All the Books I read in August 2023

I went away twice for some extended weekends. In those bags I had already picked up the books I was planning on reading and popped the in my bag. It was fun reading last month’s stuff and especially reading books that people from Vocal had written as well.

I saw this being advertised as the book of the month for my local Waterstones Book Club. I never ended up going to it, but the name of the title reminded me of Macbeth cause he says that line after finding out his wife is dead. The rainbow text made me think of video games and the picture made me think of Japan. I connected to the fandom references and the vintage games to the point I was able to pinpoint exactly what era the scenes were based in without it having to be spelt out for me.

This has been a book that’s been on my kindle for a while. It’s a set in a dystopian future where humans split into three types of species and one has huge power over the other two. It’s a slow world building sketch where Tristan and Samara’s meeting changes the world. There is a sequel for this, but I have not read it yet. Asha was a great side character because her voice and accent stood out from the other characters. Asha felt more human than a lot of the other characters. I got to appreciate Kip later on as well.

I think I tried to read this years ago but only got to read a few chapters. Set in New York, Drew is an interesting love interest and character. It’s a slow burner, and it took me a while to get into, but I felt the investment was worth it. The last couple of chapters were really intense, and I had no idea how the conflicts would be resolved. I can see why it’s a Watty winner. It’s a shame this book isn’t available anywhere else. The author has released a new book on Amazon which has had some excellent reviews. Something I might consider getting at a later day.

One of the books I picked to read on holiday was Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao. I feel like the book deserves 5 stars just for the author picture and Goodreads profile alone. Iron Widow is a pretty good book. It’s a futuristic retelling of Medieval China and Empress Wu Zetien. Lots of anime inspiration which I loved too. I want to read more about Chinese mythology so I could appreciate the book more.

This was the other book I read at a convention during drinking games. on the Saturday, I was half way through it but I couldn’t remember what happened, but I insisted that the book was amazing and I lost focus on the drinking game. I reread from the beginning on Sunday, and I saw why I loved the book. The only thing I remember from the book is enjoying the book. Ning was a strong character and she reminded me of Katniss Everdeen. The blend of tea brewing and Chinese mythology and the modern elements made it so cool. I went to a bookstore in Germany and was surprised to see the German translation of this book in that store.

Finishing the month off is this fun book by Francesca May. It’s one that was on my wishlist for ages. I wanted to read it for the sapphic tones, the witches and the 1920’s vibe. The second half of the book was when I got into it. I fancied reading something different. It felt like a blend of Gatsby and Hocus Pocus. The title of the book is really fitting.