August reading thread!☀️

[cnf]

I read Love Signals by Melanie Summers yesterday. It was delightful and I really liked it. I have a series of hers sitting in my Kindle that I'll get to at some point.

I started Surprisingly Us by Erin Hawkins this morning. It's the fourth in a series she's slowly releasing.

[caer]

Aug 2, 2024 11:41:33 GMT -6 jaygee said:

I read/listened to four books in July (counting the one I finished the last 30 pages of yesterday)

Swan Song ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Anxious Generation (audio book) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Powerless ⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Teacher ⭐️⭐️

The teacher gave me such the ick. I hated it. I only gave it two stars because it was fast and easy to get through. Although I wished I never picked it up. Of course my book club picked the Housemaid trilogy by the same author so I’m hoping I don’t hate those as well. I read the first one back in September last year and really enjoyed it though. I think I just could not get over the subject of The Teacher.

I’ve read a few of Freida’s books and in my experience they are are all very similar. I didn’t like The Housemaid. I’m not a fan but that said, MANY people adore her. I’m in a psychological thriller group on FB and she seems to be by far the most loved author 🤷🏼‍♀️

[caer]

I read 10 books in July and enjoyed all of them for the most part. Keep it in the Family and All the Colors of the Dark were my favorite.

I finished Our Kind of Game and gave it 3 stars. The premise was cool and it had really nice moments but it definitely felt like a debut and some of the execution was awkward. I’m reading The Love of My Afterlife now and love it so far. It’s super quirky and weird but very funny.

[nelzie]

Aug 3, 2024 12:58:55 GMT -6 caer said:

Aug 2, 2024 11:41:33 GMT -6 jaygee said:

I read/listened to four books in July (counting the one I finished the last 30 pages of yesterday)

Swan Song ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Anxious Generation (audio book) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Powerless ⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Teacher ⭐️⭐️

The teacher gave me such the ick. I hated it. I only gave it two stars because it was fast and easy to get through. Although I wished I never picked it up. Of course my book club picked the Housemaid trilogy by the same author so I’m hoping I don’t hate those as well. I read the first one back in September last year and really enjoyed it though. I think I just could not get over the subject of The Teacher.

I’ve read a few of Freida’s books and in my experience they are are all very similar. I didn’t like The Housemaid. I’m not a fan but that said, MANY people adore her. I’m in a psychological thriller group on FB and she seems to be by far the most loved author 🤷🏼‍♀️

We might be in the same FB group, lol. I think people love her because they are quick and easy thrillers with lots of twists. There have been a few of hers I've really enjoyed but most are just average. I also joined a FB group dedicated to just her and she's in it and she seems really fun. She doesn't take herself too seriously which is nice. She's even releasing a satire novella this month that sounds like it's basically making fun of herself/popcorn thrillers.

As mentioned earlier, Kiersten Modglin's books are similar and I've liked the ones I've read of hers a little more than Freida's books. At this point I've read almost all of Freida's books except a few older ones I can't find.

The Teacher was also a no from me, definitely due to the subject matter, I think I gave it 2 stars as well. I wonder if she's cranking out her books too fast, I feel like a lot of her recent books haven't been as good.

[caer]

Aug 3, 2024 14:10:38 GMT -6 nelzie said:

Aug 3, 2024 12:58:55 GMT -6 caer said:

I’ve read a few of Freida’s books and in my experience they are are all very similar. I didn’t like The Housemaid. I’m not a fan but that said, MANY people adore her. I’m in a psychological thriller group on FB and she seems to be by far the most loved author 🤷🏼‍♀️

We might be in the same FB group, lol. I think people love her because they are quick and easy thrillers with lots of twists. There have been a few of hers I've really enjoyed but most are just average. I also joined a FB group dedicated to just her and she's in it and she seems really fun. She doesn't take herself too seriously which is nice. She's even releasing a satire novella this month that sounds like it's basically making fun of herself/popcorn thrillers.

As mentioned earlier, Kiersten Modglin's books are similar and I've liked the ones I've read of hers a little more than Freida's books. At this point I've read almost all of Freida's books except a few older ones I can't find.

