What We’re Reading in August

Right now, I want to dig my head in the sand and pretend that summer days at the beach are going to last forever; however, little blips of anxiety about the fall and online learning and all of the uncertainties keeping popping up and trying to ruin my state of bliss! To combat that, I decided to read a lot of thrillers and rom-coms that completely suck me in and distract me. There’s no better feeling than being so engaged in a book on a lazy day that the hours pass you by. I can tell that my kids are feeling the same way because they’re tearing through series of books and staying up way too late reading. 

What The Girls Are Reading:

The Heidi Heckelbeck Series: These are a great beginner chapter books about a little girl who’s new in school and also a witch. They have pictures and slightly larger text and funny stories about Heidi’s misadventures as she tries to figure out to deal with popular kids and difficult situations while keeping her magic in check.

The One and Only Ivan and The One and Only Bob: Ivan is a gorilla who has been in captivity for many years and is used to watching tv, playing with his friends Bob and Stella, and painting. When he meets a baby elephant named Ruby, he begins to question and reexamine his life. People compare this to Charlotte’s Web and it will definitely make the adults tear up.

The Babysitter’s Club Graphic Novels: The girls have read all of these books and watch the Netflix series. It’s a modern take on the stories that I grew up on, but they’re still just as fun.

The Queen of the Sea: A graphic novel that was inspired by the early life of Queen Elizabeth, with really beautiful drawings. When a young queen is banished to an island as her sister takes over her throne, she meets a mysterious orphan and must discover the truth about the island and her own past.

The Hunger Games Trilogy: These are also available for free with Kindle Unlimited!

Summer Bridge Learning Books: Okay, so they aren’t exactly staying up late reading these. I thought that it would be good to ease our minds back into some learning, so I’m having the girls do these workbooks for 20 minutes a day as part of earning their allowance.

What I’m Reading:

I’ve been on a spree of Grace Atwood recommended thrillers. So far, I’ve read The Wife Stalker, The New Girl, and The Heiresses. They were all solid B+ reads and I would recommend them as quick beach books for anyone looking for a mystery about wealthy and glamorous women that will suck them in for a few hours. I’m about to start on A Perfect Marriage, which I think is in the same vein.

The Guest Book: I started this book based on my mother’s recommendation. The story is told from the perspective of multiple generations, about a very wealthy family that buys an island in Maine right at the brink of WWII and the subsequent generations that are shaped by the island. I’m really enjoying it so far, as the books delves into the old school families that started the country, the rise of Nazis and the politics of the time, the modern take on wealth and privilege. When the family is at the island, the author very aptly evokes the sense of the Maine coast and community, which is one of my favorite places in the world.

The Perfect Royal Mistress: I got this as a birthday present from someone who knows that I enjoy a romantic historical novel, and I’m on the first chapter (yes, I’m reading multiple books at once right now, depending on where my mind is at the in the moment. It’s definitely something I would never have done pre-quarantine, but the past few months have definitely done something to my brain and attention span, and this is where I’m at right now!). The book is based on the true story of Nell Gwynne, who worked her way from poverty to become an actress and ultimately the mistress of King Charles II. She’s very clever and entertaining and it’s a fun escapist read.

Cleo McDougal Regrets Nothing: I just downloaded this one, and I was inspired by Ashley Spivey’s rave review of it on Instagram. Cleo McDougal is a career politician and presidential hopeful when old friends write a scathing op-ed piece on her that goes viral, threatening her career ambitions and inspiring her to create a “regrets list” and make them right in a publicity blitz. Can’t wait to get into it, plus it’s free on for Kindle Unlimited readers!