I’m not quite sure how, but August is over… literally what? I cannot believe that the universe made February, the worst month in the entire year, last six whole decades, and then August just went ✨poof✨ but I digress. Today we are going to go through all of the books I read this month, but I also thought I would add a more general life wrap up when I chat a bit about my favourites etc just because I really love that kind of content, so I thought we could maybe give that a go too. Without further ado lets get into my wrap up
What I Read…
A Sky Painted Gold by Laura Wood
★★★★☆
The first book I read this month was A Sky Painted Gold. This was first introduced to me as Gatsby meets the Gilmore Girls, and if that isn’t a sure fire way to get me to buy a book, I don’t know what is.
This book follows Lou, who lives in a village in Cornwall, over a summer where she gets swept into the world of the Cardews: a wealthy family who own a mansion and throw parties.
The vibe of this book was so enjoyable to me, I wouldn’t say it has a particularly solid plot, I’d say it was more focused on character, atmosphere and just ~the vibes~ but I actually quite enjoyed that.
I was also obsessed with all of the descriptions of the parties and outfits, and those descriptions can literally make or break a book for me. The only reason that this didn’t get five stars was literally just because I didn’t get the five star spark from it, but it is 100% still an incredible book.
★★☆☆☆.5
This was a bit of a random one, I listened to it on audio when I was getting the train to work.
This book follows two teens whose families own fast food stores, who then get into a Twitter war.
I’m not going to lie, I didn’t love the audiobook because the female narrator had a voice that just really grated on me (this was made worse because I hated the job I was at and so was in a bad mood when I listened to this). I also found that the book was just very aggressively meh, the characters were really thick at a lot of times, and the Twitter element of the book was so immature and annoying. The jokes all sounded like they were written by a boomer, which I guess is realistic considering how most of the American fast food chains behave on social media. One thing I did really enjoy was all the baking descriptions but yeah, overall nothing to write home about, I think I am well beyond over YA romances.
Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin
★★★★★
The next book I read was a bloody good one, it is one of my favourite books ever and I already have a separate review for it, but honestly just get it and read it, go in as blind as you can and don’t be put off if it seems like something that. you may not be interested in, I promise you will be sucked in.
Every Last Secret by A.R. Torre
★★★★☆
This book follows two married couples who live next to each other and are basically all insane people, I’m not sure how much of a better way there is to describe this to be honest.
I really enjoyed this book and I was very invested in all of the characters. I find it a little worrying that I had a very clear side that I was on and was very ready to justify a lot of psychotic behaviour. (I’m on team Cat btw, let me know what you think if you have read this!).
This was a gripping, dark and fun read and I definitely recommend.
Lock Every Door by Riley Sager
★★★☆☆.75
I have heard many a thing about Riley Sager, and this was my first book. I loved the whole premise of this book.
This book follows Jules, who gets a job apartment sitting at a prestigious building, but is subject to ominous rules and things ~shock horror~ start to go very wrong *dun dun duuuuuuun*
I have heard some people say that the whole reveal was unrealistic, and although I get this, I don’t think anything in any of these books ever are so I’m not going to judge this too harshly. I do however wish that this book decided whether or not it wanted to be paranormal, because I feel like a lot of time was spent dancing around the issue and it wasn’t really needed. This book also committed a cardinal sin in leaving some key characters stories just completely neglected which just pissed me off unfortunately.
So Happy for You by Celia Laskey
★★★★☆.75
The final book I read in August was So Happy for You by Celia Laskey, I gave this 4.75 stars because, though I couldn’t actually find anything that I didn’t like, it just lacked a five star spark for me. That being said, I loved this book and reading this book and it was nothing like I expected it to be. It follows a reluctant maid of honour to her bridezilla best friend in a society where insane wedding rituals have taken over.
This book was such a fun read and, slightly less fun, it didn’t seem too far off from where we are today. The insights on the wedding industry and on women were really amazing to read about. I didn’t feel like I was being educated, I just felt really entertained, but I learned a lot at the same time!
Other things I’ve been loving…
Listening…
First up is what I’ve been listening to! I, along with most of the rest of the world, have been listening to the new Beyonce album this month, which I have been obsessed with, my favourite songs are Cuff It and America Has A Problem, but the whole album is a ten for me. I have also been loving the song Malibu by Miley Cyrus, as I am getting ready to go on holiday, the tropical holiday vibe has been very prominent.
As for podcasts, I love listening to the Inside Anna’s Mind Podcast and the And So It Goes podcast, both just have really good vibes BUT I am looking to listen to more just funny podcasts, so if anyone has any suggestions please do let me know!
Watching…
As for watching, there has been one thing and one thing only that I care to watch since the end of Love Island, and that is one of my favourite shows ever, Masterchef Australia. I don’t like any other Masterchef, the Australian one just has this extra spice and it feels like such a production, like if any other Mastechef was Adventure Island, the Australian one is Disneyland, and there are literally like a thousand hour long episodes every season, so you feel like you’ve been watching it for years and it is perfect to have on in the background while you do adminy daily tasks.
Using…
As for products I have been using, I need to give a shoutout to matcha. I have been drinking matcha for a while, but I have recently completely cut out coffee, which made my anxiety go haywire and just had really crappy effects. I make my matcha with a teaspoon of powder, and some steamed milk with toffee flavouring (don’t knock it until you’ve tried it) and I LOVE it because I only really drank coffee for the sweet milk and now I have a perfect replacement and I don’t have a panic attack afterwards which BANGS.
Another product is my new Hydroflask, I have the 700 and something ml bottle and it is attached to me at all times and I am so hydrated it is unreal. I had a flask before but she got very old and beaten up, and was due for a replacement.
Doing…
As for things I’ve loved doing, I honestly have been sticking to my normal old daily routine, I love getting in a workout in the morning and then going about my day. One thing I have loved is planning out my meals, this has helped me save time thinking about what to eat, and has given me a chance to experiment with new recipes by actually planning them in.
So that is my August in review! I read a couple pretty good books this month and had fun with them and so I count that as a win. September will be my last month of very intensely reading lots before I start back at uni again so I look forward to telling you how much I manage to cram in then. Let me know how your month of reading has been and I look forward to talking next week ❤
Between the pages 