It’s the beginning of the month and that means it’s time to take a look back over what I read in August. While I didn’t read much at all in Iceland (although I did listen to an audiobook on the plane) I read a whole lot when I was on vacation on the Cape. I finished the month with only one square left on my Summer Book Bingo card.

The Other Black Girl by Zakiya Dalila Harris
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
I feel like this book is a mixed bag, the parts that are good (the whiteness of the publishing industry, microaggressions in the workplace, talking about diversity but not actually doing anything about it) are excellent and important topics. But the parts that are not so good (and I can’t really name them without giving things away) feel farcical and contrived. Now, perhaps that’s the author’s point. Or perhaps it just needed stronger editing. Either way, the ending is pretty brilliant and I do recommend reading it for the timeliness of the whole thing.
Bingo Square: About art/artists

Detransition, Baby by Torrey Peters
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This book is quite different from anything I’ve read before and I learned a lot about transgender culture and lifestyle. The plot is pretty much all given away in the description of the book, so what you really get is a character study of 3 individuals and how they navigate relationships, friends, and family dynamics in a cisgender and transgender world.
Bingo square: An LGBTQIA+ author

Moonflower Murders by Anthony Horowitz
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This book is just so charming. I loved the story-within-a-story parts as well as the main story. The who-done-it kept me guessing right until the end and the narrators of the audio version are terrific. Highly recommended for fans of the genre.
Bingo Square: a retelling

The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
A romance with a twist, as the main character is a woman with autism and the male is a hired escort. Even though you can see the ending coming right from the start, it’s worth reading for the sweet characters, tender backstory, and fresh perspective.
Bingo Square: an author with a disability

Seven Days in June by Tia Williams
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This book is fabulous and so much more than a romance. It’s contemporary and sexy, with realistic portrayals of trauma, disabilities, and modern parenting. The character are fresh and witty and the plot is full of hope and humor. Highly recommended.
Bingo Square: month or day of the week in the title

The Winter Soldier by Daniel Mason
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This book is excellent, from the writing to the storyline to the character development. It’s heartbreaking and brutal but also a story about love the possibility of redemption for our mistakes. Highly recommended.
Bingo Square: set in a different season

The Book of Magic by Alice Hoffman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I adored this final book in the Practical Magic series. Alice Hoffman writes beautifully of things, like flowers and herbs and bees and chocolate, and also people, with all of their flaws and dreams and hopes. And love. Love, which can end curses and bring people together and make the world an infinitely better place. Highly recommended. I was provided with a copy of this book from NetGalley for an honest review.
Bingo Square: already own

Why We Write About Ourselves: Twenty Memoirists on Why They Expose Themselves (and Others) in the Name of Literature by Meredith Maran
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Memoirs hurt people. Secrets hurt people. The question to ask yourself is, if you tell your story, will it do enough good to make it worth hurting people?
I enjoyed this book about writing memoirs from people who have actually written and published one – or more. The advice is excellent, the perspective is useful, and I recommend this to anyone considering writing their own story.
Bingo Square: subtitle on the cover

The Night Watchman by Louise Erdrich
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Lastly, if you should ever doubt that a series of dry words in a government document can shatter spirits and demolish lives, let this book erase that doubt. Conversely, if you should be of the conviction that we are powerless to change those dry words, let this book give you heart.
When it comes to a book by Louise Erdrich, I feel like I don’t so much read the words, I absorb them. The characters, the setting, the story are all perfection . . . she creates beautiful and meaningful books that touch my soul and this one is no exception. Highly recommended.

Technically, that last book shouldn’t be included in this post as it’s actually the first book I finished in September. However, I’m including it for one very special reason: it was the final book for my Summer Book Bingo cover all!

I wasn’t sure I’d get a cover all this year but I managed to sneak it in under the wire and I read some really great books. Thanks to Mary for hosting once again this summer!

I hope you had a great summer of reading that you will find something on my list that you want to read.

It’s the beginning of the month and that means it’s time to share what I read last month.

Revival Season by Monica West
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
I enjoyed this coming-of-age story as a young woman questions her unchallenged faith in her father and God. The author does a good job setting the scene of tent revivals throughout the deep South in the summer and the narrator’s voice mostly rings true. I would have enjoyed hearing the story from the perspective of other members in the family. I was initially disappointed in the ambiguous ending but have worked out in my own mind what I wanted to happen and I’m good with that.
Bingo Square: Free square

The Wife Upstairs by Rachel Hawkins
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
I read this for a Bingo square, retelling. And, while it is sort of a retelling of Jane Eyre, it’s actually pretty different. There are some key elements that are the same, though, and some clever details that only people who have read Jane Eyre multiple times might catch. It’s an enjoyable mystery and it kept me guessing (almost) until the end.
Bingo Square: Retelling

Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
A big, juicy, gossipy, celebrity lifestyle novel, this is the perfect summer read. It takes place over the course of one day in the life of the Riva family but there are flashbacks that fill in the story of how this family came to be. It’s full of cultural references from the 1950s through the 1980s, plenty of family drama, and I highly recommend it for something light and fun.
Bingo Square: Best-seller

Early Morning Riser by Katherine Heiny
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This is a delightful novel full of quirky characters with a heartwarming lesson about accepting the people who wind up in your life, whether by choice or by accident. Reminiscent of Fredrik Backman but without the Swedish stoicism, I truly enjoyed this story. Does a lot happen? Nope. And that’s part of the charm of the whole thing. Small town life at it’s finest.
Bingo Square: A family saga

Song for a Whale by Lynne Kelly
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
I wanted to love this book for all it represents: growing up, accepting limitations, pushing the boundaries, overcoming fear and loneliness. And yet, the writing often felt stilted to me . . . it just didn’t flow along and it was somewhat repetitive. The resolution of the plot felt unrealistic and rushed. There were parts that redeemed the flaws but I think it could have been so much better.
Bingo Square: About a person with a disability

Hour of the Witch by Chris Bohjalian
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I am in awe of Bohjalian’s versatility as a writer, his books cover a wide range of topics, from current events to historical periods. While this may not be my favorite of his novels, it kept me entertained and I felt a wide range of emotions as I read it. I thought the ending was a bit unrealistic but it was satisfying.
Bingo Square: An author you love

Shine, Pamela! Shine! by Kate Atkinson
My rating: 2 of 5 stars
I think Kate Atkinson is a brilliant writer and her book Life After Life is one of my most favorite novels. This short story, however, was just not Atkinson’s best. Some things are too vague and others are too specific and the whole thing just fell flat for me.
Bingo Square: Less than 200 pages

It was a bit of a mixed bag and nothing stands out as particularly spectacular, but that sometimes happens when I’m reading for Summer Book Bingo. It’s still all good, though, because reading is my favorite pasttime!