It’s time for my monthly book review post! These are the books that I finished in August. I will be linking up this post with the Show Us Your Books Link Up, and as always, the Amazon links to the books I’ve read are affiliate links and if you use them and make a purchase, I may receive a small commission. If you’ve read any of these books or are interested in them, I’d love to hear about it in the comments! I also read five books that I reviewed separately: Quintessence, How To Live Life On The Edge, All Eyes On Her, The Search Party, and The Inheritance Games.
Title: The Black Flamingo
Author: Dean Atta
Genre: YA
Publisher: HarperAudio, 5/26/20
Source: Scribd
Why I Read It: TBR List
My Rating: 5 Stars
For some reason, I thought this book was a memoir. While it isn’t, it is based on the author’s life, and he narrates the audio book himself. It was a great listen!
“Michael is a mixed-race gay teen growing up in London. All his life, he’s navigated what it means to be Greek-Cypriot and Jamaican—but never quite feeling Greek or Black enough. As he gets older, Michael’s coming out is only the start of learning who he is and where he fits in. When he discovers the Drag Society, he finally finds where he belongs—and the Black Flamingo is born. Told with raw honesty, insight, and lyricism, this debut explores the layers of identity that make us who we are—and allow us to shine.”
This was a quick listen which was the story of a coming of age and identity. I have been reading many books in verse lately and hearing them on audio makes them even better!
Title: Calling Me Home
Author: Julie Kibler
Genre: General Fiction
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press, 2/12/13
Source: Library
Why I Read It: Book Group Pick
My Rating: 3 Stars
Right away when my book group presented this as a choice, I said it’s interesting that this is a book about a black character by a white author. This made a fellow book group member wonder why it mattered, which obviously it does. I realized I did have the book on my TBR list, so I said okay, let’s try it.
“Eighty-nine-year-old Isabelle McAllister has a favor to ask her hairdresser Dorrie Curtis. It’s a big one. Isabelle wants Dorrie, a black single mom in her thirties, to drop everything to drive her from her home in Arlington, Texas, to a funeral in Cincinnati. With no clear explanation why. Tomorrow. Dorrie, fleeing problems of her own and curious whether she can unlock the secrets of Isabelle’s guarded past, scarcely hesitates before agreeing, not knowing it will be a journey that changes both their lives. Over the years, Dorrie and Isabelle have developed more than just a business relationship. They are friends. But Dorrie, fretting over the new man in her life and her teenage son’s irresponsible choices, still wonders why Isabelle chose her. Isabelle confesses that, as a willful teen in 1930s Kentucky, she fell deeply in love with Robert Prewitt, a would-be doctor and the black son of her family’s housekeeper–in a town where blacks weren’t allowed after dark. The tale of their forbidden relationship and its tragic consequences makes it clear Dorrie and Isabelle are headed for a gathering of the utmost importance and that the history of Isabelle’s first and greatest love just might help Dorrie find her own way.”
I found the way that black people are portrayed in this book to be problematic – the only black characters are servants and employees. I also didn’t find the love story to be believable. The first 200 or so pages were slow as well. I did find the end reveal to be surprising and sad. About half of my book group friends liked the book and the other half agreed with me.
Title: Cleo McDougal Regrets Nothing
Author: Allison Winn Scotch
Genre: General Fiction
Publisher: Lake Union, 8/1/20
Source: PR Team
Why I Read It: Reading near publication date, Book Challenge By Erin category “thing” in title.
My Rating: 4 Stars
While I found this to be a good story, it was hard to read because of the style in which the author wrote extremely long and run on sentences. In the past, Cleo McDougal made mistakes. In the present, she is considering a presidential run.
“Cleo McDougal is a born politician. From congresswoman to senator, the magnetic, ambitious single mother now has her eye on the White House—always looking forward, never back. Until an estranged childhood friend shreds her in an op-ed hit piece gone viral. With seven words—’Cleo McDougal is not a good person’—the presidential hopeful has gone from in control to damage control, and not just in Washington but in life. Enter Cleo’s ‘regrets list’ of 233 and counting. Her chief of staff has a brilliant idea: pick the top ten, make amends during a media blitz, and repair her reputation. But there are regrets, and there are regrets: like her broken relationship with her sister, her affair with a law school professor…and the regret too big to even say out loud. But with risk comes reward, and as Cleo makes both peace and amends with her past, she becomes more empowered than ever to tackle her career, confront the hypocrites out to destroy her, and open her heart to what matters most—one regret at a time.”
I enjoyed Cleo’s evolution in this book and I would vote for her. I just think the writing could have been a bit better overall.
