It's the middle of August and I'm only just sitting down (at 2 in the morning) to write my August reads post. It has been a hella busy month so far. The kids started school on Monday and the week before that was preparation for school and moving my mother to a new house etc etc etc. I am wide awake though so lets bust this post out while I can!
The Goose Girl (Shannon Hale)- Not wanting to give too much away about this I'll just say it's a fairy tale retelling about a young princess with the gift of animal speak. It was a beautiful story. My favorite retelling I've ever read. I found out after I'd read this that there are more books! It's a series! That is the best news I've had all year.
Ingo (Helen Dunmore)- Sapphy's father, a man notorious for his love of the ocean, mysteriously disappears off the coast of the family home. Sapphy begins to feel a pull to the ocean and when she notices her brother going missing for hours at a time she starts to realize she is not the only one. I wanted more mermaid stories in my life and this caught my eye. It was an interesting read. I gave it 3/5 stars on Goodreads. Good bones and a surprising ending but the character development and the relationships felt a little off for me personally. I might continue on with the series. I'm curious to see how it progresses.
Of Poseidon (Anna Banks)- Galen and Emma have an obvious connection from their very first meeting. Galen knows something about her that Emma hasn't realized yet and it's his mission to set her on the right path and protect her in the meantime. I thought this would be more lighthearted than it was. Be warned, it gets pretty heavy very early on. There were some good parts and not so good parts. The good- mermaids and mermaid lore, interesting plot idea, swoon worthy cover, great characters. The bad- very Twilight-ish romance and insta-love. It's a good fluffy read if you're looking for a fun beach book.
The House of Hades (Rick Riordan)- I keep saying the most recent Percy Jackson book is my favorite but this one is REALLY my favorite. I enjoyed it so much. The character growth is so great in these books. A pro of characters growing up in the books. The relationships get even stronger, the story gets more interesting and harrowing, there are really awesome new monster characters introduced/reintroduced and more adventure than you know what to do with. Love love love. Gush gush gush. Sad that the series is nearly over for us.
Serafina and the Black Cloak (Robert Beatty)- Set in the Biltmore estate, Serafina has lived her entire life hiding in the basement of the estate where her Pa works. But when children start vanishing in the night Serafina is the only person who knows who the terrifying culprit is- the main in the black cloak. She sets out to uncover the mans identity and save the children. This was a slow build for me but when it finally got to the adventurous parts it took off. It was wonderful and spooky and uplifting. Definitely a book that the kids would love. Something fun to reach for come October, maybe.
The Ocean at the End of the Lane (Neil Gaiman)- Adults
are content to walk the same way, hundreds of times, or thousands;
perhaps it never occurs to adults to step off the paths, to creep
beneath rhododendrons, to find the spaces between fences. I finished this book weeks ago and I am still thinking about it and already wanting to read it again. It is beautifully nostalgic. It was short and scary and held such a feeling of childhood in its pages and when I finished I felt this sad heaviness in my chest because I knew something beautiful had ended. I will own this book and I will buy it for my friends and family. It was a very good book.
A Monster Calls (Patrick Ness)- I don't want to say anything about the plot. I feel like the less you know the better it is. I implore you to read this before the movie comes out. I honestly don't think a movie will do the feelings of this book justice. I finished this book in one sitting. At 2 in the morning I turned the last page and read it and then I stayed up another hour thinking about it and sitting with it and crying over it and enjoying the fact that a book like this exists. The illustrations were stunning. The words on the pages took my breath away. I immediately purchased a copy of it. Read this book.
Of Triton (Anna Banks)- In the interest of not giving away anything about the first book of this trilogy I won't mention the plot. I will say that the romance got a little better for me. Less overbearing. I enjoyed this book more than the first. Another very good fluffy read if you're looking for a fun mermaid story. Definitely read the first book first or you will be all sorts of lost.
And that's a wrap on July. So far August has one very good book finished and a handful of graphic novels done and dusted. I hope wherever you are you have a good book for company. Happy reading, friends.
