Ashley’s August Wrap Up

This was a crazy reading month.  I participated in the NEWTs Readathon hosted by Book Roast.  It was a super fun reading roller coaster and I managed to get a lot of books read.  I really enjoyed almost everything I read, and I loved how this readathon pushed me to get a lot of my TBR completed, even if I did change out a lot of my original TBR. In August I read 30 books, which means I read all but 6 prompts from the readathon and successfully reached my goal to be an Auror.  Catch out my run down for what I read under the cut.

To remind you, I was aiming to be an auror at the end of this readathon.  The required exams for this were:

• E in Charms
• O in Defense Against the Dark Arts
• A in Herbology
• E in Potions
• A in Transfiguration

Anything that was a required read will be marked with an asterisk (*).

1. Four Dead Queens by Astrid Scholte*

Prompt: Charms A: Book that has a gorgeous cover

Rating: 5 stars

Format: Physical Copy

Review:  Wowza I loved this book!  My friend Tara has been recommending it to me since it came out and I finally got to it after she sent me gentle threat.  I am so, so glad I did because this is an excellent book and I genuinely loved it.  The main character was awesome, and I enjoyed her sass and snark.  I also loved the murder mystery aspect of it.  The twists and turns were amazing and I loved the setting.  I highly recommend this book.

2. A Little Something Different by Sandy Hall*

Prompt: Herbology A: Audiobook

Rating: 3 stars

Format: Audiobook

Review:  This was a really interesting take on a love story, and I was really intrigued by the other idea.  There were a bunch of point of views watching a couple get together and basically shipping them.  Again, I liked the idea, but the execution was not my favourite.  Some parts seemed a bit unnecessary.  It’s worth checking out even though it wasn’t my favourite.

3. Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon

Prompt: Divination A: Read a white book

Rating: 4 stars

Format: Audiobook

Review:  There has been an incredible amount of hype about this book, and many of my students have read it so I wanted to read it as well.  I also thought it might be good to read the book before I eventually get around to watching the movie.  This book was cute.  I already knew the twist going in, and it was interesting to see if I could detect hints to see it.  I also liked the way that the romance developed, and I really enjoyed the ending.  It was a fun read.

4. Armada by Ernest Cline

Prompt: Care of Magical Creatures A: Book that starts with an A

Rating: 3 stars

Format: Audiobook

Review:  I read Ready Player One awhile ago, and so I thought it might be worthwhile to pick up Armada by the same author.  It was interesting.  I love Will Wheaton as a narrator, and it was fun to listen to him.  However, the story was just kind of average to me.  I didn’t love it, I didn’t hate it.  I know this book gets a lot of low reviews but I didn’t have any seriously negative thoughts, nor did I have any seriously positive thoughts.

5. Mirage by Somaiya Daud*

Prompt: Defense Against the Dark Arts A: Black under the dust jacket

Rating: 4 stars

Format: Physical Copy

Review:  One thing I’ve really enjoyed about this readathon is that it’s gotten me to pick up some books I’ve been meaning to.  This was an Owl Crate book I got at some point, and I had been procrastinating on it.  It was a fascinating read.  I liked the world building, and I enjoyed the main character.  I really liked how they interacted with each other.  I definitely think that I will continue with this series when the next one comes out, or when I remember to pick it up.

6. The Unremarkable Heart and Other Stories by Karin Slaughter

Prompt: Divination E: Read a short story collection

Rating: 4 stars

Format: Audiobook

Review:  Karin Slaughter is seriously disturbed and this collection was absolutely full of disturbing stories.  I really enjoyed this collection; it’s probably one of my favourites that I’ve read.  It can’t be a 5 stars because I wasn’t blown away by all of them, but I did really enjoy it.  Definitely tread lightly though if you’re a bit squeamish because some of these are uncomfortable and triggering.

7. Maus I by Art Spiegelman*

Prompt: Charms E: Comic/graphic novel

Rating: 5 stars

Format: Graphic Novel

Review: This graphic novel is deeply moving, and beautifully illustrated.  It was a re-read for me, but I was so glad to revisit it.  I really need to get around to reading the second part because I need to know how the story ends.  Art manages to bring his family so vividly to life, and it’s deeply impressive.  I highly recommend this.

8. Red: A Haida Manga by Michael Nicoll Yahgulanaas

Prompt: Care of Magical Creatures E: Book under 300 pages

Rating: 3 stars

Format: Graphic Novel

Review: This was another reread for me.  I read this graphic novel for my teaching degree.  It’s a First Nations story that is definitely interesting to read through, though it isn’t particularly text heavy.  The art is unique and lovely, but I wanted a bit more text.

9. Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli

Prompt: Arithmancy A: Ends on an even number

Rating: 3 stars

Format: Audiobook

Review:  I tried to get to Stargirl in the OWLs readathon but the audiobook wasn’t available, so it felt appropriate to get to this one now.  However, I didn’t enjoy this one as much as I had hoped.  I didn’t realize how old it was, and I don’t think it really held up super well.  Again, the story was intriguing and I enjoyed it somewhat, but it just wasn’t the most exciting thing I’ve read.