Title: Dear Emmie Blue
Author: Lia Louis
Genre: General Fiction
Publisher: Atria, 7/14/20
Source: Publisher
Why I Read It: Heard it was great and buddy read on Instagram
My Rating: 5 Stars
This was such a sweet book. Emmie led a sad life, pining after her best friend who does not appear to love her back.
“At sixteen, Emmie Blue stood in the fields of her school and released a red balloon into the sky. Attached was her name, her email address…and a secret she desperately wanted to be free of. Weeks later, on a beach in France, Lucas Moreau discovered the balloon and immediately emailed the attached addressed, sparking an intense friendship between the two teens. Now, fourteen years later, Emmie is hiding the fact that she’s desperately in love with Lucas. She has pinned all her hopes on him and waits patiently for him to finally admit that she’s the one for him. So dedicated to her love for Lucas, Emmie has all but neglected her life outside of this relationship—she’s given up the search for her absentee father, no longer tries to build bridges with her distant mother, and lives as a lodger to an old lady she barely knows after being laid off from her job. And when Lucas tells Emmie he has a big question to ask her, she’s convinced this is the moment he’ll reveal his feelings for her. But nothing in life ever quite goes as planned, does it?”
What was lovely about this book was the way that things changed for Emmie as the book went on. What happens is unexpected and I can’t share it here – you have to read it for yourselves. My buddy read group on Instagram had an amazing Zoom chat with the author as well!
Title: Body Talk: 37 Voices Explore Our Radical Anatomy
Author: Kelly Jensen (editor)
Genre: Non-fiction / Essays
Publisher: Algonquin Young Readers, 8/18/20
Source: Publisher
Why I Read It: Book Tour
My Rating: 5 Stars
I could not put this book down! I think everyone has something about their body that may not be considered “ideal” by the world we live in. For me, it’s hair. My curly hair becomes a complete frizz ball when brushed, and without knowing better, that’s how I wore it when I was young. Dark body hair was also an issue, and I would likely have a full face of it if I didn’t a) take medication and b) remove it often. I could completely relate to Kelly Jensen’s story about chin hair!
“We all experience the world in a body, but we don’t usually take the time to explore what it really means to have and live within one. Just as every person has a unique personality, every person has a unique body, and every body tells its own story. In Body Talk, thirty-seven writers, models, actors, musicians, and artists share essays, lists, comics, and illustrations—about everything from size and shape to scoliosis, from eating disorders to cancer, from sexuality and gender identity to the use of makeup as armor. Together, they contribute a broad variety of perspectives on what it’s like to live in their particular bodies—and how their bodies have helped to inform who they are and how they move through the world.”
Even the stories that have nothing to do with my body were stories I could learn from and empathize with. I highly recommend this book to anyone with a body! I really want to read the other books in this series about mental health and feminism now too!
Title: The Friendship List
Author: Susan Mallery
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Publisher: HQN, 8/4/20
Source: Harlequin Publicity Team
Why I Read It: Received in exchange for an Instagram post
My Rating: 5 Stars
This was a great story of friendship, love, and personal growth which I enjoyed more than I expected to!
“Single mom Ellen Fox couldn’t be more content—until she overhears her son saying he can’t go to his dream college because she needs him too much. If she wants him to live his best life, she has to convince him she’s living hers. So Unity Leandre, her best friend since forever, creates a list of challenges to push Ellen out of her comfort zone. Unity will complete the list, too, but not because she needs to change. What’s wrong with a thirtysomething widow still sleeping in her late husband’s childhood bed?”
I really enjoyed reading about Ellen and Unity and the ways they break out of their comfort zones. I have read Susan Mallery in the past, but this is my favorite of hers so far!
Title: His & Hers
Author: Alice Feeney
Genre: Thriller
Publisher: Macmillan Audio, 7/28/20
Source: libro.fm
Why I Read It: Heard good reviews
My Rating: 3 Stars
While the narrators on this audio book were quite good, I wasn’t thrilled with the story overall. It basically came with every content warning you can think of and I was able to figure out who the killer was!
“When a woman is murdered in Blackdown, a quintessentially British village, newsreader Anna Andrews is reluctant to cover the case. Detective Jack Harper is suspicious of her involvement, until he becomes a suspect in his own murder investigation. Someone isn’t telling the truth, and some secrets are worth killing to keep.”
I liked the back stories of the characters. I didn’t love the content, which included gang rape, animal abuse, and infant loss.
