August 2015 Wrap Up

I think August was my favorite month of the summer in terms of reading; I just read a lot of really good books this month. I read a total of 15 books and that’s probably the most it’s going to be for the rest of the year what with me going back to school this month. Just a side note, I have provided links to reviews that I’ve done.

So at the beginning of the month, I read Uprooted and then after that, I loosely participated in the Booktubeathon and I have a mini review on all the books I read during the booktubeathon in my booktubeathon wrap up.

Then after that, I read:

 (3.5/5)                    (4/5)

The Wrong Side of Right by Jean Marie Thorne– Cute and entertaining although it did drag at parts and the political aspects were a little on the convenient side for me but I expected that. I really liked the love interest (Andy Lawrence) in this one 🙂

A Lot Like Love by Julie James– Julie James is fast becoming my romance contemporary queen! Not that I had that many in the first place so that’s not saying too much…James just writes banter and sexual tension oh so well. Everything about this story was done just right, the story, the characters etc. and just leaves me with the biggest smile. I’m looking forward to reading her other novels.

(4/5)                          (3.5/5)

A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens– I’ve lost my Dickens virginity. It was fantastic.

Flygirl by Sherri L. Smith– I loved how we got a historical fiction story about a young black girl who wants to be a pilot. It’s a story that we don’t get to read about a lot. I really liked the main character’s voice and her determination. With that being said, I did think that the plot and side characters had a lot more potential and if that were true, I think this story could have been more nuanced but I really enjoyed it for what it was.

   (2/5)                         (3/5)

East of West Vol. 1 by Jonathan Hickman, Nick Dragotta, Frank Martin– This is a scifi western graphic novel and I was sorely disappointed. Convoluted plot, interesting-but-then-boring characters, inconsistent worldbuilding. I finished it and still didn’t know what was going on. Will not be continuing with this series.

The Opposite of Loneliness by Marina Keegan– Unfortunately, the author died before she could write anymore. I either feel she had the potential to be really pretentious or really insightful. I thought her fiction was ok but her nonfiction was fantastic; she just describes so accurately what it’s like to be a college student. Because of that, I do feel this book is best read if you’re in college, or about to go to college, or have just graduated from college.

(3/5)                          (3.5/5)

Magonia by Maria Dahvana Headley– The beginning reminds me a lot of The Fault in Our Stars especially the main character’s voice. It’s sick-lit that’s trying not to be about sick-lit essentially. I think this has one of the most unique, original worlds I’ve read about in fantasy. It has such a magical quality to it. Even though it is unique, I wish there was more development with it so I can fully grasp the world and I felt like the characters were more been-there-done-that archetypes but I’m looking forward to the sequel!

Darkfever by Karen Marie Moning-By no means, the most well-crafted novel I’ve ever read, what it is though, is fast-paced and addicting. It’s set in Dublin which I thought was really fascinating and I liked the learning about the Fae world. The main character reminded me a lot of Elle Woods from Legally Blonde which was endearing even though she thought catcalls were cute..hint: It’s not. Also, Jerricho Barrons is bae.

 (5/5)                        (3.5/5)

A Little Life by Hanya Yanigihara– Best book of this month. One of the best books of this year, in my opinion.

Conspiracy of Blood and Smoke by Anne Blankman– I linked my review to the first book but this was fast-paced and addicting sequel to The Prisoner of Night and Fog. The author really knows her WWII stuff and it continues to show. I thought this duology wrapped up really nicely at the end.

And that was my reading month! I hope you had an awesome reading month as well! Let me know what your favorite book of the month was or how your August went or what your dog did or any crazy adventures you had..Anything in August! =)