August 2022 Book Review

I read 9 books this month bringing my total for the year to 84. For the first time I years I have a book I DNF, I usually try to power through but this one just wasn't worth it. I also read 4 books written by male authors - that has to be a monthly high for me, ha. 

In some ways this was a pretty typical month for me - a mix of historical fiction, rom-coms, nonfiction, but I also think it was pretty diverse too - male authors, more nonfiction than normal, even a physical book! My average rating for the month was 4.0 - also not surprising for me {my average for the year is 3.9}, but I only had one book I absolutely LOVED this month.

Yours Cheerfully by A.J. Pearce - I read Dear Mrs. Bird 4 years ago and didn't realize it was going to be a series. I liked it but didn't love it and was curious how I'd feel about a 2nd book. Well, this one was even better! It's a really sold WW2 novel with lovely characters - great friendships, a good love story, an interesting plotline at work...just really good!

Circling Back to You by Julie Tieu - This should have been a perfect fit for me - co-workers to lovers, but it just wasn't. I thought the main female lead was annoying and really bugged me and I just couldn't get past it.

The Ex Talk by Rachel Lynn Solomon - HOWEVER, this co-workers/enemies to lovers stories {with a fake dating trope} was just about perfect! The quote on the front 'an absolute delight' really nailed it!

Thank You For Listening by Julia Whelan - HOLY AMAZINGNESS! This was my five-star review of the month and will be a top book of the year NO DOUBT. I read My Oxford Year at the end of 2020, and it's still on my Goodreads bookshelf of 'Favorites'. And this goes right up there with it. I don't even know how to describe it without oversharing, but it was literally literary perfection. I laughed, I teared up, I rooted for these characters, I had every emotion. I never wanted it to end and will be jealous of anyone reading it for the first time to have this story ahead of them. LOVED IT.

The Body: A Guide for Occupants by Bill Bryson - This was our Blog Friend Book Club selection of the month, and it was super interesting. Each chapter followed a different part of the body and gave you fun facts about it or interesting stories {like a man who fell literally miles from an airplane during WW2 and survived!}. I told stories from this book for weeks! I'm really curious to read more by this author. And this is one of the reasons I LOVE being in a book club {okay, 4 book clubs} - I never would have read this book on my own but ended up learning from it and really enjoying it.

The Storyteller: Tales of Life and Music by Dave Grohl [audiobook] - I'm not a huge Dave Grohl fan but not not a fan. I always thought what I knew of his story sounded really interesting and he's obviously super talented, so I thought I'd give this a listen. {Continuing my trend of listening to celebrity memoirs} And it was really good! Dave Grohl seems like a great person, friend, husband, son - not perfect but someone who wants to be the best version of himself that he can be. I finished the book with a lot of respect for him and enjoyed his stories along the way.

Twelve Mighty Orphans by Jim Dent - I randomly found this book at my parents' house and wanted to check it out - a nonfiction story set in my beloved Texas about orphans playing football during the Depression - sign me up! I knew nothing about the story of this orphanage or its incredible run of football greatness and thoroughly enjoyed it. It was made into a movie a year or so ago and now I want to watch it!

A Dance with Dragons by George R.R. Martin [audiobook] - This was the oldest book on my Goodreads TBR, and I decided to follow Emily's lead and either read these books or get them off my list. I enjoyed the first 4 books in the Game of Thrones series but lost momentum to read the 5th book because it's been 11 years and there is no 6th book in sight. I'm really glad I picked this back up BUT I'm also really glad I listened to it. It was over 1,000 pages and would have been 45 hours of listening had I listened at regular speed {grin}. It was LONG but sheesh GRRM has created a world that is so believable and so rich in detail and character development - I fell in love with the series all over again!

Love on the Brain by Ali Hazelwood - I finished the month with a book by Ali Hazelwood, who is quickly becoming a favorite rom com writer for me! There wasn't anything particularly special about this plot, but I ate it up! I love the characters she creates and I love reading how their stories play out. Super fun, and I just enjoy them so much!

Now onto my first DNF in YEARS!

My former boss recommended this series...and I just couldn't get into the first book. I had to motivate myself to open it up and I couldn't work up the energy to care about the characters or the murder being solved. Anyone ever read this?