Title: Side Trip
Author: Kerry Lonsdale
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Publisher: Lake Union, 7/7/20
Source: PR Team for author
Why I Read It: I have enjoyed this author in the past
My Rating: 5 Stars
I loved Side Trip as much as I loved the author’s previous books that I’ve read! I read this on a road trip, which was fun, because it’s about a road trip.
“With her deceased sister’s Route 66 bucket list in hand, California girl Joy Evers sets out on a cross-country road trip to meet up with her fiancé, checking off the bullets along the way. Singer-songwriter Dylan Westfield has a serious case of wanderlust and a broken-down car. Stuck at a diner between LA and Flagstaff, he meets Joy, his complete opposite. She’s energetic. He’s moody. She’s by the book. He’s spontaneous. She believes in love at first sight. He thinks love is a complicated mess. But Joy has a brand-new convertible. They strike a deal. She’ll drive him to New York. He’ll pay for gas. Only three rules apply: no exchanging of last names; what happens on the road, stays on the road; and if one of them wants to take a side trip, they both must agree. A heart-stirring love story that spans a decade, Side Trip explores what-if. What if Joy and Dylan had exchanged last names? What if he’d told her she made him believe love was worth the risk? And what if they hadn’t made that second deal when they couldn’t say goodbye?”
Joy is a joy and Dylan is my new favorite leading man. I will say there is an ending to this one that will either make you throw your book or you may love it, like I did! This book is really about living your best life and the road not taken.
Title: The Voting Booth
Author: Brandy Colbert
Genre: YA
Publisher: Dreamscape Media, 7/7/20
Source: libro.fm
Why I Read It: Heard good things
My Rating: 4 Stars
This timely book is about the importance of voting and of using your voice. It was a quick audio listen which inspired me!
“Marva Sheridan was born ready for this day. She’s always been driven to make a difference in the world, and what better way than to vote in her first election? Duke Crenshaw is so done with this election. He just wants to get voting over with so he can prepare for his band’s first paying gig tonight. Only problem? Duke can’t vote. When Marva sees Duke turned away from their polling place, she takes it upon herself to make sure his vote is counted. She hasn’t spent months doorbelling and registering voters just to see someone denied their right. And that’s how their whirlwind day begins, rushing from precinct to precinct, cutting school, waiting in endless lines, turned away time and again, trying to do one simple thing: vote. They may have started out as strangers, but as Duke and Marva team up to beat a rigged system (and find Marva’s missing cat), it’s clear that there’s more to their connection than a shared mission for democracy.”
This book would be perfect for young teens who are just getting to the age where they can vote. It teaches about issues one might encounter at the polls, the importance of helping others get to the polls, and encourages activism. Racial issues and lesser known historical dates and people are also mentioned. While this book can be cheesy, it is also important.
Title: Fleishman Is In Trouble
Author: Taffy Brodesser-Akner
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Publisher: Random House, 6/18/19
Source: Library
Why I Read It: Was on my list, buddy read on Instagram
My Rating: 3 Stars
I wanted to read this book and heard the writing style was different. It’s sort of stream of consciousness and long winded. It is also about a Jewish character.
“Toby Fleishman thought he knew what to expect when he and his wife of almost fifteen years separated: weekends and every other holiday with the kids, some residual bitterness, the occasional moment of tension in their co-parenting negotiations. He could not have predicted that one day, in the middle of his summer of sexual emancipation, Rachel would just drop their two children off at his place and simply not return. He had been working so hard to find equilibrium in his single life. The winds of his optimism, long dormant, had finally begun to pick up. Now this. As Toby tries to figure out where Rachel went, all while juggling his patients at the hospital, his never-ending parental duties, and his new app-assisted sexual popularity, his tidy narrative of the spurned husband with the too-ambitious wife is his sole consolation. But if Toby ever wants to truly understand what happened to Rachel and what happened to his marriage, he is going to have to consider that he might not have seen things all that clearly in the first place.”
I spent most of the time reading hoping for a big reveal as to what happened to Toby’s wife. While it did tell her story briefly, I think seeing more of her side of things would have made the book more readable. As it was, it was mainly a strange look at Toby’s life. Also, I did not appreciate the brief mentions of Toby’s religious Jewish sister, as the way she was portrayed was anti-religious Jews.
Title: Dress Coded
Author: Carrie Firestone
Genre: Middle Grade
Publisher: GP Putnam’s Sons, 7/7/20
Source: Library
Why I Read It: Sounded good!
My Rating: 5 Stars
This book was such a good one! It was uplifting and full of feminism, activism, and wonderful friendships. I will say I wanted to read this out loud to my kids, but the fact that it begins with references to a girl getting her period made me have to stop, as my 10 year old boy is too young!
