Bookish Weekly Wrap-Up: 8/26 – 9/8/19

Happy Sunday bookworms!

Did everyone have a good weekend?  I had a lovely weekend full of watching the U.S. Open & football, my kids’ sporting events, bonfires, charity dance events, and pickle ball.  The weather cooled off this week, and things were finally starting to feel like Fall.  Unfortunately summer is going to come back with a vengeance this week with temperatures returning to 90°F.

*Bookish Weekly Wrap-Up is a weekly post where I feature what posts were published on the blog for the past week, any bookish/blog happenings, what I recently finished reading, what I am currently reading, what I will be reading next, noteworthy posts around the bookish blogisphere, and any interesting bookish articles I came across.

Monday 8/26

Mini Book Reviews: August 2019 – Part 2

Sunday 9/1

August 2019 Reading & Blogging Wrap-Up + Book Haul

Monday 9/2

September 2019 TBR: “Series September”

Most anticipated books published this past week:

» Butterfly Yellow by Thanhha Lai

Genre: Historical Fiction

Release Date: September 3, 2019

In the final days of the Việt Nam War, Hằng takes her little brother, Linh, to the airport, determined to find a way to safety in America. In a split second, Linh is ripped from her arms—and Hằng is left behind in the war-torn country.

Six years later, Hằng has made the brutal journey from Việt Nam and is now in Texas as a refugee. She doesn’t know how she will find the little brother who was taken from her until she meets LeeRoy, a city boy with big rodeo dreams, who decides to help her.

Hằng is overjoyed when she reunites with Linh. But when she realizes he doesn’t remember her, their family, or Việt Nam, her heart is crushed. Though the distance between them feels greater than ever, Hằng has come so far that she will do anything to bridge the gap.

» Tunnel of Bones (Cassidy Blake #2) by Victoria Schwab

Genre: Middle Grade Fantasy > Paranormal

Release date:  September 3, 2019

Trouble is haunting Cassidy Blake . . . even more than usual.

She (plus her ghost best friend, Jacob, of course) are in Paris, where Cass’s parents are filming their TV show about the world’s most haunted cities. Sure, it’s fun eating croissants and seeing the Eiffel Tower, but there’s true ghostly danger lurking beneath Paris, in the creepy underground Catacombs.

When Cass accidentally awakens a frighteningly strong spirit, she must rely on her still-growing skills as a ghosthunter — and turn to friends both old and new to help her unravel a mystery. But time is running out, and the spirit is only growing stronger.

And if Cass fails, the force she’s unleashed could haunt the city forever.

» How to Raise a Reader by Pamela Paul & Maria Russo

Genre: Nonfiction

Release date:  September 3, 2019

An indispensable guide to welcoming children—from babies to teens—to a lifelong love of reading, written by Pamela Paul and Maria Russo, editors of The New York Times Book Review.

Do you remember your first visit to where the wild things are? How about curling up for hours on end to discover the secret of the Sorcerer’s Stone? Combining clear, practical advice with inspiration, wisdom, tips, and curated reading lists, How to Raise a Reader shows you how to instill the joy and time-stopping pleasure of reading.

Divided into four sections, from baby through teen, and each illustrated by a different artist, this book offers something useful on every page, whether it’s how to develop rituals around reading or build a family library, or ways to engage a reluctant reader. A fifth section, “More Books to Love: By Theme and Reading Level,” is chockful of expert recommendations. Throughout, the authors debunk common myths, assuage parental fears, and deliver invaluable lessons in a positive and easy-to-act-on way

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Interesting bookish articles:

» How to Start a Book Club

» 6 Modern Books to Help Parents Raising Teen Girls

» 15 best debut novels so far in 2019

» Listen Up! Podcasts for the Whole Family

» Five Ways to Structure Your Book Club Discussion

» Diverse Tween Reads for Your School Library

» The Best Children’s and YA Books of August 2019

» Quiz: What Type of Book Club is Right for You?

