August 2024 Wrap-Up and September TBR
Plus our next Booker of the Month pick and September releases on my radar
Hi, book friends.
Happy September! This is one of my favorite months of the year. It brings not only back-to-school season vibes (any bookworm’s fave) and the promise of fall just around the corner, but also the biggest season in publishing, the National Book Award (NBA) longlists, the Booker Prize shortlist, and more.
My little one turns two months old tomorrow, and while flexibility and self-kindness are still the names of the game, I feel ready to reintroduce a little more routine for myself. I’m getting (slightly) longer stretches of sleep at night, exercising a few times a week, reading more and scrolling less, and planning to publish this newsletter weekly again.
Speaking of which, next week I’m going to drop into your inbox with some pre-NBA Fiction longlist thoughts: which books I want to see on it, my hopes for the prize overall this year, and some reflections on my time reading this longlist over the past four or five years. I’ll also do a brief overview of how it works, key dates, eligibility, etc for those of you who are new. NBA season is a big favorite of mine, and I’m psyched it’s finally here.
Okay, let’s get into this monthly wrap-up!
What I Read in August
I read five books in August, up from four in July, but three of these were CHONKERS. July’s books added up to 1,400 pages and August’s added up to 2,500. Even if you reallocate the ~300 pages of Fire & Blood that I technically read in August, that’s still a 500-page increase. We are so back, baby!
Here’s what I read. Click each title for my full review.
The Saint of Bright Doors by Vajra Chandrasekera 📖🎧: This was my last read from this year’s set of Hugo Award finalists for best novel, and I definitely appreciated it more than I enjoyed it. But I’m glad I read it!
Heir (Heir Duology, #1) by Sabaa Tahir 📖: Favorite of the month, to nobody’s surprise; this follow-up to Tahir’s An Ember in the Ashes quartet was my most anticipated book of the year. It did not disappoint. Ember fans, GET HYPED. It comes out 10/1!
Bringing Up Bébé: One American Mother Discovers the Wisdom of French Parenting by Pamela Druckerman* 🎧: A dear mom friend gave me a copy of this book as a gift because, in her words, it gave her a path forward while she was in the trenches of the newborn stage. I can see why — this book was not only interesting, but also super validating of my personhood in the face of American parenting martyrdom culture. (PRH Audio kindly gifted me the audio edition as well.)
A Song of Ash and Moonlight (Middlemist, #2) by Claire Legrand* 📖: This was exactly what my exhausted brain needed — a fun adventure, a fast pace, and steamy romance (which always helps). This isn’t out until 9/17, but I’m looking forward to the third and final book of the trilogy!
Fire & Blood (A Targaryen History, #1) by George R.R. Martin* 📖🎧: This one feels like a big accomplishment, and I had a surprisingly awesome time reading it, given its structure as a fake history text. I’m also glad to finally join the ranks of book readers among House of the Dragon fans. Now to wait two years for the next season. 🥲
*gifted to me by the publisher
September TBR
For the first time in years, I’m pacing behind my (usually) moderate (for me) annual reading goal of 100 books. Six books behind, to be exact. On the one hand, I’m not too upset about it — the reason I’m behind (2-month-old baby) is a darn good one. But I’d be lying if I said there wouldn’t be a small part of me that would be sad to miss the 100-book milestone.
Luckily, September has the potential to turn things around big time. As I mentioned, getting a bit more sleep has helped me focus better when I try to read, so I’ve got high hopes for this TBR. It’s pretty much all the NetGalley books and big-time ARCs left over from my August mood-reading pile, but I’m genuinely eager to read them all.
Navola by Paolo Bacigalupi*: I’m partway through this one already. It started very slow, but I’ve been reassured that it reaches a tipping point soon and the pace picks up, so onward I go!
The Gods Below (The Gods Below, #1) by Andrea Stewart*: I really enjoyed Stewart’s Drowned Empire trilogy (which starts with The Bone Shard Daughter), so this should be fun. It is out today.
Small Rain by Garth Greenwell*: New Garth Greenwell, what else is there to say? This is also out today!
Intermezzo by Sally Rooney*: Out 9/24. Another one that needs no justification. I’m only ashamed that I’ve had this ARC all summer and haven’t picked it up yet. Fixing that ASAP.
My Friends by Hisham Matar*: This month’s Booker of the Month and a long-overdue rescue from my TBR.
There Are Rivers in the Sky by Elif Shafak*: I had really hoped to read this last month, but I just never quite got there. I love Shafak’s books, so I’m excited!
The Maid and the Crocodile by Jordan Ifueko*: This is a standalone addition to the universe Ifueko created in her Raybearer duology, which I loved. It should be a good time (and easy on the brain).
*gifted to me by the publisher
I’m hoping to fly through as many of these as I can before the NBA Fiction longlist is announced next Friday, September 13. Once that drops and I have the books in hand, I’ll be marathoning them all. Depending on how many of the 10 I haven’t read yet (and how long they are), maybe I can even read them before the shortlist drops on October 1 — we’ll see!
September Booker of the Month
ICYMI, I run a book club called Booker of the Month, where we read one book from the Booker Prize longlist each month. There are 13, so we double up just once, and by the time next year’s longlist is announced, we’ll have read them all.
Our September selection (only the second from the 2024 longlist) is My Friends by Hisham Matar. Join us!!
Get yourself a copy
Find it on The StoryGraph or Goodreads
Sign up for our Zoom discussion on Monday, September 30 at 8 PM ET.
September hot releases
I keep a running list of new releases I’m excited for on my Bookshop storefront, plus a list of recent releases I love or expect to love.
Aside from those mentioned in my wrap-up and TBR above, some of the books that I have my eye on in September include:
Creation Lake by Rachel Kushner
Madwoman by Chelsea Bieker
The World She Edited: Katharine S. White at the New Yorker by
(of Ithaca’s Buffalo Street Books!)Tell Me Everything by Elizabeth Strout
Somewhere Beyond the Sea (Cerulean Chronicles, #2) by Tj Klune
Entitlement by Rumaan Alam
Bringer of Dust (The Talents Trilogy, #2) by J. M. Miro
Playground by Richard Powers
As always, thanks for sharing your corner of the internet with me! It would mean a lot if you were to take a second to like this post. I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments, too.
Finally, if you like this newsletter, please send a few friends my way.
See you on Instagram!
— Deedi (she/her)
Small Rain sounds so good and I have an ALC. Also, I’m loving intermezzo
I tried to read Fire & Blood and just couldn't haha That format was too much for me, it seemed like a wikipedia, glad you enjoyed it!