I’m already writing my monthly wrap up for August, can we slow things down a bit? This is insane! Autumn is about to begin, but first, I finally have summer vacation. While I see people talking about August not being a good reading month for them, for me it’s the opposite. I was flying through multiple books. Generally, I read good books, but I also forgot to pick up a few books I’d planned. These books have been pushed back to September. It’s the first time I’ve been able to read my entire TBR for this month, and enjoy most of it. So the warm weather certainly didn’t hurt! What did this month bring me?

My monthly stats

In August, I’ve read a total of 10 books, and I finished 9 off them. These are divided into 2,109 pages and 39.1 hours of audiobooks. I unfortunately had 1 DNF and this was for a book I wasn’t too surprised about. I’ve read a mixture of both Dutch and English again, as well as a variety of genres. Fantasy, romance, romantasy; it is all represented in this month’s wrap up. I have to admit that I leaned more towards Dutch books though. Furthermore, I hauled 11 books, and I read 4 of them. Overall, it took me 3 days to finish a book and my average rating for this month is 3.67 stars.

My read books

1. Nog 27 dagen leven by Maren Stoffels – I don’t really read many Dutch books, but I also don’t read many young adult novels anymore. So, I’d been ignoring this one for a while, but a BookTube video by Chinouk Thijssen where she recommends it as one of her favorite books of the past year convinced me. The book is a tribute to the author’s deceased best friend, who actually only lived for 27 days after the news that the doctors could no longer do anything. The story was written in 27 days, and you don’t notice it. The characters are well-developed and have depth. Despite everything they face, they’re also just teenagers with their teenage worries. This creates the lighter moments in the book. I listened to it, and the short chapters made it a great listen. 🎧⭐⭐⭐⭐
2. The Rose Bargain by Sasha Peyton Smith – I wanted to read this book back in July, but I never got around to it. It’s very popular, and I can imagine why. I personally enjoyed it a little less, though, because I noticed it felt so similar to other stories. The plot progresses predictably, and the real twists are at the end. It’s a mix of Bridgerton, The Selection, and The Cruel Prince. A dangerous combination, because all of these books were popular. It’s a quick read, but it doesn’t get exciting for a long time. It doesn’t stand out in the already saturated romantasy landscape. 📱⭐⭐⭐
3. Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil by V.E. Schwab – And another book I wanted to read back in July, but I also didn’t get around to it. That’s true for almost all the books this month. I have one problem with this author: their books just don’t fully grab me. The writing style is phenomenal, and Schwab truly delivers with the way they build and intertwine their worlds with the real world. Unfortunately, the characters and plot don’t quite capture my attention. Somehow, it just doesn’t stick, and that’s exactly what happened here. I found the backstories for these characters interesting, but the present-day timeline not so much. The ending feels like a rushed anticlimax, which is a pity. 📱⭐⭐⭐
4. Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid – I didn’t particularly enjoy this author’s previous book, One True Loves. Moreover, the subject matter didn’t really appeal to me, space travel and astronomy aren’t my thing. So needless to say, I wasn’t exactly thrilled when I came across this one. However, the reviews convinced me, and that’s a good thing. This book is so much more than just a book about space travel. It plays a role, yes. But it’s not the main focus of the story. That’s the main characters, Joan and Vanessa, and their growth. The ending is truly awful, if an audiobook could be thrown out the window, I would. It’s bittersweet, and if a book can evoke that feeling, it’s time to dig out the 5 stars again. 🎧⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
5. The Seven Year Slip by Ashley Poston – I was skeptical about this book for years, because I’ve been seeing it everywhere for so long. It was published in English in 2023 and was an instant hit. While I often find magical realism adds nothing to the story, it certainly does here. This element serves a purpose and helps the characters grow and develop their relationship. Yes, it’s a romance, so you can guess the ending. Yet, it’s not a superficial book. Poston touches on deeper themes, and this gives the characters a lot of depth. At first glance, they seem like your average romance characters, but thankfully, that’s just appearances. It doesn’t happen often, but the 5 stars can stay for a while. 📱⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
6. Here We Go Again by Alison Cochrun – A few years ago, I read this author’s The Charm Offensive, which I thoroughly enjoyed. After that, only a Christmas novella was translated to Dutch, and then there was nothing but silence. So, I had to deviate to English. This book is about two old friends who are asked by their former teacher and mentor to accompany him on his final journey. Once best friends, Logan and Rosemary can no longer stand each other. Yet, they embark on a road trip across the United States. There’s room for growth, deeper layers, profound conversations, and more. This story relies on the characters, and they are well-developed. The only thing that bothered me was the sheer number of pop culture references one of the main characters throws in. It’s annoying because they add absolutely nothing. It also might give the book less longevity as in a few years, these references will surely be completely forgotten. 📱⭐⭐⭐⭐
7. If This Gets Out by Sophie Gonzales and Cale Dietrich – This book was still on the shelf. I’d previously read a book by Gonzales, with moderate success. I hadn’t read anything by Dietrich. I wanted to declutter again and came across this queer story about a boy band. Very YA, but with rather dark themes. The main characters, Ruben and Zach, are well-developed, but one of the supporting characters remains underdeveloped. The book is an easy read though. 📱⭐⭐⭐
8. My Friends by Fredrik Backman – I’ve been seeing this author pop up regularly on various social media platforms for years. However, I’d never read a book by him, until now. I decided to just start with his latest novel. It’s certainly not bad, but I wasn’t completely blown away either. I wanted to keep reading, but I didn’t get a “wow” feeling. It does leave me wanting more though, as this is just the first impression. 🎧⭐⭐⭐⭐
9. Katabasis by R.F. Kuang – My stubborn self reared its head again. I’ve had mixed experiences with this author’s books, but dark academia doesn’t always resonate with me. Still, I wanted to give this book a try and chose the Dutch translation. This isn’t it, really. The main characters are boring, the story lacks interest, and the author uses too much academic jargon. Philosophers and classics are thrown into the mix, making it a slow story. There’s also too much superfluous information. The author flaunts her academic scholarship and forgets to tell a story. In short, it doesn’t do anything for me. After 36%, I gave up and have to conclude that I wasted €15 on the ebook. Such a shame.
10. Als de zon valt by Stijn de Vries – It’s a miracle, another book by a Dutch author! To be honest, I hadn’t heard of this book before. I stumbled across it by coincidence, and it was available for a highly discounted price. Queer stories resonate with me, so I was immediately curious about it. I rarely read Dutch authors, especially those related to this topic. Unfortunately, it confirmed my previous reading experiences. I was hoping for a deep story with well-developed characters, but I didn’t get any of that. Everything felt a bit shallow, and I absolutely failed to connect with either the plot or the characters. It jumps around, making it a confusing whole rather than a cohesive one. 📱⭐⭐

My bookhaul

1. My Friends by Fredrik Backman
2. Katabasis by R. F. Kuang
3. The Air He Breathes by Brittainy C. Cherry
4. The Silent Waters by Brittainy C. Cherry
5. The Gravity of Us by Brittainy C. Cherry
6. When the Fireflies Dance by Aisha Hassan
7. De laatste ravendochter by Merel Godelieve
8. The Ragpicker King by Cassandra Clare
9. Als de zon valt by Stijn de Vries
10. The Seven Year Slip by Ashley Poston
11. Hof van Stormen by Victor Dixen (Dutch of course, my French is insufficient for this)

Overall, August has been a pretty good reading month. I’m pushing some books back to September, but I hope the annual reading slump will stay away for a bit longer. I always struggle transitioning into fall, but I still hope it won’t be too bad this year.

How was August for you?