What I Read in August 2022

Happy Friday, everyone!

September has arrived, but unfortunately, I’m not at Hogwarts. (Can you tell I’m currently rereading Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone and craving chocolate frogs? šŸ™ƒ) I am, however, on my way to a school in the mountains and frantically trying to pack because I’ve realized that when you’re six hours away from home, you can’t just take a spontaneous weekend trip back when you forget stuff. Which means I need to take EVERYTHING I could possibly need before Christmas with me. Such as clothes for all four seasons. And winter tires. And all books that could potentially be exploited as required reading.

Chaos aside, though, at least almost all organizational stuff is finally over! I still need a washing machine, but I am proud to say that I’ve found an apartment that is somewhat affordable and a car that actually drives. Granted, it is old and absolutely hideous, with pink hub caps and pink license plate holders and pink seat covers, but since it cost me less than two months’ worth of rent, I’ll take it. Even if all the phone calls I had to make to get it insured were an absolute nightmare.

Some August highlights, featuring: More Greece (I’ll stop now, I promise! šŸ˜), the part of our ten-year-anniversary-ball-group-photo that my friends want me to use as my new WhatsApp profile picture (It’s never happening. Keep dreaming, guys! šŸ˜œ), and a bunch of last-minute hiking trips in my beloved forest before I move again (Do I realize that there are probably even cooler hiking opportunities in the Alps? Maybe. But they’re not the same as home, okay?! šŸ˜­)

Apart from moving preparation, however, my August was surprisingly great! I finally got to see my parents, siblings, cats, and friends from home again. My mom’s Greek pen pal invited us to stay with his family for a little over a week, which gave us such a cool opportunity to explore his country and its culture. My classmates and I hosted a huge ball in honor of it being ten years since we completed our tenth-grade dance course. (I live in Bavaria, remember? We are very traditional here, and tenth-grade dance courses are kind of a big thing.) I went on several hikes. My siblings got me hooked on questionable TV shows. Our city recently opened a new escape room that my friends and I immediately had to test.

So yeah – I really can’t complain about August! Or about what I read in August, for that matter. Maybe that doesn’t come as a huge surprise, since I finally had the free time I needed to finish Robin Hobb’s Realm of the Elderlings and seven out of the ten new-to-me books I completed can be attributed to one of my favorite authors, but still! I had some surprisingly great reads this past month!

Dragon Keeper (4.5/5 Stars), Dragon Haven (5/5 Stars), City of Dragons (3.5/5 Stars), and Blood of Dragons (4/5 Stars) (The Rain Wild Chronicles #1-4) by Robin Hobb

Since The Rain Wild Chronicles are the fourth series in Robin Hobb’s Realm of the Elderlings, there really isn’t much I can tell you. The premise alone spoils a huge plot point in The Liveship Traders! So suffice it to say what you can probably already guess from the titles: This is a fantasy series about dragons and people taking care them.

Very specific, I know šŸ˜ Still, what I can tell you is that I absolutely loved The Rain Wild Chronicles, especially the first two installments! Like all of Robin Hobb’s books, they’re extremely character-driven, and in addition to some old faces, we get to see new ones. There’s Alise, a scholar more interested in dragons and Elderling myths than marriage. Leftrin, captain of a Liveship barge. Thymara, considered an outcast due to the way she looks. Sedric, whom I grew to love with all my heart. And, of course, the dragons! Getting to accompany them on their journey, being confronted by intrigue, betrayal, and heartbreak, and finally receiving some answers to my questions about this world and its magic system was so much fun!

That being said, I do think the last two books were much weaker than the first two. I felt like almost all main character arcs had already been concluded by Dragon Haven, and as a result, City of Dragons and Blood of Dragons were a lot more plot-focused. Even more annoyingly, the only character development we did get seemed to revolve around one character’s struggles to decide on whether and with whom she should have sex. This was dragged out so unnecessarily that I felt like Robin Hobb had thrown it in there only to get feminist brownie points, and the on-the-noseness of it all seriously irked me! Plus, there were a couple of minor plot inconsistencies and I just wanted a bit more death at the end…

Overall, though, this was still an amazing series and I would highly recommend it! Or, if you have already read it and want to talk spoilers – I have a full spoiler-filled review and reading log waiting for you… šŸ˜‰

Fool’s Assassin (4/5 Stars), Fool’s Quest (4.5/5 Stars), and Assassin’s Fate (4/5 Stars) (The Fitz and the Fool Trilogy #1-3) by Robin Hobb

If talking about The Rain Wild Chronicles without spoiling anything was hard, giving you spoiler-free thoughts on the Fitz and the Fool trilogy is plain old impossible. The fifth and final series in the Realm of the Elderlings, it ties together plot threads from all of the previous thirteen books, so yeah… going into details is extremely difficult! Which is why I’m not even going to attempt to explain the plot to you šŸ˜œ

Suffice it to say: This is a slow-paced, dual-perspective conclusion to a fantasy series I now count as one of my absolute favorites. I loved being back with Fitz and the Fool. I loved our second non-Fitzy narrator, whose identity is, unfortunately, such a tremendous spoiler that I can’t tell you anything about them. I loved seeing how the different characters’ stories finally came together. AND I LOVED, LOVED, LOVED THE ENDING!!! šŸ˜­šŸ˜­šŸ˜­ I don’t think I’ve cried over a book as much as I did over Assassin’s Fate since finishing A Little Life, and that is truly saying something. The ending was perfect.

