August 2023 Reading Wrap Up

 Hey hi hello friends, and welcome back to my blog!

Boy, I cannot begin to tell you how happy I am that summer is over. Well, pseudo-over. Summer doesn't really end in Arizona until like, Halloween. But it's September now, so I'm manifesting Autumn in everything I do. I'm putting out the decorations, and watching The Nightmare Before Christmas, and switching to my Fall theme on my Instagram. I'm gonna Fall so hard this year!

But before I can do all of that, I need to tell you about the books I read in the month of August! This past month, I read 10 1/2 books: 7 (1/2) novels, 2 nonfiction, and 1 manga volume. Don't let the 1/2 throw you off: I simply finished a book that was leftover from a previous month. I'll still be counting the pages toward this month's total, however. 

I feel like I didn't read that much this month, but I know that I tackled some big books, both in page count and also popularity. I also knocked 5 books off of my physical TBR and 3 books from my most anticipated list of the year, so that's another win for me.

Okay, let's get into the books!

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Novels

1. The Weaver and the Witch Queen by Genevieve Gornichec
Genre: Historical Fiction, Mythology, Adult
Star rating/CAWPILE: 4.5 stars/8.86 CAWPILE
Page count: 368 pages
Day(s) read: 8.01 - 8.06
Goodreads thoughts: Sooo good!! I was expecting to enjoy this read, of course, but this was something extra special. I loved every page, from beginning to end. I want everyone to read this!

2. House of Salt and Sorrows by Erin A. Craig (REREAD)
Genre: Fantasy, Horror, YA
Star rating/CAWPILE: 5 stars/9.00 CAWPILE
Page count: 403 pages
Day(s) read: 8.04 - 8.05
Goodreads thoughts: (From 2019) WHAT. HOW. WHAT. SCREAMS. SHOOKETH TO THE CORE.

3. House of Roots and Ruin by Erin A. Craig
Genre: Fantasy, Paranormal, YA
Star rating/CAWPILE: 4 stars/7.00 CAWPILE
Page count: 544 pages
Day(s) read: 8.05 - 8.08
Goodreads thoughts: Erin A. Craig, the queen of horror CLIFFHANGERS. Why'd you gotta do me like that, Erin?! I don't know if that means that there will be a third book (I'm inclined to think not, just because Verity is the youngest sister) but either way I am SHOOKETH to my core.

(Funny, I think I said the same thing about the first book when I read it.)

4. Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler
Genre: Science Fiction, Dystopia, Adult
Star rating/CAWPILE: 4 stars/7.71 CAWPILE
Page count: 311 pages
Day(s) read: 8.08 - 8.14
Goodreads thoughts: Oh boy, was this something. I don't know if I can give you any coherent thoughts about it, because I feel like I read this book in a fugue state. It's so heavy and traumatic, but so so powerful, and necessary. And reading it in the 2020s, when it takes place, makes it that much more poignant.

5. Sharks in the Time of Saviors by Kawai Strong Washburn
Genre: Literary Fiction, Magical Realism, Adult
Star rating/CAWPILE: 3 stars/5.57 CAWPILE
Page count: 388 pages
Day(s) read: 8.07 - 8.17
Goodreads thoughts: This is not at all what I was expecting when I picked this book up. Whether that is a good or bad thing, I can't tell you. What I can say is that the ending was really unsatisfying? I feel like we didn't get any closure. But I did like how the author portrayed grief and depression. This whole book was really a study of grief, and it was well done.

6. Silver Nitrate by Silvia Moreno-Garcia (Review Here)
Genre: Horror, Historical Fiction, Adult
Star rating/CAWPILE: 3.5 stars/6.29 CAWPILE
Page count: 323 pages
Day(s) read: 8.14 - 8.20
Goodreads thoughts: The premise was intriguing but I found the execution lackluster. I didn't think this was very scary, which is odd because I know that Silvia Moreno-Garcia excels at atmosphere. But I thought this book turned out rather dull, which is so disappointing because I was really looking forward to it.

7. The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov (translated from Russian by Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky)
Genre: Classics, Magical Realism, Adult
Star rating/CAWPILE: 2.5 stars/4.43 CAWPILE
Page count: 412 pages 
Day(s) read: 3.03 - 8.30
Goodreads thoughts: YALL I DID IT I FINALLY FINISHED IT! Only took me 180 days…

Part 1? Boring, dull, entirely too complicated for my taste. Part 2? Wild, stunning, thrilling, and yet still entirely too complicated. I’m thinking that I’m just not smart enough for Russian Lit, too much of it goes right over my head. Do you know how many analysis papers about this book I had to look up? It made no senseeee

8. A Day of Fallen Night by Samantha Shannon
Genre: Fantasy, Romance, Adult
Star rating/CAWPILE: 5 stars/9.00 CAWPILE
Page count: 880 pages
Day(s) read: 8.21 - 8.31
Goodreads thoughts: Honestly this is everything I loved in Priory dialed up to 11. While there is less worldbuilding in this book, the political intrigue is so much higher and more refined. Shannon saw all of the part that were being praised in Priory—the politics, the romances, and the stakes—and said “I can do more.” And boy, did she!

I still think I love Priory more than this, but it’s not by a large margin, that’s for sure. This is exactly the kind of fantasy that I crave.

Nonfiction

1. We Should All Be Feminists by Chimamanda Ngozi Adiche
Genre: Essays, Politics, Adult
Star rating/CAWPILE: N/A
Page count: 65 pages (45 mins on audiobook)
Day(s) read: 8.12 - 8.12
Goodreads thoughts: Very powerful, but also very cis/het oriented. The author (and narrator, as I listened to the audiobook) focused only on the idea of feminism through the gender binary, which of course excludes a lot of people. I don’t know if the author would choose to revise this essay with more inclusive language today if given the chance (I hope she would) so I’m going to chalk it up to a product of the times.

2. A Short History of the World According to Sheep by Sally Coulthard
Genre: History, Nature, Adult
Star rating/CAWPILE: 3.5 stars/6.43 CAWPILE
Page count: 304 pages (6.25 hrs on audiobook)
Day(s) read: 8.12 - 8.13
Goodreads thoughts: This was simply fascinating. I never thought I’d ever be interested in the history of wool production, but here we are I guess. And so readable, too! If you’re looking for a quick nonfiction book to teach you something new, I highly recommend this.

Manga

1. Spy x Family vol. 9 by Tatsuya Endo
Genre: Crime, Comedy, Shonen
Star rating/CAWPILE: N/A
Page count: 192 pages
Day(s) read: 8.17 - 8.17
Goodreads thoughts: N/A

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Total page count: 4,190 pages

Favorite book of August: A Day of Fallen Night by Samantha Shannon

No DNFs this month

No unfinished books this month

August book haul: I Must Betray You by Ruta Sepetys
                                The Children of Jocasta by Natalie Haynes
                                The Book of Hours by Ranier Maria Rilke
                                The Goddess Chronicle by Natsuo Kirino
                                Sweet Bean Paste by Durian Sukegawa
                                House of Roots and Ruin by Erin A. Craig
                                A Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers

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And that's all I have for August! My reading was kind of all over the place this month, but I like when it's spread out through many different genres. It ensures that I won't burn out of any type of story. 

I'd love to know what your favorite book of August was. Let me know in the comments below, or DM me on Instagram (link in sidebar under the heading "More Media"). 

Until next time, friends!