Books I Read in August 2022

I made a bold choice in the beginning of the month and jointed NetGalley, which is a website that gives you access to yet-to-be-published books. Did I need to with a TBR that is easily over 50 physical books? Absolutely not. But, did most of the ARCs (advanced reader copies) I got approved for and read bring me immense joy? YES. Although I left three books in the dust and have yet to finish my book club's July-August pick, I really loved I think three of the four ARCs I read. This month was mostly a good reading month with only two books that I thought I could have done without reading.

Here are the reviews! Happy September. As we transition into autumn, I wish everyone a pleasant wrap on summer. Take care of yourselves. Read good books, spend time with people who bring you happiness, and you know. Be good people to other people and the planet too.

The Blouse by Bastien Vives, Fabrice Sapolsky (Translator)

Rating: ⭐️

Shelves: ARCs, Graphic Novels

Review: The Blouse follows Séverine, a student at the Sorbonne in Paris. She lives a pretty normal life, going through it with little notice from other people (including her apathetic boyfriend). When she happens upon a silk blouse, she notices that the male gaze is intensified toward her leading her down a path of sexually explicit, vulgar affairs. While it empowers her to leave her boyfriend, I find little other redeeming qualities in this story.

The description touts this as being sensual and empowering. I found it to be jarring and crude. Women, who walk through their lives being sexually harassed every day and deal with unwanted sexual advances from men more often than not, don't need to be reminded of that. But that's what this graphic novel does. It also throws in an unnecessary terrorist attack when any number of other things could have happened instead. And the ending isn't redeeming to Séverine. She hadn't made any progress or developed in a positive way (and I understand that that's sometimes the point of a story). I had just hoped we'd see more of a resolution at the end. Instead, I was left with a disappointing ending from an overall disappointing story.

This title published on August 30, 2022. Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

My Nemesis by Charmaine Craig

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

Shelves: ARCs, All-Time Favorites, Modern Literature

Review: My Nemesis by Charmaine Craig. Wow. A cerebral read from start to finish.

Tessa, our main character, and the sole person whose perspective we read from, is a wildly uncompassionate, pretentious, egocentric writer who holds her own ways of thinking in a higher regard than she does other people and their experiences. She is self-important while also seeking intellectual validation from Charlie, a philosopher and scholar from Los Angeles. Tessa is all at once infuriating and fascinating.

Their relationship is so familiar yet so bizarre to read from the outside. It's an intellectual affair where these two people connect deeply with each other's minds (buckle in for frequent Camus/Sisyphus and Nietzsche references--the only reason I docked it a 1/2 star), but Tessa is in constant competition with Charlie's wife, Wah. Wah represents the exact opposite of the values that Tessa holds as a self-proclaimed feminist, writer, mother, and scholar. Tessa is independent, career-focused, and detached from her adult daughter. She holds herself to the standards that society usually reserved for men, and she shuns any labels that societal patriarchy has placed on her. Meanwhile, Wah embraces her role as a subservient wife and mother.

This book was so intriguing to read. I loved the discussion of masculinity, womanhood, motherhood, and feminism. I loved the tension that was created between Tessa and Wah, and then Tessa and pretty much everyone else in her life that she drives away or holds at arms' length with her constant need to impress others with her intellect. It was relatable and captivating. My Nemesis won't be a book for everyone, but I really enjoyed this, and I look forward to purchasing it when it releases!

This title will be published on February 7, 2023. Thank you to Netgalley, Grove Atlantic/Grove Press, and Charmaine Craig for the advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

Shelves: Beach Reads, Chick Lit, Romance

Review: This was really cute, definitely a romance that doesn't require a lot of thinking. I enjoyed the fake dating trope, and its setting in academia. It honestly made me miss those days of working toward a post-grad degree and all those terrible and wonderful feelings. I enjoyed getting to know Olive.

But I wish the author would have given Adam a little bit more personality and character. If Olive hadn't "accidentally" kissed HIM in the hallway rather than another random person, would any of this story even happened?? Just a vanilla dude who was described as some version of tall way too often (I recently bashed The Road Trip by Beth O'Leary for constantly telling the reader how small that FMC was, and I feel like it's only fair to critique that for this book's MMC. It was too much and too often.). Those were really only the things, beside the useless dialogue in some parts, that drove me crazy in this.

The smut was kept to two chapters (plus the bonus chapter), and it was smutty for me. I didn't mind it, which is good for me as smut usually just makes me feel weird. So yeah, not bad for how hyped it was all over the internet. About normal for what I expect these kinds of books to be!

