My Year In Books - Reading 50 books with Goodreads - August Edition
Follow along with me and discover my August Reads.
This year, I set out on an ambitious journey - to read 50 books. Considering I only made it through about 15 last year, this leap felt both daunting and exhilarating. But as I found my reading rhythm the challenge turned into an exciting adventure - pushing me to discover new genres, unique voices and challenging my perspective.
I probably should have kicked off this blog series back in January, but alas, I wasn't on Substack then. I’ll aim to put together a curated post at the end of the year, sharing everything I’ve read along with a little roundup. But for now, here’s what I read this August.
As always if you’ve read any of these novels I’d love to hear your thoughts and your rating in the comments below.
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Carmilla By Sheridan Le Fanu
In an isolated castle deep in the Austrian forest, Laura leads a solitary life with only her ailing father for company. Until one moonlit night, a horse-drawn carriage crashes into view, carrying an unexpected guest – the beautiful Carmilla. So begins a feverish friendship between Laura and her mysterious, entrancing companion.
But as Carmilla becomes increasingly strange and volatile, prone to eerie nocturnal wanderings, Laura finds herself tormented by nightmares and growing weaker by the day… Pre-dating Dracula by twenty-six years, Carmilla is the original vampire story, steeped in sexual tension and gothic romance.
My Thoughts
I thoroughly enjoyed this vampy tale—it had a haunting, atmospheric quality that reminded me of The Woman in Black. The language and prose masterfully built the tension and drama, making me feel as if I’d been transported back in time. The subtle sexual tension throughout the story felt surprisingly modern for its era, adding an extra layer of intrigue. It’s the perfect mini gothic romance, blending classic horror with a dash of obsession.
Rating: 4/5 stars
Interested in reading this book? Get your copy here
Come Close By Sara Gran
A recurrent, unidentifiable noise in her apartment. A memo to her boss that's replaced by obscene insults. Amanda - a successful architect in a happy marriage - finds her life going off kilter by degrees. She starts smoking again, and one night for no reason, without even the knowledge that she's doing it, she burns her husband with a cigarette. At night she dreams of a beautiful woman with pointed teeth on the shore of a blood-red sea.
The new voice in Amanda's head, the one that tells her to steal things and talk to strange men in bars, is strange and frightening, and Amanda struggles to wrest back control of her life. Is she possessed by a demon, or is she simply insane?
My Thoughts
What a strange little book! I devoured it in a day, but the story fell a bit flat for me. Many questions were left unanswered, which I believe was the author's intention, but it left the narrative feeling somewhat bland—I craved more detail and description to really immerse myself in the tension. The concept of the "is she possessed or just mad?" trope was intriguing, and the dream sequences were some of the most captivating moments. While the book didn't quite deliver the chills I was hoping for, I can easily see it making a perfect adaptation for a horror movie.
Rating: 3/5 stars
Interested in reading this book? Get your copy here
Bonded By Thorns By Elizabeth Helen
Four handsome fae princes. One awkward bookworm. An Enchanted Vale. A beastly curse to break.
Rosalina O’Connell lives her life in Orca Cove as quietly as she can.
When her father turns up missing, Rosie goes after him and finds herself in the Enchanted Vale, the land of the fae. Where her father has been imprisoned and Rosie has no choice but to make a deal with four fae Princes to take his place.
As Rosie begins to learn more about the four Princes, she discovers that they have been cursed. The Princes must take on the form of demonic wolves every night and with every year that passes, more of their magic fades away.
If the Princes can each find their mate, they will break their curse and free their realm. Rosie is determined to help them…
The only problem is, the more time she spends with the Princes, the more she’s convinced that she’s the one they’re all meant to be with.
A spicy Beauty and the Beast retelling filled with enchanted fae, morally grey characters, a stupidly hot villain and a Princess who has found her Prince Charming. All four of them.
My Thoughts
Okay, so I’m low key obsessed with this book series and have been raving to all my girlfriends about it. I’ve been looking for a book to fill the gaping ACOTAR hole and this novel was the remedy. The story starts off a little slow, but once you dive under the rose bush the story really takes flight. Full of beautiful descriptions of the fae world, imaginative twists on beloved fantasy characters, and a fresh spin on the classic Beauty & The Beast tale. And let’s not forget the spice—the romance definitely brings the heat and left me blushing.
Is it very similar to Sarah J. Maas’s A Court of Thorns & Roses - Yes. Do I care? - Not one bit!
