These are the books I read in August 2021 with a rating reflecting my opinion on them. I am leaving books not available in English out for your convenience. At the bottom, I will be sharing some recommendations that fall under the category fiction, non-fiction, or non-fiction political. These recommendations are books I have not read myself, so proceed with caution as I cannot speak to their actual quality.
Read
Minecraft: Guide to Creative by Mojang
In many respects this book is part look book and part guide. I really loved the concrete tips for furniture and banner creation, but found the 3rd segment consisting of big builds to be too vague to be that helpful. Still a stunning book to have!
Minecraft: Guide to the Nether & the End by Mojang
Really useful stuff! I didn’t know much about the End before and only a little about the Nether, so I definitely learned a lot. Some parts are apparently a little outdated, but this was still a valuable read!
Coraline by Neil Gaiman
This is such an eerie story! I absolutely love the atmosphere this conjures up and despite the fact that I have consumed two adaptations of this book before finally reading it, I was continually absorbed in the adventures of Coraline. A little drawn out at times, but still very lovely and scary.
I’ll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson
This is such a gorgeously told story of love and loss! I absolutely adored the narrative voices of Jude and Noah, the twisting way the plot unfolds itself, and the vivid atmosphere of Lost Cove. Some parts were a little pretentious and one can question Jude and Oscar’s entanglements, but I still really enjoyed this book.
Ivy Aberdeen’s Letter to the World by Ashley Herring Blake
This was such a sweet and touching story! I really got attached to Ivy and her experiences. While the finale felt a little underwhelmingly executed, I still really loved this book. It is such great middle grade representation of sapphic love, with not only Ivy but four other saphic women who play differently prominent roles in the story.
Heartstopper Volume Two by Alice Oseman
Ahh, this was so lovely!! I loved seeing Nick exploring his identity and man, do I love seeing a homophobe get his comeuppance.
The Deep & Dark Blue by Niki Smith
This was such a gorgeous story! I loved how intricate both the plot and the drawings were, the fantasy imbued in it all. Hawke and Grayce were lovely protagonists and I had an absolute blast with this graphic novel!
Recommendations
Fiction
How to Find Your Way in the Dark by Derek B. Miller
“Twelve-year old Sheldon Horowitz is still recovering from the tragic loss of his mother only a year ago when a suspicious traffic accident steals the life of his father near their home in rural Massachusetts. It is 1938, and Sheldon, who was in the truck, emerges from the crash an orphan hell-bent on revenge. He takes that fire with him to Hartford, where he embarks on a new life under the roof of his buttoned-up Uncle Nate. Sheldon, his teenage cousins Abe and Mirabelle, and his best friend, Lenny, will contend with tradition and orthodoxy, appeasement and patriotism, mafia hitmen and angry accordion players, all while World War II takes center stage alongside a hurricane in New England and comedians in the Catskills. With his eye always on vengeance for his father’s murder, Sheldon stakes out his place in a world he now understands is comprised largely of crimes: right and wrong, big and small.”
The Beasts They Turned Away by Ryan Dennis
“Íosac Mulgannon is a man called to stand. Losing a grip on his mental and physical health, he is burdened with looking after a mute child whom the local villagers view as cursed. The aging farmer stubbornly refuses to succumb in the face of adversity and will do anything, at any cost, to keep hold of his farm and the child. This dark and lyrical debut novel confronts a claustrophobic rural community caught up in the uncertainties of a rapidly changing world.”
Political
Hero of Two Worlds: The Marquis de Lafayette in the Age of Revolution by Mike Duncan
“Few in history can match the revolutionary career of the Marquis de Lafayette. Over fifty incredible years at the heart of the Age of Revolution, he fought courageously on both sides of the Atlantic. He was a soldier, statesman, idealist, philanthropist, and abolitionist.
From enthusiastic youth to world-weary old age, from the pinnacle of glory to the depths of despair, Lafayette never stopped fighting for the rights of all mankind. His remarkable life is the story of where we come from, and an inspiration to defend the ideals he held dear.”
Aftershocks: Pandemic Politics and the End of the Old International Order by Colin Kahl & Thomas Wright
“Two of America’s leading national security experts offer the most definitive account of the global impact of COVID-19 and the political shock waves it will have on the US and the world order in the 21st Century.”
Nonfiction
When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi
“For readers of Atul Gawande, Andrew Solomon, and Anne Lamott, a profoundly moving, exquisitely observed memoir by a young neurosurgeon faced with a terminal cancer diagnosis who attempts to answer the question ‘What makes a life worth living?’”
When Things Fall Apart: Heart Advice for Difficult Times by Pema Chödrön
“The beautiful practicality of her teaching has made Pema Chödrön one of the most beloved of contemporary American spiritual authors among Buddhists and non-Buddhists alike. A collection of talks she gave between 1987 and 1994, the book is a treasury of wisdom for going on living when we are overcome by pain and difficulties.”
The Congressional Report 