Another Chapter Finished (Reading Wrap Up for August)

August was a busy and book filled month for me. A whopping 32 books read over all the different formats I enjoy. I hope you enjoy hearing about the highs and lows of my reading journey. So let's see I read or listened to: two audiobooks, eleven books, three manga volumes, and the rest were comics or graphic novels. I always like to get the bad news out of the way first so let's talk about some of my least favorite things that I read this month.

For both my favorites and least favorites I will be going in no particular order so just because something is listed first in either section does not mean it is the worst or the best.

My Least Favorite Titles this Month

The Last One at the Wedding by Jason Rekulak: Underwhelming

• I kind of feel the need to blame Book Tok for this one, I first heard of this author when his horror book Hidden Pictures was blowing up as a must read. So, I was very intrigued to hear he took a swing at the mystery genre with The Last Ones at the Wedding. However, the ending absolutely ruins the book. It is certainly well paced but the ending just leads to nowhere. This was one of the audiobooks that I listened to this month, so I certainly think that helped but once I got to the end, I had one of those "oh that's it?" moments. It just kind of felt unfinished and it left me disappointed,

  • Verdict: 3 Stars, I would read one of his other works though just outside of the mystery genre

Phoenix Vol. 1 Orbital Resonance by Stephanie Phillips: Not My Thing

• Ok this one was on me, and not on the author at all. I started following her on Tiktok and realized she has put her spin on quite a few of my favorite characters and I wanted to read some of her work so I decided to start with Phoenix. Jean Grey has never been like my favorite mutant, I prefer Storm or even her partner Cyclops. I Should have just read something else by her like her run on Harley Quinn. Oh well lesson learned :)

  • Verdict: 3 Stars, Like Rekulak I would love to read more of her stuff like Harley Quinn or her new She Hulk series that will be starting soon.

Orbital by Samantha Hawley and The Resurrectionist by A. Rae Dunlap: Pacing Issues

• I am putting these two together because I feel like they both struggled with the same issue and that is pacing. I feel like both books could have been better with a few more pages added in as they came in at 207 and 319 pages respectively.

  • Orbital focuses on a group of astronauts as they circle the earth and their various perspectives as they all hail from different parts of the world. This was neat at first but I felt like I did not get a chance to connect with any of the characters because I did not know them. I felt like a few more pages with some character depth and development would have really helped me enjoy it more.

  • The pacing issues for me in the Resurrectionist came in the relationship between the two main characters. Like what do you mean that the two boys had one kiss and suddenly they are in a partnership together? It felt rushed and just not believable, I think they needed a few more pages to flesh out the relationship so it would really shine later on in the final pages.

    • Verdict: 2 stars for Orbital and 3 stars for Resurrectionist, I don't think I'll be reading books by these authors again; at least for a little while

My Favorite Titles this Month

I Might Be In Trouble by Daniel Aleman: Laugh out Loud Funny

• This dark comedy was probably my favorite thing I read all month. When I first read the premise I immediately thought of Weekend at Bernie's where the two main characters have to hide a body. While similar this book takes place in the publishing industry as the main character is an author who at first struggles to write his third book only to find an unexpected plot idea come to him after a wild night out. I don't want to spoil too much so go read the book for yourselves.

  • Verdict: 5 stars, absolute must read and I would love to see this be adapted into a movie

Ink Ribbon Red by Alex Pavesi: Fast-paced and Twisted Thrill ride

• This book was such a good read, but you have to pay attention! Coming in just over 300 pages this is a fast-paced thrill ride with so many blink and you'll miss it moments of information. I definitely had to go back and reread a few sections to make sure I did not miss anything. Also, the main character Anatol is a serious criminal mastermind, and it was refreshing to see a villain own his character and not try to hide his intentions, at least for long.

  • Verdict: 4.5 Stars, felt reminiscent of the Knives out movies which I loved

Most Wonderful by Georgia Clark: A warm and lovely holiday romp good all year round

• As I mentioned in my author spotlight post, I love a good messy family dynamic. Three half siblings all return home for Christmas and bring their own love life and personal drama under the same roof as their eccentric actor mother. This was my other audiobook this month and it was so sweet and heartwarming. I loved the siblings' dynamics and the message at the end about being ok to step outside of the traditional sibling roles and truly see our siblings as the people they are. Being an older sibling myself I felt myself relating to the eldest Liz the most.

  • Verdict: 4.4 stars, would have loved a few more pages to finish out the arcs of the younger two siblings