August 2024 Reading Wrap Up
Hey hi hello friends, and welcome back to my blog!
As you are reading this, I am out of town for a friend's wedding, so I actually wrote this a few days before the end of August. I'm hoping that nothing changes from what I have written down in the next couple of days (I doubt it, since I won't really have time for reading this weekend).
In the month of August I read a grand total of 8 books: 4 novels, 1 novella, 2 poetry collections, and 1 nonfiction. Overall I feel pretty good about this reading month, even if I was struggling to finish some things (check out my DNFs at the end to see the whole scope of things).
Well, let's just get into it.
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Novels
1. Neferura by Malayna Evans
Means of reading: E-book
Star rating/CAWPILE: 3 stars/4.91 CAWPILE
Page count: 368 pages
Day(s) read: 8.06 - 8.14
Final thoughts: I found this rather boring, which is super unfortunate. This book literally had multiple murders, secret plots, and intense historical drama, and yet all I felt while reading was boredom and confusion. Plus I felt the ending was incredibly abrupt. I was reading this on my iPad and when I reached the epilogue, I genuinely thought that there were pages missing. It's marketed as an adult novel and yet it felt very YA to me, and not in a good way. Not a fan.
2. The Last Song of Penelope by Claire North
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Means of reading: Physical
Star rating/CAWPILE: 4 stars/7.00 CAWPILE
Page count: 464 pages
Day(s) read: 8.17 - 8.20
Final thoughts: Finally, the end of the series! I fully thought this series was a duology, so I was a little miffed when I realized I still had another year to wait. But wait I did, and was it worth it? Yes, but not in a "this is the perfect ending" kind of way. More of a "a satisfying conclusion" kind of way. The best part of this book was definitely the character development. I was worried that Penelope would lose some of her fierceness once Odysseus returned, but she didn't and that felt really good.
3. Jawbone by Monica Ojeda
Translated from the Spanish by Sarah Booker
Means of reading: Audiobook
Star rating/CAWPILE: 3 stars/5.11 CAWPILE
Page count: 272 pages (9 hrs 11 mins audio)
Day(s) read: 8.22 - 8.29
Final thoughts: This was so fucking weird. I will say that the audiobook was absolutely the way to go for this novel, because the writing style is very stream of consciousness and scattered, and so the audiobook managed to present it in a more organized structure (like the cadence of the narrator's voice. Does that make sense?). However I will say that I was disappointed by the ending. I understand the reasoning and logic behind open endings, I just don't think that this story was the right one to use said technique.
4. A Crane Among Wolves by June Hur
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Means of reading: Physical
Star rating/CAWPILE: 4.5 stars/8.74 CAWPILE
Page count: 364 pages
Day(s) read: 8.25 - 8.30
Final thoughts: Absolutely incredible! I think that June Hur has been firmly cemented in my auto-buy authors list, because I've truly enjoyed every book she's written. I really admire her approach to history and the desire to write about everything, even the darker and more gruesome moments. I also, once again, learned something new about Korean history from this book. Her main characters definitely feel a bit formulaic, but if it ain't broke, don't fix it.
Novellas
1. The Membranes by Chi Ta-wei
Translated from the Chinese by Ari Larissa Heinrich
Means of reading: E-book
Star rating/CAWPILE: 3.5 stars/5.94 CAWPILE
Page count: 168 pages
Day(s) read: 8.15 - 8.16
Final thoughts: Well, this book brought about an existential crisis in me, so thanks for that, I guess. I read this for Emma's World Tour Book Club over on the Fable app (funny story, I was so sure that The Palace of Dreams by Ismail Kadare would win the poll that I purchased a copy, only to be upset in the final hour of voting, so now I have a book on my shelves that I don't know when I will be picking it up...) and it was a time. I could feel my brain buffering after finishing this story. If you like existentialist dystopia, I definitely recommend you read this.
Poetry
1. Artemis Made Me Do It by Trista Mateer
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Means of reading: Physical
Star rating/CAWPILE: N/A
Page count: 176 pages
Day(s) read: 8.05 (ONE DAY READ)
Final thoughts: Well, I liked this way more than Persephone Made Me Do It, which I read back in May. I find this kind of funny because clearly the decline in Mateer's writing happened between these two collections, since this was published before Persephone (that's just my opinion please don't come for me). I thought the themes explored were way better handled, and I felt more emotion and connection to the poems in this collection.
2. Howl and Other Poems by Allen Ginsberg
Means of reading: Physical
Star rating/CAWPILE: N/A (5 stars in my heart)
Page count: 56 pages
Day(s) read: 8.24 (ONE DAY READ)
Final thoughts: This was so gaaaayyyyy. The absolute only thing I knew about this collection before reading was that it was the book that Jess borrowed from Rory to "put some notes in the margins" for her in Gilmore Girls. And I'm easily influenced and I also love Jess/Milo. So I bought it and read it and it's so gay. Am I using this as evidence for my theory that Jess Mariano was a bisexual icon? Yes, yes I am. I will not be taking any critiques on this matter.
Nonfiction
1. After 1177 B.C.: The Survival of Civilizations by Eric H. Cline
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Means of reading: Audiobook
Star rating/CAWPILE: 3.5 stars/6.23 CAWPILE
Page count: 352 pages (9 hrs 14 mins audio)
Day(s) read: 8.03 - 8.04
Final thoughts: Honestly I thought this sequel was unnecessary. I know I gave it 3.5 stars, but I could not tell you a single thing that this book talked about. I'm sure a lot of that had to do with my mindset at the time I was reading, but I swear this book just went in one ear and out the other. I feel a little bad about it, to be honest. Who knows, maybe I'll revisit it again in a few years.
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Total page count: 2,220 pages (18 hrs 25 mins total audio)
Best book of August: Howl and Other Poems by Allen Ginsberg
A Crane Among Wolves by June Hur
DNFs this month: 1Q84 by Haruki Murakami
The Grace of Kings by Ken Liu
No unfinished books this month
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And that's all for August! Quite a difference from July, but that's what I was going for when I started the month out. I'm definitely burning myself out on reading, I'm seriously struggling to finish books and remain interested in the plot. Part of me wants to just not read at all in September, but I know myself too well to think that's a viable option. I might not go to the library though...actually, I know that won't work because I have a fair number of 2024 releases on hold that should be coming in within the next couple of weeks.
We'll see how September goes, I guess.
Until next time!
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