The Teacher was also a no from me, definitely due to the subject matter, I think I gave it 2 stars as well. I wonder if she's cranking out her books too fast, I feel like a lot of her recent books haven't been as good.

She’s in this group too and she does seem super fun! And people get BIG mad if anyone criticizes her lol. I agree that her books are fast and easy reads but I just haven’t enjoyed the ones I’ve read. John Mars is in the group too and also seems really cool, and I’ve been enjoying his books so at least something came from me joining!

[nelzie]

Aug 2, 2024 5:45:00 GMT -6 cnf said:

Aug 1, 2024 19:05:41 GMT -6 nelzie said:

August releases on my TBR:

The Truth According to Ember by Danica Nava
The Chamber by Will Dean
House of Glass by Sarah Pekkanen
Worst Case Scenario by T. J. Newman
Haunted Ever After by Jen DeLuca
Society of Lies by Lauren Ling Brown
The Last Party by A. R. Torre
You Will Never Be Me by Jesse Q. Sutanto
Wisteria by Adalyn Grace
Love and Other Conspiracies by Mallory Marlowe
Marriage and Masti by Nisha Sharma
Return to Midnight by Emma Dues
The Examiner by Janice Hallett

I'm most excited for Wisteria!

I got an arc of the audiobook of Worst Case Scenario and I'm listening to that now. It's really good so far.

I'm so excited for Worst Case Scenario! I'm jealous you got an arc. Let me know what you think when you're done!

I have about an hour left but it is so amazing. I almost don't want to finish it because I don't want it to be over. I'm waiting until tonight to finish because I need to be emotionally ready, lol. It needs to be made into a movie. So good!

[nelzie]

Aug 3, 2024 14:16:40 GMT -6 caer said:

Aug 3, 2024 14:10:38 GMT -6 nelzie said:

We might be in the same FB group, lol. I think people love her because they are quick and easy thrillers with lots of twists. There have been a few of hers I've really enjoyed but most are just average. I also joined a FB group dedicated to just her and she's in it and she seems really fun. She doesn't take herself too seriously which is nice. She's even releasing a satire novella this month that sounds like it's basically making fun of herself/popcorn thrillers.

As mentioned earlier, Kiersten Modglin's books are similar and I've liked the ones I've read of hers a little more than Freida's books. At this point I've read almost all of Freida's books except a few older ones I can't find.

The Teacher was also a no from me, definitely due to the subject matter, I think I gave it 2 stars as well. I wonder if she's cranking out her books too fast, I feel like a lot of her recent books haven't been as good.

She’s in this group too and she does seem super fun! And people get BIG mad if anyone criticizes her lol. I agree that her books are fast and easy reads but I just haven’t enjoyed the ones I’ve read. John Mars is in the group too and also seems really cool, and I’ve been enjoying his books so at least something came from me joining!

We definitely must be in the same group because John Marrs is in the one I'm in too. And everyone is always fangirling over him, lol. His books are actually worth the hype though, I love almost everything he's written!

[cnf]

Aug 3, 2024 14:17:02 GMT -6 nelzie said:

Aug 2, 2024 5:45:00 GMT -6 cnf said:

I'm so excited for Worst Case Scenario! I'm jealous you got an arc. Let me know what you think when you're done!

I have about an hour left but it is so amazing. I almost don't want to finish it because I don't want it to be over. I'm waiting until tonight to finish because I need to be emotionally ready, lol. It needs to be made into a movie. So good!

Falling is being made into a movie and I'm excited for whenever it comes to fruition!

[sweptaway]

I just started The God of the Woods and I have high hopes.

[dc2london]

I know I am behind on posting what I have finished. Dial A for Aunties was a ton of fun. Josh and Hazel was wonderful; I loved Josh. I felt like they tried too hard with Hazel sometimes. It felt like pick-me-girl-ish. But I did adore her nonetheless and I have been fortunate enough to have a truly platonic guy feuend who was that great of a guy (a million years ago).

