August Wrap-Up

Hi everyone!

Happy September! Wow, I cannot believe we’re in the last 1/4 of 2022, time really flies by.

My August was good but the second half felt really slow. I also don’t feel like I read much – despite the fact I read 8 books, most of this was done in the first two weeks of August. In all honesty I feel pretty burnt out from reading – or I’m having the biggest reading slump I’ve had in a while.

★ Classics ★

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
I reread this for the Annotation Bookclub, and I had forgotten just how good the novel is. I first read P&P back in 2014, and immediately fell in love with the story. It was great to revisit the story, see all the pining and foreshadowing, and also to annotate it with my thoughts.

Persuasion by Jane Austen
With everyone talking about the Persuasion (2022) movie, I thought it would be good to read the book and then see how the adaption compares. The book itself was wonderful. While a bit slow, I enjoyed reading about Anne and her life, and seeing all these themes of status, duty, feminism, and family. I’m a big fan of second-chance romances, so it was lovely to see that explored here and see Wentworth and Anne find their paths back to each other.

Much Ado About Nothing by Shakespeare
This is one of my friend’s favourite Shakespearean plays, and upon reading it I can certainly see why. It’s got both drama and romance, and was very fast-paced – a literal embodiment of the well, that escalated fast meme. Not my fave Shakespeare play, but lots of fun for sure.

★ Sci-fi / Fantasy ★

This Wicked Fate by Kalynn Bayron
I… was not the biggest fan of this follow up to This Poison Heart. I loved the first book in the duology, and thought the magic and mystery were so intriguing, but the second book in the duology fell flat. I think with most secrets of the magic now revealed, it lacked some of that mystery element that I had enjoyed so much in the first book. I think the story wrapped up well.

Brackenbeast by Kate Alice Marshall
It was fun to revisit the world! Thirteens was a fun start to the series, and I liked being reunited with our three characters Pip, Otto, and Elle again. However, I think I share similar feelings to this novel to that of This Wicked Fate – the book just lacked that mystery element that made it most exciting. We were able to view more of the magic and explore that and the characters capabilities, but there was less intrigue about the world now that we knew who the villains were. However, it was still an enjoyable quick read.

Not Your Sidekick by C. B. Lee
Superhero novels are always fun, and this was a lovely quick read. I adored Jess, she was a fun protagonist, albeit very naive, and I really enjoyed reading about her coming into her own, and her romance with Abby. While some of this story was predictable, it was still enjoyable to read and made for a great story.

The Girl Who Leapt Through Time by Yasutaka Tsutsui translated by David James Karashima
I rewatched the 2006 anime movie adaption recently, and it still hits – so I thought I should check out the original novel it was based on! While with different characters and much shorter, it had the same elements as the movie. The writing wasn’t fantastic per se, but this is a translated work, and it’s a great concept.

★ Historical Fiction ★

The Final Revival of Opal and Nev by Dawnie Walton
This book. This book! I loved it so much. It was so wonderfully written and I loved the themes and characters. I’m always a fan of interview format books, and this one was great in bringing to life all the characters. The novel was able to explore themes of racism and misogynoir in the music industry, tackling heavy topics and all the while remaining exciting and full of drama.

• Cossette talked about how she annotates and gave some very useful tips on annotating
  
• Sienna spoke about the benefits of reading and blogging slumps
  
• Andi wrote a wonderful review for House of Hunger, which makes me even more excited for its’ release
  
• Aster shared some great standalone fantasy novels for those of us who don’t like to delve into fantasy series
  
• Kristen spotlit dozens of wonderful new releases coming out this September
  
• Suhani did the unpopular bookish opinions tag and I loved reading her answers!
  
• Thea wrote a beautiful and touching review for The Speak Cuts Through Water

I posted two reviews and a tag in the month of August – the trope tag especially was fun to do.

As I mentioned in the beginning, I feel like I’ve hit a wall when it comes to reading. It’s been much more difficult focusing on reading and it’s started to feel like a chore. I can’t tell if its the books I’m reading or I’m just burnt out from it.

Reading Siena’s post about book slumps was comforting and a reminder I shouldn’t pressure myself about something that is a hobby. Plus, during this time I’ve gotten back into crocheting and journalling, which has been lots of fun too! I think in the mean time I’ll focus on that. I’m also rereading a couple books and the familiarity of the worlds has made it easy to read again, and I’m still on track to hit my goodreads reading goal within the next few months.

Saima has read 84 books toward their goal of 100 books.

hide

84 of 100 (84%)

view books

Aside from reading, I’ve been busy crocheting, going on some hikes, and I went to the cinema again for the first time in months! I saw Nope and thought it was fantastic. I also watched the new Persuasion movie and it was, as everyone said, pretty awful. Just… so awkwardly written and just such a strange adaption.

In September I’m planning to catch up with some old friends, finish my current crochet projects (I’m trying to make a sweater-vest and a cardigan, but we’ll see how that goes), and finish my current rereads. I’m planning to take the month slow since October is looking pretty busy. Let me know what your September plans are!

Thanks for reading!
Hope you all have a lovely September!

Advertisement