“Molly Frost is FED UP…
Because Olivia was yelled at for wearing a tank top.
Because Liza got dress coded and Molly didn’t, even though they were wearing the exact same outfit.
Because when Jessica was pulled over by the principal and missed a math quiz, her teacher gave her an F.
Because it’s impossible to find shorts that are longer than her fingertips.
Because girls’ bodies are not a distraction.
Because middle school is hard enough.
And so Molly starts a podcast where girls can tell their stories, and before long, her small rebellion swells into a revolution. Because now the girls are standing up for what’s right, and they’re not backing down.”
I highly recommend this book for young girls who want to make a difference. It is fine for boys as well, if they are old enough! I thought Molly was the epitome of what a friend should be and would love to know her myself.
Title: The Places We Sleep
Author: Caroline Brooks DuBois
Genre: Middle Grade – In Verse
Publisher: Holiday House, 8/18/20
Source: Books Forward PR
Why I Read It: Reading near publication date
My Rating: 5 Stars
While in some ways 9/11/01 feels like yesterday, it’s far enough in the past that it’s also become a part of history. There are very few high schoolers that were alive when it happened, and certainly no middle schoolers. This middle grade book in verse tells Abbey’s story as a 12 year old coming of age in 2001-02.
“It’s early September 2001, and twelve-year-old Abbey is the new kid at school. Again.
I worry about people speaking to me / and worry just the same / when they don’t.
Tennessee is her family’s latest stop in a series of moves due to her dad’s work in the Army, but this one might be different. Her school is far from Base, and for the first time, Abbey has found a real friend: loyal, courageous, athletic Camille. And then it’s September 11. The country is under attack, and Abbey’s ‘home’ looks like it might fall apart. America has changed overnight.
How are we supposed / to keep this up / with the world / crumbling / around us?
Abbey’s body changes, too, while her classmates argue and her family falters. Like everyone around her, she tries to make sense of her own experience as a part of the country’s collective pain. With her mother grieving and her father prepping for active duty, Abbey must learn to cope on her own.”
The Places We Sleep refers to all the houses Abbey has lived in before, her most recent home in Tennessee, and her imaginings of where her father might sleep after he deploys to Afghanistan after 9/11. She realizes she has never really felt at home in the houses she’s lived in or at the schools she’s attended. The story of Abbey’s journey is both personal as well as a portrait of a military family’s experience. I read this book in one day and recommend it to both young and older readers as the anniversary of 9/11 approaches.
Title: Boyfriend Material
Author: Alexis Hall
Genre: Rom Com
Publisher: Dreamscape Media, 7/7/20
Source: libro.fm
Why I Read It: Sounded good.
My Rating: 4 Stars
I listened to this book and the narrator was so great. He was able to provide unique voices for all of the characters and he gave a great authenticity to each of them. This book was hilarious and it had me laughing out loud while listening!
“Luc O’Donnell is tangentially—and reluctantly—famous. His rock star parents split when he was young, and the father he’s never met spent the next twenty years cruising in and out of rehab. Now that his dad’s making a comeback, Luc’s back in the public eye, and one compromising photo is enough to ruin everything. To clean up his image, Luc has to find a nice, normal relationship…and Oliver Blackwood is as nice and normal as they come. He’s a barrister, an ethical vegetarian, and he’s never inspired a moment of scandal in his life. In other words: perfect boyfriend material. Unfortunately, apart from being gay, single, and really, really in need of a date for a big event, Luc and Oliver have nothing in common. So they strike a deal to be publicity-friendly (fake) boyfriends until the dust has settled. Then they can go their separate ways and pretend it never happened. But the thing about fake-dating is that it can feel a lot like real-dating. And that’s when you get used to someone. Start falling for them. Don’t ever want to let them go.”
This was my first male / male romance and I really enjoyed it. Luc and Oliver were both great characters, as were their friends. I especially loved to laugh at Luc’s co-worker Alex, and Luc’s mom. I definitely recommend the audio of this one!
Title: What You Don’t Know
Author: Bianca Sloane
Genre: Thriller
Publisher: SBB, 9/23/20
Source: Kate Rock Book Tours
Why I Read It: Received in exchange for my review
My Rating: 4 Stars
This book is about a home invasion and it reminded me of an episode of Criminal Minds. The whole time you are wondering why these young people are out to get the Gilbert family and you will quickly turn the pages to find the answer.