Unfortunately, I can’t say the same for everything that came before it. If this had been a standalone series then, yes – maybe I would have given all of the books five stars. (Okay, maybe not Fool’s Assassin because seeing my most hated relationship of all time dragged out lovey-dovey-ly over the first 200 pages was tantamount to torture šŸ˜…) But this wasn’t a standalone series. And no matter how much I loved it, I can’t ignore that it introduced several plot and character inconsistencies. Especially in Assassin’s Fate, it felt like Robin Hobb had put so much effort into fleshing out her main characters’ storyline that secondary characters were reduced to flat caricatures of the people I had grown to love so much in earlier books. And then there are so many questions I still have that were never answered!

All in all, though, I loved this. Yes, there were flaws, but everything else was just so amazing that they don’t really matter much to me. I’m so happy with what we got and knew I should have trusted Robin Hobb, even after that disastrous Fool’s Fate ending. After reading this, things make so much more sense to me.

(And just a heads up – reviews and reading logs for all three books are coming! I’ll link them here [Fool’s Assassin, Fool’s Quest, Assassin’s Fate] once they’re up, but since they’re suuuuuuuper long, that might take a while. Even I realized that one post for all three books probably wasn’t going to cut it this time, and since I don’t want to bombard you with exclusively Realm of the Elderlings content for one whole month, my current plan is to give them to you on a biweekly basis instead… šŸ™ƒ)

ĪŒ Ī†Ī»Ī¹Ī²Ī¬Ī½Ī¹ĻƒĻ„ĪæĻ‚ – ĪŒĪ½ĪµĪ¹ĻĪæ ĻƒĻ„ĻŒ ĪŗĻĪ¼Ī± / Der Kirchenscheue – Der Traum auf den Wellen by Alexandros Papadiamantis (2/5 Stars)

(This is a bilingual short story anthology, but due to my non-existent Greek skills, I only read Ludwig BĆ¼rchner’s German translations. I couldn’t find an English version of the first story anywhere, but if you’re curious, you can find the second one under the title Dream on the Wave!)

Much to my delight, our Greek hosts loved reading just as much as I do, which means their house was filled to the brim with books! Obviously, most of the Greek literature they had was, well, in Greek, but for some reason they no longer recalled, they also had this bilingual short story collection by one of their shared favorite authors on hand. So, even though I was told in a very late-night discussion on the history of Greek literature that Papadiamantis’ The Murderess would probably be more up my alley, I ended up reading this.

Unfortunately, though, my hosts were right in thinking that this anthology wasn’t exactly my style šŸ˜… The writing was excellent, even in translation, but the stories themselves? They didn’t really do it for me. The first one is about people walking around a forest and a man who hasn’t been to church in years; the second one follows a goatherd who accidentally stumbles across a bathing girl. Apart from lots of religious commentary, there isn’t really much going on.

Which is probably precisely why I didn’t like it. I may be Catholic on paper, but the only reason I’m still paying church tax is because I don’t think all power regarding humanitarian matters should rest with the state and I love the musical traditions that go hand in hand with church. God has nothing to do with it. So yeah, I’m afraid I wasn’t all that interested in the religious allegory contained in these stories, either, and found them to be mostly bland and uneventful…

She Who Became the Sun (The Radiant Emperor #1) by Shelley Parker-Chan (3.5/5 Stars)

Thanks to multiple apartment hunting roundtrips to my future home and back, my audiobook consumption went up considerably this month. And although I wasn’t the biggest fan of the narrator, I don’t regret picking up She Who Became the Sun one bit!

A poetic and queer fantasy reimagining of the rise of the founding emperor of the Ming Dynasty in 14th-century China, the book follows several characters – most notably an unnamed peasant girl who was promised a fate of nothingness. But when Zhu Chongba, the sibling destined for greatness, unexpectedly dies, the girl sees her chance to cheat the gods. Using her brother’s identity, she enters a monastery under the guise of a young novice and slowly works her way toward Zhu Chongba’s fate. Meanwhile, a young general named Ouyang climbs his way up the occupying Mongols’ ranks, despite severe public misgivings. After all, can a Nanren really be trusted to serve the very people who slaughtered his entire family and forcibly castrated him? Even if those people raised him as one of their own?

Anyway, despite this book including my favorite trope of all time – WHY DIDN’T ANY OF YOU TELL ME IT HAD THE GIRL-DISGUISES-AS-BOY-THING?? I TOTALLY WOULD HAVE PICKED IT UP SOONER!! – and ultimately being un-put-downable, it took me a while to get into it. To nobody’s surprise, the multiple POVS initially annoyed the crap out of me and made it hard to get attached to the characters, since the story always switched to a different person just when I’d started to like the previous one. The only perspective I really enjoyed was Zhu’s, and later Ouyang’s, so I just didn’t see why we needed the others! Plus, plans always conveniently worked out exactly how the main characters had intended them to, and after a while, the unrealisticness of this really started to irritate me and made my interest dwindle considerably. It got a bit better towards the end of the book, but overall, I still think it was probably She Who Became the Sun‘s biggest flaw.

