What We Read in August

August was another strong reading month for me - I finished 9 books which is about average for me! Yes, that is a lot of books, but I think I may be a faster-than-average reader and I read for at least an hour/day, but sometimes more! It was a excellent month of reading - 8/9 got 4-5 stars, only 1 got 3 stars (Cultish). 

My reads:

These 5 books were my absolute favorites of the month. True Biz (4 stars) is an owned voices book about a school for the deaf. I'd read this one in print because there are drawing of different ASL words/phrases that add to the reading experience. I did not realize that cochlear implants were controversial. This book really educated me on the deaf community while also entertaining me. Because it's focused on a HS, it can have a YA feel although it's not specifically written for a YA audience. Kaleidoscope (5 stars) would be a great companion read to Notes on Your Sudden Disappearance as it's another fiction novel about grief. Book Lovers (5 stars) was a delightful romance. I appreciated that the conflict in the novel was different than other romance novels I've read. The conflict in romance novels can stress me out, even though I know it will be resolved since romance novels end with a happily ever after. The conflict in this novel did not stress me out, though, and felt more relatable and not manufactured. Waiting for Eden (5 stars) was a slim novel that really packed a punch. It's about a soldier who was gravely injured in combat and just barely survives. It's narrated by a fellow soldier thta didn't survive the same battle; he's waiting for Eden to pass over to the afterlife. I don't know what they were thinking when they chose the cover, though. It does not convey the depth and difficultly of this story - it looks like the cover for a romance IMO. Lastly, Where Hope Comes From (5 stars) was a beautiful collection of poetry about loss and resilience. Giving 4 books 5 stars is not typical for me, but I have become more generous with 5-star ratings because why not? It's the best way to convey that I really loved a book. 

This last set of books were 4 stars with the exception of Cultish. Cultish was a little bit meh for me. I think the book could have been a long-form article instead of a book, though. It felt a bit wandering at times, and some of the "cultish" topics were kind of tangential. I guess that is why she chose Cultish for the title. The author does have an interesting backstory as her dad grew up in a cult but escaped as a teen. 

The boys' books:

The best book of August was this delightful book, A Mouthful of Minnow. A turtle goes hunting for some fish, but then a family of minnows, including their nana, swims into his mouth. What is he to do? I think I need to order this book for my parents lake home. My dad is a big fisher so I think he'd appreciate the story and the theme of the book is perfect for a home on a lake. I found out about this book through the Indiebound Kids List. If you have young readers, I HIGHLY recommend using this site. They post kid recs every other month and break them out by age. I always request every picture book from the library. Some are bigger hits than others, but it takes so little time to read a picture book that there isn't really any downside to reading something that we don't end up loving. I never would have found this book otherwise! They also do a monthly post for adults and I get great reading ideas from that, too!

We also really enjoyed this little book about the backstory of how the show "The Wild Kratts" came about. It talks about all the rejection the Kratt brothers faced before they found their home at PBS. And here's a fun fact - my colleague/mentor went to college with Chris Kratt! Paul is such a huge fan, I'd love to take him to a live Wild Kratts show sometime if one ever comes to the Twin Cities.

Last but not least, I am thrilled to say that Will is more into book lately. Phew. Picture me breathing a sigh of relief. I've been getting some board books for him at the library and he was obsessed with Mighty Moms. We read 4 books to him before bed every night and there were many nights when he read this book 4 times. When we finished he'd look at us and say, "mas." Who can say no to that? We also own the author's other book, Mighty Dads, which is very cute.  

Did you read anything great this month? Any