August 2017 Reading Wrap Up
August was a really good reading month for me! I didn't read as many books as I do most other months, but I read a few longer books as well and I enjoyed everything I picked up. There were also several five star books in this month! So without much rambling, let's get to the books :)
This beautiful book (inside and out) was the first book I read this month, and also the best. It didn't take me at all long to read this, as it was so engrossing and lovely. The stories and the characters are written so well that I was completely drawn into the novel. I was blown away by its beautiful writing and by how much this rather short book conveyed. It touched upon so many important themes, such as love and gender and charity, but it did so in a very subtle and thought provoking way. If you want to know more about my thoughts on this, please check out the review I posted on this blog. I really can't recommend this wonderful book enough! It was published in 2016 but takes place in late Victorian England and follows a widow, Cora, with a very keen interest in natural history. There are many more characters, each equally intriguing, but Cora is the overall protagonist, whose coming to terms with her widowhood and independence we learn about. There isn't a single thing I didn't like about this masterpiece, so please give it a go if you're at all interested in character driven stories!
After The Essex Serpent I felt the need to pick up an actual Victorian classic, and for some reason I chose this monument of English literature. The first time I read it, several years ago, I didn't enjoy it at all, I struggled through it and was severely bored. I've been wanting to give this a second chance for a while now, however, since my reading tastes have changed a lot and I can often appreciate stories I would have thought incredibly boring a few years ago. And I am so happy that I finally gave this its well deserved second chance! This time round, I adored the novel. The epistolary style didn't keep me at distance, but had me fully absorbed in the story, as it gave me such a detailed insight into each of the characters minds. Somehow, reading their diaries and letters made them seem so real and human. I also found that there are several layers to the text, and it often had me thinking about what the story was doing beyond the actual plot. Mina's character was especially fascinating, as she was the only heroine amongst several heroes. I wrote a rather long review about this important novel as well, so please have a look at that one if you want to know more about why this book was so thought provoking and fascinating. Suffice it to say that I loved this book the second time round, so if you have read it and didn't like it, I implore you to consider giving it another go. There is so much more to it than a simple vampire story!
After two five star reads, this was the first book in August that didn't blow me away completely. Don't get me wrong, this book was still fantastic in its own way! It is a non-fictional account about Layard's excavations at the ruins of Nineveh and Babylon in the middle of the 19th century. Layard's writing in this truly fascinating, he not only instructs on amazing archeological finds, he also gives a lot of information on the different cultures he encounters. He does so in a very respectful and admiring style, most of the time, and it was nice to not only learn about antiquity, but also different cultures from less than two centuries ago. But I do have to admit that I didn't enjoy the second half of the book as much as the first. Maybe it would have been better to read it over a longer time, one chapter here and there, but the last two hundred pages dragged a bit and I didn't feel like I learned anything. The artifacts are described in a very detailed and passionate manner, so that I was awed only by reading about them. These things are over two thousand years old, sometimes, and it was fascinating to read about actual remnants of kingdoms long gone! I also have detailed review on this one, so if you're considering reading this, you might want to have a look at that. I would recommend taking your time with it, so that you can appreciate this interesting book without getting bored!
The Desert Spear by Peter V. Brett🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
And here comes another five star book! I also reviewed the first two books in the Demon Cycle on here, so if you need any further motivation to try this fantastic series out, please have a look at them :). After loving The Painted Man very much earlier this year, my expectations for the sequel were quite high. And they were definitely met! One might criticize that, on the plot level, there isn't too much happening in this installment. While that might be true, it didn't bother me at all. I don't need loads of action and revelations in every book of a series. Epic fantasy novels can be just as good when they're action-packed, as when they evolve slowly. This story seems to be in the latter category, and thanks to its fantastic characters, this works perfectly. Just like in the first book, this book offers a varied cast of multi-dimensional characters. Each of the protagonists is special in his or her own way, with different talents, qualities and flaws. My favourite of the series so far is Leesha, but all the other POV characters are highly interesting. If you're a fan of Robin Hobb's character driven Realm of the Elderlings series, you might really love this, too. Don't misunderstand me, though, the series also has a highly intriguing plot. The world these books are set in is nightly ravaged by cruel demons, and the populace of Thesa is slowly taking up the fight against this plague. I can't wait to see where this plague comes from and what the future holds in store for Leesha and her friends!
