I am STILL 3 books behind schedule for this year! Ugh! At least 3 books sounds manageable, but I did have hopes that I would have caught up entirely in August. Oh well! I only read 9 books in August, so I shouldn’t be surprised. I keep counting on really bumping my totals up someday when I finally knock out the 15 books I’ve been reading at once, all at once, and maybe it will happen yet, but so far no such luck.

1. The Girl You Left Behind by Jojo Moyes. I haven’t read any Jojo Moyes since Me Before You left me depressed for almost a week straight, but I couldn’t resist the temptation of a novel partially set in WWI. It’s a time period that is sadly neglected in the historical fiction front, at least in my experience, so I read this one and I’m glad I did. It was good, though the ending was a bit anticlimactic.
2. The Family Next Door by Sally Hepworth. This was a roller-coaster family drama/suspense read. It DID surprise me at the end, which was especially fun, because I thought I had figured it out. I think I picked this book off Anne Bogel’s Summer Reading List–there were a few on there that she inspired me to read and so far all of her recommendations have been spot on.
3. The Unhurried Homeschooler by Durenda Wilson. This is a short, easy read, but I did glean some good tips and inspiration as we head into our homeschool year.
4. A Dangerous Collaboration (Veronica Speedwell #4) by Deanna Raybourn. I have loved everything I’ve read by Deanna Raybourn and this was no exception. Snappy, riveting mysteries that ride the line between Victorian and Steam Punk, with strong female characters and great dialogue. The Veronica Speedwell series has been especially fun and this book just came out.
5. The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett. Technically, I read this to my kids for their summer book club, but I so enjoyed re-reading it that it made it into my reading list. I don’t usually like to include the kids books in my tally, because the plethora really messes with my goodreads recommendations, but this is such a delightful book it is totally worth it. It’s definitely one of those classics that you can reread and come away with something new everytime.
6. A Forgotten Place (Bess Crawford #10) by Charles Todd. Another WWI story! I guess the moral of this month is that if you think a certain genre of book is lacking, just look for one and you’ll find them in droves. I have not read the other Bess Crawford books, but this was the only one currently available from my library and I was intrigued enough to give it a go. It was a great, classic murder mystery.
7. Flygirls: How Five Daring Women Defied All Odds and Made Aviation History by Keith O’Brian. This was an excellent nonfiction read about women’s history in aviation. I highly recommend it. The narrative is informative without being dry, and made an excellent read.
8. The Crossing Places (Ruth Galloway #1) by Elly Griffiths. Every once in a while I get into a mystery mood, and I guess that was this month. This is the first book in a series about forensic archaelogist and accidental detective Ruth Galloway and I really enjoyed it. Spoiler alert: most of the remainder of the series will probably be in my September Reads post. They’re quick reads, but very engaging and a good mix of history and mystery for me.
9. A Room Full of Bones (Ruth Galloway #4) by Elly Griffiths. Well, I warned you. #2 and #3 were checked out of the library so I started in on #4. Missed quite a bit of back story, but got up to speed quickly enough. I don’t know if I’ll read #2 and #3 when they come in from the library or just keep moving through the series. I am still really enjoying this series!

That’s all for this month. It was a matter of some consternation to me, because I was literally one chapter away from having one more book for this month, but I just couldn’t do it and had to finish it on the morning of September 1st. Me? Obsessive? Why would you say that? Ha!

How was your reading life in August? Let me know! I’m excited to be going into fall now, even though it will probably be hot for quite a few more weeks here–it’s always such a great time to be reading!