August 2020 Books Round Up

September is here, and we are heading towards the last quarter of this very strange year. I have never more adhered to the ‘one-day-at-a-time’ philosophy as I have in the last six months. And there appears to be no end in sight. The only upside (and I use that word extremely cautiously, as the world is literally dying from COVID), is that all this staying at home is forced us to lean into habits and hobbies that had taken a backseat in our rushed lives. I, for one, have been reading and blogging like never before. And I am enjoying it (but my heart still aches for travel so CAN WE PLEASE GET BACK TO  NORMAL?).

Anyway, August was a good bookish month. I finished 4 books, averaging one book a week which with a full-time job and a 6-year-old at home, is not bad.

Here’s What I Read In August

Death, love and acceptance and fairy tales seemed to be the overarching themes in August. There were books I loved and ones that I hated, and those in between. So a good spectrum of quality.

When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi (5/5)

This Pulitzer Prize finalist was a gift from a friend. Beautifully written but terribly sad, this is the story of Dr. Paul Kalanithi’s journey to death. Kalanithi was a rising neurosurgeon on the west coast, when he learnt that he had terminal cancer. His memoir captures his thoughts and experiences as he dealt with his own mortality and how he tied it with his own search for meaning of life and death as a doctor. Every page is riveting yet heavy, as we know how the story ends.

The Death of Vivek Oji by Akwaeke Emezi (4/5)

As I closed the last page of the book, I realized I had been crying. Which was strange because I didn’t feel remember being particularly awed or moved, but here I was sobbing over the death of Vivek Oji. Again, the very first chapter declares the death of Vivek – it’s something we know from page 1 and the book then takes us on a trip of flashbacks from multiple point of views.  The story is set in Nigeria, where young Vivek spends his day trying to both hide and show who he really is. Help comes from the most unlikely quarter – a group of childhood friends. But that’s not enough to save his life.

Emezi’s novel deals with many ideas but for me the most potent were the ideas of love, acceptance and the many way grief manifests itself when a loved one dies.

The Lost Queen by Signe Pike (3/5)

In The Lost Queen, Signe Pike dives deep in Welsh and Scottish myth to bring a fresh look at the legend of Arthur & Merlin. Pike takes us back to 550 A.D to Goddeu, a small kingdom in Scotland, where  Languoreth, a ten-year-old princess and her twin brother, Lailoken, are mourning the death of their mother. Bereft and grieving, both the young kids are fearful of what the future holds for them.

In this historical-fantasy novel, first of a planned trilogy, Pike covers twenty years of Languoreth’s life in medieval England. Her people, the Britons are fighting a physical battle for land against the invading Anglo-Saxons and a spiritual battle against the rise of Christianity.

Strong historical premise and beautiful writing do not make up for the silly, impetuous, and frankly uninteresting protagonist that is Languoreth. The pacing is also uneven, some pages drag and some move with breakneck speed.

Detailed review here!

The Healer’s Apprentice by Melanie Dickerson (1/5)

OMG! What was I thinking? I admit, I wanted to read some romantic trash to just unwind, and this seemed promising. A fantasy take on a fairy-tale. Two hours later, I didn’t know what the fantasy was or the fairy tale was. Also, I didn’t realize this was Christian fiction – not a big fan of books with a religious agenda, so would have given this a wide berth had I known.

Even if you were looking for a faith-based book, I am very sure there are better ones out there. There is no plot, extremely boring characters and very bland writing. There are reviews about this book on goodreads.com, which are more interesting!

Absolutely DO NOT recommend.

Well that’s a wrap for August. Have a few interesting books lined up for September – but with school starting  and all of us adjusting to a new routine, let’s see how that will go!

For more book reviews, go here.