Reading inbox-outbox: August 2015 recap

I feel like I read almost nothing in August. That’s probably because I did. At least compared to previous months… But I was writing. I finished the first draft of a novel. That should count for something, right?

August reading stats

• Total books finished: 2 (1 novels and 1 comic trade)
• Favorite book read: The Library at Mount Char
• Book(s) read by diverse authors (per my 2015 reading project): none… (I read two last month, so I gave myself a pass this month)

Inbox (books acquired)

• The Diviners by Libba Bray (Kindle) — the price was right and I happened to be reading one of her other books…
• The Inheritance Trilogy by N. K. Jemisin (Kindle) — I’ve been planning on reading this series for a while now. So, when I saw the full trilogy on sale for $9.99, I grabbed it. Now I can cancel my library hold.
• Uprooted by Naomi Novik (Kindle, library) — This had a huge hold list, probably because it’s getting so much positive hype. I suspended my hold while I was on vacation, so I was top of the list when I got back.
• Superheroes Anonymous by Lexie Dunne (Kindle) — The price was right and the premise grabbed me (see previous post)…
• Graynelore by Stephen Moore (Kindle) — Another one that I mentioned in my previous post. This one may have some historical elements that I might be playing with in my NaNoWriMo story this year. So, I plan on reading this before November.
• The Neptune Project by Polly Holyoke (Kindle) — This is a middle-grade fantasy book about kids who can turn into mer-people. I pretty much never read middle grade books, but… mer-people. And it dropped in price to 99 cents. And my library doesn’t have it on Kindle. So, I grabbed it.
• Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns) by Mindy Kaling (Kindle) — I don’t watch TV until it’s available on Netflix streaming, and even then I don’t have time to catch up on all the amazing shows that have been aired in the past ten years. So, I’ve never seen The Office (I know…). But what little I have seen of Mindy Kaling has impressed me. She has a geeky charm like Felica Day that makes me feel like we could be friends. So, when this came up as a “deal of the day” on Kindle, I decided to give it a go even though I’m not usually into memoir, especially celebrity memoir.
• Best Boy and The Boy Who Went Away by Eli Gottlieb (Hardcover and paperback, signed) — These were the Powells Indiespensible picks for this month, and they are both so completely out of my wheelhouse that I’m not sure what to do with them. I forgot to check what books I was getting before they shipped, and then it was too late because they were on their way. Oh well. Maybe I know someone that would love these books and they can be a gift?

Outbox (books finished)

• The Library at Mount Char by Scott Hawkins (Kindle, library) — I already wrote about this in a weekly recap, but you can also read my review on Goodreads. Bottom line is I really enjoyed this book, so much so that I added a hardcover edition of this to my Amazon wish list.
• Promethea Book 1 by Alan Moore, J. H. Williams III, Mick Gray, Charles Vess (trade paper) — My brother-in-law let me borrow this from his treasured comic book collection. It’s one of his favorites and he thought that I might also enjoy it. He was right. I think this may be one of the most creative origin stories I’ve seen for a super hero. I really like it.

Queue (what I’m reading next)

• I have four books in progress right now. A Great and Terrible Beauty, Uprooted, Thinking Fast and Slow, and Queen of Shadows. My goal is to finish at least two of those (probably Queen of Shadows and Uprooted) by the end of the long weekend.
• I just agreed to do a “buddy read” of The Count of Monte Cristo in October with a friend. So, that will be exciting!

I hope you’re all enjoying “back to school” season! I love fall! Hooray!