Hi everyone and welcome back to my blog. It’s been a while since I posted! I unfortunately was quite busy these past few weeks. August has been busy, busy busy. Filled with reunions, warm sunny days, cycling under trees, exploring book markets by the river, and a not so very successful readathon.
I will not list all the books I bought in August, because I bought so many books! I went to the Deventer Book Market and hauled all the English, Dutch, cookbooks, series, novels and everything in between. Check out my post about the market itself and the books I bought here.
DNF: The Girls by Emma Cline
I have always wanted to read this book ever since I heard about it, but to be honest I do not remember why. I bought it on audiobook and unfortunately cannot continue reading it after maybe the 5th chapter. I just felt like the atmosphere of the writing wasn’t what I was in the mood for, and the storyline wasn’t going in the direction I think I will enjoy.
We Were Liars by E. Lockhart
I first read this book 3 years ago, and gave this book 5 stars and thought it was amazing, and I even put it in my favourite books of that year. This year I decided to pick it up again because I’ve been meaning to reread it for a while, and I know it’s a good, quick summer read.
Unfortunately I didn’t like it as much as I did the first time around. I did like the twist. I did enjoy the atmosphere, and how readable and fun it was to read. However the characters weren’t fleshed out enough, and so I couldn’t care less about their existence, and overall there are underlying problems that I just observed in the second time I read this book. I still appreciate it for how it was, how I cried when I first read it and how it was something I really enjoyed and invested in. But that was me 3 years ago, and me in the present disagrees.
Read my full reviews when I first read We Were Liars and my second time reading it in my Goodreads.
What the Dog Saw by Malcolm Gladwell
This book was such a pleasure to read! It’s my first venture into Malcolm Gladwell and I regret not picking up his books sooner. His writing flows so well, and he discussed such interesting topics that I enjoy learning about. I will write a full-length review of this book once I have the energy to do it. I just want to say here that I really enjoy this essay collection.
The 3-Day Effect by Florence Williams
This Audible Originals mini-audiobook was a pleasure to read. The concept itself really drew me in – I love the nature, ever since I was a child, even though I live in the city and rarely ever go hiking anymore. I always feel a sense of calm and happiness whenever I go to a place filled with trees and greenery.
I really liked the author/narrator/researcher in this book. She’s very positive, insightful and fun to listen to. Overall the performance was excellent. I love how well edited everything was, the combinations of sounds and interviews with jokes here and there.
The Voice of the Violin by Andrea Camilleri
My first book I bought in Deventer that I read! This is the 4th instalment in the Detective Montalbano series by the infamous Italian author Andrea Camilleri. It is also set in Italy and featuring a straightforward, clever detective who is solving a murder that he also found “accidentally”.
Overall the book was fun to read and entertaining. It’s definitely very Italian, and quite insightful for me who know nothing about the Italian geography, people, and how they talk. The mystery itself isn’t very exciting, but it is quite compelling and I think the main character itself makes the story a fun read.
Cantik itu Luka by Eka Kurniawan
I started this sometime in the middle of the month but dropped it after a while as the days get more and more busy. Unfortunately this will be a low priority to read for now. This fantastical novel deals with societal themes and heartbreak and the war in Indonesia at the time.
The Mad Ship by Robin Hobb
Finally I’m starting this second book of the Liveship Traders series! In this second book we follow Althea and many other main characters in their journey in land and at the sea. I think Althea has become more mature and less spontaneous in this book, and Wintrow is starting to grow on me. This will be quite slow progress considering the size but I’m happy to be reading Hobb’s amazing writing again.
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by JK Rowling
In the mood for a nostalgic audiobook so I picked this up on Audible. I’m still currently in the early parts of the book, in which Harry hasn’t even gone to Hogwarts yet. This is personally my favourite Harry Potter book and I cannot wait to read/listen more about the Marauders!
What books did you read in August? Let’s talk about them in the comments below!
I read only two books in August-Circe by Madeline Miller and one graphic novel called Anya’s Ghost, so it wasn’t a great reading month for me. I am hoping September will be better! I agree with you about we are liars. I loved the book when I first read it, but now that I think of it, it wasn’t such a great book and I agree with the things you disliked about the book.
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It’s alright, we all have those days! 🙂 I feel like a lot of books we read a long time ago ended up not being as good as we remembered it. But it just shows how our reading tastes has changed.
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I totally agree with you!
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I’m sorry that ‘We Were Liars’ was a bit disappointing this time round.
I’ve just read your post on the book markets and they look so cool!
Have a good september 🙂
– Emma 🙂
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Thanks Emma! You too!
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Ohh, We Were Liars! I have such mixed feelings about that book, it’s hard to express.😂I was just so shocked by the plot twist that I remember bursting into tears, but like you said, I don’t know how much I actually liked the book itself and I don’t think I would enjoy it a lot if I went back and reread it.
I hope you have a lovely, nostalgic Harry Potter reread! Those are the best. ❤
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We Were Liars was definitely a book that split opinions. I’m quite eager to try E. Lockhart’s latest book, though. Thanks Olivia ❤
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I’ve thought about re-reading books that I don’t have a review for that I remember loving… but then I worry that I won’t love it as much… or at all and I back away slowly! So more power to you that you went for it and even reviewed it again!! ❤️ I’ve been wanting to read Robin Hobb again but her books are so long. I can read so many other books for 1 of hers. It makes me hesitate. I hope you enjoy The Mad Ship though! My friend says its amazing.
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I am definitely the kind of person who rereads books to find out if my thoughts stay the same or change. I absolutely agree about Robin Hobb. I usually wait until my GR challenge is several books ahead of schedule and then read her book to sort of balance out the length of the books I read.
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It indeed does sound like you’ve kept yourself quite busy during August but I’m glad to see you picked up some great books and are now reading some great ones too! I can’t wait to try my first Hobb’s story (Assassin’s Apprentice) before 2019 too. Happy reading! 😀
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Thanks Lashaan. Hope you love Hobb as much as I do ❤ It will definitely take a long time/effort, but so so worth it 🙂
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The Girls was dark and twisted in a way I liked, but dear God, the MC was so irritating and her perspective was just so miserable to read.
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Yes, I didn’t like her either. I think that was lalso one of the reasons why I couldn’t continue the book.
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