Hi everyone,

It's been a while since I mentioned what I've been reading and August has been one hell of a reading month. I'm currently in the middle of a few books; When the Tides Held the Moon by Venessa Vida Kelley, which is our bookclub pick for this month. THIS IS SO GOOD. I've been taking my time reading it over the last week or so because I don't want it to end. This takes place in the early 1900s in NYC and is The Greatest Showman meets The Shape of Water.

I'm also reading a an advanced reading copy of The Everlasting by Alix E. Harrow that comes out later this year. Last year she came out with a short story called The Six Deaths of the Saints and it was so good I read it TWICE IN ONE WEEK. The Everlasting is a novel inspired by that story and it is giving me the same energy that had me obsessed.

During a trip to NYC, I stopped in The Strand Bookstore and finally got my hands on The Bewitching by Silvia Moreno-Garcia. (my local bookstores need to do a better job of diversifying their shelves but thats a post for another day) I really appreciated this one! While some things seemed a bit predictable the overall story and writing was great and I'm looking forward to catching up on her backlist and what she's got in store for us next.

This month I also reread The Will of the Many by James Islington to prepare for The Strength of the Few. I started TSOTF shortly after and could not put it down, I can't wait until November so we can properly chat about it but it was absolutely insane. Look out for my spoiler free thoughts coming soon.

And I've also been in my romance bag that last month or so. I caught up on all of Emily Henry's books and started by Ali Hazelwood journey and they both had me squealing and kicking my feet, their books are so fun. I was super surprised by the depth in Henry's books as well, and am looking forward to exploring more of Hazelwood's.

But I think the standout book for me this month has to be James by Percival Everett, I finished this book in ONE SITTING and understand why he deserved the National Book Award and Pulitzer Prize. This Hucklberry Finn retelling is STELLAR and flips Twain's tale on its head to provide a raw depiction of what slaves like James had to endure, and what they held back. I read it in tandem with audio and it really brought the story to life, highly recommend.

I'm hoping to finish a few more books in this last week of the month, and I'll be sure to keep you all posted. Look out for updates on the September bookclub pick in the discord, and an article about Fall Releases written by me coming next month in Readin' Magazine.