10. The Capture by Kathryn Lasky

Prompt: Care of Magical Creatures O: Bird on the cover

Rating: 3 stars

Format: Audiobook

Review: It’s not often that I read a book from the point of view of a bird, so this was an interesting story.  It’s actually the first in the Guardians of Ga’Hoole series.  The main character was sympathy inducing but the story wasn’t the most engaging.

11. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

Prompt: Muggle Studies A: Cover with a photo element

Rating: 5 stars

Format: Audiobook

Review: The Book Thief was a re-read as well, and I loved it just as much as I did the first time.  The story was beautiful and I love the unusual narration style.  Listening to it as an audiobook was interesting as well, and it added a layer of depth to the story.  If you haven’t read this yet, I’m not sure what you’re doing.

12. Blue Gold by Elizabeth Stewart*

Prompt: Defense Against the Dark Arts E: First book that you remembered from TBR

Rating: 4 stars

Format: Physical Copy

Review:  This book has been on my TBR since I was working at the school before the one I currently work at.  It’s an interesting story that makes you think about that device we are all so obsessed with: smart phones.  The three different points of view bring you into three different parts of the world and you quickly get attached to each of the characters.  The POVs weren’t necessarily equally balanced throughout the story, but I didn’t mind because I found two of the POVs more interesting than others.  Definitely thought provoking.

13. The Girl Who Chased the Moon by Sarah Addison Allen

Prompt: Astronomy A: Moon in title or on cover

Rating: 4.5 stars

Format: Audiobook

Review: For a random audiobook I picked up because it had the word moon in the title, I really enjoyed this story.  It was a multiple point of view story that struck me as contemporary but turned out to be magical realism.  I loved the magic that was entwined through this story and I loved getting to know all the different players in the town.  It’s definitely worth checking out.

14. Night by Elie Wiesel

Prompt: Astronomy E: Word “night” in title/series name

Rating: 5 stars

Format: Audiobook

Review:  Unsurprisingly, this is another re-read for me.  It was really nice to listen to it as an audiobook because I got to learn how all the words I was never very sure of were pronounced.  It also made it even more personal.  It felt like someone was telling me their story while we sat together in the same room, and it was enjoyable.

15. The Death of Mrs. Westaway by Ruth Ware*

Prompt: Defense Against the Dark Arts O: Book set in England/written by English author

Rating: 5 stars

Format: Physical Copy

Review:  I have had this book on my shelf since it came out and I kept putting it off.  However, I am so glad I picked it up because I loved it.  It was a different kind of thriller, and it kept me guessing.  I kept coming up with theories and having them disproved.  The reveals were perfectly timed, and I absolutely love the way it all played out.  This is one of my favourite things I’ve read this month.

16. Illuminae by Jay Kristoff and Amie Kaufman*

Prompt: Potions A: Friend’s favourite

Rating: 5 stars

Format: Physical Copy

Review:  I interviewed so many of my friends for their favourite books when trying to come up with my options for this prompt, and I loved taking the opportunity to re-visit one of my favourite reads from 2018.  It was just as good as when I read it the first time.  If you haven’t picked up this story yet, you should really get to it asap.

17. Alex + Eliza by Melissa de la Cruz

Prompt: Muggle Studies E: Set in the real world

Rating: 4.5 stars

Format: Audiobook

Review: Kari has recommended this to me, and I’m so glad that I finally picked it up.  I didn’t have high hopes because it was about American history and I wasn’t sure I would be really interested, but I fell in love with it.  I loved the slow burn romance and it gave me all the feels.  Definitely worth checking out.

18. Beartown by Frederik Backman*

Prompt: Transfiguration A: LGBTQIA+ Rep

Rating: 5 stars

Format: Physical Copy

Review:  I procrastinated on this book as I started it last month.  I put it off, and put it off because the start was slow, but once I finally let myself get into it, I understood why it had to be slow.  You need the build up and the development of all these characters to see who they are and see how they interact with each other.  The writing, though translated, was lovely and poetic and very wise.  It was realistic and gritty and deeply moved me.  I’m definitely going to pick up the next in the series.  Trigger warning for rape.

19. Lethal White by Robert Galbraith (aka JK Rowling)

Prompt: Divination O: Last book checked out from the library

Rating: 4.5 stars

Format: Audiobook

Review: This was an eagerly anticipated release that I procrastinated on.  I loved the Cormoran Strike books, but they’re so hefty that sometimes I put them off.  Even though I own the physical copy, I put the audiobook on hold and read it that way.  It was definitely good.  I liked how it picked up after Career of Evil and then also jumped ahead in time.  It was a good continuation of the series, and I liked the developments in characters and relations.  However, the mystery wasn’t my favourite in comparison to the last three.  That being said it was still exciting and the way the story developed and unfolded was interesting.