That being said: About halfway through, I started to get hooked! I loved the moral grayness, the ruthless politics, and following characters who were so consumed by their lust for power or revenge that morality no longer mattered to them. It was such a fascinating perspective to read from, and add to that all the queer yearning, angst, and betrayal that Shelley Parker-Chan offered, and I just couldn’t resist!

You Have a Match by Emma Lord (4/5 Stars)

After a month of almost entirely fantasy and the utter mental exhaustion that came with reading Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone in incredibly difficult Russian and Mein Kampf in horribly racist and boring German – I am almost done with both, so stay tuned for that September wrap-up! šŸ™ƒ – I decided it was time for something cute and relaxing. Criteria that You Have a Match, a YA contemporary novel that mostly takes place at a summer camp in the Pacific Northwest, turned out to fulfill perfectly!

The story follows sixteen-year-old injury-prone and people-pleasing photography enthusiast Abby, who signs up to have her DNA analyzed in support of her adopted best friend Leo, who wants to find out more about his birth family and whom Abby most definitely does not have a secret crush on. When the results come in, though, it’s not Leo who ends up finding a long-lost family member. To Abby’s tremendous shock, eighteen-year-old lifestyle enthusiast and Instagram star Savannah looks so much like her that it’s hard to deny the DNA service’s claims that Savvy is Abby’s older sister. An older sister Abby’s parents never told her about. Which is why Abby and Savvy make plans to meet up at summer camp and do some digging…

Overall, I really loved the friendships and sibling relationships in You Had a Match. All characters were well-fleshed out and complex, which paved the way for the kinds of complicated interactions and character development that I’m always a sucker for. Plus, it made the characters so relatable! Abby’s non-confrontational nature in particular was something that hit really close to home, and of course, I loved her all the more for it.

However, nothing about You Have a Match really took me by surprise, either. It has a very generic summer romance plotline, and I was a little disappointed that we didn’t get to see a bit more of the activities at camp or Abby’s interactions with her other siblings. Besides, some aspects of how Savvy came to grow up in a different family didn’t seem entirely believable to me, especially considering how easily certain conflicts were resolved at the end.

None of that made this any less of a fun read, though, and I’d definitely recommend You Have a Match if you’re looking for something summery, cute, and relaxing!

At this point, I should probably stop apologizing for my lack of blog hopping because I seem to get worse and worse at it every month… In my defense, though, going on vacation and prepping for yet another move was very time-consuming!

(Then again, I spent so much time on Netflix and Disney+ this month – It’s my brother’s fault! He’s the one who got us addicted to High School Musical: The Musical: The Series and subjected me to extreme second-hand embarassment/nostalgia even though we were already in the middle of watching a ton of other stuff! – that the validity of that excuse is somewhat questionable. But shhh! šŸ¤«)

In spite of my laziness busyness, however, I came across some incredible posts this month that I need to share with you!

  • FangirlFlaxā€˜s chapter-by-chapter reading logs for Twilight and Midnight Sun might already be two years old at this point, but theyā€™re some of the best content Iā€™ve ever come across on the internet!! I nearly died of laughter way too many times while reading these, so I couldnā€™t withhold them from you just because I was a bit late to the party. SERIOUSLY, YOU HAVE TO READ THESE!! šŸ§›
  • Emily @ Frappes and Fiction explained why she deleted her Instagram account and started a really interesting discussion on the negative aspects of social media. Trust me, itā€™s worth checking out! šŸ“±
  • Maria @ The Character Study gave us her two cents on the one vs. multiple narrators debate. Reading a perspective on this so different from my own was fascinating! šŸ“–
  • Jan @ Inkspun Tales celebrated her two-year blogiversary with an enormous Q&A post! Congrats again, Jan, and thank you for answering our nosy questions! I had a blast reading your answers! šŸ„³
  • Suhani @ Random Readerā€™s Rambles did the Unpopular Opinions Book Tag!!! Okay, maybe Iā€™m a tad overexcited, but guys ā€“ this is pretty much my favorite tag ever! And Suhani brought so much extra sass to it! (THIS SHOUTOUT DOES NOT EXCUSE THE WRONGNESS OF YOUR PEETA OPINIONS, THOUGH, SUHANI!! šŸ˜¤)
  • Sophie @ Me & Ink gave us her pick of YA books that should be Netflix movies. And not only that ā€“ she also designed these gorgeous Netflix pages for them that I am beyond obsessed with! šŸŽ„
  • Amaya @ Mauve Mumblings rated different kinds of bookshelf designs in an attempt to come up with the ideal way to organize her own books. This post was a ton of fun and has me even more convinced of my flawless organization skills! Like, seriously, why would you have rainbow shelves when you can also sort according to genre? šŸ“š
  • Line @ First Line Reader wrote so many good posts this month that I had a really hard time picking which ones to feature, but I think when it comes down to it, nothing can beat her reacting to five-star reviews of books she hated and one-star reviews of books she loved. I just canā€™t resist humor and pettiness, guys, and Line gave us so much of both! šŸ˜‡
  • Mint @ Mint Loves Books discussed whether self-published books should be reviewed differently from traditionally published books and brought up so many great points! Iā€™m 100% with you on this one, Mint! šŸ“

Which brings us to the end of this wrap-up! Let me know how your own August was, whether you have any exciting plans for September, and if you’ve read any of the books I mentioned here! I’d love to hear your thoughts!