Spells for Forgetting by Adrienne Young

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

Shelves: ARCs, Favorites, Modern Literature, Mystery

Review: Emery Blackwood and August Salt grew up loving each other. The night before they were planning to leave the small, tight-knit island they grew up on, a fire ravaged the island's main source of financial stability and Lily, their friend, turned up dead. The blame is put on August, and when he suddenly leaves, the PNW-set island and its community are left to stitch up the wounds. When August returns 14 years later, it was as if that horrid memory is wrenched open once again.

This is my first Adrienne Young book and I have to say that I am pleasantly surprised. Spells for Forgetting is a perfect book for Fall. Young is so talented at writing atmospherically and painting a rich picture of the setting with good characterization and multiple POVs. This is a slow burn, heavy with detail and descriptions, that somewhat reminded me of A History of Wild Places by Shea Ernshaw (except I liked this story a lot better). This story is steeped with family ties, small town bonds, and ancient magic. I don't read many mysteries, so I was along for the ride and didn't really try to figure out the twists. It was a book I didn't want to finish but couldn't wait to read what happened.

I thoroughly enjoyed and highly recommend if you're looking for an autumn-set, rainy book for when the leaves start to change and the days get shorter. This title publishes September 27, 2022. Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine/Delacorte Press for the advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Light Pirate by Lily Brooks-Dalton

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

Shelves: All-Time Favorites, ARCs, Dystopian, Environmental, LGBTQIA, Modern Literature

Review: The Light Pirate follows the Lowe family as Florida sinks into ruin due to the lasting effects of climate change. During one devastatingly brutal hurricane, a child is born and named after it. Wanda grows up with a special gift that begins a change with her generation as they fight to survive the dying world they know.

This tale consistently deals with loss as it imagines a world that no longer tolerates the abuses humanity has consistently given it and unleashes its fury. I thought the characters were written well, and this new dystopian environment written very believably/realistically. The pacing of this novel was good, I only wish Wanda and her gift would have been used a bit more or fleshed out in more detail. For the book being named after her and this gift, it was more subdued and not as significant as I expected it to be. the LGBTQIA+ romance/plotline also felt like it was thrown in gratuitously although I understand that the point of this is a tale of survival.

Otherwise, a beautifully told story and one I will be thinking about for a very long time afterward. This is definitely a more realistic dystopian novel that I think blends what's good about Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler with climate change, another major concern our generation is facing. I would recommend if the storyline sounds even remotely appealing to you!

This was an advanced reader copy provided for an honest review. This title publishes December 6, 2022. Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group.

Out of the Blue by Jason June

Rating: ⭐️⭐️.5

Shelves: Beach Reads, Romance, Young Adult

Review: I could feel Jason June's joy throughout this book, and if you follow him on social media, he is just an absolute ray of sunshine. There were a lot of pop culture references, jokes, and lightheartedness throughout. The overall message of finding out who you are and figuring out how to be a good person, and then sticking with that, I think are great things for teens and young adults to read about.

I feel like I was the wrong audience for this. Sometimes YA feels like it can be read by everyone, but that wasn't the case for this book for me. It was also very sexualized, which made me a little uncomfortable because these are queer high school-aged kids and I'm a straight woman in my thirties, lol. I thought the language around consent and sexuality in general was refreshing though!

Overall, a cute concept and a creative story that I hope will resonate with a lot of teens and young adults! So, a 2.5 for me, but I think a higher rating for the right audiences! :)

Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

Shelves: All-Time Favorites, Modern Literature

Review: While this book is about two people who come together over their shared love of video games and then go on to make their life out of the creation of worlds and characters, I was more taken by the broader story of the ebbs and flows of relationships over time and what it's like to work as a creative with other creatives.

For the first third of the book, I was pretty convinced I wouldn't like any of these characters and wasn't sure how I would feel about the story. There were unnecessarily long or rarely used words that I had to look up. The characters did and said things that really made me wonder if I would enjoy where it was going at all. But, the more I read, the more I saw myself and people I know/knew in these characters. It's coming-of-age, it's coming-into-adulthood, coming into one's self, finding out how to manage (or mismanage) relationships with people who know you best in the very high highs and very low lows of life. By the end of the book, I was a mess of emotions because this story touched me in relatable ways. This book is for the people who have others in their lives who *see* them and push them, even when it's hard and infuriating. And the comfort and range of emotions it dredged up in me were unexpected.

