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August Reads

Home » Reading » August Reads

In: Reading on: August 31, 2023

It’s been a busy month—and I can’t believe it’s September tomorrow! Eek! Not as many books this month, but two that I read with a combo of audio and ebook. I truly love that. Otherwise, my audiobooks tend to languish unless there are long travel days or trips across town. But even though there are fewer titles this month, they were all great! And I caught up on my “one non-fiction book a month” goal by reading two non-fiction this month! 

But let’s start with the fun stuff! 

One Kiss Alone by Nichole Van

Oh. My. Goodness. I could not see how she would make this premise work, but it so did. And every time I think her books can’t get better, they do. This whole series is worth the read, but this last one will live with me for a long time. Scottish historical romance at its best! 

Authentically Izzy by Pepper Basham

This is the first contemporary romance I’ve read by Pepper, who I got to meet in person at a recent writers’ conference! It was part epistolary, part real-time. I love epistolary, so I wasn’t sure what I thought of this format at first. But it worked. If you love books and men with accents, you might want to jump into this romance of bibliophiles! 

Only the Beautiful by Susan Meissner

I’m not going to lie—this is a tough read simply because of the subject matter. Eugenics, which was the up-and-coming progressive philosophy in the first part of the 20th century, wrought terrible consequences. But while much seems hopeless at the beginning, there is lovely redemption at the end. So very worth the read. 

The Secret in Sandcastles by Rachael Bloome

Book #3 of the Poppy Creek series. I do love how she weaves previous characters into the following books. They aren’t just all in the same town, they continually interact with one another. I especially connected to this story since, like Penny Heart, I’m not a very adventurous woman! 

Wild, Beautiful, and Free by Sophorina Scott

I really wasn’t sure what to expect from this book when I began it. It was one of those I had downloaded for free then the audiobook went on sale, so I could do the back-and-forth thing. I really enjoyed this story of half-sisters, one from a black mother, one from a white, during the Civil War. It was a story of exploration of self for all the characters. So many times I wasn’t sure where the story was headed, but I was completely captivated. And pleased with the ending. 

The Storyteller of Casablanca by Fiona Valpy

Another ebook I got free then the audio went on sale. Loved this split-time story. And while I expected that something wasn’t as it seemed, I didn’t see that twist coming! Definitely a story of redemption. And the Casablanca setting, both (almost) present day and during WWII, was fascinating! I enjoyed it enough to get another of her books. 

Eat, Fast, Feast by Jay W. Richards

My husband recommended this book to me. It was an interesting read in that it is 1) the health science behind intermittent fasting 2) a practical guide to easing into fasting of all kinds and 3) a discussion of the spiritual discipline and reasons for fasting, including a discussion of fasting in church history. I’ve been interested in intermittent fasting for a while, so this was a good book for me. I won’t do everything as he does, but I’ve adopted some of his practices. And I love that he talked about the fact that fasting can be for both our physical nad spiritual health at the same time. It’s not one or the other. 

On Teaching and Writing Fiction by Wallace Stegner

A few years ago Jeff and I both read Wallace Stegner’s Crossing to Safety and loved it. (I intend to read some of his other books, just haven’t gotten to them yet!) Anyway, he taught writing at Harvard and established a creative writing fellowship at Stanford. He also won a Pulitzer Prize. Anyway, his essays on teaching and writing fiction were amazing. I loved the encouragement and the challenges in them. Not sure these would mean as much if you haven’t read any of his books, but it earned a perpetual spot among my favorite books on writing. 

That’s it! September will be another busy month, but at least several of those days will be vacation, which equals reading time! 

Tagged: Fiona Valpy, Jay Richards, nichole van, Pepper Basham, Sophorina Scott, Susan Meissner, Wallace Stegner

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