Welcome to my (very small) August Reading List. My goal for this year is to read 150 books. To do this, each month I need to read at least ten books as well as dipping into the five books at the end of this post. This means by the end of the year, these five can be added onto my yearly total. I am determined to read 150 books this year. I had this goal last year, but because of my master’s degree I only managed 39 which is pitiful (although I did read lots and lots of journal articles). These are the books I read during August.
It is not a long list this August. I thought I would probably read more given I have more time…y’know being off from homeschool and everything. Alas, this has not been the case.
A Note About Colour Codes
Throughout this August reading list, you’ll notice that I have coloured the list of books. Firstly, the pink books denote fiction books. I am not keen on fiction books as a rule. In 2023 I read 100 books and over 60 of them were non-fiction. I had to work really hard at getting in the fiction I did read and I tended to find an author I liked and then read a few of their books.
This year, I want to throw my net wider, so to speak. The goal is to try out lots of different authors and genres. So, I want at least half of my books to be fiction books. And I shall try to read books from different authors…. In this, I have catastrophically failed this month. I did better than last month because I have at least read some fiction, but they were written by Agatha Christie, so not really broadening my horizons!
Next, I have used a beige colour to denote the non-fiction. I literally never struggle to find non-fiction books I want to read! This is because there are so many things I am interested in and so little time!
And lastly, I have used a violet colour for the books I shall be dipping into each month. These are non-fiction. In fact, they are mostly nature themed books created to be read over each month or season, rather than being read all at once.
August Reading List: Non-Fiction Books
Mad Woman: Binge Eating. Menopause. OCD: How To Survive a World That Thinks You’re The Problem by Bryony Gordon
This was a cracker! I bought it to try to understand OCD a bit better. Oh, and it talked about the menopause so may have had some handy hints about dealing with that. Honestly? I didn’t know what to expect but I definitely wasn’t expecting to get so much out of it. I’m so thankful that mental health is now becoming more talked about and without so much shame attached to it. Bryony does an excellent job of adding something really meaningful to the conversation. ****
Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat: Mastering the Elements of Good Cooking by Samin Nosrat
I’m going to preface this with the fact that I ummed and ahhed about getting this as an audio book. In retrospect, I think it is a book better suited to paper than audio. It was good, but listening to it in the bath I was unable to make notes to remember the bits I wanted to take into my everyday cooking. This is obviously a me problem and not a Samin problem 😊 And this is my reason for giving it only three stars. I shall perhaps revisit this if I choose to buy the paper version as well. ***
August Reading List: Fiction Books
I decided to start working my way through the Miss Marple books again. To me they are the perfect cosy village-y comfy story. I’ve read them all stacks of times but I’ve not listened to this particular narration series. My sleep is really bad at the moment and these books are unhurried loveliness.
The Murder at the Vicarage by Agatha Christie *****
The Body in the Library by Agatha Christie *****
The Moving Finger by Agatha Christie *****
Books I’ll Be Reading Every Month
That’s the totality of my August reading list. However, there are also books that I’m going to be dipping into each month. These are books I have either read multiple times over the course of my life and I just love rereading them, or they are part of an ongoing set which brings out a new volume each year. By the end of the year they will be completed but as they track the months and seasons of the year, I’ll not be reading ahead, as it were. However, I’ll be adding them to each of my posts, just in case anyone else is interested in reading them.
Country Diary of an Edwardian Lady by Edith Holden
The Cottage Book by Sir Edward Grey
The Almanac: A Seasonal Guide to 2025 by Lia Leendertz
The Cottage Fairy Companion by Paola Merrill
Daemon Voices: Essays on Storytelling By: Philip Pullman
I hope you have enjoyed my July reading list. If you’d like to take a look at the books I read in 2023 and 2024, please do visit my Books Read Over the Years Page. I shall endeavour to share one of these posts each month.
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