August Reading Recap

August was a busy month, but I still found plenty of time to read. Granted, I did have a week's worth of vacation where I could literally sit with my book on the patio for an entire afternoon.

In August, I read eight books for a total of 2,371 pages. Wow. That's more than I thought I read. But I'll take it. That brings me to 52 books and 17,646 pages (give or take a few pages since some were Kindle books that I don't have page number information for). Compared to last year when I'd finished 30 books and 10,577 pages by the end of August. Heck, I should just stop with the comparison to last year since I've already read more so far this year than I did during the entire 2012 calendar year.

I may need to revamp the reading goal. Remember, I've now got it set at 60 books (I think that was Reading Goal Version 3.0), but I was reminded that it's now football season, which means my reading may decrease a bit. Maybe. I may just leave it at a goal of "read as much as you can" in 2013. I do like having a number to aim for though. We'll see at the end of September.

So what'd I read in August?

Dead Ever After by Charlaine Harris
Eden by Jamie McGuire
Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan
The Prince by Kiera Cass
Me Before You by Jojo Moyes
Chose the Wrong Guy, Gave Him the Wrong Finger by Beth Harbison
On Dublin Street by Samantha Young
The Racketeer by John Grisham

And now for the brief reviews, complete with number of stars given out on GoodReads. Follow me here if you’d like a more timely update on what I’m reading, what I think and what’s been added to my to-read list.

Dead Ever After by Charlaine Harris  ****
This was the final installment in the Sookie Stackhouse series and I liked the way it wrapped it all up.

Eden by Jamie McGuire  ***
It was a decent ending to the three-book series, but there a bit of me that thought there was a lot of build up and then, BAM, it was all over. Almost like the author ran out of pages and had to finish the story up quickly.

Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan  ****
I wasn't sure what to expect when I picked this up, but I was pulled into a fun, quirky story that wove together books, technology and friendships. A good read.

The Prince by Kiera Cass  ***
This almost doesn't count as a book, since it's all of 64 pages. It's one of those mid-series novellas that it seems like a lot of Young Adult authors are fond of writing. It was a decent lunchhour read though.

Me Before You by Jojo Moyes  ****
Yes, I almost cried in parts. Take a controversial topic - assisted suicide - and throw in a little bit of a romance angle and one person's attempts to "save" a person.

Chose the Wrong Guy, Gave Him the Wrong Finger by Beth Harbison  ***
So many people were reading this and it seemed to get a lot of good reviews. So I tried. And honestly, the first three-quarters of the book were decent. A cute, fluffy beach read. But the ending? It felt rushed and left a little to be desired.

On Dublin Street by Samantha Young  ****
I read most of this in one sitting. Story pulled me in.

The Racketeer by John Grisham  ****
I haven't read a John Grisham novel in years, but I've always liked his writing style. This was a good crime/legal thriller that kept me guessing.

I'm not exactly sure what's next on my reading list. At the moment I have NO books checked out from the library. This never happens to me. I guess it's time to scroll through my "to read" list on GoodReads and pick out a few titles to get my hands on. Because, really, being with out a book is unacceptable.