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| August means lush greenness |
- Vincent and Theo by Deborah Heiligman (Netherlands) - YA nonfiction
- The City of Mirrors by Justin Cronin (NY, TX) - adult fiction
- The Desert Sky Before Us by Anne Valente (IL, MO, KS, CO, UT) - adult fiction
I also read half of Catch-22 by Joseph Heller, but it was dragging for me and I gave up on it for more fast-paced fare. So, just three books finished last month, but I enjoyed them all! It was a nice mix - one YA historical nonfiction, one adult science fiction/fantasy, and one introspective literary novel. Two of them were on audio. Although I loved The City of Mirrors (an excellent ending to the trilogy), I think Vincent and Theo was my surprise favorite of the month - I was really engrossed in the biography of Vincent Van Gigh and his brother, which was outstanding on audio (but I also got the print edition from the library so I could see all the drawings in it).
Progress in 2019 Reading Challenges:
This is my favorite part of my monthly summary - updating my Reading Challenges:
Mount TBR Reading Challenge - Two of my books were from my own shelves, low for a Big Book Summer month, but I only read three, and two were audio (though I also had the print version of one of those, so I got it off my shelves!)
Monthly Motif Reading Challenge - August was Mode of Transportation month so
The Desert Sky Before Us by Anne Valente, with its road trip plot, fit perfectly!
Back to the Classics Challenge - No new classics this month - I tried to get through Catch-22 but set it aside about halfway through (I still hope to finish it later).
Monthly Keyword Challenge - I didn't read a single book with any of the monthly keywords in the title...again, for the 8th month in a row! Nope, not one all year so far. Clearly this challenge wasn't a good choice for me.
Nonfiction Reading Challenge 2019 - I added one nonfiction book - yay!
Diversity Reading Challenge - Just one of my books was obviously diverse, with a lesbian character (but, wait, do vampire-like viral creatures transformed from humans count as diverse??)
Travel the World in Books Reading Challenge - I added the Netherlands.
2018 Literary Escapes Challenge - I added just 1 new state, Utah.
2019 Big Book Summer Challenge - I added three more Big Books for a total of 10 so far (I finished one more in the first days of September).Finally, Bookish Bingo hosted by Chapter Break - not really a challenge per se, but a fun game that I play each month. I filled in 21 squares in August - pretty good for just 3 books!
Spaces Filled In:
Vincent & Theo - dream job, historic, library book, free book, audio book
The City of Mirrors - island, favorite author, read a physical book, sci fi/fantasy, in a series, shelf love, empowered female
The Desert Sky Before Us - awkward date, secrets, not in a series, snarky/sarcastic, sky on the cover, deception, multi-word title, tourist
Free Space
What was your favorite book read in August?
I didn't manage a transportation book in August for the Monthly Motif Reading Challenge. At least, I don't think I did. I'll have to go back and see if there is one I can count.
ReplyDeleteThat's how I do the Motif Challenge, Helen - I check at the end of the month to see what fits! I can usually find something :)
DeleteWasn’t Vincent and Theo absolutely great? I read it last year, listened to it actually, and was just swept away by their story.
ReplyDeleteYes, Jane, I agree - it was wonderful on audio!
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