(Also, does anyone else hate the new Goodreads layout?! BECAUSE I HATE THE NEW GOODREADS LAYOUT AND CANNOT FIND ANYTHING FOR THE LIFE OF ME! How do I switch a book’s edition to the one I’ve read? How do I stop comments people made before I finished a book from disappearing once I’ve finished?? Help!!! šŸ˜«)

59 thoughts on “What I Read in August 2022”

  1. Nehal Jain says:
    Reply

    Are all bloggers meant to indirectly make me feel low by telling how many books they read šŸ˜‚šŸ˜­. Because i sure as hell feel like a disgrace.
    The only one I’ve tried on here is she who became the sun. I was like one or two chapters in when i realised that i wasn’t getting anything that was happening..? Maybe I’m just dumb. So i left it. Lol.
    Not to mention it’s so longgggg.
    Buttttt i loved the reviews and I’m glad you enjoyed most of these books.
    Also that moustache pic deserves to be your blog profile picture.
    Consider this a dare šŸ˜.
    Alsooo you’re on Goodreads???
    Did i know that and forgot it or did i not know that somehow? Why did i never see you in any of my friends’ friends????

    Liked by 1 person

    • abookowlscorner says:
      Reply

      Noooo, don’t feel bad, Nehal! šŸ˜„ I’m on summer vacation, so obviously I have to read while I still can! I will join you in disgrace about a week from now, I promise! šŸ¤£

      Also, you’re not alone in thinking She Who Became the Sub was hard to get into – I said I only truly started to get hooked halfway, didn’t I? šŸ˜…šŸ˜‚ Your bookish honor is still intact!!

      Or maybe not… BECAUSE WHAT KIND OF EVIL DARE IS THAT?!?! šŸ˜«šŸ˜«šŸ˜« However, before I steam ahead and decide to possibly tarnish my reputation further, I’m going to need specifics. šŸ¤” Hypothetically speaking, how long would I have to keep that as my profile picture? And also, is it okay if I don’t like or comment on anything during that time period?

      And nope, you probably didn’t forget about my Goodreads account – I just barely use it for anything other than keeping track of what I read! šŸ™ƒ All the real fun goes on here on this blog, so you haven’t missed out on anything!

      Liked by 1 person

        • abookowlscorner says:
          Reply

          NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!! šŸ˜­šŸ˜­šŸ˜­ The shame!!! šŸ˜­šŸ˜­šŸ˜­ How did this happen?!? šŸ˜­šŸ˜­šŸ˜­ (However, this does not stop me from judging other people’s typos in the least šŸ˜‡ Just saying! šŸ˜ˆšŸ˜)

          Good thing I’m currently not very active, then… šŸ™‚ And you still haven’t given me a time frame here. If we’re talking about just one day, MAAAAAAYBE you can convince me.

          Liked by 1 person

  2. Anoushka says:
    Reply

    hjdfshbfdshfdhg yayyy on the philosophers stone reread ALSO YES LETS MAYBE GO ON QUESTS TO STEAL CHOCOLATE FROGS TOGETHER?? plus all the other sweets too AND BUTTERBEER BECAUSE I KIND OF DESPERATELY NEED THAT IN MY LIFE?? its actually TORTURE how all the sweets sound so FABULOUS but we cant ever eat them?? OR TRY TO CATCH THE JUMPING FROGS?? ALSO COLLECT THE CARDS???

    *ahem* in non-chocolate-related talk, i hope the school in the mountains proves to be A LOT OF FUN despite all the distance BUT MOUNTAINS SOUND AMAZING OK?? plus EXCUSE ME WHILE I UNSYMAPTHETICALLY CACKLE OVER THE DESCRIPTIONS OF YOUR CAR AND MAYBE SOB OVER HOW I SHALL NEVER GET TO ACTUALLY SEE IT??? and laugh over ALL THE HUGE PINKNESS *insert cackling emoji* but yayyy to getting one for lower price!! AND CHOCOLATE FOR BEING BRAVE ENOUGH TO MAKE ALL THE PHONE CALLS,, HERE šŸ«šŸ«šŸ«

    also shhhh dont stop with the greek talk IM OBSESSED I PROMISE and kind of living vicariously through you AND I ABSOLUTELY LOVE!!!

    also am LIVING for all the robin hobb appreciation in this post I ABSOLUTELY LOVE ALL OF IT AND ALSO NEED TO DEVOUR THE BOOKS RIGHT AWAY??? am ON MY WAY so dont come with the swords yet ALTHOUGH THE IDEA SOUNDS FUN. plus this post just further proves all the NAEMI BEING EVIL AND CACKLING OVER DEATH,, so AM OBSVIOUSLY CACKLING AT THAT, this line is literally INCREDIBLE – “and I just wanted a bit more death at the endā€¦” – and maybe MADE MY DAY!! ALSO DRAGONS. I NEED OK
    plus assassinā€™s fate having torturous endings DEFINITELY HELPS MATTER i cant remember the last time i cried over a book AND I NEED THE TEARS

    i know how ive been meaning to read she who became the sun since PRACTICALLY FOREVER and have been ignoring it since forever too, BUT THIS POST CHANGES MATTERS??? like when you say “the moral grayness, the ruthless politics, and following characters who were so consumed by their lust for power or revenge that morality no longer mattered to them” NEXT FAVORITE BOOK ALERT???? AM SO GLAD YOU ENJOYED MOST OF IT!!!!!!

