August Books

[fiddles]

Was going to put this in the July but...new month!

I'm halfway through What Happened to the McCrays. Wow.  I was not expecting this when I started to read the book.  I know it was a recommendation from someone here, thank you!  It's been awhile that I've read a book that has pulled me in so emotionally so quickly. 

[fernweh]

I’m almost done with The Boy of Chaotic Making which is the third book in the Wimbrel House series.

I have the Thursday Murder Club lined up to read next but I’m not sure I want to. I’m considering taking it back to the library unread. I’m not sure why because it interested me when I picked it up but now I’m not excited about it.
Does anyone have thoughts on the book?

[Jalapeñomel]

Aug 1, 2025 11:18:55 GMT -5 fiddles said:

Was going to put this in the July but...new month!

I'm halfway through What Happened to the McCrays. Wow.  I was not expecting this when I started to read the book.  I know it was a recommendation from someone here, thank you!  It's been awhile that I've read a book that has pulled me in so emotionally so quickly. 

I just finished this.

I need more uplifting books!

[countthestars]

I'm about a third of the way through One Golden Summer and it's not really catching me. Not sure if I should stick with it or move on for now. My Friends just came up as ready for my kindle and we are heading on vacation next week, so I'm excited to start it.

[fiddles]

Aug 1, 2025 11:54:27 GMT -5 Jalapeñomel said:

Aug 1, 2025 11:18:55 GMT -5 fiddles said:

Was going to put this in the July but...new month!

I'm halfway through What Happened to the McCrays. Wow.  I was not expecting this when I started to read the book.  I know it was a recommendation from someone here, thank you!  It's been awhile that I've read a book that has pulled me in so emotionally so quickly. 

I just finished this.

I need more uplifting books!

Do you like mystery type books?  I just finished The Writer by James Patterson.  Wasn't necessarily uplifting, but one that totally held my attention.  All the way to the end when I actually said out loud, "Oooooh nice."

[shopgirl07]

Aug 1, 2025 11:47:20 GMT -5 fernweh said:

I’m almost done with The Boy of Chaotic Making which is the third book in the Wimbrel House series.

I have the Thursday Murder Club lined up to read next but I’m not sure I want to. I’m considering taking it back to the library unread. I’m not sure why because it interested me when I picked it up but now I’m not excited about it.
Does anyone have thoughts on the book?

Oh my gosh, Thursday Murder Club (and all the books in the series) is just the best! Totally delightful. Probably the best book series I’ve ever read.

[Susie]

I finished Demon Copperhead last week and swapped it at the library for the Poisonwood Bible, which I've never read. 

Demon Copperhead was a hard read.  I put it down at the end, not knowing what kind of organization I needed to make a donation to, to feel a tad better.  A local org that provides luggage, clothing, supplies, etc. to kids in the foster care system, or a charity having to do with addiction, or all of the above.  Because whew.

I had mixed feelings about the ending.

[InBetweenDays]

Aug 1, 2025 11:47:20 GMT -5 fernweh said:

I’m almost done with The Boy of Chaotic Making which is the third book in the Wimbrel House series.

I have the Thursday Murder Club lined up to read next but I’m not sure I want to. I’m considering taking it back to the library unread. I’m not sure why because it interested me when I picked it up but now I’m not excited about it.
Does anyone have thoughts on the book?

I haven't read Thursday Murder Club, but I've read others in that series (The Bullet that Missed and The Last Devil to Die). I thought they were fun and cute, but they didn't really draw me in. 

[scm1011]

Susie, you may want to consider a palate cleanser before The Poisonwood Bible. Its amazing but also a hard read.

I'm currently reading Atmosphere. I found it was hard to get into at first but now half-ways through I'm loving it.

[erbear]

I'm struggling through Madwomen. I just hate everyone in it so far. I'm also reading My Friends and really enjoying it.

[meanie]

Finished Here One Moment by Liane Moriarty, it was good in the same ways her other books are good.

Listening to None of This is True by Lisa Jewell, good so far but I am only 7% of the way in

[wildrice]

fernweh, it's been mentioned a bunch of times here so that's probably why you picked it up! I read it a couple of months ago, it's fairly light and worth reading. I think I'd give it 3.5-4 stars, so I don't know that I LOVED it as much as others but I definitely enjoyed it.

I have been reading Jane Eyre and I think I'm going to make it a DNF. I wanted to read it because I feel like I haven't read so many of the classic beloved novels, and I finally heard it referenced in other books/shows too many times and decided I should read it. But it's really slow and the language is just not working for me. My Kindle says I have almost 12 hours left of it and I'm only 1/4 of the way through (IDK how that's possible, probably because I've had to reread so many paragraphs when I realized I zoned out) and I don't want to spend that much more time on it.

