August TBR

We’ll actually be going on a vacation so I’m excited to shove my kid at relatives and get more reading done without sacrificing sleep.

Hunt, Gather, Parent by Michaeleen Doucleff

This was recommended to me by another mom and I’m really enjoying it so far. The spawn has started having the occasional tantrum so he timed his development to my reading quite well.

Beach Read by Emily Henry

I got a beat up library copy so that seems the perfect book to take on vacation.

Lupin Leaps In: Breaking Cat News 2 by Georgia Dunn

An adorable comic about cats.

The Ex Hex by Erin Sterling

I got my hands on an ARC of the sequel so it makes sense to start at the beginning.

July Wrap-Up

Focusing on books I think I’ll enjoy has served me quite well. I just need to stop sacrificing sleep to do it.

Book Lovers by Emily Henry

An excellent balance of romance and family with some of the wittiest dialogue I’ve seen in ages. While it has the fun of a romance and knowledge of the tropes, it also deals with what family means and knowing yourself. 5/5

Fat Girls Hiking by Summer Michaud-Skog

Part memoir and essays, part guide, this is an excellent piece of nonfiction about diverse bodies and the difficulty they face in nature. The park guides and full color photos were great. The only downside was that it was western centric which I didn’t love as an east coaster. 4/5

Subpar Parks: America’s Most Extraordinary National Parks and Their Least Impressed Visitors by Amber Share

An illustrated guide to the U.S.’s national parks with quotes from 1 star reviews. Share gives us helpful information to counter the negative reviews. Very fun 4.5/5

Hidden Pictures by Jason Rekulak

A compelling but underwhelming thriller. The plot was unoriginal and the ‘bad guy’ relied on a trope I really hate. The pictures absolutely added something but not enough to make this a winner for me. 3/5

Scaretober 2020 by BecksComics

This is the bind up of all of the Scaretober comics for 2020. Interconnected, they made a very intersting story. Individually, they weren’t as good as previous years. 3.5/5

Love, Hate & Clickbait by Liz Bowery

Fake Dating is my preferred trope in romance but I really loved watching their connection build. The political angle was also fun as someone who has grown up around DC. 5/5

Department of Truth Vol 1: The End of the World by James Tyrion IV and Martin Simmonds

An FBI agent learns that the world is much more malleable than he thought. The art style wasn’t my favorite but worked well for the story. Occasionally, the panels would have a co fusing layout but overall was very good. 4/5

The Stonewall Riots: Making a Stand for LGBT Rights by History Comics

A middle grade comic about the Stonewall riots and why they matter. Very much for a younger audience (middle grade) but an excellent primer. 4/5

Hide by Kiersten White

I get into more detail here. It started off with some basic tropes but morphed into an allergory for generational divide. Not revolutionary but quite fun. 5/5

Not Your Average Hot Guy by Gwenda Bond

A very fun and interesting plot. A clever woman and the son of Satan have to stop the apocalypse. My only complaint is the lack of steam. Sex is hinted at once. They build a solid relationship so maybe there will be more in the sequel. I liked the world and story enough to carry on with the series. 4/5

I got 33% into the audiobook of The Family Roe. It’s dense, dry , and long. I knew I wasn’t going to finish it before it was due back at the library so I sent it back early.

Hide and Seek

I was so excited to get my hands on Hide. A group of seemingly random strangers who aren’t so random? ✔️ An abandoned amusement park? ✔️ Locked room elements? ✔️

White does a great job of foreshadowing what the reader already expects. Lambs being pampered for the slaughter. The name of the company holding the contest. Hints at connections between characters. What I wasn’t expecting was an allegory for the generational divide.

The struggles and anxiety of the younger generations (millennials and zoomers) trying to survive and have any success. The selfishness of the previous generations. Condemning us for not wanting to work hard to benefit the boomers. Ready to sacrifice our well being and future to ensure their prosperity then calling us selfish for not playing along.

I felt this in my soul. I just saw an article about a billionaire heiress calling people lazy for not wanting to work for slave wages.

This is a very slim novel but White does a great job in a small amount of pages. I wanted a little bit more but I’m not sure where it could have been added without compromising slowing the story. The pacing is great. It doesn’t feel rushed and never drags.

It ended in a great spot. I wanted to know what would happen once the story ended but the point of Hide isn’t to answer all your questions. It’s to take you on a creepy thrill ride. 5/5

July TBR

The downside of going to library sales in a wealthy area and discovering dollar stores have decent book selections is that I now own too many books. Again

I’m going to try and read my own books for most of July and August and avoid buying new books. I won’t be canceling existing library holds but I’m not going to make any new ones. Speaking of library holds…

Book Lovers by Emily Henry

I got this from my library a few days ago. I’m loving it so far. I can see why it’s got such crazy hype. The premise of this works so well for me.

The Family Roe: An American Story by Joshua Prager

I got this audiobook yesterday so I’ve barely made a dent in it. It’s the story of Jane Roe, the woman behind the now-defunct Roe v Wade ruling. That hold coming in was very well timed.

Fat Girls Hiking by Summer Michaud-Skog

Another library find that I’m quite enjoying. It’s a very visual nonfiction I’m enjoying and hoping to finish soon.

Once I clear out my current library loves, I’ll focus on my shelves.