Hello everyone, it’s the end of August, which means it’s time for a reading wrap-up! Out of the books on August reading list, I hit 4 of the 9 bullets, and I read one book that wasn’t technically on the list which comes to 14 books!
Up first I read Our Violent Ends, which didn’t exactly answer the questions I had from the first book, but did a really great job wrapping up the world and the story. I really enjoyed it!
Then I started reading the Kingdom Keepers series, and though I thought I had gotten far as a kid, I think I actually only read 3 or 4 of them. I made it through the first two before taking a break and pivoting to:
The Percy Jackson series! I was really getting in the mood for vacation so I decided to read these sooner than expected, and it was So lovely. I know the stories really well so I didn’t have to figure anything out or try to predict the ending. They’re a fabulous light read that made me feel so comfortable, which was perfect for going home and being on vacation!
I also read the Heroes of Olympus series, which likewise is comfortable and perfect for reminding me of childhood! The last one is a tiny bit of a let down, simply because you spent 5 books awaiting a showdown that lasts a few chapters. Personally I prefer how the Percy Jackson series’ 5th book spent a lot of time/pages on the main event. Either way, still a great read, specifically the first two which I know really well!
After that I actually read The Sun and the Star, the Nico di Angelo spin-off in the Percy Jackson universe.
(Opinions/Spoilers ahead!) I had been really excited for it because Nico was such a great character, and I remember enjoying his and Will’s relationship in the Trials of Apollo series which I finally read a few years ago. However, the book was a bit of a disappointment because the tone felt off to me. There was another author involved which could’ve been the case, but to me it felt more like it was written in the perspective of Percy or Jason or Hazel, not from a uniquely Nico tone. There were a few jokes in there that felt completely off character to me, and if felt sort of overly emotional. Of course the other Percy Jackson or Heroes of Olympus books had emotions and inter-personal communication in them, but it felt like this book was more about that than the adventure. I understand why that choice was made, but it felt off to me, and I think it would’ve been more enjoyable if the emotional distress was more slowly and subtly revealed, not just thrown at you with the excuse of the plot to discuss it. While I enjoyed a few aspects of the book, a few other characters felt too joke-y, and it messed with the Nico tone I’d expected. Lastly, there were these dream sequences worked in, which I felt were really extra. It would’ve been better in my opinion if they were much shorter, especially because you know as a reader that it’s not real, so it’s annoying to have to wait to get back to reality, and the issues of reality. A short nightmare could’ve accomplished just as much in my opinion. Now actually lastly, there were a few really funny references to pop culture worked in, which I thought were really funny!
And that’s what I read this month! Not too much, but it was nice to spend a prolonged amount of time in the PJO world! It made me really want to go back and reread a bunch of other beloved childhood series’! With so much change going on around me, it’s nice to look back and connect to my past self! Lastly, while I’m a bit sad I didn’t to the Crescent City series, I am glad to have that to look forward to in the future while we await new releases in Sarah J. Maas’s series’.
Now for September! Given that I didn’t read too many of the books on my list for August, this list is short with a few repeats from last month!
1.) Cursed
It’s time to get this off my waiting list!
2.) Mastery
Getting back into work stuff makes me really want to read a practical book that I can count as doing something work-related! Really excited for this one!
3.) Kingdom Keepers 3-7
Sadly I am still a bit confused. Rereading these as an adult I thought would make the whole world more clear, but I haven’t exactly found that to be true! Nevertheless we persist!
4.) Ninth House
The back to school season has inspired me to try to read this again. I think I just have to get past the beginning and the world building, and then I hope I will really like it! Either way, hoping the academia vibes are good!
5.) How to Win Friends and Influence People
This is one of those self-help-y live your best life books that I’ve heard of since middle school, so I thought I should give it a whirl!
6.) The Penderwicks series
The Penderwicks is another comfort series, however this one requires no world building as it is set in our world! It also takes place pre-cell phone, so it has such a quaint, real, homey feel to it, and I thought it would be a good series to reread if I need comfy, familiar books!
And that’s all for now! Hope everyone is enjoying the end of Summer and the beginning of Fall!!!
Photo by Ella Jardim on Unsplash
Leann I Am 