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Writer's pictureChristine

August 2024 Book Reviews!

Wow! Can you believe that summer is just about over? Tomorrow is already Labor Day and the "unofficial" end of the summer season.


We did a summer road trip for the second half of August, so I didn't spend as much time reading as usual. But, I did manage to still get in plenty of reading, including chipping away slowly at the New York Times "100 Best Books of the 21st Century" list. In August, I also hit a milestone in this year's number of books read - 100!


So, let's take a look at the books I read in August. I hope you find something you are interested in on the list!


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The Music Of What Happens: A Novel Of Chicago In The 1880s by Charles Fanning


This one was a bit slow for me. It is generally about an Irish-American family living in Chicago in the late 1800's. The story just seems to go in a lot of different directions. And while it is all related, it's not tied together well.


I received an advance review copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily. Three out of five stars.


To purchase this book on Amazon, click here.


Bel Canto by Ann Patchett


I thought this started out a bit slow, but as the characters and relationships between them develop, it definitely gains momentum.


While the underlying story is about terrorists who take a group hostage, the book is really about the relationships that are developed during the 4 1/2 month ordeal. Definitely enjoyed this book, which is very well written as well. Four out of five stars!


This book is #98 on the New York Times list of the top 100 books of the 21st century. To purchase this book on Amazon, click here.


Casket Case by Lauren Evans


I thought this was a super sweet rom com. Definitely your usual plot of boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy gets girl. But the underlying story is definitely a unique one and quite quirky.


I received an advance review copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily. Four out of five stars!


This book will be released on September 10, 2024. To pre-order your copy on Amazon, click here.


Unspoken: A Guide To Cracking The Hidden Corporate Code by Ella F. Washington


This is a very practical and helpful business book, especially for those that are early in their career. It does focus specifically on advice for people who may not be the majority in the workforce - either due to race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, disability, or any other trait that might make someone feel that they can't bring their complete and authentic selves to work. Practical advice. Practical exercises. Worth the read.


I received an advance review copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily. Four out of five stars!


To purchase this book on Amazon, click here.


There Is No "Point B": Awakening Of A Software Engineer by Sriram Ramakrishnan


This one was just not for me. And while I did finish it, I will admit that I really just skimmed the last 25% of the book.


I felt like this could have been good. The overall message and the discussions about mental health could have been helpful to me and others. But at the end of the day, this just felt like a lot of words with no point or purpose. The writing style was really strange (bizarrely, this book definitely broke the record of all books I have ever read in how many times the word "poop" was used) and just was really hard for me to get over.


I received an advance review copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily. Two out of five stars.


To purchase this book on Amazon, click here.


Grown Women by Sarai Johnson


This is an amazing book that follows the lives of four generations of Black women. Each generation faces their own challenges - both within their own lives and with their relationships with each other. The underlying theme is about the relationship between mothers and daughters. In each generation, the women are faced with having a child that they did not want initially, for a different reason in each instance. How that effects the relationships between all of them, is the focus of the story.


If I had one small criticism, it's that three of the main characters all have first names starting with the same letter. Due to the way the book is written going back and forth between each woman's perspective, you really had to focus to keep track of who was who.


This is a beautifully written book. I reserve a 5 rating for a small percentage of the books I read that become my all time favorites. This one doesn't quite get there, but is very close with more of a 4.5.


I received an advance review copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily.


To purchase this book on Amazon, click here.


Five-Star Stranger by Kat Tang


This is a bit of a dark book. I also like to give a warning, as the book does talk about suicide and death by suicide, which can be a difficult topic for some people.


The premise of the story is that the main character (who is never given a name) works for a company called Rental Stranger. The company's app allows you to go out and hire a stranger for any myriad of tasks - a date to make an ex jealous, a best man to give a toast at a wedding, a mourner at a funeral. The main character has been doing this for years, including one long term gig where he is hired by a woman to be "Dad" to her young daughter. A story is made up about how he is a trucker and is only able to show up once per week to spend time with the family.


As the main character falls further and further into the "Dad" role, he starts to lose sight of what is real and fake. In addition, his past with his own mother starts to impact things.


