Catching Up + August Book Releases

A catch up newsletter of sorts

Aug 01, 2023

Well hello! It’s been a little quiet over here (and on Instagram) as I’ve visited with family, celebrated a close friend’s life, and went on vacation. I’ve been enjoying my time offline, and am thinking about how to continue that while still being a “person on the internet”. (If you have any advice, I’ll take any and all!)

My husband and I spent the last week of July in Maine, one of my favorite places to reset. We stayed with family on a tiny island the first few days, which was full of quality time, reading time, and great weather. For the second half we drove three hours up the coast to Bar Harbor where we ate fantastic food and explored Acadia National Park. (We also visited five bookstores – Print and Back Cove Books in Portland, Left Bank Books and Grump + Sunshine in Belfast, and Sherman’s in Bar Harbor. I’m endlessly thankful for my husband who went out of his way to have us visit as many bookstores as possible.) This trip was the perfect blend of rest and activity, and I came back feeling refreshed and ready to get back into my routine.

Since I owe y’all a lot of content, this email will be a combo of things, so let’s get to it!

In this newsletter:

July reading recap
August new releases
My Shelf: July Additions + August Hopefuls
Life lately

Note: Since this is a particularly long newsletter, it might get cut off in your inbox so make sure to click “View entire message” to read all of it!

July Reading Recap

June and July were great reading months in terms of quantity, and pretty decent when it comes to quality. I don’t expect to keep up this pace, but it’s been fun while it lasted!

July stats:

Audio: 13
Print: 5
Unread shelf: 5
Pre-release: 1
Backlist: 7
Fiction: 13
Nonfiction: 5

July Superlatives:

Most surprising – 🎧 Chaos Theory by Nic Stone: I shouldn’t be surprised by this one because I’ve loved the books I’ve read of hers, but I chose this on a total whim and absolutely adored it. It’s tender, honest, and a powerful look into life with mental illness and addiction, especially as a young adult. Lots of content warnings for this one, so be sure to look those up if you need them.

Best on audio – I have to pick two for this one! 🎧 Finding Me by Viola Davis: This should only be read on audio because her narration is unmatched (plus she just has a wonderful voice). Her story surprised me in so many ways (and made me realize just how little I knew about her), and especially emotional. It was an interesting peek behind the scenes of Hollywood, although I wish there had been more of that aspect. 🎧/📖 None of This is True by Lisa Jewell: I alternated between print and audio for this one because I just could. not. stop. listening. The audio is absolutely fantastic; it’s fully produced so it feels like you’re listening to a movie. And the story itself is utterly absorbing, with narrators you can’t trust and reveals that can only be described as completely unhinged. This was one of the best Lisa Jewell books I’ve read.

Favorite – Another tie! 📖 Talking at Night by Claire Daverley: THIS BOOK. It might go down as one of my all-time favorites. I didn’t expect to read this one so quickly, but once I started I literally couldn’t stop and ended up finishing it one day. It’s a heartbreaking, relatable coming of age story about grief, friendship, love, and finding oneself. If you like books that make you cry, pick this one up. 📖 The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab – I’ve had this on my shelf since it came out in 2020 and I think the hype made me hesitant to read it. But after both Katie (of @shecoversbooks, and formerly The Bookly Club) AND my husband loved it, I decided it would be the perfect book to bring on vacation, and it was. It hooked me from the very beginning, and I absolutely loved spending time with Addie. As someone who loves when authors play with time, I was captivated by how this one would end.

Most disappointing – 🎧 The Seven Year Slip by Ashley Poston: The hype over this one got to me, so I started it on audio as soon as it came out. And as much as I wanted to love it, I thought it was just okay. Maybe it was the one-person narration (I would have loved to get Iwan’s perspective), maybe it was because I listened to it, or maybe it just wasn’t for me, but it fell flat and I didn’t feel connected to the characters. I still want to read The Dead Romantics but am saving it for fall (and will read it in print).

Most entertaining – 🎧 Wild Game by Adrienne Brodeur: Wow. I had to repeatedly remind myself this was a memoir because the story is such a wild (pun intended) ride. If you like memoirs, I highly recommend picking this one up – I devoured it in a matter of hours (and it’s narrated by Julia Whelan). I’m especially curious to read Brodeur’s new novel, Little Monsters.

Coziest – 📖 The Museum of Ordinary People by Mike Gayle: I read and loved All the Lonely People so this was top of my list, and it didn’t disappoint. It’s both heartwarming and heartbreaking, full of characters that will stick with you, and a story about moving on after loss, managing hardship, and finding community. It made me want to move to London and becoming friends with every single person in this book.

My 10 Most-Anticipated August Book Releases

Family Lore by Elizabeth Acevedo (narrated by the author) – I’ve been a HUGE fan of Acevedo’s YA, especially With the Fire on High, so I can’t wait to pick up her first novel for adults. My only dilemma: Should I do audio or print? (Out 8/1.)

The Hundred Loves of Juliet by Evelyn Skye (narrated by Aspen Vincent, Joe Arden) – From the publisher: “A woman discovers that she is part of a legendary love story that spans lives, years, and continents in this modern-day reimagining of Romeo and Juliet.” The Romeo and Juliet part isn’t necessarily appealing, but the rest of it sounds right up my alley. (Out 8/1.)