So now I'm reading the Briar Club which I expect I will like. I am also reading Good Dirt which I started earlier this year and put down for some reason, but I like it so far.

I finished listening to "How to End a Love Story" which was just a random available library book. It was ok but WAY more sexual stuff than I expected and I found a lot of it really uncomfortable (not sure if it's because I'm a prude or if it was just so awkward - maybe a combination). Too much cheesy dialogue during sex. Now I'm listening to Never Flinch by Stephen King. So far so good.

[mpc]

The last book I read was called House Arrest by K.A. Holt. I picked this up randomly out of a Little Free Library and ended up loving it so much. It is a novel written in free verse, which scared me a little because I am not a poetry person, but that was not a problem at all. It's about a 12 year old boy who stole a wallet and now has a year of probation which includes writing in a journal everyday. The book is his journal writings. It really drew me in.

[expectantsteelerfan]

Did anyone else happen to pick the true crime story by Gregg Olsen as their free Kindle book last month? I think it's called Out of the Woods, and it's about the aftermath and continued struggle of a girl who was kidnapped when she was 8 with her brother after they watched their perpetrator kill the rest of their family, and they were tortured and abused for 7 weeks before she was rescued. Phew, it was a lot. But I'd love to talk about it if anyone else read it. I've read one other of his true crime books, and I had similar feelings about this one in that it was an important story to tell and while he did it justice, it was also disjointed and confusing at times.

[expectantsteelerfan]

I also just started The Girlfriend, which is being made into an upcoming show on Prime with Robin Wright Penn. It seems like a kinda typical domestic thriller type book so far.

[TR]

Aug 1, 2025 12:00:27 GMT -5 shopgirl07 said:

Aug 1, 2025 11:47:20 GMT -5 fernweh said:

I’m almost done with The Boy of Chaotic Making which is the third book in the Wimbrel House series.

I have the Thursday Murder Club lined up to read next but I’m not sure I want to. I’m considering taking it back to the library unread. I’m not sure why because it interested me when I picked it up but now I’m not excited about it.
Does anyone have thoughts on the book?

Oh my gosh, Thursday Murder Club (and all the books in the series) is just the best! Totally delightful. Probably the best book series I’ve ever read.

fernweh - ditto this!

[InBetweenDays]

Aug 1, 2025 13:52:06 GMT -5 expectantsteelerfan said:

Did anyone else happen to pick the true crime story by Gregg Olsen as their free Kindle book last month? I think it's called Out of the Woods, and it's about the aftermath and continued struggle of a girl who was kidnapped when she was 8 with her brother after they watched their perpetrator kill the rest of their family, and they were tortured and abused for 7 weeks before she was rescued. Phew, it was a lot. But I'd love to talk about it if anyone else read it. I've read one other of his true crime books, and I had similar feelings about this one in that it was an important story to tell and while he did it justice, it was also disjointed and confusing at times.

I'll have to look into getting that from the library. I did read one of his other books - If You Tell. One of my very good friends is actually acquaintances/friends with one of the sisters from that story. Absolutely crazy.

I'm about halfway through Family of Liars which is the sequel prequel to We Were Liars. Nothing groundbreaking but just an intriguing easy read. Next up is The Rose Code by Kate Quinn about the female code breakers based out of Bletchley Park during WW2 (I watched the series Bletchley Circle years ago and loved it).

[expectantsteelerfan]

Aug 1, 2025 15:24:37 GMT -5 InBetweenDays said:

Aug 1, 2025 13:52:06 GMT -5 expectantsteelerfan said:

Did anyone else happen to pick the true crime story by Gregg Olsen as their free Kindle book last month? I think it's called Out of the Woods, and it's about the aftermath and continued struggle of a girl who was kidnapped when she was 8 with her brother after they watched their perpetrator kill the rest of their family, and they were tortured and abused for 7 weeks before she was rescued. Phew, it was a lot. But I'd love to talk about it if anyone else read it. I've read one other of his true crime books, and I had similar feelings about this one in that it was an important story to tell and while he did it justice, it was also disjointed and confusing at times.

I'll have to look into getting that from the library. I did read one of his other books - If You Tell. One of my very good friends is actually acquaintances/friends with one of the sisters from that story. Absolutely crazy.

I'm about halfway through Family of Liars which is the sequel to We Were Liars. Nothing groundbreaking but just an intriguing easy read. Next up is The Rose Code by Kate Quinn about the female code breakers based out of Bletchley Park during WW2 (I watched the series Bletchley Circle years ago and loved it).

I read If You Tell previously.  I left this book with the same feeling as that one...heartbreaking story, but the author jumps around SO MUCH that it's hard to follow when things are actually happening (with this one, specifically what stable adults are in her life at what time and then why they leave) and just confused me for no reason.  He also tries to build suspense and drama in overly obvious ways that end up annoying me rather than drawing me in.  But holy cow, this poor girl and what she went through.