    AM ON MY WAY TO DEVOUR ALL THE POSTS YOU LINKED (THANK YOU!!!) AND ALSO REREADING THIS POST FOR PROBABLY THE 5TH TIME (SHH DONT TELL ANYONE) IM OBSESSED CAN YOU TELL??

    (also yes MUST PROTEST AGAINST THE NEW GOODREADS LAYOUT,, ITS ANNOYING??? also SAME on not being able to find anything PLUS THE COVER IMAGES HAVE THESE ROUNDED-EDGES AND THEY MAKE ME WANT TO PUNCH SOMETHING??)

    HAVE THE MOST FABULOUS SEPTEMBER, NAEMI!!!

    Liked by 2 people

    • abookowlscorner says:
      Reply

      I’M DOWN!! LET’S STEAL THOSE SWEETS!!! šŸ­šŸ«šŸ¬ Although I think I’ll let you have the cockroach cluster and all the weird every-flavour bean flavors. I’m not putting anything in my mouth that could taste like earwax!! šŸ˜Ø I totally wanna drink butterbeer, catch the chocolate frogs, and collect the cards, though. Give me all the cards! šŸ¤—

      YOU ARE SO EVIL, THOUGH, ANOUSHKA! HOW DARE YOU FIND MY CAR PREDICAMENT FUNNY? šŸ˜  I’ve already driven it around a bit and everyone always stares, no matter how much I try to own it and appear cool! šŸ˜­

      AND OMG, YES, READ ROBIN HOBB!!! šŸ¤—šŸ„°šŸ¤— I need more people to gush about those books with me!! Also, did I mentiom there are dragons? You’re going to love the dragons! And all the pain, muhahahaha šŸ˜ˆšŸ˜‚šŸ˜ˆ And if you like moral grayness, She Who Became the Sun is definitely worth checking out! Even if there are no dragons apart from the one on the cover…

      (ALSO, YES!!! What are those rounded edges?? **snorts derisively** And also, you can no longer just click on a book cover when you want to enlargen it, which means it takes like fifty extra steps when you want to, say, steal book cover images for your wrap-up posts šŸ˜¤ I am not impressed!)

      A fabulous September to you as well!

      Like

  3. FangirlFlax says:
    Reply

    I’m so glad you had such a lovely August! Travelling, hiking, big dance events, and a ton of great reading–it sounds like the perfect summer šŸ˜ŠšŸ˜Š and congratulations on finding your car! Function definitely trumps aesthetic, and if nothing else, at least you don’t have the headache of searching for insurance for a while. šŸ˜…

    It sounds like you read some great books, too! You Have a Match is on my TBR after adoring Tweet Cute, and now I wish I’d thought to read it over summer šŸ˜… I’ll have to remember it for next summer–it sounds like the perfect easy beach read (and a much-needed palate cleanser for you between the huge undertakings that were your other books)!

    And THANK YOU for linking to my posts, you are so sweet to do that! šŸ„° I’m so glad you enjoyed them so much–your comments made me laugh and smile in equal measure! I’m heading to check out the other posts you’ve linked now šŸ˜Š

    I really enjoyed reading your monthly wrap up! And I hope you have just as great a September šŸ„°

    Liked by 1 person

    • abookowlscorner says:
      Reply

      I definitely can’t complain, that’s for sure! šŸ˜Š And yeah, I am more than willing to put up with the pink hideousness in exchange for something affordable and functional! Although thanks to you, I kind of got drawn into rereading a considerable chunk of the Twilight series last month and came across Edward complaining about Bella’s truck – let’s just say I had never read the scene in quite that light before and could already imagine Edward fainting dead away if he ever saw exactly what I’d acquired here! šŸ˜‡šŸ™ƒ

      And You Have a Match IS a really fun summer read! Although I think I still like Tweet Cute just a tad more…

      AND OF COURSE YOUR POSTS NEEDED TO GO IN HERE!! THEY ARE PERFECTION!! I’m still not over your reactions to Edward eating that tear and the author picture! šŸ¤£šŸ¤£šŸ¤£

      Like

      • FangirlFlax says:
        Reply

        šŸ¤£šŸ¤£ I take full responsibility for your re-reading and how you took Edward’s thoughts on your new car into consideration! I have visions of a stupid, shiny Volvo turning up outside your door, unexplained, the morning after your hideousness suspiciously lost all four of its tyres. šŸ¤£ Courtesy of your mysterious vampiric benefactor! šŸ¤£šŸ¤£

        I LOVED Tweet Cute so much! But I’ll definitely save You Have a Match for next summer. (Remind me this next summer. šŸ¤£)

        EDWARD EATING THE TEAR. Degrees in Medicine, but eats a tear. šŸ¤£šŸ¤£šŸ¤£ God, I love that series. (And THANK YOU all the same! šŸ˜ŠšŸ˜Š)

        Liked by 1 person

  4. Janette says:
    Reply

    I loved your monthly wrap up and so glad that you loved the ending of Fitz and the Fool. I agree that some of the minor characters did get totally overlooked though. My Goodreads still works for different editions sometimes. I click on the image and sometimes it lets me change to a different edition but other times it won’t. Irritating to say the least.
    Hope the new term, new home and new school all go well for you.

