Hey everyone! I’m away for this week as well in vacation in Mexico but here’s my reading update for August!

I’m very happy with this month. I read 13 books, putting my 2016 total to 58. I had to up my reading challenge from 50 to 75 and I think that’s the last time I’ll update it. I don’t think I’ll make it to 100 so I’m going to leave it there. I read some pretty good books this month so here we go!

Hawkeye Vol. 1: My Life as a Weapon by Matt Fraction, David Aja, Javier Pulido, and Alan Davis

3 Stars

I know I keep trying comics but I just don’t enjoy them that much. I think it’s the lack of world building, since you’re supposed to either know it already somehow or pick it up as you go. However these comics are such fast reads for me that it doesn’t really give me time to build the world because I’m just so frustrated. That being said, I thought this was a good story, if not a little unbelievable.

Deadly Class #1: Reagan Youth by Rick Remender. Wesley Craig, and Lee Loughridge

3 Stars

Much of the same complaints for this one except I just didn’t enjoy it that much. It’s about a young boy who is brought to a school to learn to be an assassin. There were too many cliques and emphasis on them that I didn’t like so I think I’ll pass on reading the rest of these.

You Deserve a Drink: Boozy Misadventures and Tales of Debauchery by Mamrie Hart

Lumberjanes Vol 2: Friendship to the Max by Noelle Stevenson

3 Stars

If you read my other wrap ups you might be thinking “Pamela, when did you read volume 1?” Well I haven’t read it yet. I must have accidentally gotten the wrong book from the library or the employee pulling the book accidentally got me the wrong one. I think that was part of the reason that I didn’t like it as I didn’t really get who was who or what was going on but I didn’t like it enough to try to pick up the first one.

Hyperbole and a Half: Unfortunate Situations, Flawed Coping Mechanisms, Mayhem, and Other Things That Happened by Allie Brosh

3 Stars

I read this blog back in college a few times so I was excited to pick it up but honestly the best stories were the ones that I’d already read on the blog. I didn’t find this as entertaining as I thought I would.

Nimona by Noelle Stevenson
3 Stars

Yup, another comic. I’m almost done with comics, promise. I actually kind of enjoyed this one, but mostly because of the characters. Nimona somehow gets a job as a villain’s sidekick and she has a lot of promise in her. She’s certainly the mastermind to their success in the book. Nimona is hilarious and energetic and I really liked her shape shifting abilities as well.

Rebel of the Sands by Alwyn Hamilton

4 Stars

I really liked this book although I felt it had a lot of coincidences that drove the plot along. Still I liked Amani’s character, particularly in the beginning when she’s fighting and plotting to make sure she gets out of her small town in the desert and get a better life in the big city. The journey and where she ends up was nice too and I’m excited to see what the next book holds for her.

Serafina and the Twisted Staff by Robert Beatty

4 Stars

I liked this one more than I liked the first book in the series. Serafina is more resourceful and now that she can be seen by the people in the house she has much more interactions and interesting conversations with others. I liked the resolution as well and her new friendships and connections.

Cinder by Marissa Meyer

4 Stars

I really liked Cinder. Based on the fairy tale Cinderella, Cinder is an orphaned cyborg girl who lives with her wicked stepmother and her stepsisters. This was a really fun read and the “shoe” portion of the tale was cleverly woven in here.

Ms. Marvel, Vol 2: Generation Why by G. Willow Wilson

4 Stars

A comic that I rated above 3 stars? Impossible! I thought so too until I read this one. I really loved Kamala’s development and her new mentor. I also love that she’s still including her  friend in her plans and her hero career. Oh, and her dog was pretty amazing too.

A Study in Charlotte by Brittany Cavallaro

4 Stars

I expected to like this book a lot more than I did but overall it was still pretty good. I liked the character of Charlotte but I found Jamie a little inconsistent and too indecisive to enjoy. I didn’t like that Charlotte uses drugs and all but her behavior was pretty consistent with Sherlock Holmes and her relationship to her brother was hilarious.

The Gracekeepers by Kristy Logan

4 Stars

Honestly if I hadn’t already reached my renewal limit on this book and wasn’t going on vacation I don’t think I would have read this one but I’m happy I did. I’ve seen a few reviews that say that this book reminded them of The Night Circus which I have to agree with. It does have a very similar feel, and not just because both feature a circus. I really liked this one although the ending wasn’t that great for me.

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child by J.K. Rowling, John Tiffany, and Jack Thorne.

5 Stars

I won’t go too long on this one as I did a whole review on it here. I’m a fan of Harry Potter and I like plays but even then I was worried I wouldn’t enjoy the latest installment of Harry’s life. I did really like it although I had a few problems with it. After writing my review I came across the reviews of others that said that the play felt like it was fanfiction and I really agree with that. There were just too many references to the books in this to feel like it was truly a new piece of work. Still, I loved it and want to reread it again soon.

Now for my September TBR! I normally have a ton of books from the library waiting to be read so that’s where my TBR usually comes from.

Since I haven’t checked books out knowing I’d be gone I’m not sure what I’ll read. The thing is, my library is a little more limited in selection so I have to request books through my library from other libraries nearby. Because of this I don’t know if I’ll actually get some of these books in the month so it does make it hard to know what I will and won’t have access to. I guess this will be a good time to read some of the books I already have at home though!

However, I did read 11 of the 15 books I had on my August TBR so I guess that was a good month. Here’s some books that I plan to read:

• Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow (did not read in August)
• La Sombra del Viento by Carlos Ruiz Zafon (did not read any more but I need to finish this one at some point x2)
• Loving and Leaving Washington by John Yochelson (this book sits on my desk so I can read it when I get the chance – unfortunately I did not get the chance to read this further although it is available for sale now)
• Julia Vanishes by Catherine Egan (from my August TBR but did not read)
• The Divergent Series by Veronica Roth (I want to reread this)
• Scarlet by Marissa Meyer
• Ms. Marvel Vol 3 by G. Willow Wilson
• Salt to the Sea by Ruta Septys

And that’s my August Wrap up and September TBR! Now, because I’m in Mexico I might pick up a book or two so I’ll admit the wrap up might not be fully up to date but I’ll just include all the books I read in the two weeks of August in my September wrap up.

Thanks for reading!