August was a month where I put too many books on hold at the library, only to have them all appear at once (as I type this, I just got another notification that yet another one is ready for pickup! Guess I have my September, and perhaps beyond, reading lined up for me). I started one and didn’t finish it (Yesterday by Felicia Yap), which put me behind in my reading (I generally give a book 50-100 pages and if I’m not into it by then, I put it down. Life is too short to read books you just aren’t into). Hopefully I will finish the stack of library books I now have on my nightstand before they are due in September.
Imagine Wanting Only This by Kristen Radke – Another graphic book, only this is a memoir. This book is kind of about the heart condition that runs in the author’s family which killed her uncle… kind of about abandoned cities and buildings and the temporary nature of it all… kind of a memoir about her early 20s and finding her way.. it kind of rambled. I expected more from it based on the reviews I had read; it wasn’t as good as the graphic novel I read last month.
The Job by Steve Osborne – The author of this book was “discovered” after an appearance on The Moth, where he told a story about his time as a NYC police officer. He served on the force for 20 years. I listened to this book, and I’m glad I did because I am not sure I would have enjoyed reading it. Listening to it in the car as I ran errands was OK. I found some of the stories interesting, but a lot of his comments became a bit tiresome. I enjoy memoirs and learning about other people’s life experiences through books.
The Twelve Lives of Samuel Hawley by Hannah Tinti – The title of this book implies a book that involves something supernatural, à la The Impossible Lives of Greta Wells, The Confessions of Max Tifoli or Replay (that last one is the best of that lot, in my opinion, if you are looking for something along those lines). But this book is not that! It’s about a single man raising his daughter and the stories of his past are interwoven in the book. I liked it OK, didn’t love it. Much of it dragged for me and I wasn’t really pulled in, but I did finish it so that’s something.
The Soul of an Octopus by Sy Montgomery- I became interested in reading this book after I saw a video online of a large octopus squeezing through a tiny hole on a boat. Apparently there are some theories out there that octopuses (I’m assuming this is the correct plural form, as that is what she uses throughout this book) are actually aliens living among us. That’s not addressed in this book. An interesting theory, but not one I subscribe to. Parts of this book I found really interesting, and some of it I really didn’t. One criticism that comes up in reviews of it is that she talks too much about scuba diving. While that didn’t bother me per se, it is a hefty portion of the book. It’s a book about octopuses, but it also is about empathy and consciousness (and scuba diving). If you are interested in learning more about octopuses, it’s probably a good book to pick up. If not, skip it.
Unfortunately, I didn’t read any books that really blew me away this month. But, I have a stack of potentially amazing books on my nightstand. Better get started!
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