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August 2015

Today we say goodbye to August. I won't say I will miss summer after the horrible - and by horrible I mean unbearable hot - weather. I don't know how people can stand it. Bring me autumn already! When I picked up the books to make the picture for this wrap-up, I was surprised to see 9 (although two can count as novellas) and I can't but wonder how many books could I have actually read if I hadn't been on a slump for over 2 weeks. Most of my reading was done at the beginning when I took part in the Booktube-a-thon (I got to read 4 books and a half). Anyways, here are the books I've read in August:


Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides. 4 stars. To be fair, I read most of the book in July but I happened to finish it at the very beginning of August. I wasn't what I was expecting but I enjoyed it nonetheless. Such a compelling, beautiful and kind of tragic story. It's not an easy read and the magnitude of the story is huge but it's worth it. And the writing style is beautiful as well.

Socrates' Defence by Plato. 3 stars. Another little black classic and this one was tricky to rate. I had no problems with the way it was written but sometimes it looked like Socrates was a presumptuous prick but then again, he was smarter than the whole lot there at the trial.

Animal Farm by George Orwell. 5 stars. This little book went right away to my favourite shelf in Goodreads and it's gonna be one of my favourites this year. My first Orwell and I was not disappointed. It basically parallels the Russian Revolution and if you know a bit about it, the reading experience is even better. Seriously, read the book. With only 120 pages, Orwell's criticism to both capitalism and communism is on point. And the ending guys? It's brutal.

The Ruby Circle by Richelle Mead. 3.5 stars. The last installment in the Bloodlines series and although not as good as the Vampire Academy series by any means, at least it wasn't terrible. I dived into it with little expectations after reading reviews from people I trust so I wasn't expecting an amazing finale, but I was okay with what Mead gave us. I also read it in a single day, which I think helped as well. I was sad to say goodbye to the characters, but it was about time as well.

The Doll (Short Stories) by Daphne Du Maurier. 3 stars. After reading Jamaica Inn by the same author I wanted to read more by her so I picked this one up. This is a collection of short stories and while some were better than others, it was still a nice read.

Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor. 4 stars. It took me a while to finish this. I started the 6th and I was done with it the 18th. Do the math. I got into a slump, as you know and instead of reading this in 3 days top, I made my way through it very slowly, reading a chapter here and there. I didn't wanna pressure myself because I know I would end up disliking it. My method worked; I did enjoy it a lot. The world building is phenomenal and the writing style? Gorgeous. Can't wait to read the sequel!

The Demigod Diaries by Rick Riordan. 3 stars. I thought picking up this collection of short stories will help me get back to reading, but it didn't actually. I liked it, but I was disappointed because I didn't love it :(

The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan. 4 stars. YES YES AND FOREVER YES. I decided to re-read this one since The Demigod Diaries didn't help me out and I knew beforehand I would love this as much as the first time I read it. I was not mistaken and just like that, my need for reading was back. I talked about how this book made me feel the second time around in a post, which you can read HERE.

El Marciano (The Martian) by Andy Weir. 4 stars. What a great book to end the month. I won't say much because I have a full review written and you will be able to know my thoughts very soon but this book was a very nice surprise.





That's a wrap! How was August for you? In general, not only reading wise. I know summer is over for most people so good luck with school or Uni for those who have already started or are about to. And as always, let's see what September brings :)

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