“It’s Saturday morning. April Fool’s Day to be exact. Malcolm Gilbert is on his way to play golf. His wife, Blair, is headed to the hair salon. That’s the plan anyway. Then the doorbell rings. And their nightmare begins. For the next forty-eight hours, the Gilberts are at the mercy of sadists who unleash a seemingly unending campaign of terror against them. But the question isn’t who would attack the Gilberts. The question is why . . .”
The story is told alternatively through describing what happened to the family and through interviews with those who knew them and investigated the case. There are some violent scenes so reader beware. This is also an Own Voices book – a Black writer writing about Black characters.
Title: None Shall Sleep
Author: Ellie Marney
Genre: YA
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 9/1/20
Source: Rock Star Book Tours
Why I Read It: Received in exchange for my review
My Rating: 3 Stars
Suspend your disbelief for this one because the FBI recruits two teenagers to help them solve the case of a serial killer targeting teenagers! Okay, it could happen. If I’m being honest, this was a little drawn out in the middle but the fast paced ending was great.
“In 1982, two teenagers–serial killer survivor Emma Lewis and US Marshal candidate Travis Bell–are recruited by the FBI to interview convicted juvenile killers and provide insight and advice on cold cases. From the start, Emma and Travis develop a quick friendship, gaining information from juvenile murderers that even the FBI can’t crack. But when the team is called in to give advice on an active case — a serial killer who exclusively hunts teenagers — things begin to unravel. Working against the clock, they must turn to one of the country’s most notorious incarcerated murderers for help: teenage sociopath Simon Gutmunsson. Despite Travis’s objections, Emma becomes the conduit between Simon and the FBI team. But while Simon seems to be giving them the information they need to save lives, he’s an expert manipulator playing a very long game…and he has his sights set on Emma.”
The main character, Emma, was the sole survivor of a serial killer, so this had some Final Girls vibes to it as well. She was a strong character to root for. This book contains a good amount of blood and gore so reader beware!
Title: Between The World and Me
Author: Ta-Nehisi Coates
Genre: Non-Fiction / Memoir
Publisher: Random House Audio, 7/14/15
Source: Library Audio App
Why I Read It: Anti-racism goals
My Rating: 4 Stars
I am trying to learn more about how to be an anti-racist and this was my pick for this month. This is a short book, written as a letter to the author’s teenage son about growing up Black in America.
“In a profound work that pivots from the biggest questions about American history and ideals to the most intimate concerns of a father for his son, Ta-Nehisi Coates offers a powerful new framework for understanding our nation’s history and current crisis. Americans have built an empire on the idea of ‘race,’ a falsehood that damages us all but falls most heavily on the bodies of black women and men—bodies exploited through slavery and segregation, and, today, threatened, locked up, and murdered out of all proportion. What is it like to inhabit a black body and find a way to live within it? And how can we all honestly reckon with this fraught history and free ourselves from its burden?”
It is so sad to me that this was written five years ago and nothing has changed. A friend of the author’s was killed by the police and this is one of the major things addressed in the book. He also talks about the idea of race and refers to people that think they are white. It was an interesting listen which I probably did not benefit from as much as I should have.
Title: The Second Mother
Author: Jenny Milchman
Genre: Mystery
Publisher: Sourcebooks Landmark, 8/18/20
Source: Publisher
Why I Read It: Trying to read near publication date
My Rating: 3 Stars
This book took me forever to read, and it was quite long. It was a bit atmospheric, taking place on an island, which I enjoyed. It moreso annoyed me though, and I probably should have given up at some point!
“Julie Weathers isn’t sure if she’s running away or starting over, but moving to a remote island off the coast of Maine feels right for someone with reasons to flee her old life. The sun-washed, sea-stormed speck of land seems welcoming, the lobster plentiful, and the community close and tightly knit. She finds friends in her nearest neighbor and Callum, a man who appears to be using the island for the same thing as she: escape. But as Julie takes on the challenge of teaching the island’s children, she comes to suspect that she may have traded one place shrouded in trouble for another, and she begins to wonder if the greatest danger on Mercy Island is its lost location far out to sea, or the people who live there.”
There is a character in the book who is sort of the controller of the island and its residents and she was repeatedly referred to as “the grandmother.” I found that so annoying! My favorite character in the book was probably Julie’s dog. This book contains an infant loss story line.
In conclusion, in August I read 22 books, 17 of which are reviewed in this post. This month I read 12 print books, 5 e-books, and 5 audio books. My favorite books this month were Body Talk, Dear Emmie Blue, Side Trip, and Dress Coded.
Have you read any of these books or do you want to? What have you been reading lately?