24 books

I read 24 books in the month of August. I had two full days of airline travel which I actually look forward to as they are uninterrupted days of reading for me. Is that weird? Maybe for some, but I really love it. And I had some cloudy days indoors to curl up and read plus some days with my girl in Idaho where we spent time together but each of us doing our own thing. It was a lovely month! Of the books I read in August, I gave only four of them a solid 5⭐️ rating, and I’m happy to say, again, there was some variation in the genres. Here’s a deeper look at them:

Long Way Home, by Nicky James. This was a MM romance book, and it brought me to tears more than once. I thought the writing was very well done, and the character development was excellent. Gavin and Owen’s story is one of first love, of tragic circumstances that rip these boys apart, of incredible heartache and their ability to eventually trust in their love for each other over everything else. This was one of those stories that, the entire time you’re reading, you’re not sure the boys will get the happy ending they so desperately fight for. And as the reader, you’re incredibly invested in seeing it through, and if this had been a movie, there would have been so many times I would have wanted to look away. It’s a gut wrenching read, and the author deals with very sensitive topics of war, intense homophobia, rejection, and PTSD head on and without hedging. I just loved it and immediately purchased it so I could add to my re-read pile. This deserves all the stars.

Look the Part, by Jewel E. Ann. On a completely different wavelength than the book above, this book also made my heart sing but in a completely different way. This book isn’t perfect, at all. Flint and Ellen each have complicated pasts. Flint is a single father of an autistic son. He’s a single dad due to the fact that he was driving drunk home from his birthday and he crashed, killing his wife. Ellen is a divorced, quirky music therapist who has a gift for connecting with people through music. And for me, I think it’s the way she worms her way into Flint’s heart through his son Harry that has me celebrating this book. I think Flint looked at Harry as a burden, as a chore, as a job, as nothing more than penance since his wife died. And then for Flint to see Harry literally bloom under Elle’s guidance made Flint decide that he could possibly live again. And then when Elle saw Flint start to live again, she began her mantra of “I want this life” and that made her, in turn, want to flourish in more than her professional life. It made Harry, this wholesome, unapologetic, unfiltered, 100% authentic young man the center of the universe for these two broken people and helped them find their way to each other, and I loved that for them. Like I said, this book is far from perfect, and didn’t really start to unfold until the 50% mark, but I still count it as a favorite read for the month. Harry saved the story for me.

The Things We Do for Love, by Kristin Hannah. I don’t think I’ve read a Kristin Hannah book that I haven’t added to my favorites list. Ever. And this is no exception. This was a very tender story of the desperate story for a baby. So desperate, in fact, that Angie and Conlan lose sight of the love they had for each other and eventually divorce. Angie moves back home to be near her mother and sisters to help with the family restaurant and try to breathe life back into it. Enter Lauren Ribido, a 17 year old high school student from the wrong side of the tracks, in a committed relationship with star student David. Angie hires Lauren as a waitress and the two bond. When Lauren winds up pregnant and her alcoholic mother abandons her, Angie takes her in despite her family’s warning that she’s going to get hurt. Ultimately, what Angie discovers is that her love for her husband didn’t require a baby to survive, and that the child they so desperately wanted didn’t have to be an infant. This was a wonderful story and I loved everything about it.

Pictures of You by Emma Grey. What an interesting read this was! I thoroughly enjoyed this book from start to finish. I went into this completely blind and I really liked it. Evie Hudson wakes up in the hospital after a car accident and is told that sadly her husband didn’t survive. But Evie has no recollection of being married. In fact, she believes herself to be 16 years old. She’s lost 13 years of her life. And this entire book is her journey to re-connect her memories and figure out who she is and why she no longer has a relationship with her family and her best friends. It’s a really well done story and leads the reader down the path of narcissistic relationships and other subtle emotional abuses very, very well. I’m eager to read more from this author after enjoying this book so much.

Those were my four favorites for the month of August! If anyone has any recommendations for me, drop me a line at [email protected]. I’m happy to broaden my reading horizons, always! Talk at you on Monday with my weekly wrap up.

Love, Karen