Also, I had no idea there was a sequel to We Were Liars.  Off to request that now.  I read We Were Liars a long time ago, but recently watched the show and would like to continue the story.

[InBetweenDays]

Aug 1, 2025 15:36:40 GMT -5 expectantsteelerfan said:

Aug 1, 2025 15:24:37 GMT -5 InBetweenDays said:

I'll have to look into getting that from the library. I did read one of his other books - If You Tell. One of my very good friends is actually acquaintances/friends with one of the sisters from that story. Absolutely crazy.

I'm about halfway through Family of Liars which is the sequel to We Were Liars. Nothing groundbreaking but just an intriguing easy read. Next up is The Rose Code by Kate Quinn about the female code breakers based out of Bletchley Park during WW2 (I watched the series Bletchley Circle years ago and loved it).

I read We Were Liars a long time ago, but recently watched the show and would like to continue the story.

Same. I read it long enough ago that I forgot the surprise when I watched the show so I was shocked all over again.

I guess Family of Liars is actually a prequel because is about the moms and their life growing up. But it was written after We Were Liars.

[RoxMonster]

I haven't read hardly at all this summer, which is unlike me. But work has been extra busy and we took a trip for almost half of July, plus I enjoy reading outside in the summer and it has been so fucking hot. We just got brand new patio furniture this week (a conversation set that is comfy rather than a table and chairs), and the heat wave finally broke, so I am diving back in.

I am 75% done with Shari Lapena's newest, She Didn't See It Coming. She is one of my favorite thriller authors and an auto-buy. The plot is really drawing me in and I'm enjoying it, but her writing style in this book seems very stilted and like annoyingly basic? I don't remember her writing being like this before. But it's not enough for me to not enjoy the book.

[Pibs]

I can't decide if I want to read Rules of Civility by Amor Towles, Abundance by Ezra Klein, Isles of the Emberdark by Brandon Sanderson or something else.

Please choose for me!

I read so many books last month that my brain is too tired to decide.

[HoneySpider]

I started Dead of Summer by Jessa Maxwell the other day and I'm very meh about it. I've never read anything else by her and I can't tell if I just haven't gotten far enough into it yet for it to be exciting or it's just a dull book. Going to give it a little bit longer before I decide to if it's worth it to keep going or just DNF. Has anyone read it?

[So_Fetch]

I'm halfway through We Will Prescribe You A Cat and am loving it.

[shananagins]

Aug 1, 2025 13:41:09 GMT -5 mpc said:

The last book I read was called House Arrest by K.A. Holt. I picked this up randomly out of a Little Free Library and ended up loving it so much. It is a novel written in free verse, which scared me a little because I am not a poetry person, but that was not a problem at all. It's about a 12 year old boy who stole a wallet and now has a year of probation which includes writing in a journal everyday. The book is his journal writings. It really drew me in.

House Arrest is so good. There is a sequel called Knockout set several years later when the little brother is in middle school.

[al dente]

Susie oh I loved The Poisonwood Bible! It is heavy though.

I have been in such a reading slump. I got and returned The Wedding People without even opening it, and now I'm back on a big wait list for it.

I did just finish 11/22/63 by Steven King on audiobook. That was good, and interesting to think about. It didn't get me back into the reading mood though.

[underwaterrhymes]

I just finished The Missing Half by Ashley Flowers. I was really loving this book for the first 3/4 of it, but then it took a nose dive off a cliff.

3* because it’s well-written and engaging, but the ending sucks.

[bex1973]

I finished the things we leave unfinished this weekend. It was good, I liked it and I did NOT see that ending coming which is why I liked it so much.

I just started What Happened to the McCrays and am only a couple chapters in but am looking forward to it because so many others have read it and gave positive reviews.

[Jalapeñomel]

I’m still waiting on Problematic Summer Romance, but I may just suck it up and buy a copy.

[luckystar2]

Aug 4, 2025 7:39:42 GMT -5 underwaterrhymes said:

I just finished The Missing Half by Ashley Flowers. I was really loving this book for the first 3/4 of it, but then it took a nose dive off a cliff.

3* because it’s well-written and engaging, but the ending sucks.

I’m currently reading it. Ugh that’s a bummer. Did you read her other book. Didn’t love the ending of that one either.

[TR]

Aug 4, 2025 7:39:42 GMT -5 underwaterrhymes said:

I just finished The Missing Half by Ashley Flowers. I was really loving this book for the first 3/4 of it, but then it took a nose dive off a cliff.

3* because it’s well-written and engaging, but the ending sucks.

I have this checked out now, but I went and looked at my notes on her previous book and I gave it 2 stars and said "this was terrible and the ending sucked" sooooo maybe I shouldn't bother with this one lol