It’s time for my first half of August book review post! I am sharing what I read in August so far, although I am skipping my 5 star reads to share later in the month. The Amazon links to the books I’ve read are affiliate links and if you use them and make a purchase, I may receive a small commission. If you’ve read any of these books or are interested in them, I’d love to hear about it in the comments!
Title: And So I Roar
Author: Abi Daré
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Publisher: Dutton, 8/6/24
Source: Publisher
Why I Read It: Sent to me for my review / I requested
My Rating: 4 Stars
The Girl With The Louding Voice was one of the first advanced copies I received, and was one of my favorite books in 2020, so I was very excited about this sequel. Picking up where the previous book left off, Adunni is staying with Tia and preparing to fulfill her dream of going to school. However, she is forced back to her village to take part in a sacrifice ritual along with other girls and women who are accused of various wrong doings. Tia goes with Adunni and tries to save her.
“When Tia accidentally overhears a whispered conversation between her mother—terminally ill and lying in a hospital bed in Port Harcourt, Nigeria—and her aunt, the repercussions will send her on a desperate quest to uncover a secret her mother has been hiding for nearly two decades. Back home in Lagos a few days later, Adunni, a plucky fourteen-year-old runaway, is lying awake in Tia’s guest room. Having escaped from her rural village in a desperate bid to seek a better future, she’s finally found refuge with Tia, who has helped her enroll in school. It’s always been Adunni’s dream to get an education, and she’s bursting with excitement. Suddenly, there’s a horrible knocking at the front gate. . . .It’s only the beginning of a harrowing ordeal that will see Tia forced to make a terrible choice between protecting Adunni or finally learning the truth behind the secret her mother has hidden from her. And Adunni will learn that her ‘louding voice,’ as she calls it, is more important than ever, as she must advocate to save not only herself but all the young women of her home village, Ikati. If she succeeds, she may transform Ikati into a place where girls are allowed to claim the bright futures they deserve—and shout their stories to the world.”
I found the beginning of the book a bit slow, while the parts where the girls told their stories moves faster. I liked the message about girls and women using their voices. I also liked learning more about Adunni’s mother and Tia. There are difficult topics in this book, including rape, FGM, and death.
Title: Democracy In Retrograde
Author: Emily Amick & Sami Sage
Genre: Non Fiction
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio, 7/9/24
Source: Audio Publisher
Why I Read It: Sounded interesting
My Rating: 4 Stars
With the upcoming election, this timely book talks about where to start in trying to save our democracy. It discusses various personalities and what each can do to make a difference.
“In today’s political climate, it’s hard not to get discouraged. Isolated, doom scrolling, lacking a sense of purpose or community…it’s easy to become overwhelmed by the dire state of American democracy and do nothing, because why try when the odds are never in our favor? At this fragile moment in history, Emily Amick, lawyer and former counsel to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, alongside New York Times bestselling author and Betches Media cofounder Sami Sage, want to reframe civic engagement as a form of self-care: an assertion of one’s values and self-respect. This book is not just about voting, but about claiming your singular place in your country and community. Including real stories of regular people who have made a difference along with helpful exercises and quizzes, Democracy in Retrograde is a choose-your-own-adventure map to civic engagement that will help you:
*Define your values and passions
*Understand how the system works, so it’s easier to know how to change it
*Match your personality, skills, resources, and interests, to meaningful actions within your community
*Implement changes (big and small) that matter
*Build a civic life that’s sustainable and authentic to you, whether you have only a few minutes to spare or are ready to make a lifetime commitment
Democracy in Retrograde will help you learn about much more than just political action. This book will provide a new lens through which to see yourself: a new and powerful light which bridges the personal and the political. In the words of Joan Baez, action is the antidote to despair, and with this helpful guide, even if Mercury is in retrograde, our democracy doesn’t have to be.”
At the end of the book, there is information about our government and how it works. I thought it might have made more sense to put that information at the beginning. I enjoyed the pop culture references in this book and the way it provided hope that anyone can make a difference.
Title: Near Misses and Cowboy Kisses
Author: Katrina Emmel
Genre: YA Rom Com
Publisher: Delacorte Romance, 7/23/24
Source: Publisher
Why I Read It: Sent to me for my review
My Rating: 4 Stars
This cute YA rom com was a bit of a palette cleanser after my first DNF of the month. It is about Riley, whose family is moving from CA to NE, starting with an Oregon Trail adventure trip, and Colton, who misjudges Riley before realizing she isn’t what he expected.
“Riley Thomas is feeling stuck—she’s moved from California to Nebraska, she’s on a weeklong Oregon Trail family bonding excursion, and her luggage is lost. There’s no one her age on the trip except a tall, dark and irksome cowboy who wrongly assumes she has zero ability to handle the great outdoors. She can’t wait for this misery to end—even though going ‘home’ isn’t even possible anymore. Lone wolf Colton Walker loves the simpler life of the plains and his family’s tourism business that helps protect them. He’s a stand-up guy—not a love ‘em and leave ‘em type like his rival, Jake. And he knows better than to take his chances with a prairie princess like Riley. But Riley’s got more sense than Colton thinks–and he’s not nearly as inflexible as he seems. And under a wide prairie sky of puffy clouds and bright stars, everything comes into focus–including a cowboy’s heart.”
I liked that this book had no angst between Riley and Colton (though she did have some angst with her parents). The setting was fun and the story was sweet!
Title: A Boob’s Life
Author: Leslie Lehr
Genre: Memoir
Publisher: Blackstone Publishing, 3/2/21
Source: Print – author, Audio – library
Why I Read It: Backlist
My Rating: 4 Stars
The author sent me her memoir in 2021 and I neglected to read it until now. I listened to her narration of her book and found it an interesting listen. Through the lens of feminist history throughout her life, the author discusses how breasts (her own and those of other people) shaped her life from puberty to pregnancy and nursing, to getting implants, to getting breast cancer, and recovery.
“Author Leslie Lehr wants to talk about boobs. She’s gone from size AA to DDD and everything between, from puberty to motherhood, enhancement to cancer, and beyond. And she’s not alone—these are classic life stages for women today. At turns funny and heartbreaking, A Boob’s Life explores both the joys and hazards inherent to living in a woman’s body. Lehr deftly blends her personal narrative with national history, starting in the 1960s with the women’s liberation movement and moving to the current feminist dialogue and what it means to be a woman. Her insightful and clever writing analyzes how America’s obsession with the female form has affected her own life’s journey and the psyche of all women today.”
I enjoyed the information on our national history and the lists and timelines of popular culture surrounding breasts. The author’s obsession with her own breasts made me wonder if everyone feels this aware of theirs. Her smaller sized chest and desire for implants was not something I could personally relate to. The author’s story includes domestic abuse and body shaming.
This post includes 4 of the books I read this month. 2 were print books and 2 were on audio. 3 were adult books and 1 was YA. Genres included contemporary fiction, non fiction, rom com, and memoir.
Have you read any of these books or do you want to? What have you been reading lately?
