TSS: August 2011 Reading Wrap-Up

As I say virtually every month, it’s so hard to believe we’re already in September. I’ve just spent a week in the Netherlands and Belgium with a friend from college. I think we both had a great time; for me in particular, Bruges was the highlight. It’s so easy to imagine the way this little town would have looked in the late Middle Ages, even though it’s been modified somewhat in the past few centuries and heavily restored. I’ll be posting a few pictures on Wednesday to give you an idea!

I also wanted to wrap up my August reading. I haven’t reviewed a lot of books that I read in August; as I said, I’ve been moving and travelling a whole lot these past few weeks. But I have more than a month to catch up now, so I’m looking forward to digging back into these reads and sharing them with you.

It’s been all fiction this month I’m afraid. I haven’t had the brain power to focus on the non-fiction I want to read. I hope this will change in September though, as I have a lot of non-fiction just waiting for me to read it. In the meantime, here are the 13 books I read in August:

• The Wild Rose, Jennifer Donnelly
• In a Treacherous Court, Michelle Diener
• The Beekeeper’s Apprentice, Laurie R. King
• Young Miles, Lois McMaster Bujold
• The Last Unicorn, Peter S. Beagle
• Late Eclipses, Seanan McGuire
• Outside the Ordinary World, Dori Ostermiller
• One Night in London, Caroline Linden
• Cordelia’s Honor, Lois McMaster Bujold
• 22 Britannia Road, Amanda Hodgkinson
• Hostage to Pleasure, Nalini Singh
• This Burns My Heart, Samuel Park
• Solitary Man, Carly Phillips

Pick of the Month

Apologies to the many review books I’ve received, but my favorite books this month simply have to be:

Somehow, these books are exactly what I’ve been craving, with incredibly memorable and sympathetic characters, thoughtful yet action-packing storylines, and a universe that expands with every installment. I really couldn’t ask for more. I know I keep talking about these books without reviewing them, but I’ll be doing that this week. Many, many thanks to Fyrefly for bringing them to my attention, once again – there is a reason I’ve been hearing about these books for years.

Runners-up, however, definitely include This Burns My Heart and The Beekeeper’s Apprentice.

Next Month

September promises to be a busy month hereabouts, with BBAW, lots of books to review, and catching up all around the blogosphere. In addition to the books I’ve already finished above, I’ll be reviewing:

• The Emperor of All Maladies, Siddhartha Mukherjee
• The Lady of the Rivers, Philippa Gregory
• The Reinvention of Love, Helen Humphreys