Which books are worth the read and which should you skip? Find out what books I’ve been reading lately and whether I recommend them.
Wow, how August has slipped away.
My kids are back in school (hallelujah) which has definitely freed up some time during the day. Which I promptly filled up with soccer responsibilities. I may have bitten off more than I can chew. I just wanted to coach my oldest daughter’s team. Now I’m an assistant coach for both my youngest children, a volunteer admin for the city league and they’ve pushed me to be on the board for the entire region.
With all my new soccer roles, I haven’t had as much time to just sit down with a book. The soccer season started this week, so fingers crossed things die down. Thank goodness for audiobooks! I’ve been binge-reading a fantasy series I read during one of my pregnancies and it is such a joy to return to a well-loved story.
Scroll down to see my reviews, and, as always, be sure to let me know what you’ve been reading lately in the comments!
August 2024 Reading List
Five Broken Blades
Mai Corland
The god king Joon rules over Yusan with a merciless immortal hand, letting the nobles thrive and leaving everyone else in ruins. To overthrow his rule, the five deadliest blades in the land band together to murder the king. But killing a god requires more than the desire for revenge, forcing them to learn to trust each other. Yet, even if they win, only one can hold the crown in this epic fantasy romance.
I was unimpressed with this fantasy romance with an utterly predictable twist. Five Broken Blades mostly serves up a travelogue of three sets of conspirators, who all conveniently fall into underdeveloped romantic relationships. The epic “heist” ending feels as if it was almost an afterthought and is mostly used to set up a sequel which I have no desire to read. Although it was an easy read, the lack of originality and character development make this a completely forgettable book.
My Rating:
Publication Date: 7 May 2024
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House of Glass
Sarah Pekkanen
Stella Hudson works as an attorney in child custody cases, appointed to look after the rights of the child. Because of her own childhood trauma, she doesn’t take on young clients but makes an exception for Rose Barclay. Amidst her parents’ bitter divorce, Rose witnessed her nanny fall to her death and is the only one who can confirm if it was murder but refuses to speak. As Stella digs into the wealthy Barclay family, she quickly learns they are hiding deep secrets in their house that is surprisingly absent of any glass.
I’ve read all of the thrillers Sarah Pekkanen has written with Greer Hendricks so it was interesting to see what she can do on her own. House of Glass is a domestic thriller that perfectly paints the unsettling feeling of a creepy child like Rose. The plot felt more realistic than many psychological thrillers and ended with plenty of action. Yet, I didn’t love the narrator and felt her backstory and personal life was a distraction, pulling you away from the incredible tension with the Barclay family.
My Rating:
Publication Date: 6 August 2024
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From the Backlist
Drowning
T.J. Newman
Six minutes after takeoff from a Hawaiian island, Flight 1421 crashes into the Pacific Ocean. As passengers rush to evacuate, an engine explodes and the crew is forced to close the doors leaving twelve people trapped in the sinking fuselage. With air running out, engineer Will Kent must think quickly to keep everyone, including his daughter, alive. As the military mounts a rescue operation 200 feet underwater, the only hope might be Will’s estranged wife who happens to run a deep-sea welding crew.
T. J. Newman seems to have found her niche with pure action novels about airplane crews. Although she doesn’t leave much room for character development, I love how well she sprinkles in information about the duties of a flight crew during a disaster into his gripping reads. Although having the estranged spouses on both sides of the rescue was far-fetched and cliffhanger chapter endings are rather cliche, Drowning is such a page-turning shot of adrenaline that is so satisfying to read. I highly suspect Newman’s novels will eventually be adapted to film.
My Rating:
Publication Date: 30 May 2023
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The Whalebone Theatre
Joanna Quinn
When a whale washes up on an English beach in 1928, twelve-year-old orphan Cristabel Seagrave and her household build a theater from the whale’s ribcage. In the Whalebone theatre, Cristabel is able to escape the stress of her stepparents and their disfunction. Using their acting skills, Cristabel and her brother eventually become British secret agents during WWII, navigating a war that changes everything around them.
Is it as WWII drama? A family epic? A long slog without much point? The Whalebone Theatre was a very mixed bag for me. Quinn takes her time wandering through different periods in Cristabel’s life. The writing was enchanting and unhurried, delving into the lives of the unusual Seagrave family and exploring character motivation along the way. Yet, the incongruity between the WWII spy action I was expecting from the publisher’s description and the character-driven literary piece was completely distracting.
My Rating:
Publication Date: 4 October 2022
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Green Rider
Kristen Britain
After a fight at school that will surely have her expelled, Karigan G’ladheon sets off through the forest on a long journey home. When she comes across a dying Green Rider, one of the king’s elite messengers, he begs Karigan to carry his urgent message to King Zachary. Suddenly her life is changed forever as she battles deadly danger and complex magic and is stalked by a dark being intent on keeping the message from the king at any cost. If you want page turners that will hook you from the start, this high fantasy series full of gripping action and fun characters is a must-read.
I devoured the Green Rider books when my third child was born; they were the only thing that kept me sane during those last few miserable days before his birth. So I was curious to see if my opinion of them would hold up on a re-read. I’m glad to say that I am devouring them once again. Green Rider is more of a standard young adult fantasy: heavy on the travelogue as Karigan completes a death-defying mission. It hits all the regular tropes of the genre (and has horses) and is so much fun to read.