The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer🌟🌟🌟🌟
This was a re-read for me, I read this collection of Tales for my studies last winter. I was fascinated that first time, so I wanted to revisit them before I go to Canterbury next week, and this time only read them for enjoyment and to refreshen my memory. And again, I really enjoyed this masterpiece! I'm so sad that Chaucer never finished his epic work, as the language is so beautiful and the stories are all so different. My absolute favourite story is the Wife of Bath's Tale. It is a surprisingly feminist story, considering that it was written in the 14th century, and she is such a great character. Her story is full of bravery and wit. I also always enjoy reading the Knight's Tale, as I quite like the setting in ancient Greece, and how beautifully it is written. Then there's the Miller's Tale, which is just so silly and funny, or the Friar's Tale with its satisfying ending! Well, there are many stories in this book which I highly enjoyed, and I think there is always something new to discover in this. I have a feeling that this was by far not my last re-read of it, and I dearly hope to get another chance to study it at uni. There are, of course, some stories I really don't fancy much. These are mostly the very religious ones, such as the anti-semitic Prioress's Tale or the Second Nun's Tale. But as the stories are told by a very varied cast of pilgrims, they are all vastly different and one really can't expect to love them all equally, right? Oh, and if you are thinking about reading this (and I urge you to do so!), try and get your hands on this beautifully illustrated edition, it is published by Guild Publishing and makes for an even better reading experience!
First Impressions by Charlie Lovett🌟🌟🌟🌟
This stunning book was a bit of a surprise for me. First Impression is a completely fictional story about the origins of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. We mostly follow Sophie, a young bibliophile who has just graduated from Oxford and taken on a new job in an antiquarian book shop (I know, it's the dream, isn't it?). Due to her great love for books and Jane Austen, Sophie stumbles upon a mystery, that might change everything the world thought to know about Austen's most famous novel. This book managed to draw me in and keep me hooked from page one, at first only because of Sophie's passion for books. Literature plays such an important role in First Impressions, and a great bibliophile myself, this appealed to me a lot. The setting is also very beautiful, as the protagonists spend a lot of time surrounded by books. Then there is the mystery concerning Jane Austen. Luckily, this was a complete invention of the author, so the legacy of the real Jane wasn't threatened! Thanks to the fast pacing and several twists and turns, Sophie's detective work was incredibly gripping. I just couldn't put this book down, I started reading it in the morning and finished it that same evening, it was just that thrilling! It might not be the best book ever written, it might also have been a bit cheesy or silly sometimes, but it was nonetheless a great and very entertaining read. If you're looking for a quick and fun book that is perfect for a booklover, give this one a go, keep an open mind, and you won't regret it!
Augustus by John Williams 🌟🌟🌟
I also listened to this audiobook, narrated by Robin Field. To be honest, there isn't a lot that I can say about this. I'm really not the most attentive listener, when it comes to audiobooks, as I'm easily distracted. This book is an epistolary about the roman emperor, Augustus, how he gained power and how he lived his life. It is a novel, but I've heard a lot of good things about it before. And from what I did retain of the novel, it deserves its good reputation. The writing often struck me as very beautiful, and I even marked some passages that stuck out to me (something that I usually don't do on audible). The narrator also did a fantastic job, his voice is so soothing and easy to listen to. I often missed the beginnings of chapters, however, so most of the time I wasn't quite sure whose letter to whom I was listening to. The story is, naturally, very political, and I just couldn't get all the important details through listening to the audiobook. That was completely my fault, however, and I'm very keen on getting a physical copy of this and reading it myself. I think I will be very impressed by it, then. And even though I didn't retain much of the audiobook, when I got into it I often felt transported to Rome. As I really liked the impressions I got from the audiobook, I might actually try to re-read it this year!
So, that were the wonderful books I read / listened to in August! I really can't complain about my reading month, so many five star reads and not a single one I disliked. Did you have an equally satisfying month in books? What was your favourite in August, or did you really hate something you picked up?
Thanks so much for reading!💕
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