    Liked by 1 person

    • abookowlscorner says:
      Reply

      Thanks, Janette! šŸ’™ I’m glad you enjoyed this! And that we see eye to eye on Fitz and the Fool! Although yeah, the way some characters were handled was a bit disappointing, despite the awesome ending… Wintrow, Etta, and Althea in particular felt slightly out of character to me, and I really wanted a bit more of Paragon Ludluck, seeing the pivotal role he ended up playing… Those parts could have hit so much harder! Still, considering how much Fitz and the Fool this gave us, I was very content overall šŸ˜šŸ„°

      You seem to be having better luck than me with Goodreads, though – I don’t think clicking on images did anything when I tried it in an attempt to enlargen the covers šŸ¤” But who knows? Maybe they’re still working out a few things! šŸ¤£

      Liked by 1 person

  5. Line @First Line Reader says:
    Reply

    We don’t chat on Whatsapp but I also want you to use that photo as your profile picture šŸ˜‚šŸ˜‚ But I’m glad your August was so good and that your move is sort of settled now. Being six hours away from home is a lot though. I can’t even wrap my head around it because if I moved six hours away, I wouldn’t be in Denmark anymore šŸ˜…

    Moving on to the books, YOU’RE TELLING ME I HAVE TO SUFFER DUAL-PERSPECTIVE IN THE FITZ AND SWIFT TRILOGY????? šŸ˜¤ That is only acceptable if the other person is the Fool but since you won’t say who it is, it’s clearly not him! But yeah, I was reading your review of those books trying to figure out how much pain they’re going to cause me but I didn’t learn a lot other than I’m going to want to kill myself during the first 200 pages šŸ˜… I also have a very clear idea of what the ending should be and I don’t think you’d like that idea sooo… šŸ˜¬

    And I also hate the new Goodreads layout! My main problem is that all the stuff I liked to use that was usually on the side of the screen is now all the way at the bottom so I have to scroll past the reviews to see it! I also had to search for the other editions but if you still haven’t found them, there is a fold-out-thingy between the synopsis and the author bio that say ‘book details and editions’. If you press ‘show all editions’, it’ll give you the same layout as before.

    And thank you for sharing my posts yet again šŸ„°

    Liked by 2 people

    • abookowlscorner says:
      Reply

      Why did I already have a feeling no one would be on my side on the profile picture front? šŸ˜… But not a chance. My university colleagues and music teachers happen to have my phone number, and I just gave it to my new school as well. Somehow, I’m not so sure whether that picture would make the best first impression…

      Oh, and trust me, I can’t wrap head around the distance, either – I’m not even leaving my STATE and it takes this freaking long! šŸ¤Æ In hindsight, I guess I severely underestimated how long it takes to get past Munich. Take away the traffic there and I could probably cut the journey down to four hours. Still, after having lived abroad, I don’t think the distance is too bad, either šŸ¤£

      And I’m not telling you anything about that second perspective! Except that, no matter what prejudices you might have, I highly doubt you’re going to think it’s worse than Fitz’s in the first 200 pages because, yes, suicidal thoughts did occur to me while reading those šŸ˜… Just… keep an open mind, okay? Also, you definitely need to tell me about your ideal ending at some point because I’m dying to know what you could possibly be envisioning here that I would find so terrible!

      The scrolling IS really annoying! I’m 100% with you! šŸ˜¤ And yeah, I’ve found the fold-out-thingy, but what I haven’t found is a way to change editions when you’ve already marked a book as currently reading or read! I usually add the books using the app on my phone, where switching editions has always been insanely complicated, so every once in a while, I’d log in on my computer and retroactively change the editions to the ones I actually read. BUT NOW THAT BUTTON IS GONE!!! šŸ˜« I can still see the other editions, but I can’t for the life of me figure out how to change them!!

      Liked by 2 people

      • Line @First Line Reader says:
        Reply

        LOL you changed your picture! šŸ˜‚šŸ˜‚šŸ˜‚ Now you have to keep that forever šŸ˜

        And well, it’s also a crime that it takes that long to get past a major city so I think you’re excused for underestimating it! But yeah, it does remind me of Americans saying they’re just going on a short trip to get something and then they drive half a day šŸ˜… I just can’t relate.

        And I do doubt much is going to be worse than those 200 pages but that also not settng the bar very high šŸ˜‚
        And well, the ending I want definitely includes both Fitz and the Fool dying, preferably in a move that removes the Farseer line from the throne because they and everyone else in the Six Duchies have finally realized how terrible they’ve been for the country. You know I want all the Farseers dead but I’m also aware it’s a little unrealistic so I’ll be satisfied if they just go off into exile and live misarable lives. As a side thing, I also want the relationship between Fitz and the Fool so stay strickly plantonic. Any hint of romance or more of her queer baiting and I will riot! She had her chance but didn’t take it and now it’s going to be so stupid if it happens. I’m already going to be laughing if Fitz and Fool say they love each other at any point in that trilogy. And there’s no point in keep telling me to keep an open mind because it’s not going to happen as that’s still not my reason for reading the books šŸ¤·ā€ā™€ļø

        I’m not sure what you mean then about changing editions šŸ¤” Because if I do what I wrote before, I arrive at the exact same page where I usually change edition when I’m currently reading them and I have to problem changing them.