[Pizzaslut]

July was another great month. There were a few duds but overall, I was pretty happy.
One Night Only 3*
The Girl Who Was Taken 4*
Tangled Up in You 3.5*
A Court of Thorns and Roses 4*
When Women Were Dragons 3* (This was a disappointment. It had great potential, but it fell very flat)
Happily Never After 3* (There was a lot of time spent just talking about how hot they found each other)
A Court of Mist and Fury 4.5*
A Court of Wings and Ruin 4*
A Court of Frost and Starlight 3*
A Court of Silver Flames 4*
The Vacancy in Room 10 4*
A Talent for Murder 4* (This was my favorite of the series)
The Briar Club 4* (I liked the different perspectives from this one and I was surprised how much I loved the characters)
The Dead Romantics, 3.5* (I liked her newest more than this. I know a lot of people loved this one, but it was just ok to me)

[origami]

I only read three in July and DNF’d one but that’s better than my one in June 🫣

Storyteller by Dave Grohl was fantastic on audiobook. 5⭐️
How High We Go in the Dark by Sequioa Nagamatsu was interesting spec fiction but started to lose its steam. Still 4⭐️
Trail of the Lost by Andrea Lankford about missing PCT hikers was fascinating. 4.5⭐️

The DNF was The Program by Suzanne Young. YA spec fiction but it was just bad. Very “parents just don’t understand!!1!!” And the treatment of teen suicide and enmeshment was so disappointing. And then I noticed it was written over a decade ago and ah, that’s why. So I stopped reading it.

[bearfootzcontinued]

adelbert, I'm curious why the older books in the Fiction section are so popular. Wonder if they are year after year, or if there's a surge in popularity.

Surprised that The Women isn't on the list for Historical Fiction.

[nelzie]

Aug 5, 2024 11:10:30 GMT -6 bearfootzcontinued said:

adelbert, I'm curious why the older books in the Fiction section are so popular. Wonder if they are year after year, or if there's a surge in popularity.

Surprised that The Women isn't on the list for Historical Fiction.

I was wondering this too. I'm guessing the new releases haven't been around long enough to have enough ratings? I didn't notice any I recognized as 2024 releases. I mostly read new releases so I haven't read a single book from those lists this year, but I have read 3-4 from each list in the past. Except fiction, I haven't read a single one of those surprisingly.

[cnf]

I finished Surprisingly Us. It was cute enough.

Now that I've binged a few romance books I'm going back to making those bedtime reads and reading something else during the day. I grabbed Powerless to reread so I can then go into Reckless with it fresh in brain, so starting that today

[bearfootzcontinued]

For the fantasy lovers, my teenager loved The Serpent and the Wings of Night and just read the sequel - The Ashes & the Star. She liked that one so much she said she might read it again right away since it's under 200 pages. I mean, she only has about 50 on her TBR shelf - but she loves a re-read.

[adelbert]

Aug 5, 2024 11:10:30 GMT -6 bearfootzcontinued said:

adelbert , I'm curious why the older books in the Fiction section are so popular. Wonder if they are year after year, or if there's a surge in popularity.

Surprised that The Women isn't on the list for Historical Fiction.

I think some of them might have been popular on social media, or mentioned somewhere. I don't do daytime TV or follow people regarding books but I feel like certain people still have pull when they recommend books and they get a lot of people to try out a book around the same time? I have no clue though. I know my mom was just starting the Dublin Murder Squad series by Tana French and the first book of that came out in 2007 but she is just hearing about it now.

[boxerific]

July was a good month for me overall.

5 Stars
Part of Your World
As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow

4 Stars
The Vacancy in Room 10
All the Dangerous Things
Hold My Girl
Heartless

3 Stars
Dead Med
Powerless
Everyone is Watching
Girl on Trial
The Au Pair
Things you Save in a Fire
Yours Truly

2 Stars
Bye, Baby

I'm currently reading Listen for the Lie and listening to At the End of Everything. And having now read through the thread, I'm adding a bunch of Kiersten Modglin to my TBR list. I have 7 library loans and just bought 4 new books with a birthday gift card. Oops!