Of course, this book won't be for everyone. No book is. But it certainly was one for me. Thoroughly enjoyed.

One Italian Summer by Rebecca Serle

Rating: ⭐️⭐️.5

Shelves: Beach Reads, Chick Lit, Romance

Review: **This review contains spoilers** While the sentimentality and overall message of finding your voice and self-empowerment were nice, overall this book was not one that I enjoyed. It was a quick read, but I found myself disliking the main character, Katy, and was frustrated with her most of the book.

The story deals heavily with Katy and her grieving over her mother's death, but her spiral puts those who love her through trials they don't really deserve because she isn't handling her loss well. In addition, the weird romance plot that ends up not really mattering or counting? made me dislike Katy even more because she didn't have to account for her actions due to time travel? I'm not really sure, but the take on marriage and commitment in this was a little weird to me. Like, SPOILER, it took her having an affair with someone in the past for her to realize that she loved her husband, who was always committed to her and just trying to be supportive for her even though he was also devastated over this loss?

Overall not a book I would read again. I figured this would probably be more of a beach read and not necessarily a story I would walk away thinking about after I read it. Turns out, my premonitions were correct.

The Lager Queen of Minnesota by J. Stradal, Judity Ivey (Narrator)

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

Shelves: Audiobook, Modern Literature

Review: I wasn't a big fan of the narration style of this audiobook, so it took me a while to get involved in the story. However, once the making of craft beer and breweries that I've visited or have followed for a while were mentioned, I was IN IT.

I really appreciated that this multi-generational story was centered on women in the beer industry. I like that it discussed what poverty can look like, that the family trauma and dysfunction felt familiar and believable, and that, even though this was a story involving very high highs and equally low lows, it held an optimism throughout the entire story. Plus, grandmas brewing beer?? Yes, always!

Even though it took me nearly half of the book to get into the story and start rooting for most of the characters, I'm glad I stuck with it. A wholesome story about family, loving and following a passion/craft, and the power of people believing in you.

Piranesi by Susanna Clarke

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Shelves: Fantasy, Favorites, Modern Literature

Review: In my opinion, going into this book with as little knowledge about the plot as possible is beneficial. All you really need to know is: it's not about a faun (like on the cover of the book), it's fantasy/mystery/magical realism, and the ~aesthetic~ and ~vibes~ lean toward dark academia.

The reader is dropped into the middle of Piranesi's world, a world in a constant state of observation, change, and learning. It's a fascinating place, and we follow Piranesi as it begins to change for better or for worse. He is naïve, trusting, and innocent.

Although others may say there's a twist to the story, I found that the author laid the story out more as a mystery. We followed Piranesi down a logical path and ended up at the conclusions we were meant to end up at.

The only reason I docked this story a star was the language—written like a journal—felt a little too mundane after a while. I know that was part of the character, whose journals we are reading and who writes that detailed on purpose, but I was over the redundancy by the end. I did find the way the writing styles changed throughout to be very interesting though.

I was intrigued by this short novel. It captivated me and gave me quite a lot to think about while reading. I'm so glad I read it.

Bunny by Mona Awad

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

Shelves: Comedy, Fantasy, Horror-Thriller, Modern Literature

Review: Bunny by Mona Awad was weird as fuck, a tale I'd easily consider a mind fuck and one I'd recommend going into with little to no prior knowledge of the overall story and its content. You'll be tempted to over-analyze but don't because that'll ruin your overall experience. It's described as medium-paced, and that seems to track. In between the times where things are absolutely bonkers, it moves sort of slowly.

I enjoyed the writing style, and enjoyed being in Samantha's head. It was interesting to pick up on the changes in the writing style depending on where Samantha was throughout the story (both physically, but also mentally). In addition, this was funny in such a weird way. I laughed at its ridiculousness and even times of relatability.

This story and its characters are bizarre. I cannot stress that enough. It was so out of my comfort zone that I was tempted to DNF. However, the aspect of females taking control of what they want made me open my mind a bit more and settle in for this insane ride. This book is weirdly sexual--like some of Samantha's thoughts got sexual in ways I didn't think really enhanced the story other than maybe making us question the ways in which she was infatuated with the Bunnies--and a special kind of demented. Samantha, our main character, and the girls in the Warren University Master's writing program are truly . . . something else.

