Reading is my oldest and favorite hobby. I literally can’t remember a time in my life when I didn’t love to curl up with a good book. Here are my reads for August, 2023.

Excavations, by Kate Myers – This debut novel came highly recommended by Kerry McHugh, and I definitely co-sign that recommendation. The story of four women working an archaeological dig in Greece, and the momentous discovery they make, is a smart, fun, feminist romp of a book. It was a perfect vacation read, and I can’t wait to see what the author does next.

Born a Crime, by Trevor Noah – I must be the last person on earth who hasn’t read Trevor Noah’s memoir, but I’ve corrected that now and it absolutely lived up to all the hype. Noah intersperses stories of his own coming of age with South African history and context that puts his own experiences into frame. It was definitely funny, but it was also smart and thoughtful. And I read that last chapter with my heart in my throat.

The Growing Summer, by Noel Streatfeild – Just a quick, easy, light read – one of Noel Streatfeild’s books for children. Four siblings are shuffled off to spend the summer with an eccentric relative in Ireland while their mother is off tending to their sick father, who has fallen ill abroad. It’s formulaic but comforting and I enjoyed it.

Picnic at Hanging Rock, by Joan Lindsay – The story of three young girls and a teacher who disappear from a school picnic on Valentine’s Day – and all of the fallout from the disappearance – is a classic of Australian literature and I’m glad I finally got to it. I was waffling between reading it around Valentine’s Day, when the fateful picnic takes place, or reading it in the summer (because of course, February is the height of the season in the southern hemisphere). In the end I decided to read it in summer and that was the perfect time, because the heat is such an important element of the story. It was tense and an exhilarating read.

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Harry Potter #4), by J.K. Rowling – Nugget and I have been working our way through the Harry Potter books at bedtime. I admit I was skeptical about this project, because starting with this fourth installment the series does get significantly darker and more intense – as we all know by now. But Nugget is loving this bedtime reading and it’s such fun to share Harry’s world with him.

At Bertram’s Hotel (Miss Marple #11), by Agatha Christie – Miss Marple’s nephew Raymond and niece Joan want to give her a treat, and she asks for a week at Bertram’s Hotel, London. Bertram’s is a relic of the golden age of British travel, where no detail is too small for the guests’ comfort (it’s based on Brown’s Hotel in London, where I now must stay). Of course, where Miss Marple goes, murder tends to follow. I listened to the audiobook version and, although not Christie’s best, it was good fun while painting my kitchen cabinets.

Bricks and Mortar, by Helen Ashton – I’d been saving this one for the settling-into-my-new-house phase and it was a good choice. The story of an architect’s life, and his tense family relationships, it’s well-written and quite engaging. I didn’t love the characters, for the most part – except for Stacy – and I would have liked more house details. But overall a good read.

Bookworm: A Memoir of Childhood Reading, by Lucy Mangan – Definitely one of the highlights of my month! I listened to the audiobook version, read by the author, and it was a total joy. I wish LKucy Mangan and I could be best friends, or at least members of the same book club This memoir, which weaves through an entire childhood of reading, was such a fun listen, even during the rare parts in which Mangan’s reading and mine did not overlap. (And I’m very glad that she changed her opinion of Anne Shirley.)

The Greengage Summer, by Rumer Godden – I meant to read this last summer and didn’t get around to it, and I’ve been saving it ever since. This story of a hot summer and tense affair at a French countryside hotel was gripping. I read the last twenty pages while absentmindedly stirring tomato sauce on the stovetop, because I couldn’t put it down.

The Maid (Molly the Maid #1), by Nita Prose – Nita Prose’s inaugural Molly the Maid mystery definitely takes a minute to get into, due to the language idiosyncrasies that reflect Molly’s own quirky personality. But once I did, I fell hard for Molly and her friends at the Regency Grand hotel (which I pictured as the Waldorf Astoria). My only complaint: I didn’t think the author played fair with the ending. But it didn’t ruin the book for me and I’ll definitely continue on with the series.

Winnie-the-Pooh, by A.A. Milne – Another Nugget bedtime read – Mommy needed a breather after the intense finale of the fourth Harry Potter book (and I hadn’t yet found the fifth one while unpacking). Nugget was skeptical – I think he thought Pooh was a bit babyish – but he cackled through the third chapter and he’s definitely a convert now. It’s all part of my plan…

The Book of Delights, by Ross Gay – The last book of the month was another audiobook – my count makes that three for the month, which is crazy to me. This one was a mixed bag for me. Recognizing that delight is an inherently personal concept, I came to it with an open mind and a willingness to be delighted by unexpected things. And some of the short essay-ettes were lovely; others were thought-provoking and insightful. But there was too much profanity for my taste, and much of the text went over my head (as one Goodreads reviewer put it – aptly – it was like being cornered at a party by a philosophy major).

Whew! I’m kind of shocked at twelve books for the month. The last week or so, I’ve felt like I was in a bit of a reading slump – but that was September, of course, and this is ancient history. Ancient history in which I apparently read a LOT. Three audiobooks, as noted above – wow. One of which, Bookworm, may be a contender for my top ten books of the year when I write that post in December. Excavations was the other standout of the month. Looking back on it, I wouldn’t say August was a superb month with a cascade of reading highlights – but it was solid, and looking at it from my mini-slump of the last couple of weeks, solid is very good indeed.

How was your August in books?