My Rating:
Publication Date: 1 November 1998
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First Rider’s Call
Kristen Britain
In a sequel to Green Rider, Karigan G’ladheon finally accepts her call to become a Green Rider. An influx of wild magic from the breach in the D’Yer wall causes strange occurrences and upsets the balance of magic throughout the kingdom. Infected by wild magic, Karigan finds herself able to travel through time and is visited by the ghost of Lil Ambriodhe, the First Rider. As magic becomes more and more unpredictable, Karigan must keep the Green Riders together while battling the resurgence of Mornhavon the Black.
I’m totally biased but I really love the Green Rider series. First Rider’s Call fleshes out the Karigan’s world more, adding character development and diving deeper into the magical elements that are prominent throughout the remainder of the series. Karigan is your typical “chosen one,” yet I enjoy watching her fight against her fate. Although rarely mentioned, I will say that upon a reread, I’m not a fan of the age difference between Karigan and King Zachary. It’s the part of the story that has not aged well.
My Rating:
Publication Date: 1 January 2003
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The High King’s Tomb
Kristen Britain
Although King Zachary has confessed his love for Karigan G’ladheon, she knows they cannot be together because of his betrothal to Lady Estora. To keep the two apart, Captain Mapstone sends Karigan off on a long mission, accompanied by a new Green Rider. As Fergal, her exuberant and foolhardy trainee, exasperates Karigan, she finds herself confronted with a dark organization intent on overthrowing King Zachary’s rule.
I find Britain’s Green Rider series compulsively readable, and in the third book in the series, Britain is not afraid to go heavy on supernatural elements of her world. Just as action-based as the others, The High King’s Tomb heavily focuses Karigan’s fight against her feelings for King Zachary. Karigan’s interesting mission adds an adversary that will play a bigger role in the forthcoming books. I also enjoyed seeing Karigan mature as a green rider as she mentors younger riders.
My Rating:
Publication Date: 1 January 2007
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How the Light Gets In
Louise Penny
After his drug-addicted lieutenant, Jean-Guy Beauvoir, goes to work for his nemesis, Inspector Gamache finds his entire homicide department dismantled and replaced with crooked cops. When Myrna’s former client doesn’t arrive at Christmas like expected, Gamache must investigate her murder while the conspiracy within the Sûreté du Québec pushes him to the breaking point.
In the ninth Inspector Gamache novel, Louise Penny finally concludes of the overarching Arnaut plot (at least I think she does). How the Light Gets In has a good mix of action and character stories, bouncing between a Three Pines-contingent mystery and the internal division of the Sûreté. Honestly, it feels likes it could have been a wrapping up point for the series, so I’m curious to see what new direction Penny will take the books after this one.
My Rating:
Publication Date: 27 August 2013
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Currently Reading
I always seem to have multiple books going at once. Here’s a peek at what I’m currently reading.
My To-Read List
What’s up next for me? Before I let you go, here are a few of the titles I’m hoping to get through this upcoming month.
Be sure to come back next month to see which ones I read.
Which Books Did You Read in August?
What books did you love this month? Which books can you not wait to read? As always, let me know in the comments!
More Book Lists to Enjoy:
Katie B says
Recently listened to the audiobook of “Drowning” and loved it. Also, TJ Newman is a female author.
Rachael says
Oh, good to know!
Judy G Johnson says
Thank you so much for your recommendations. I especially like the way you explain what you like and don’t like about the books, knowing that what I want and like in a book may not be the same as your thoughts. I am learning where our likes and dislikes diverge, which is a big help, since there are thousands of books that I might want to read. I just finished the World Played Chess by Robert Dugoni and it is absolutely a five star read. I was in high school and college during the Vietnam War and he got it right, along with how it affected people for years afterwards.
Rachael says
Oh, I really need to read that one! I actually have a copy but have not gotten around to it. So little time and so many books!
Victoria says
I’ve got about 2 hours left in The Green Rider audiobook so thanks for the spoilers! J/k I agree it’s very readable and enjoyable. I’m pretty sure that Karigan mentions that King Zachary is only, like, 5 years or so older than her? Is that changed in the sequels?
Rachael says
That’s what I always thought! No, it’s 12 years and I think she’s about 15 in the first book. The first time she meets him, she guesses he is 10-15 years older so I hoped she was just bad at guessing his age. But no, Britain mentions it’s a 12 year gap in Book 2. She’s two years older in the second book when they actually start interacting so that’s a tiny bit better, but still massively icky. For my sanity, I pretend it’s 5 years when I read it.
Heidi Smid says
I read a lot this month, but my favorites were: The Glass Castle (Jeannette Walls), The Secret Book of Flora Lea (Patti Callahan Henry, 2023), Pearce Oysters (Joselyn Takacs, 2024) – and my ABSOLUTE favorite was Rednecks (Taylor Brown, 2024). The title is misleading: this historical novel is about the Coal Mine Wars of West Virginia, and I was blown away by the scope of it, as well as by the caliber of writing and character development and painting the setting. Incredible story and incredible writing.