20. Shooter by Caroline Pignat

Prompt: Potions E: Book with a cover in your house colour

Rating: 4 stars

Format: Physical Copy

Review: This book was really interesting.  It was a really quick read and I read it in one sitting.  This is a multi-point of view novel with four characters trapped in a bathroom during what is supposed to be a lockdown drill.  As it turns out, it’s not a drill.  I have been intrigued by this one since I first heard about it from the librarian at my school.  It was definitely worth the wait.  I liked each of the character’s different voices and the way there was some multi-media aspects.  I also liked how it gave definite Breakfast Club vibes.  It wasn’t my favourite thing I’ve ever read and it didn’t blow me out of the water, but I definitely enjoyed it.

21. Don’t Say a Word by Amber Lynn Natusch

Prompt: Potions O: Book with a prologue

Rating: 3 stars

Format: eBook

Review: I will have a full review of this book coming out closer to the release date, but I’ll give you a quick preview.  Basically, I never should have read this book.  I read it because I requested it on NetGalley, but it was a sequel and I hadn’t read the first one.  That definitely hindered my enjoyment of it.  However, it was pretty eventful other than that.

22. Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson

Prompt: History of Magic A: Read a fantasy

Rating: 5 stars

Format:  Physical Copy

Review: This was my book club read for the month, so it took me a little bit longer to get through because I had specific sections I had to read up to.  It was really good though. I loved the world and how it was a combination of technology and magic in a fantasy setting.  I also loved the main character of Elisabeth.  She was endearing and I liked learning more about her over the course of the story.  My favourite character was definitely Silas, but I also really loved Nathaniel.  I just had a lot of fun reading it and I highly recommend it.

23. The Dead-Tossed Waves by Carrie Ryan

Prompt: Transfiguration E: Not the first in a series

Rating: 3 stars

Format:  Audiobook

Review: I finally decided to continue on with The Forest of Hands and Teeth series by Carrie Ryan.  It was an interesting continuation of the series.  The setting was different, and it was cool to learn more about the world.  I was really meh about the romance in this one, but I thought Gabry was an interesting character.

24. Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck

Prompt: Ancient Runes A: Ehwaz (partnership) – read recommended by a friend

Rating: 4 stars

Format: Audiobook

Review: So unlike a large chunk of the population, I never read Of Mice and Men for school, and so when I was looking for friend’s favourites and recommendations this one came up.  I thought it might be worth it to read because it’s a classic and I want to read more of those.  I actually enjoyed it more than I thought I would.  There was some really good foreshadowing peppered throughout and an interesting sort of parallel structure.  I wasn’t a huge fan of all the content, but overall it was an interesting story.

25. The Dark and Hollow Places by Carrie Ryan

Prompt: Astronomy O: Sci-Fi book

Rating: 4 stars

Format: Audiobook

Review: The conclusion to this series was interesting.  I liked Annah as a narrator as well.  She brought another layer to the story that I appreciated, though overall I feel like I got only a few pieces of the world.  Again the romance was okay, but not my favourite.  However, it was an interesting zombie infested world, and if you like zombies then it should be worth checking out.

26. The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale

Prompt: History of Magic E: Book with a map

Rating: 4 stars

Format: Audiobook

Review: I’d seen this one recommended by a BookTuber I like to watch, so when I realized it matched this prompt I was excited. This book was good and the audiobook was super cool. I liked how it was full cast. The retelling was interesting and I liked the romance aspect. It wasn’t my favourite retelling but the depth that was added was interesting.

27. Every Moment After by Joseph Moldover

Prompt: Herbology E: Book between 350-390 pages

Rating: 4 stars

Format: Physical Copy

Review: Apparently my summer reading somehow ended up featuring lots of books about school shootings. This was not my favourite one I read this summer, but I did find it interesting. It dealt with trauma and how the characters dealt with it in a really unique way that I appreciated. I liked the dual points of view. Definitely worth picking up.

28. Anacaona: Golden Flower, Haiti 1490 by Edwidge Danticat

Prompt: Arithmancy E: Written in past tense

Rating: 4 stars

Format: Physical Copy

Review: It was fun to read a Royal Diary book that I hadn’t yet read, and one that was set in a part of the world I don’t know a lot about. I enjoyed the story and liked Anacaona. It made me really sad though. Colonization is the worst. Like just horrendous.

29. The Red Power Murders by Thomas King

Prompt: Charms O: Spongify – softening charm: read a paperback

Rating: 3 stars

Format: Physical Copy

Review: I was glad to tick this one off my TBR finally. I picked it up several months ago and never felt motivated to finish it. It was an interesting mystery but was a sequel so I felt a little out of the loop. It felt slow to start though I did enjoy the climax and ending.

30. Wildflower by Drew Barrymore

Prompt: Herbology O: Flower on the cover

Rating: 3 stars

Format: Audiobook

Review: I’m not super big on memoirs but it’s fun to listen to them as audiobooks and the authors read them themselves. It was definitely interesting to hear stories from Drew Barrymore’s life. I really didn’t know ab lot about her.

So what did you read in August? Let me know in the comments down below.