It’s almost August!
Today I’m sharing some sharing some sort-of goals I want to achieve each month, as a way to be organized and intentional with my reading.
Here’s my August Prospectus, a collection of books I’d like to read over the next 4(ish) weeks and also some new books releasing soon which I will maybe-probably-eventually tackle…at some point.
5 Books I’d Like To Read This Month
I like goals that small and achievable, so here’s a small collection of books I’d like to prioritize during the upcoming month.
The Hacienda by Isabel Cañas
In the overthrow of the Mexican government, Beatriz’s father is executed and her home destroyed. When handsome Don Rodolfo Solórzano proposes, Beatriz ignores the rumors surrounding his first wife’s demise, choosing to seize the security his estate in the countryside provides. She will have her own home again, no matter the cost. But Hacienda San Isidro is not the sanctuary she imagined.
She Drives Me Crazy by Kelly Quindlen
After losing spectacularly to her ex-girlfriend in their first game since their break up, Scottie gets into a fender bender with the worst possible person: her nemesis, the incredibly beautiful and incredibly mean Irene. Things only get worse when their nosey, do-gooder moms get involved and the girls are forced to carpool together until Irene’s car gets out of the shop.
Chouette by Claire Oshetsky
Tiny is pregnant. Her husband is delighted. “You think this baby is going to be like you, but it’s not like you at all,” she warns him. “This baby is an owl-baby.” Tiny works around the clock to meet her daughter’s needs. When she discovers her husband is on a quest to find a “cure” for their daughter, Tiny must decide whether Chouette should be raised to fit in or to be herself.
Mr. Malcolm’s List by Suzanne Allain
The Honorable Jeremy Malcolm is searching for a wife, but not just any wife. He’s determined to elude the fortune hunters and find a near-perfect woman, one who will meet the qualifications on his well-crafted list. But after years of searching, he’s beginning to despair of finding this paragon. And then Selina Dalton arrives in town…
We Light Up the Sky by Lilliam Rivera
Pedro, Luna, and Rafa may attend Fairfax High School together in Los Angeles, but they run in separate spheres. But Pedro, Luna, and Rafa find themselves thrown together when an extraterrestrial visitor lands in their city. As the Visitor causes destruction wherever it goes, the three teens struggle to survive and warn others of what’s coming—because this Visitor is only the first of many.
New August Books I’m Curious About
These aren’t books I necessarily plan on reading this month, but it’s always fun to look at the new and shiny releases and see which ones you want to stalk the library for. So here’s a collection of books releasing in August 2022 that I’m potentially interested in reading:
The Book Eaters by Sunyi Dean
Fantasy
August 2, 2022
Out on the Yorkshire Moors lives a secret line of people for whom books are food, and who retain all of a book’s content after eating it. To them, spy novels are a peppery snack; romance novels are sweet and delicious. Eating a map can help them remember destinations, and children, when they misbehave, are forced to eat dry, musty pages from dictionaries.
Devon is part of The Family, an old and reclusive clan of book eaters. But real life doesn’t always come with happy endings, as Devon learns when her son is born with a rare and darker kind of hunger—not for books, but for human minds.
The Feeling of Falling in Love by Mason Deaver
Romance
August 2, 2022
Just days before spring break, Neil is set to fly across the country with his childhood friend (and current friend-with-benefits) Josh, to attend his brother’s wedding—until Josh tells Neil that he’s in love with him and Neil doesn’t return the sentiment.
With Josh still attending the wedding, Neil needs to find a new date to bring along. And, almost against his will, roommate Wyatt is drafted. At first, Wyatt (correctly) thinks Neil is acting like a jerk. But slowly, Neil and Wyatt begin to understand one another… and maybe, just maybe, fall in love for the first time…
These Fleeting Shadows by Kate Alice Marshall
Horror
August 9, 2022
Helen doesn’t know why she and her mother left their ancestral home at Harrowstone Hall or why they haven’t spoken to their extended family since. So when her grandfather dies, she’s shocked to learn that he has left everything to her. The inheritance comes with one condition: she must stay on the grounds of Harrow for one full year, or she’ll be left with nothing.
There is more at stake than money. For as long as she can remember, Harrow has haunted Helen’s dreams—and now those dreams have become a waking nightmare. Helen knows that if she is going to survive the year, she needs to uncover the secrets of Harrow.
Cake Eater by Allyson Dahlin
Science Fiction
August 9, 2022
She has a million followers. She’s iconic. She’s a trend-setter.