I didn't catch the plot twists, so those were fun. The reasons I didn't rate it higher really sat with the characters and how they were written. For being 25ish-year-old grad students, they acted and read incredibly young. Overall, though, it was dark academia with a fluffy twist. Lol, one of my goals this year was to read books that scared me as far as genres/content. This definitely met the brief and, in the end, I'm glad I took the leap! Or hop, if you will.

Nick and Charlie by Alice Oseman

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

Shelves: Graphic Novels, LGBTQIA, Romance, Young Adult

Review: This was a novella that takes place during a yet-covered Nick and Charlie era by the Heartstopper graphic novels. A quick read that's set right at the end of their last school year together before Nick heads off to university.

If you've ever been in a situation with a significant other where you've contemplated long distance or had to be long distance for a bit, this is VERY relatable. However, you don't need to have experienced that situation to enjoy this story. But I do think it helps.

What kept this from being a five-star read for me was I guess the teen angst? I don't mind delving into a character's negative thoughts. I never like when characters talk down on themselves, but I can take that as part of the story. But even though we know the mental health struggles of Charlie pretty well, it's always difficult for me to read about how he thinks negatively about himself (especially so constantly). The teen angst really was because there was so much of the "I'm so weird" and "we're so weird" writing and I wish we could have explored other things with the space those words used. It's a short book/novella, so really, every word counts and I think we could have gotten to know other sides of these characters rather than falling back on sort-of unnecessary or useless dialogue/inner monologues.

But, I think this still touches on important aspects of what both healthy and unhealthy relationships can look like. I think it's important for kids to read these stories. And these are still the same two boys I would protect with my life if they were real!

Galatea by Madeline Miller

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

Shelves: Favorites, Historical Fiction, Modern Literature, Short Story

Review: Though this be but little at only 56 pages, it is MIGHTY. A very heavy short story about another woman silenced in Greek myth. Madeline Miller wrote a beautiful, heartbreaking, empowering story of Galatea that gave her a voice and an autonomy over her fate. I went into this without any prior knowledge of this myth and got the gist pretty quickly. The author's note at the end was also very helpful because that gave the original text and other sources to find Galatea elsewhere.

Definitely make sure you're in a good headspace for this. Because it's roughly 56 pages, it is quick to get through but it doesn't take away the heaviness of the content. Particularly if you are a survivor of sexual assault. There is anger and rage, determination, love, and hope in Galatea.

A powerful little story in a beautiful little package.

Did Not Finish

Wrath Goddess Sing by Maya Deane

Review: DNF around 42%. This book has gotten itself into a lot of controversy for transphobic language (which there was some), and the enslavement of a black trans woman (which I didn't get to, so I'm not sure about its context or accuracy).

I will say the reasons I DNF'd were just based on this book not meeting my expectations. I thought a few things were done well: this book is very clearly well-researched. The descriptions, especially, of inside the gates of Troy were stunning. I could picture, taste, smell everything. And the way the battles were written were also done well. However, I had more issues with this than I wanted to and just had to stop reading it.

Things that made me DNF:

• I thought using different names for everyone made this feel pretty inaccessible for people who may be unfamiliar with The Iliad going into this. I didn't see the real reason for it, and it just came across as pretentious and unnecessary.

• The writing style didn't fully appeal to me. It was a mix of the more formal language that Madeline Miller uses in her stories, but then, at times, it wasn't. That made it hard for me to stay in the story and stay invested.

• Achilles is hard to like? In general, the hero from The Iliad is not a great person but he's a fucking fantastic warrior. I sort of got that from this narrative, but it was overshadowed by this person who was, at times, very unsure of themselves and then overly cocky. If it was meant to make the character relatable as a trans woman who had newly transitioned, it didn't work for me. I don't think Achilles is supposed to be relatable, he's supposed to be untouchable. But if that was something the author was attempting in this narrative, it was lost on me.

• The plot and characterizations felt like a stretch in order to make this a "different" tale from all of the others. The main plot--go to Troy because Helen was stolen from Menelaus--was there. But the way the characters were written didn't appeal to me. I guess I'm a purist? But I expected Agamemnon to be a dick and sworn enemies with Achilles (not at all the case up to the point I read). I expected Menelaus to be written differently. In addition, Patroclus was written as her cousin who was married to an Egyptian. The cast is more diverse in this story, which is fine, but the whole thing just didn't sit right with my soul, lol.

Overall, I so wanted to like this, but went in with a critical eye because of the backlash it's received. It unfortunately didn't hold my interest. It had potential, but the execution just wasn't there for me.