and the Netgalley reviewathon.  While they were all books I wanted to read or intended to read anyway, it was just too much pressure.  I realized about halfway through the month, I had books to review in early September and need to switch gears.  I got a little overwhelmed and it is no one's fault but my own.  In the end I got everything read and reviewed, and the stuff on my TBR I didn't get to will get read in September.  No big deal.

Books/Ebooks/ARCs

• Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer
• This was just OK for me, I feel it was definitely geared more towards the 9-12 boy demographic.  It has thievery, magic, action, and fart jokes.  I found myself laughing out loud quite a few times, the characters are quite hilarious.  I think my younger self would have really enjoyed this series.  This has been on my TBR for a while, but I won't be continuing on.  I was also using this as my book that was being turned into a movie in 2019, but I read that the  movie is being pushed to 2020 so this just counts for NEWTs.
• The Hanged Man and the Fortune Teller by Lucy Banks
• Review
• This is a paranormal historical fiction.  I really enjoy Bank's writing style.  This wasn't as humorous as her previous books, it was actually kind of sad and somber.  The historical fiction and time jumps were an interesting way to tell the story.  
• Serpent & Dove by Shelby Mahurin
• Review
• This started out a bit slowly for me, but it picks up at about 40%.  It follows Lou, a thief and witch in hiding.  Witches are persecuted by the church and due to a case of very bad luck she finds herself  married to one of the church's most pious warriors.  As Lou and Reid figure out their very unconventional relationship, she finds herself actually coming to like her husband despite the fact that he'll burn her at the stake if he finds out her true identity.  I really enjoyed this one, but it ends with a cliffhanger.
• Extinction of All Children by L.J. Epps
• Review
• This is a dystopian story set in the year 2098.  It follows main character Emma who is the last child to turn 18, as she was also the last child allowed to be born in the impoverished Territory L.  This has Hunger Games vibes, but Emma is no Katniss Everdeen.  This is an OK start to the series, but it lacks character development and is fairly tropey and predictable.  I will continue on with the series, but I have other books that will likely take priority.
• The Whisper Man by Alex North
• Review
• This is one of my favorite thrillers of the year.  It follows a father and son as they are recovering from the loss of their wife/mother.  As they try to find a fresh start, a copycat murderer begins to plague the town they live in and the son appears to be his next target.  This was creepy without being too gory and I really enjoyed the twists and turns.  
• Crew Princess by Tijan
• Review
• This is the 2nd book in the Crew series, but it still follows Bren and her friends who are a gang that isn't a gang.  Their world is filled with violence and loyalty unlike anything else you've ever experienced.  They are pitted against two other crews as graduation approaches.  Not only does Bren have to face her future and deal with the emotions that brings but she also has to try not to break the rules of her probation and end up in jail.
• Kiss Me Not by Emma Hart
• Review
• This is a romantic comedy and it is hilarious.  It follows the local librarian and kissing booth champion as she deals with her crush and nemesis as her competition.  As you can imagine being forced to listen to him kiss other women gets on her nerves and forces her to face her feeling for him
• Star Mage Vol 2 by J.C De La Torre and Facundo Percio
• I read the first volume of this for the OWLs a few months back, this is volumes 1-6 so I picked up with volume 2 to fill a NEWTs prompt.  The art is really great, but the plot is kind of silly.  It isn't overly violent or gory and the dialogue is a bit juvenile but I think it is geared more toward the younger crowd.   This isn't bad, I do feel like my boys would really enjoy it.

Audiobooks

I got through quite a few audiobooks I've been meaning to get to this month.  Most of these were pretty good and almost all of them filled in some sort of challenge prompt.  I got through 10 audiobooks this month and I think that is a great success.

• Vengeful by V.E. Schwab
• This is the follow up to Vicious and follows Eli and Victor as well as some new characters with extraordinary abilities.  Each of the characters plays a very specific role, and none of them are good.  This is a great anti-hero story as none of the characters are particularly likeable, and they are all bad guys.  I really enjoy Schwab's writing and her ability to craft a story.  
• My Lovely Wife by Samantha Downing
• Review
• This book was crazy.  It follows a seemingly normal couple with murderous tendencies.  As they carry out their psycho fantasy, they create a ruse to cover up their naughty deeds.  I wanted to love this, but I found this predictable and not very suspenseful.  While entertaining, I found most of their crazy behavior unrealisting and this just wasn't as gripping as I wanted it to be.
• The Radium Girls by Kate Moore
• I bought the ebook of this a while back when it was on sale around the holidays.  The ebook has pictures of the girls and some of the other key players in the story.  I really enjoyed the audiobook though as nonfiction can sometimes take me a long time to get through.  I so glad I finally got to this.  The story of the girls is a powerful one, it is devastating to hear how they were treated by the greedy executives.
• Bladerunner/Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick
• This was really weird.  That is pretty much all I have to say.  I was able to use this for a popsugar reading prompt and it has been on my TBR for a long time.  It is one of those books that makes you think way to hard.  This just isn't my preferred style of book.  I can see why people like it, it is just not for me.
• Welcome to Lagos by Chibundu Onuzo
• I won a copy of this audiobook ages ago from the publisher and have been meaning to get to it.  It is about a ragtag group of strangers who come together as a rebel Robin Hood like faction to save the education system of Nigeria.  It is really well written and narrated.  If you like realistic fiction I recommend it.
• The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris
• I've been looking forward to this book for some time.  It however is not the best WWII historical fiction book I've ever read.  It is reads as though it were a movie and lacks the depth I expect from my books.  It isn't bad by any means it just felt like it was a bit fantastical given the serious nature of the subject matter.  
• Midnight Secrets by Rita Stradling
• The author was giving away audible credits for this so I grabbed one.  Who doesn't want a free audiobook!   This was a quick YA paranormal romance.  It has an unusual take on the vampire mythology as our main character is a vampire, but other than drinking blood she doesn't really adhere to any of the other vampire myths we are used to.  Parts of this are problematic, but overall I enjoyed it.
• The Wedding Date by Jasmine Guillory
• I picked this up when Penguin Random House had this free for their Volumes Book Club.  I'd heard good things and again who can pass up a free audiobook.  I really liked this until about halfway through.  The self-depreciation, self-doubt, and second guessing of the relationship from both characters who are successful, confident professionals got old and very repetitive.  This was a really cute story, but Alexa was this awesome badass character who got really annoying with her self confidence problems.  
• The Lost Man by Jane Harper
• I read this for the Read Harder challenge to read something about journalism or by a journalist.  Jane Harper was a journalist for many years in the UK before she became an author.  I had no idea what this book was about before I started it, but I was really pulled into the Australian outback and its harsh conditions in this family drama/psychological thriller.  This is very well written and I enjoyed it.
• His Majesty's Dragon by Naomi Novik
• I actually just finished this today, but I listed to most of it in August so we are counting it.  This started out slow, but I'm glad I stuck it out.  This is awesome.  It is a bit historical fiction, a bit alternate history, and a bit fantasy.  The friendship between the main character Will Laurence and his dragon Temeraire is precious and I love them.  If you like dragons I highly recommend this.  Simon Vance narrates this and does an amazing job.  I can't stop listening and now want to binge the entire series.  This fill the prompt for Read Harder for an alternate history this is a reimagining of the Napoleonic War between France and England with dragons.