Love of Reading: August 2017

Hi guys! I’m sitting in disbelief as I realize today is the first day of September. I do enjoy the fall, however, living in Northwestern Ontario, the fall is also a reminder of what is next. The dreaded and always way too long winter season. But, at least we usually get another blast of “summer” weather in September so even though it looks chilly outside today, I’m optimistic for a few more nice weekends. August was another reading-heavy month as I’ve spent a lot of time reading in the sunshine. I read four great books this month so lets check them out!

This month I’ve decided to quote their synopsis from the Chapters/Indigo website as I’m always worried I’ll spoil something and really, they summarize it way better than I can. Summaries were never my strong point.

The Wonder by Emma Donoghue

Emma Donoghue takes the reader back to 1850s Ireland, where a village is baffled by Anna O’Donnell’s fast. The little girl appears to be thriving after months without food, and the story of this “wonder” has reached fever pitch. Tourists flock to the O’Donnell family’s cabin, and an international journalist is sent to cover the sensational story. Enter Lib, an English nurse trained by Florence Nightingale, who is hired to keep watch for two weeks and determine whether or not Anna is a fraud. Source

Written by the same author as The Room, which I thoroughly enjoyed last summer, I was quite intrigued by how different this book sounded in comparison. Well I do admit it was a slow read a the start, by the end I couldn’t put this book down and highly recommend it.

Word Count: 99,200

Local Girl Missing by Claire Douglas

A shocking story of love and violence, and the intoxication of female friendship, Local Girl Missing is a ripped-from-the-headlines thriller about a young woman whose disappearance shakes the foundation of her small seaport hometown. Source

I do love a good psychological thriller so I had to pick up this book when I saw it. I really, thoroughly enjoyed it and was honestly quite surprised at the ending. If you enjoy psychological thrillers, I’d suggest giving this one a try.

Word Count: 109,120

Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher

Clay Jensen returns home from school to find a strange package with his name on it lying on his porch. Inside he discovers several cassette tapes recorded by Hannah Baker—his classmate and crush—who committed suicide two weeks earlier. Hannah’s voice tells him that there are thirteen reasons why she decided to end her life. Clay is one of them. If he listens, he’ll find out why. Source

After enjoying the Netflix series I decided to pick up the book to see how it compared. Since the Netflix series was a show instead of a movie they’ve actually added quite a bit to the story. Anyhow, I did enjoy the book and felt it read very similarly to the show’s tone.

Word Count: 89,280

The Best Kind of People by Zoe Whittall

George Woodbury, an affable teacher and beloved husband and father, is arrested for sexual impropriety at a prestigious prep school. His wife, Joan, vaults between denial and rage as the community she loved turns on her. Their daughter, Sadie, a popular over-achieving high school senior, becomes a social pariah. Their son, Andrew, assists in his father’s defense, while wrestling with his own unhappy memories of his teen years…With George locked up, how do the members of his family pick up the pieces and keep living their lives? How do they defend someone they love while wrestling with the possibility of his guilt? Source

Another book I got pretty hooked on this past month. I can’t tell you how many times I stayed up too late reading this book. I really enjoyed this book and how it took you through multiple different points of view as the story unfolds.

Word Count: 131,440

Total Read in August: 429,040

Goal Progress

The pink represents the goal for each month(s) and the purple is what I actually read. The final column shows my progress compared to where I should be with my yearly goal (reading 240,000 words per month). I’m nearly caught up to where I should be to meet my goal! Thank you summer reading!!

Have you read anything great lately? Let me know in the comments down below! I purchased a few commenter’s suggestions from last month so I’ll be reading those soon! If you’re looking for more reading suggestions be sure to check out my previous Love of Reading posts!

xoxo,

Robyn