Rating: 5/5 stars
Interested in reading this book? Get your copy here
Woven by Gold By Elizabeth Helen
A curse that must be broken. A human longing for home. Four yearning fae princes. A villain in the shadows.
Rosalina O’Connell has been exiled from the fae realm and sent back to Orca Cove, against her wishes. But nothing will stop her from returning to her true home.
When Rosie manages to tap into the magic of Castletree, and make contact with Prince Ezryn of the Spring Realm, she begs him to rescue her.
But when Rosie returns to the Enchanted Vale, she and the princes discover that there is a frost attacking the Autumn Realm. If Rosie can’t figure out how to stop it, war will be declared in the Enchanted Vale.
Can Rosie unearth the magic inside herself and save her princes and the Autumn realm?
The second book in the Beasts of the Briar series, a spicy Beauty and the Beast retelling filled with morally grey characters.
My Thoughts
If I thought I loved the first book in this series, this one completely stole my heart. Woven by Gold takes the story to new depths, with a slower build that lets us really dive into the characters’ inner worlds and their evolving relationships with Rosaline.
There’s a moment that had me laughing out loud, and I adore how the authors manage to keep things light and fun without taking themselves too seriously. If you’re into fantasy novels, fae, and a good dose of spicy romance, this book will definitely tick all your boxes.
Rating: 5/5 stars
Interested in reading this book? Get your copy here
Sea Of Tranquility By Emily St. John Mandel
A novel of art, time travel, love, and plague that takes the reader from Vancouver Island in 1912 to a dark colony on the moon five hundred years later, unfurling a story of humanity across centuries and space.
Edwin St. Andrew is eighteen years old when he crosses the Atlantic by steamship, exiled from polite society following an ill-conceived diatribe at a dinner party. He enters the forest, spellbound by the beauty of the Canadian wilderness, and suddenly hears the notes of a violin echoing in an airship terminal--an experience that shocks him to his core.
Two centuries later a famous writer named Olive Llewellyn is on a book tour. She's traveling all over Earth, but her home is the second moon colony, a place of white stone, spired towers, and artificial beauty. Within the text of Olive's best-selling pandemic novel lies a strange passage: a man plays his violin for change in the echoing corridor of an airship terminal as the trees of a forest rise around him.
When Gaspery-Jacques Roberts, a detective in the black-skied Night City, is hired to investigate an anomaly in the North American wilderness, he uncovers a series of lives upended: The exiled son of an earl driven to madness, a writer trapped far from home as a pandemic ravages Earth, and a childhood friend from the Night City who, like Gaspery himself, has glimpsed the chance to do something extraordinary that will disrupt the timeline of the universe.
My Thoughts
Sea of Tranquility has a beautiful premise and a lot of potential, but unfortunately, it just didn't land for me. While the writing is undeniably lyrical, the plot felt disjointed and failed to come together in a satisfying way. The book jumps between timelines and characters, but instead of feeling interconnected, it left me feeling lost and disengaged. I found myself struggling to care about the characters or their fates.
There were moments where the narrative showed promise, particularly in the exploration of time and reality, but these threads never fully developed. The book’s philosophical musings seemed heavy-handed at times, making the story feel more like a vehicle for ideas rather than a compelling narrative on its own.
Unfortunately, this novel left me more frustrated than intrigued.
Rating: 2/5 stars
Interested in reading this book? Get your copy here
Wrong About Japan By Peter Carey
In a stunning memoir-cum-travelogue Peter Carey charts this journey, inspired by Charley's passion for Japanese Manga and anime, and explores his own resulting re-evaluation of Japan. In 2002 Peter Carey travelled to Japan, accompanied by his twelve-year-old son, Charley, who stipulated no temples or museums - just manga, anime and cool stuff. What follows is the funny, honest and moving story of a father and son thousands of miles away from home, and a unique exploration of two very different cultures.
Led by their adolescent guide Takashi, an uncanny mix of generosity and derision, father and son look for the hidden puzzles and meanings, searching, often with comic results, for a greater understanding of these art forms, and for what they come to refer to as their own 'real Japan'. From Manhattan to Tokyo, Commodore Perry to Godzilla, kabuki theatre to the post-war robot craze, Wrong about Japan is a fascinatingly personal, witty and moving exploration of two very different cultures.
My Thoughts
Wrong About Japan by Peter Carey was a major disappointment for me. As a fan of both Japanese culture and travel literature, I was excited to dive into this book, but it fell flat on nearly every level. Carey's attempt to explore Japan through the lens of manga and anime comes off as shallow and uninformed. His observations feel more like the surface-level musings of a tourist rather than the thoughtful insights of an experienced writer.
