📚 Second Sundays - August 2024

Happy August and the last month of Summer peeps! Who else is ready for fall and the drop in temperatures? 🙋‍♀️

I'm happy to report that the reading slump finally ebbed and I was able to read quite a few books last month. 😁 So without any ado at all, let's get into it!

☕📚 August Book Club Pick 📚☕

For beginners, the Cup of Tea Book Club is reading this looker! 😍 The Night Ends with Fire by K.X. Song is a Ballad of Hua Mulan retelling with a Romantasy twist, and just flipping through this book, aside from the gorgeous design and artwork, I noticed excerpts from ancient Chinese texts at the beginning of every chapter. I usually don't choose hardcover for the book club because of the expense, and I'm usually apprehensive about Romantasy books, but lately some really interesting plots have been coming out and I was so sold the moment I saw this one - I think the book club will be too. 😉

☕📚 Books I Read in July 📚☕

The Color of Magic by Terry Pratchett was a good read. I'll admit I was confused for a lot of it, but I became invested enough that I want to read more Discworld books. The ending of this one was especially narly - without spoilers it ends on a cliffhanger. It read a bit more like a collection of consecutive short stories than one book divided into chapters, and once I saw it that way the book was easier to get through. It's a definite re-read for sure, and I'd encourage fantasy fans to at least give it a try.

I see now why this one is a classic. The Alchemist by Paolo Coelho kept my attention and succeeded in dragging me out my reading slump. Probably in no small part because the story was short, but I was invested in the main character Santiago and I enjoyed his journey to find his treasure and the side characters that helped or hindered him along the way. The writing was immersive and put me on a stories-based in/on Africa kick (as you'll see below). One of the best compliments I can give to a story is that it made me want to stay in that groove and find more like it. Not a new favorite per se, but I can definitely see me re-reading this one when I need a short story that I know I'll enjoy. I'll admit the philosophical lessons didn't hit with me as hard as those in the Monk and Robot books, but it may be because I read those first and that is a very high bar for another book to meet because those went straight to my favorites list. Overall, it's a classic for a reason, and absolutely worth the read.

I'm having really good luck with novellas this year and these two are no different. I'm grouping them together not just because they're part of a series (though they take place hundreds of years apart) but I see no way where you can read just one and stop. I'm anxiously waiting for the third! But in the meantime, these two wrap up nice enough to be able to endure the wait.

The Lies of the Ajungo follows a young boy on his quest to find water for his people. It was complex, heart-wrenching, and full of beautiful world-building. As I mentioned, The Truth of the Aleke takes place centuries later, and shows the effects the events in the first book have had upon the world. It follows a second boy and his own quest, but more for himself, and includes more of the complex characters and immersive world-building of the first. Both of these books had multiple twists that I did not see coming at all which is hard to catch me on because I'm pretty good at reading signs. These go right to the top alongside the Monk and Robot novellas. Seriously - read these!!

Masquerade by O.O. Sangoyomi is a perfect in-between book of the last ones in the sense that it's a blend of historical-fiction and fantasy. It's set in 15th century West Africa with elements from the myth of Persephone and Hades. Let me tell you - this was another one with plot twists that I almost did not see coming. I only predicted the ending about a chapter before it happened, and I still could not believe what I was reading when it happened! It follows a woman blacksmith who is stolen away from her life by the ruler of the land, and follows her as she tries to find her place in this new life. I stayed up late into the night TWICE reading this one. Again - immersive world-building, complex characters and a unique "retelling" quality. I don't think you'll be disappointed if you grab this one too.

📚 July Book Haul 📚

This month was an almost half-and-half blend of fiction and non-fiction. In addition to a reading slump, I've been going through a pretty rough creative burnout, and some of these practically just fell into my lap as though the Universe was saying here, let me help you, in the most gentle way.

From top to bottom:

• The Light Fantastic by Terry Pratchett - this is the second of the Wizard novels and I think also the second book in publishing order for the Discworld series. I gotta know how the plot moves on from that cliffhanger at the end of Color of Magic!

• Goblin Mode by McKayla Coyle - this was one of the creative slump books and was recommended by a friend - goblin-core seems to be a rising thing and I'm totally here for it.

• Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert - another creative slump book. This one has actually been on my tbr for a couple of years - ever since I finished Eat, Pray, Love. I kept meaning to pick it up and never got around to it, but a few weeks ago it found it's way directly into my hands. Eat, Pray, Love really resonated with me, and something tells me this one will too.

• Don't Let the Forest In ARC by CG Drews - so I was actually following this author on Instagram for their fun writerly memes and they've been sharing a lot about their book, so when I saw the ARC at work, I decided, why not! It's a YA I think and sounds creepy in a cool way if that makes sense. I mean, a boy draws monsters and they come alive and go live in the woods. 👀 Could be a good October read! It comes out at the end of October but it would still count.

• The Spellshop by Sarah Beth Durst - cozy fantasy books are on the rise and I am so here for it. It's about a young librarian and her sentient spider plant - and seeing as I just got my own spider plant (I named it Harold) how could I pass this up?

• Writing on Empty by Natalie Goldberg - the last creative slump book on the list. I vaguely remember reading Writing Down the Bones almost 20 years ago, but this one spoke to me because it's more autobiographical and it's about exactly what I'm struggling with right now.

• The Night Ends with Fire by K.X. Song - the book club pick! Almost no lag time for this one on the shelf. 😉