» Books Recs Based on Your Favorite Teen TV Shows

» Audiobooks 101: A Beginner’s Guide to Audiobooks

» Diverse Books for Tweens and Teens Written by Own Voices Authors

» 15 Fantastic Middle Grade Books Hitting Shelves in Fall 2019

Recently Finished Reading:

» Book Girl: A Journey Through the Treasures and Transforming Power of a Reading Life by Sarah Clarkson

*3.5 Stars*

I loved learning about Sarah’s journey & her connection to books.  I think Sarah has excellent reading tastes, and will probably borrow the physical copy from the library to copy down all the reading recommendation lists.  I gave it 3.5 stars because it was too heavily focused on religion & faith for my tastes.

» Gods of Jade and Shadow by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Gods of Jade and Shadow was one of my most anticipated books of 2019, but it came up a bit short for me.  The story felt like a fairy tale filled with Mexican folklore, which I loved, but the book felt very surface level.

» The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah

*4.5 Stars*

Set in the harsh wild of Alaska in the 70s, The Great Alone was an excellent survival type of story – in more ways than one.  While reading I thought Hannah was going to go the cliche route a few times, but she kept on surprising me.

» The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) by R.F. Kuang

The Dragon Republic was an excellent follow up to The Poppy War.   The political intrigue in this book is engrossing.

» The Horse and His Boy (Chronicles of Narnia #5) by C.S. Lewis

This has been my least favorite book in the series thus far, but still a very enjoyable read.  There is something so nostalgic about this series, which doesn’t exactly make sense since it is my first time reading these books…  If I had to rank the series thus far, it would be 1) Chronicles of Narnia, 2) The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, 3) The Silver Chair, 4) Prince Caspian, and 5) The Horse and His Boy.

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Currently Reading:

» Nobody Said Not to Go: The Life, Loves, and Adventures of Emily Hahn by Ken Cuthbertson

Status: 25%

I had to put this one on hold while I knock some of my library books out.

» The Queen of Attolia (The Queen’s Thief #2) by Megan Whalen Turner

Status: 58%

» The Smartest Kids in the World: And How They Got That Way by Amanda Ripley

Status: 20%

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What Am I Reading Next?:

» Wintersmith (Tiffany Aching #3) by Terry Pratchett

Tiffany Aching is a trainee witch — now working for the seriously scary Miss Treason. But when Tiffany witnesses the Dark Dance — the crossover from summer to winter — she does what no one has ever done before and leaps into the dance. Into the oldest story there ever is. And draws the attention of the Wintersmith himself.

As Tiffany-shaped snowflakes hammer down on the land, can Tiffany deal with the consequences of her actions? Even with the help of Granny Weatherwax and the Nac Mac Feegle — the fightin’, thievin’ pictsies who are prepared to lay down their lives for their “big wee hag.”

Wintersmith is the third title in an exuberant series crackling with energy and humour. It follows The Wee Free Men and Hat Full of Sky.

» Let’s Pretend This Never Happened by Jenny Lawson

For fans of Tina Fey and David Sedaris—Internet star Jenny Lawson, aka The Bloggess, makes her literary debut.

Jenny Lawson realized that the most mortifying moments of our lives—the ones we’d like to pretend never happened—are in fact the ones that define us. In the #1 New York Times bestseller, Let’s Pretend This Never Happened, Lawson takes readers on a hilarious journey recalling her bizarre upbringing in rural Texas, her devastatingly awkward high school years, and her relationship with her long-suffering husband, Victor. Chapters include: “Stanley the Magical, Talking Squirrel”; “A Series of Angry Post-It Notes to My Husband”; “My Vagina Is Fine. Thanks for Asking”; “And Then I Snuck a Dead Cuban Alligator on an Airplane.” Pictures with captions (no one would believe these things without proof) accompany the text.

» @The Orangutan Librarian shares a recommendation list ⇒ GATEWAY SCI FI BOOKS

» Marie @Drizzle and Huricane Books talks about adding a little spark to book blog posts ⇒ HOW TO GIVE YOUR BOOK BLOG POSTS THAT EXTRA SPARK

» CW shares recs for books by Asian authors with mental illness rep ⇒ Year of the Asian Reading Challenge – Book Recommendations for September’s Prompt: Mental Illness Awareness!

Have you read any of the books included in this post?  If so, what did you think?

What are you currently reading?

What will you read next?

Have a wonderful week & happy reading