What? August is already over? It feels like only yesterday I was writing up my wrap-up for July. This year is going way to fast!
But hey guys! Time for my August Wrap-up! Even though I started back at uni this month, I somehow had a better reading month than July. Heck, yes! Granted, a lot of my reads were super short novels (or novellas) so it is understandable. Anyhow. Warning: this is really long but without further ado, let's go!
After seeing the new Guardians of the Galaxy movie, I just really need to check out the comics. I've only read two volumes so far (of the new run) but they're really cute and I'm keen to check out more of the older runs of these characters. I gave it a 3.5/5 rating.
I did enjoy this a lot more than the first volume. I thought Angela was a badass and the storyline was more interesting. I gave it a 4/5 rating.
Oh, man, you guys! This book was beautiful. This is the second book the Kingkiller Chronicles, following after the Name of the Wind. I will say that I did not enjoy this one as much as the first novel. The pacing was a bit weird and as a whole, I think it dragged out sections too much. Despite this, I mainly had these issues because the first book is near perfection in my eyes. So, I gave it a 4.5/5 rating. (Side note: I do have a review coming of this series that I just keep forgetting to write).
This is the first of Ness' three novellas which accompany his Chaos Walking trilogy, which I reviewed here. This one is set before the events of Chaos Walking and it was really interesting to read about. I think explored a facet of Viola's character which never got explored enough in the series, which was her time before she landed. I would definitely recommend this read if you enjoyed the Chaos Walking trilogy. I gave it a 4/5 rating.
This is the second of the Chaos Walking novellas. This one is set before the timeline of the main series, as well as in an unfamiliar setting. Of all the novellas, this one was my favourite. It's hard to really explain this without giving anything away, so just go and read it because it is beautiful. I gave it a 5/5 rating.
And the last of the Chaos Walking novellas is this novel. This was definitely my least favourite. It's set after Monsters of Men and follows familiar characters from the series. I felt I just couldn't really get into this one. The characters felt drier than they did in the series and the story was only mildly interesting. The best part was the last sentence, tbh. I gave it a 3/5 rating.
This book follows a handful of story lines that all seem to connect in some way or another to an event where two boys are trying to break the record for longest kiss. I thought this book was wonderful. My main complaint with this book is that it had a almost singular focus on gay men, instead of a broader inclusion of other aspects of LGBTQIA (except, of course, the transgender male character). This is basically my only criticism though. I adored the rest and gave it 4/5 stars.
I can safely say that I probably wouldn't have picked up this book if it hadn't had been for the film adaptation which has just came out. After seeing the trailers everywhere and hearing people give it great reviews, I just had to pick it up. It's a short but still as emotionally stimulating as you'd expect. I felt I did want it to be longer, though, to perhaps give it more emotional depth. Also, I feel bad saying this but the romance in the novel was probably the least interesting thing to me. I found the stuff with her grandfather absolutely heart-wrenching, though. I gave it 3.5/5 stars.
This is the first book in the Across the Universe trilogy and I'm so glad I finally read it! I have been meaning to pick it up for so long and then I realised one of my close friends actually owned it so I borrowed it off her. And wow, this book was awesome! The last 100 or so pages had me on the edge of my seat! Just go and read it now! I gave it a 4/5 rating.
I have already posted a full review of this book here, but I will just mention that this book was so, so wonderful. I was really worried I wouldn't like it because I'd heard so many good things about it and didn't want to be that one person who doesn't but thankfully, that wasn't the case. Seriously, this book is so good. I would recommend it to anyone. It's also my favourite book of this month and in league for my favourite book of the year. I gave it a 5/5 rating.
The second book in the Across the Universe trilogy and just as awesome as the first. I can't really discuss much without spoilers for the first novel, but I will say it had just as many awesome twists and turns in the story as the first. I'm currently waiting for the final instalment of the series to arrive and it's honestly killing me. I gave it a 4/5 rating.
God, this was a laugh! I didn't realise this book was actually a graphic novel but I'm so glad it was. The illustrations really added to the humour. There isn't a really story to this book. It's basically a collection of hilarious autobiographical stories of the author's life. I will say that this book is more appreciated if you are an adult (it just seems more relatable then) but I think it'd still be funny to a young adult audience. I gave it a 4/5 rating.
I don't often dabble into poetry. I find that I often find it hard to appreciate it as it was intended. Despite this, I had this on my kindle and had a sudden urge to give it a go. I found it creepy and eery and a really enjoyable read. The rhythm to Poe's writing is near perfect and makes it really nice to read. I will definitely be checking his other stuff out. I gave it a 4/5 rating.
Phew! We got there! Last one for this month is Where Things Come Back by John Corey Whaley. This novel is presented through a double narrative. The main story following a young boy, Cullen, in a deadbeat town of Lily, which is contrasted against the story of missionary trying to find reason in his faith. It's interesting to see how these two story lines finally converge but I also feel it felt a bit sloppy. I'd heard raving reviews about this book but I didn't seem to find it as wonderful as a lot of other people did. I still liked it quite a lot and I'm interested in checking out Whaley's other works. Also, on a side note, I don't know why but this novel really feels like it could be made into an interesting movie. Anyhow, I gave it a 3/5 rating.
Okay, there you go! Wow, that took awhile! I hope I can keep this reading pace up. I'm only 10 books away from my goal for this year so I might be able to get it knocked over in the next month.
How did you guys go this month? Did you read a lot or not much at all? What were your favourites? Let me know in the comments!
Until next time!
Jess, xxx
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