        Liked by 1 person

        • abookowlscorner says:
          Reply

          I am under duress!! šŸ˜­šŸ˜­šŸ˜­ And no, I am not keeping the picture any longer than necessary!

          I’m going to keep a strict poker face regarding your ideal ending, though – because no matter how I react, you’re going to get information on what actually happens šŸ˜… So yeah, you’re just going to have to wait – even though I’m dying to share my opinions!

          You seem to have a better functioning version of Goodreads, then šŸ¤” Because while I also end up at the same page as before and can see the other editions, the option to change to them is gone! I can click all I want, but nothing happens…

          Liked by 1 person

  6. Sophie @ Me & Ink says:
    Reply

    I’m glad you had a lovely August and I hope you have a wonderful September!
    Ahh… this post feels like a reminder to read Robin Hobb’s books! I’ve been meaning to for years and even own one book, so hopefully soon šŸ¤žšŸ»
    I read She Who Became The Sun this past month too. It did take me a while to get into but I ended up really liking it. The end felt very powerful and I loved how it displayed different themes throughout. It felt like one you could really analyse! I’m excited to read the sequel (when it is released)!
    Ahh… Thank you so much for sharing my post and for all your kind words šŸ„°šŸ„° it is so lovely to hear! šŸ’—

    Liked by 1 person

    • abookowlscorner says:
      Reply

      Thank you, Sophie! A wonderful September to you as well! šŸ’™

      OMG, YES, PLEASE READ ROBIN HOBB’S BOOKS!! šŸ¤—šŸ„°šŸ¤— Seriously, in case you couldn’t already tell, I am OBSESSED! They’re some of the best character-driven fantasy out there and just so addictive! I don’t even know what I’m gonna do now that I’ve finished the series because the withdrawal is real! šŸ˜­

      Also, She Who Became the Sun’s ending was one of my favorite things about the book! I feel like you rarely see characters who pursue their goals to such a ruthless degree and are somehow still likeable, so I absolutely loved getting that perspective. I’m definitely waiting for that sequel right along with you!

      Liked by 1 person

  7. jan says:
    Reply

    Ahh you read she who became the sun!! I loved it a lot bc I got attached to zhu from the beginning, she’s such an iconic character. I totally agree that the multiple pov thing was hard to settle into. I expected everything to be from Zhu’s perspective when out of nowhere it dropped me into someone else’s head yeah it feels disorientating.

    Also your pfp gave me a jumpscare lol.

    Liked by 2 people

    • abookowlscorner says:
      Reply

      Yes, I also loved Zhu right from the get go and got totally invested in the whole monastery plotline. So when Part II started and we were suddenly following this Ouyang person, I was so upset!! šŸ˜‚šŸ˜‚šŸ˜‚ But then his vengeful nature and super-charged relationship with Esen won me over, I guess, becayse by the end of the book, I think Ouyang had probably become my favorite character… I also really liked Ma, but for some reason, did not like reading from her perspective šŸ™ˆ Just Zhu and Ouyang would have been enough for me!

      AND I AM INNOCENT IN THAT REGARD! I AM UNDER COERCION! šŸ˜«šŸ˜«šŸ˜«

      Like

  8. Suhani says:
    Reply

    I WOULD LOVE TO BE IN HOGWARTS TOO AGH, I need some good chocolate frogs asap!!

    AHH MORE GREECE IS ALWAYS YES (pls donā€™t stop) AND AHAHAH THE MOUSTACHE PHOTO IS SO ICONIC, and hey I think it would make a GREAT WhatsApp profile photo ( I mean it is your WordPress profile photo SO THEREā€™S STILL A CHANCE RIGHT??šŸ‘€šŸ˜‚)

    I need to get to she who became the sun soon, it looks wonderful! Glad you enjoyed it!

    AND THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE MENTION HAHAH, I will gladly consider that as you accepting MY COMPLETELY RIGHT PEETA OPINIONS (cmon he was really bland!! šŸ˜­)

    THE GOODREADS LAYOUT IS DISGUSTING OH GOSH I HATE IT, the format is so weird and it just made Goodreads even more confusing for mešŸ˜­šŸ˜­

    Hope you have a great September!! ā¤

    Liked by 1 person

    • abookowlscorner says:
      Reply

      I AM STILL SO UPSET THAT I NEVER GOT MY LETTER!! šŸ˜­šŸ˜­šŸ˜­ I should at least be allowed to have the chocolate frogs as a condolence! šŸ˜¤

      AND NOPE. WordPress is already bad enough!! Besides, how do you know my WhatsApp profile picture isn’t far superior? šŸ˜‡

      Ahh, yes, She Who Became the Sun had its flaws, but ultimately, it made me think so much! I’m already looking forward to the sequel!