I went back and forth between a 3 and a 4, but ultimately settled on a 4, as the book was very well written and kept me interested until the end.


I received an advance review copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily. Four out of five stars!


To purchase this book on Amazon, click here.


Believe In Better: The Evolution Of Core Principles That Pioneered An Industry by Damon Stafford


What I liked about this business book was that it was no nonsense and no fluff. But for me personally, the author and his advice were a bit over the top. Great for people that really want to hustle and build a huge business.


I received an advance review copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily. Three out of five stars.


To purchase this book on Amazon, click here.


In Exile: Rupture, Reunion And My Grandmother's Secret Life by Sadiya Ansari


This is a memoir about the author's family and their lives as they moved back and forth between India, Pakistan, and eventually Canada. The story focuses on the author's grandmother, who left her 7 children after her first husband's death to start a new life with her second husband. When she reappears in their lives almost 20 years later, her family struggles with her reasoning and the trauma.


As the author delves into her family history to discover the answers to her questions about her grandmother, she shares the strong traditions and cultures that led to the decisions everyone in her family made.


I received an advance review copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily. Four out of five stars!


To purchase this book on Amazon, click here.


A Recusant's Incarnation: A Memoir by Neetha Joseph


I'm just not sure what we are supposed to get out of this book. It's about the author's journey after she loses her job. But there are several things that make it very difficult to follow or want to be interested in her story.


First, the author uses language that makes you feel like you need a dictionary with you when you read. I feel like I have a decent command of vocabulary, but no one I know talks using those types of words. It almost feels like the author wants you to know how smart they are.


Second, the story just wanders with no point. And every step of the way where the author has some sort of difficulty - losing a job, not getting a job, not receiving her public assistance money - it is always someone else's fault.


Third, at times the book wanders off into this bizarre narrative about people coming after the author and trying to steal things from her digitally, including her identity.


There was nothing about this book that made me have any empathy for the author and her struggles, except that if everything she wrote is real, I wonder about her mental health.


I received an advance review copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily. Two out of five stars.


To purchase the book on Amazon, click here.


The Last Kilo: Willy Falcon And The Cocaine Empire That Seduced America by T.J. English


This is the fascinating true story of Willy Falcon and the organization he started - Los Muchachos. After his family flees Cuba when he is a young boy, they settle in Miami. Falcon and some friends get caught up in the cocaine business as young boys. Ultimately, they end up building the biggest cocaine empire in the world.


The story follows their rise and fall, ending with the law finally catching up with Falcon. Very well written with lots of detail, but in a way that keeps you engaged in the story.


I received an advance review copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily. Four out of five stars!


This book will be published on December 3, 2024. To pre-order your copy on Amazon, click here.


The Heights Of Mountains by Guy Franks


This book is about the rise of all of the dot.com companies, and their ultimate demise when the bubble bursts in the early 2000's. The story is fiction, but could be written about one of many companies that started up on the internet craze, had their IPO and made their employees millionaires on paper temporarily, and then crashed.


I thought the underlying story was fantastic. However, the author tries to mix in some Melrose Place kind of drama, and a bizarre story line of one of the characters becoming a born again Christian in the middle of everything. It felt unnecessary, and if it wasn't there, could have shortened the book to make it a little easier to read and appeal to more people.


I received an advance review copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily. Four out of five stars.


To order this book on Amazon, click here.


Men We Reaped by Jesmyn Ward


This is a very powerful and beautifully written book about the author's life growing up in the South. It interweaves her story with the stories of five men in her life (including her brother) that all died young and within a couple years period of time.


The book focuses on growing up Black and poor in rural Mississippi, and how despite the author's desire to make something of herself and get out, she always had the need and desire to go home. Her writing is touching, honest and raw. This book comes in at number 97 on the New York Times Best Books of the 21st Century List. Four out of five stars!


To purchase this book on Amazon, click here.


I hope you enjoy the last little bits of summer! Happy reading!


What books do you recommend I read next? Let me know! Did you check out any of these books? I'd love to hear what you think! Comment below or e-mail me at tips2livebywriter@gmail.com.


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