[angelashly]

Aug 5, 2024 16:14:05 GMT -6 adelbert said:

Aug 5, 2024 11:10:30 GMT -6 bearfootzcontinued said:

adelbert , I'm curious why the older books in the Fiction section are so popular. Wonder if they are year after year, or if there's a surge in popularity.

Surprised that The Women isn't on the list for Historical Fiction.

I think some of them might have been popular on social media, or mentioned somewhere. I don't do daytime TV or follow people regarding books but I feel like certain people still have pull when they recommend books and they get a lot of people to try out a book around the same time? I have no clue though. I know my mom was just starting the Dublin Murder Squad series by Tana French and the first book of that came out in 2007 but she is just hearing about it now.

Booktok too a lot more ways of getting reviews out so I see a lot of my favorite books ever etc and have started to look at older books

[marygracerich]

I just started the first Percy Jackson book. I am enjoying it so far.

[DGM]

I finished Virginia Grohl's From Cradle to Stage. 5 stars.

I liked how she spoke with such a wide range of musician moms from rappers to country singers. They all saw a gift in their kids and helped flourish it even as it was considered non-traditional. I wasn't expecting encouragement as a mom from this book, but it was the perfect bookend of what I needed to hear before our new school year starts on Thursday.

[adelbert]

Aug 6, 2024 20:46:57 GMT -6 marygracerich said:

I just started the first Percy Jackson book. I am enjoying it so far.

I read the first three in quick succession and had so much fun reading them. I took a longer break because I just can't read too much YA at once but I'll definitely finish the series.

[caer]

I finished The Love of My Afterlife and absolutely loved it. It’s definitely a weird little book and I imagine not for everyone but I thought it was delightful.

I’ve returned to Only One Survives and will hopefully be able to get through it this time!

[adelbert]

Aug 7, 2024 9:17:15 GMT -6 caer said:

I finished The Love of My Afterlife and absolutely loved it. It’s definitely a weird little book and I imagine not for everyone but I thought it was delightful.

I’ve returned to Only One Survives and will hopefully be able to get through it this time!

I just downloaded the sample of this and I'm hooked. It's so fun!

[caer]

Aug 7, 2024 13:41:32 GMT -6 adelbert said:

Aug 7, 2024 9:17:15 GMT -6 caer said:

I finished The Love of My Afterlife and absolutely loved it. It’s definitely a weird little book and I imagine not for everyone but I thought it was delightful.

I’ve returned to Only One Survives and will hopefully be able to get through it this time!

I just downloaded the sample of this and I'm hooked. It's so fun!

Oh good, I’m glad you like it so far! It’s one of those books that I’m almost hesitant to recommend because it’s so quirky but I thought it was really fun and sweet!

[icedcoffee]

I'm so excited it's almost spooky reading season. My favorite!!!

[DGM]

A quirky thing only bookworms would appreciate...my brother is not a reader at all but loves live music. He's a perpetual bachelor so he has the time and funds to travel all over SoCal and up to Vegas for shows. He never has a clue what I'm reading and sent me a video from the Foo Fighters concert last night. So I told him about Virginia Grohl's book name dropping other artists in it he likes LOL

[wedding]

I slogged through Delicate Condition on audio and it was not good. I kept hoping it would get better and I needed to know the outcome so I kept listening, but it was long and frustrating.

I’m almost done with If Something Happens to Me by Alex Finlay and it’s really good.

[marygracerich]

Aug 7, 2024 8:46:36 GMT -6 adelbert said:

Aug 6, 2024 20:46:57 GMT -6 marygracerich said:

I just started the first Percy Jackson book. I am enjoying it so far.

I read the first three in quick succession and had so much fun reading them. I took a longer break because I just can't read too much YA at once but I'll definitely finish the series.

I plan to read at least the first two. I started the second one today. I will maybe take a break after this one to read something else, then I will continue with the series. A Werewolf’s Guide to Seducing a Vampire comes out on Tuesday and I want to read that.

[cnf]

I finished The Honeymooner yesterday, the first in a seven book romcom series by Melanie Summers. I started book two, Whisked Away, last night.

I've made a sizeable dent in my reread of Powerless and hope to chew through more of that today.