Tom Lake by Ann Patchett (narrated by Meryl Streep) – Patchett has long been a favorite of mine, and I’ve heard some rave reviews (including one from Annie B. Jones of From the Front Porch). Again, my only conundrum will be whether I do this one in audio (which I preordered and is narrated by Meryl Streep) or print (…which I also preordered). (Out 8/1.)

The Déjà Glitch by Holly James (narrated by Kristen DiMercurio, Dan Bittner) – From the publisher: “To break out of a 24-hour time loop, all Jack needs is for Gemma to fall in love with him in a single day. All Gemma needs is to remember him first…” I love a book that plays with time and this sounds like a lighter read to break up some of the more literary ones. (Out 8/1.)

The Art of Scandal by Regina Black (narrated by Mela Lee) – From the publisher: “Tia Williams, author of Seven Days in June, called this a ‘wildly steamy, utterly heartwarming’ debut filled with romance, artistic ambitions, political scandal, and finding love where you least expect it.” (Out 8/1.)

Congratulations, The Best is Over! by R. Eric Thomas (narrated by the author) – A fellow Baltimorean, I’ll read anything Thomas writes. I adored his first essay collection, Here for It, and am eager to read his latest. (I also recommend his YA debut, Kings of B’more.) I know this one will be fantastic in either format, so I might try both. (Out 8/8.)

Shark Heart by Emily Habeck (narrated by Karissa Vacker, Shaun Taylor-Corbett, Soneela Nankani) – From the publisher: “This intergenerational love story begins with newlyweds Wren and her husband, Lewis—a man who, over the course of nine months, transforms into a great white shark.” It sounds a little zany, but I’ve heard it really works. (Out 8/8.)

The Other Year by Rea Frey (narrated by Brittany Pressley) – From the publisher: “Bringing to light the drastic polarities dire circumstances often create, The Other Year explores truths about love, loss, and the sharp turns any life can take in the blink of an eye.” (Out 8/15.)

Unearthing by Kyo Maclear (narrated by the author) – From the publisher: “An unforgettable memoir about a family secret revealed by a DNA test, the lessons learned in its aftermath, and the indelible power of love.” (Out 8/22.)

Happiness Falls by Angie Kim (narrated by Shannon Tyo, Sean Patrick Hopkins, Thomas Pruyn) – I recently read and loved Miracle Creek and this one sounds (dare I say it) even better?! From the publisher: “Angie Kim turns the missing-person story into something wholly original, creating an indelible tale of a family who must go to remarkable lengths to truly understand one another.” (Out 8/29.)

What August book releases are you looking forward to?

My Shelf

What I’ve added and what I’m hoping to read.

July Additions

I’ll admit, it’s too many to list here (whoops!) but some that I’m especially looking forward to are:

📖 Life After Life by Kate Atkinson – This was listed as a book for fans of The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue. I haven’t read anything of hers before but I know people have loved this one.
A signed copy of 📖 Fellowship Point by Alice Elliott Dark – I picked this up at Sherman’s in Bar Harbor and will give it a read when I want to be transported back to Maine (which is basically all the time).
🎧 Leave Only Footprints by Conor Knighton – Inspired by our adventures through Acadia, I thought it’d be fun to learn more about our national parks.
🎧 The Last Summer on State Street by Toya Wolfe – Hannah of @hanpickedbooks loved this one so I immediately bought it.

August Hopefuls

The Queue by Basma Abdel Aziz (for
Sara Hildreth
’s Patreon book club)
The Invisible Kingdom by Meghan O’Rourke (I’ve been wanting to read this but was waiting for the right time, hopefully that’s this month)
Stolen Focus by Johann Hari as a slow and steady (and because I need my attention back)
Hello, Beautiful by Ann Napolitano (because I keep hearing wonderful things)
Banyan Moon by Thao Thai for my Read With Jenna pick
Tom Lake by Ann Patchett because it’s Ann Patchett
The Art Thief by Michael Finkel (again, I keep hearing great things)
The Country of the Blind by Andrew Leland (this is getting RAVE reviews)
After the Funeral by Tessa Hadley for short stories to read when my attention span is, well, short

Life Lately

Listening to… “The Retrievals”, and anticipating the newest episode every Thursday. It’s captivating and horrifying and a must listen. This episode of Work Appropriate. I laughed, I cried, and I want every single person who interacts with other people to listen to it. And The Chicks because I’m going to see them in concert tomorrow and need a refresher!

Watching… the second season of “The Bear” with my husband. And “Barbie”, along with what feels like the whole world. It was good! But not without its flaws. (I highly recommend listening to Pop Culture Happy Hour’s spoiler episode about it.)

Buying… all the produce at my local farmer’s market because it’s the only thing I like about summer. (Shoutout to the peaches on my yogurt this morning, which was like having dessert for breakfast.)

Loving… getting back on my Peloton! It’s been way too long and I think I forgot just how good those workout endorphins feel. Here’s hoping I can keep it up! I’m also trying to do some form of stretching or restorative yoga every day, even if it’s just for 10 minutes.

(non book) Reading…

Culture Study

always. Especially “How Your House Makes You Miserable” and “The Thread Vibes Are Off.” This piece about menopause (because 40 is just around the corner). And this article my dad shared with me about a woman who moved to a remote island in Maine. The 2023 Booker Prize longlist was announced! And I immediately purchased All the Little Bird-Hearts.

What did you love this month?

Life With Kat

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