August has been a great month, both reading and life-wise. One of those months where I did a lot, but don’t have much to show for it!

Reading Wrap

In August I read 9 books! I managed to check 4 books off of my Wainwright Prize reading list, finish my reread of the Green Rider series, read my eArc of Green Rider 8 and add in a couple of extras. My fiction was fantasy-dominated this month, which I honestly don’t mind – it was nice to have those types of stories mixed among the non-fiction, especially as those books touched on some heavier topics.

• To Have or to Hold by Sophie Pavelle. A great and engaging non-fiction about symbiosis in nature. I love the way Sophie writes, probably because she’s a fellow millennial and it felt like chatting to an old friend. See my review here.
• Winterlight by Kristen Britain. Green Rider 7. A chonk at 848 pages, I realised I had forgotten so much while rereading this one! This is one of my favourite books of the series.
• Spirit of the Wood by Kristen Britain. A novella exploring the history of one of the prominent characters in the Green Rider series. Laren Mapstone is one of my favourite characters and I am so pleased that we got to know her better in this one.
• Land of the Last Wildcat by Lui Sit. One from the Wainwright Children’s shortlist, I really loved it. Puffin is a fabulous main character and I feel like this is a book that will teach children a lot about nature and what we owe it while still being really engaging and entertaining.
• A Training School for Elephants by Sophy Roberts. From the Wainwright Conservation shortlist, this was less about elephants than I expected and more about colonialism in Africa. It was a fantastically researched and written piece of writing, and taught me a lot.
• The Sun Blessed Prince by Lindsey Byrd. A queer fantasy following a prince and a soldier, one who gives life, and one whose touch is death. I really enjoyed this overall; the ending was so satisfying.
• Falling in a Sea of Stars by Kristen Britain. It was everything I wanted out of book 8 of Green Rider, only it ended too soon. Yes, even though it was nearly 700 pages long. Will I be able to formulate a coherent review? We’ll see.
• Piranesi by Susanna Clarke. A beautiful book. Short and masterfully written, I am so annoyed I waited so long to read this. I loved how I was so certain it was one thing, and then it laughed at me and went in a whole other direction.
• The Possibility of Tenderness by Jason Allen-Paisant. A wonderfully written memoir, following the author as he goes back to his roots in Jamaica and explores how plants are central to his culture and the people who still live there.

Reading Challenges

I finally made progress with both r/Fantasy Bingo and Friends Recommend by reading Piranesi, which appears on both lists. Yep, one whole book. I am also including Falling in a Sea of Stars on Bingo, but it’s replacing a book I had already, so no actual extra progress there.

I added two books to The Diverse Baseline this month, which means I am on track with 16/12 books read this year.

I am also still on track for reading 50% of the choices for Rewild Your Shelf. I didn’t pick up August’s book but I will (Remarkably Bright Creatures), however, I have already read the pick for September, which evens it out for now.

Life Wrap

You Tell Me: How was your AUGUST? What your best read?