      Your Peeta opinions, though? You obviously have a typo there, because you must have meant “really deep, complex, good-hearted, and the best book boyfriend to ever have existed” šŸ„°

      Glad we agree on the AWFUL Goodreads layout, though! šŸ˜ šŸ˜‚

      Liked by 1 person

  9. Rachel says:
    Reply

    HI NAEMI its been a WHILE for sure
    omg new pfp era i love it
    greece ahhh im SO envious i cannot even- but not that jealous that i will mind LOTS OF MORE PHOTOS the slightest bit ok?
    YES I AM NOT THE ONLY ONE THE GR LAYOUT LOOKS POSITIVELY UGLY AND I CANNOT FIND MY WAY IN IT

    Liked by 1 person

    • abookowlscorner says:
      Reply

      RACHEL!!! šŸ¤—šŸ¤—šŸ¤— WELCOME BACK!! Although why you had to choose precisely the time frame of the horrible profile picture to return is a grand mystery šŸ˜­ This era will definitely NOT last!! (Also, I think Nehal is feeling a bit lonely over there on Quirky Pages, so if you ever find the time to ask for her opinion on something, I’m sure she would love to talk to you… šŸ˜ˆ)

      I’m very relieved we all seem to agree on the hideousness of the new Goodreads, though! šŸ˜ŽšŸ˜‚

      Like

  10. Amaya says:
    Reply

    You have a match seems so adorable?!! Why have I not heard of it before. I must read it immediately. ALSO YES!! Just when I’d come close to comprehending Goodreads, it changes everything??? And somehow makes it impossibly more confusing?!! I’m completely with you on this, it’s the worst.

    Liked by 1 person

    • abookowlscorner says:
      Reply

      It is really cute! I’m definitely starting to get hooked on Emma Lord – You Have a Match is the second book of hers that I’ve read, and so far, she has always delivered on happy summer vibes! šŸŒž

      And lol, nobody seems to be putting in a good words for Goodreads šŸ¤£ Seriously, what was the reasoning behind this new layout? I’m trying to understand, but blanking… šŸ¤”

      Liked by 1 person

  11. Maria @ The Character Study says:
    Reply

    Congrats on your Sharpay Evans-approved car! It was literally all I could think about when I was reading your description and it made me laugh. But hey, if it works, it works šŸ¤·ā€ā™€ļø

    I, once again, haven’t read a single book from that list but I’m impressed at the amount you managed to squish in!

    I also completely understand you when you talk about getting worse at blog hopping every month, because I feel the same way. I barely have any time to read other people’s posts… It is what it is, I guess, but I am glad I’m not the only one.

    I hope you have a lovely September, and that you manage to pack all you need!

    Liked by 1 person

    • abookowlscorner says:
      Reply

      Gosh, I didn’t even think of that, but yes, Sharpay would totally approve of the car! šŸ¤£šŸ¤£šŸ¤£ Or, at least, she would approve of all the pink accessories but probably still wrinkle her nose at how old and battered it is…

      You’re definitely not alone on the pitiful blog hopping front! šŸ˜‚ Sometimes, life just gets in the way, so don’t feel bad about it – we’ve all been there!

      And thank you! I’ve actually just made it to my new abode and already realized I forgot to bring dish towels… šŸ˜… Fingers-crossed that everything else is here, though! I’m currently procrastining unpacking in terror of realizing something else is missing, so I guess we’ll have to see šŸ˜

      Liked by 1 person

  12. Abby @ Beyond the Read says:
    Reply

    so happy to hear august was a great month for you naemi!! the car, again, notwithstanding šŸ˜† greece sounds so cool and so does that huge ball! šŸ¤©

    your raving over robin hobb’s books is what put the farseer trilogy on my tbr but i am considerably more intimidated by the first book now that i know there are four spin-off series šŸ˜­ and you have a match is the one emma lord book i haven’t read yet, but it sounds super cute!! maybe i need to sneak in one last summer romance book before fall officially begins šŸ¤­

    best of luck with settling into your new place!! i hope september treats you well šŸ’–

    Liked by 1 person

    • abookowlscorner says:
      Reply

      Thanks, Abby! Greece and the ball were indeed amazing, and while the car may look atrocious, at least I am easily able to find it again – there’s no chance of it getting lost in the crowd šŸ¤£

      And, not to intimidate you even more, but… Robin Hobb’s series aren’t really spin-offs of one another. They’re kind of like seperate books in one series – even though each has its own arc, you really do have to read all of them to get the full story šŸ˜… But it’s worth it, I promise!!! Just give the Farseer Trilogy a try and you’ll see!!

      You Have a Match is a great choice for a cute end of summer contemporary, though! I think you’ll like it! šŸ„°

      And finally, a happy September to you, too!

      Liked by 1 person

  13. Meena Green says:
    Reply

    Good luck with the move and everything!

    I’m happy you’ve had a good reading month, or at least from my memory of your other ones this is a good one? And of course, feel free to always tell us/show us things from Greece! (and yes, use that photo for your Whatsapp)

    Liked by 1 person

    • abookowlscorner says:
      Reply

      Thanks, Meena! I’ve gotten here in one piece, didn’t forget anything too essential (I think šŸ˜…), and survived summitting my first local mountain, so I’d say things are going well! šŸ˜‚

      And yes, this past month was definitely better reading-wise than most of my other ones this year! However, I’m still gonna have to disappoint on the profile picture front šŸ˜œ

      Anyway, it’s great to see you around again! šŸ¤— Have a wonderful September!

      Liked by 1 person

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