She’s Marie Antoinette, the year is 3070, and she’s arrived in the Franc Kingdom to marry the prince, secure an alliance, and rake in likes from her fans.
Versailles is not the perfect palace Marie’s seen on The Apps. Her life is a maze of pointless rules, and the court watches her every move. Her shy husband is more interested in horses and computer-hacking than producing heirs. Versailles seems like a dream full of neon-lit statues, android soldiers, and parties. Under the surface, it’s a creepy den of secrets: surveillance in Marie’s bedroom, censored news feeds, disappearing courtiers.
All Good People Here by Ashley Flowers
Mystery/Thriller
August 16, 2022
Everyone from Wakarusa, remembers the case of January Jacobs, who was found dead in a ditch. Margot was six at the time, and they were next-door neighbors. Margot has grown up, moved away, and become journalist, but she’s always been haunted by the knowledge the killer was never brought to justice.
When Margot returns home, it feels like walking into a time capsule. Wakarusa is exactly how she remembered: genial, stifled, secretive. Then news breaks about a five-year-old who’s gone missing under eerily similar circumstances. With all the old feelings rushing back, Margot vows to find the girl and solve January’s murder once and for all.
The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna
Paranormal
August 23, 2022
As one of the few witches in Britain, Mika knows she has to hide her magic, keep her head down, and stay away from other witches so their powers don’t draw attention. And as an orphan, she’s used to being alone and she follows the rules…with one exception: an online account, where she posts videos pretending to be a witch. She thinks no one will take it seriously.
But someone does. An unexpected message arrives, begging her to travel to the mysterious Nowhere House to teach three young witches how to control their magic. It breaks all of the rules, but Mika goes anyway, and is immediately tangled up in the lives and secrets of not only her charges, but also an absent archaeologist, a retired actor, two long-suffering caretakers, and…Jamie.
Haven by Emma Donoghue
Historical Fiction
August 23, 2022
In seventh-century Ireland, a scholar and priest called Artt has a dream telling him to leave the sinful world behind. Taking two monks—young Trian and old Cormac—he rows down the river Shannon in search of an isolated spot on which to found a monastery. Drifting out into the Atlantic, the three men find an impossibly steep, bare island inhabited by tens of thousands of birds, and claim it for God. In such a place, what will survival mean?
Three men vow to leave the world behind them. They set out in a small boat for an island their leader has seen in a dream, with only faith to guide them. What they find is the extraordinary island now known as Skellig Michael.
This Is Why They Hate Us by Aaron H. Aceves
Contemporary
August 23, 2022
Quique has one goal this summer—get over his crush on Saleem Kanazi by pursuing his other romantic prospects. Never mind that he’s only out to his best friend. Never mind that he has zero game. And definitely forget the fact that good and kind and beautiful Saleem is leaving L.A. for the summer to meet a girl his parents are trying to set him up with.
Luckily, Quique’s prospects are intriguing in their own ways. There’s stoner-jock Tyler; straight-laced senior class president, Ziggy; and Manny, who keeps looking at Quique like he’s carne asada fresh off the grill. With all these choices, Quique is sure to forget about Saleem in no time.
Other Birds by Sarah Addison Allen
Magical Realism
August 30, 2022
Off the coast of South Carolina, on Mallow Island, The Dellawisp sits—a stunning old cobblestone building shaped like a horseshoe, and named after the tiny turquoise birds who, alongside its human tenants, inhabit an air of magical secrecy.
When Zoey comes to claim her deceased mother’s apartment on the island, she meets her quirky and secretive neighbors, including a girl on the run, two estranged middle-aged sisters, a lonely chef, a legendary writer, and three ghosts. Each with their own story. Each with their own longings. Each whose ending isn’t yet written.
The Spear Cuts Through Water by Simon Jimenez
Fantasy
August 30, 2022
The people suffer under the centuries-long rule of the Moon Throne. The royal family bleeds the land and oppresses the citizens with the frightful powers they inherited from the god locked under their palace.
But that god cannot be contained forever.
With the aid of a guard broken by his guilt-stricken past and an outcast fighting for his future, the god escapes from her captivity and flees from her own children, who would drag her back to her prison. And so it is that she embarks with her young companions on a five-day pilgrimage in search of freedom—and a way to end the Moon Throne forever.
So there you have it! 5 books I hopefully/maybe will try to tackle this month and 10 new releases to ~think about~ over the next 4 weeks.
I am super-intrigued by the Emma Donoghue. I think her books are remarkable, but they also make me feel icky about the world (I never read Room, but Slammerkin will haunt me til the day I day).