With the end of August, comes the end of a feeling – a summer state of mind. Here in Northern California, summer is hardly over (and with this weeks 110+ temperatures, it feels like it will never end) but the kids are back to school and the days are much shorter. While the rest of the world has moved on to Pumpkin Spiced errrything and cozy vibes, I’m still desperately hanging on to my summer garden, but I too am ready for a transition, most notably in my reading choices. I’ve cancelled my remaining library holds on beachy reads, and I’m looking forward to the autumnal equinox bringing the need for cozy mysteries and maybe a thriller or two.
The Guncle – 3.5 Stars
Gay-Uncle-Patrick – GUP, spends the summer unexpectedly caretaking his niece and nephew and helping them navigate their grief after they lost their mother, Patrick’s best friend. Patrick is the fun uncle and grossly unprepared for this undertaking. Not to mention, his career as an actor has been on hold, his lifestyle is not well suited for young ones, and he’s spent the last several years clinging to the loss of his great love.
I’m left scratching my head because everyone LOVED this book and I just don’t understand why I didn’t. I loved the characters, they were quirky, unique and very well developed. However, this novel was heavy on grief, and I really wasn’t prepared for that. It weighed on my heart and made me tear up when I had been anticipating a lighthearted beach read.
Please remember that I’m in the minority on this one, and Nicole actually recommended this for the Reader Who Reads Everything in last year’s Gift Guide for Book Lovers.
Every Summer After – 5 Stars!
Gahhhhh, this book was so good! If I can only get you to read one book this year, please pick this one! We have first love, teenage angst, friends-to-lovers – all of my favorite things in a book.
Percy and Sam meet when they are thirteen and spend six summers falling in love with each other. Written in a present and past dual timeline, we know that for some reason they haven’t spoken in twelve years. But when Percy gets a call that sends her back to Barry’s Bay, where she spent every summer as a teenager, we hope (and pray to the literary gods) that Percy and Sam can work through whatever tore them apart in the first place.
Every Summer After transported me to my teenage years, and I loved every bit of it! Suddenly, I was fifteen again and being thrown into a pool by now husband – it was just so nostalgic. This book was a gem, and I can’t wait to see what comes next from Carley Fortune – it’s hard to believe this was her first novel. Hands down my favorite book this year, followed closely by The Charm Offensive and Book Lovers.
Atomic Habits
I was desperate to read this book since following Clear’s weekly 3-2-1 newsletter, which is always packed full of wisdom. His subtitle is actually: “The most wisdom per word of any newsletter on the web.”
Atomic Habits is full of strategies on how to change your existing habits or create new habits, by offering many ways to get there. My biggest regret is that I didn’t follow along with my own habits while I was reading it. This led to me closing the book going, well where do I begin? Now I feel like I have to reread the book in order to change my habits so that I can work along each strategy. Overall, I enjoyed the book and found it to be thought provoking.
Looking for more book recommendations? Check out all of my book posts here!
What books would you recommend I add to my fall TBR?
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