The book is riddled with stereotypes and misunderstandings, and Carey's lack of genuine curiosity about the culture is evident throughout. His interactions with his son, who accompanies him on the trip, are awkward and add little to the narrative. The most frustrating part is that Carey seems uninterested in truly engaging with the country or its people. Instead, he clings to his preconceived notions and uses Japan as a backdrop for his own reflections, which come off as condescending and dismissive.
Overall, Wrong About Japan was a frustrating and unsatisfying read. It lacked the depth and respect that a subject as rich as Japanese culture deserves. I wouldn’t recommend this book to anyone looking for meaningful insights into Japan.
Rating: 1/5 stars
Interested in reading this book? Get your copy here
My Murder By Katie Williams
What if the murder you had to solve was your own?
Lou is a happily married mother of an adorable toddler. She's also the victim of a local serial killer. Recently brought back to life and returned to her grieving family by a government project, she is grateful for this second chance. But as the new Lou re-adapts to her old routines, and as she bonds with other female victims, she realizes that disturbing questions remain about what exactly preceded her death and how much she can really trust those around her.
Now it's not enough to care for her child, love her husband, and work the job she's always enjoyed--she must also figure out the circumstances of her death. Darkly comic, tautly paced, and full of surprises, My Murder is a devour-in-one-sitting, clever twist on the classic thriller.
My Thoughts
My Murder by Katie Williams is a fresh and intriguing take on the murder mystery genre that kept me hooked from start to finish. The novel is set in a near-future world where cloning technology allows murder victims to be brought back to life, and it follows the story of Lou, a woman who is resurrected after her own murder. The premise alone is fascinating, and Williams does an excellent job of exploring the ethical and emotional complexities that come with it.
The novel’s exploration of identity, memory, and the idea of self is handled with nuance and sensitivity, making it much more than just a straightforward thriller. Williams’ writing is sharp and engaging, with just the right balance of tension and introspection. The narrative moves at a brisk pace, and the twists and turns kept me guessing until the very end. The characters are well-drawn and relatable, particularly Lou, whose voice is both vulnerable and resilient.
My Murder is a compelling and inventive read that offers a fresh perspective on both the mystery genre and the concept of life after death.
Rating: 4/5 stars
Interested in reading this book? Get your copy here
None Of This Is True By Lisa Jewell
Celebrating her 45th birthday at her local pub, podcaster Alix Summer crosses paths with an unassuming woman called Josie Fair. Josie is also celebrating her 45th.
A few days later, they bump into each other again, this time outside Alix's children's school. Josie says she thinks she would be an interesting subject for Alix's podcast. She is, she tells Alix, on the cusp of great changes in her life.
Alix agrees to a trial interview and indeed, Josie's life appears to be strange and complicated. Alix finds her unsettling but can't quite resist the temptation to keep digging.
Slowly Alix starts to realise that Josie has been hiding some very dark secrets, and before she knows it Josie has cajoled her way into Alix's life - and into her home.
Soon Alix begins to wonder who is Josie Fair really? And what has she done?
My Thoughts
None of This Is True by Lisa Jewell is a psychological thriller that hooks you with its intriguing premise but doesn’t fully deliver the punch you might expect. Jewell crafts a story that is undeniably suspenseful, with enough twists and turns to keep you guessing, but the overall execution feels uneven.
The novel centers around two women whose lives become entangled in unsettling ways. As their stories unfold, the lines between truth and lies blur, creating an atmosphere of growing tension. Jewell’s talent for creating complex, flawed characters shines through, and you can’t help but be drawn into their tangled web of secrets.
However, while the setup is compelling, the pacing can be a bit uneven, with some parts feeling slow or drawn out. The suspense builds nicely, but the climax doesn’t quite pack the expected punch, leaving some loose ends and unanswered questions.
Additionally, the characters, while well-drawn, can be difficult to connect with on a deeper level. Their motivations and actions sometimes feel inconsistent, which can pull you out of the story at times.
Overall, None of This Is True is a decent thriller with its share of twists, but it might not leave a lasting impression. I found myself a bit underwhelmed, especially after hearing such high praise from friends and reading rave reviews online. Having just finished the intriguing My Murder by Katie Williams, this book felt a bit lacking in prose and detail by comparison.
Rating: 3/5 stars
Interested in reading this book? Get your copy here
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