August Bookshelf Review (2024 Reading Goal COMPLETE!)

August. The month also known as "Autumn Eve" and in which we celebrate the return of the #PSL (that's Pumpkin Spice Latte for the uninitiated). Yes, it's technically summer, but fall decor has been in Hobby Lobby since July. Possibly June. Maybe even May. For me, fall is so close I can taste it, even though it won't officially arrive until September 22. This is immaterial. August is close enough for me to begin dreaming of cooler weather, watching fall reels on IG, and grabbing the first bags of autumn-themed candy at the grocery store (I learned the hard way last year that if you don't buy it when it first arrives on the shelves in July, it won't be there when you go for it in September!). But what does all of this have to do with reading? August also ushers in the last of the hot, summer months, when the idea of curling up with a good book is less appealing than just trying to make it through another scorcher. 

August means we're on the cusp of coziness, shorter days, pots of hot tea, and preparations for the season of hibernation. The time when it is socially acceptable to stay inside and read because one cannot be expected to go outdoors, unless it's associated with a pumpkin patch, a hay ride, or some type of apple-related festivity. The leaves on my cherry tree are turning color and dropping. In other words, my friends, the season of reading is almost here. Get your TBR piles ready! 

Photo by Elora Allen on Unsplash

Despite the fact that we have not yet officially made it through summer, I still managed to knock out one of my #simplegoals for the year of reading 48 books! I considered increasing my goal, but I think I'll just keep reading and save the higher number for a 2025 goal. In the meantime, here are the six books that rounded off my 48 for the year, and were knocked off my TBR list. Number five almost doesn't feel like it should count, but since it was still a book I had never read before...I am totally counting it! 

1. Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz - ★★★★★ This was totally unexpected. I assumed that there would be questionable language and morals in this book (there is a homosexual couple as part of the story, and one of the main characters has a boyfriend who sleeps over, nothing graphic, just mentioned in passing), but in general, I could have been reading an Agatha Christie, or watching some kind of cozy BBC mystery show. Also unexpected (for me) was the mystery within a mystery - which you'll understand if you read it. From the 1950's to modern times and back again - this was altogether a pleasant surprise and one which I have few qualms about recommending to anyone who enjoys a "good" murder mystery with plenty of references to Poirot, Sherlock Holmes, and Midsomer Murders. Five stars. {Amazon Associates Link}
2. Mr. Monk and the Blue Flu by Lee Goldberg - ★★★ It was the weekend and I was tired of thinking and I needed something to just veg out on and run through. Enter the Monk books. The television show was better (for one thing, Natalie wasn't such a pill on the show as she is in the book), but these aren't bad for a little break. There are 19 books in the series, and I've read, I think, three of them. I'm giving this one three stars because I actually enjoyed some of the other characters Goldberg incorporated; underdogs who did their jobs and surprised everyone. Monk even gets his badge back, although (no surprise) it's gone again by the end. I wouldn't necessarily say, "Run out and buy it," but library loan or $3 used (as I found them) are probably worth it. Three stars. {Used and New from $0.02 + shipping on Amazon, FYI - Amazon Associates Link}
3. Mama Maggie by Marty Makary and Ellen Santilli Vaughn - ★★★ I started reading this book aloud to the kids probably 2-3 years ago. We got a little bogged down in it and, honestly, I lost interest. While the things that Mama Maggie is doing in the slums and garbage dumps of Cairo are wonderful, for some reason the story fell flat for me. And maybe that's because it lacked the direct view of the book's subject, written by outsiders who were impressed by her work, rather than the woman doing the work. And of course it wasn't written by her, because she's too busy doing the work she feels God has given her to do, caring for the "least of these" with no fanfare. So while I might enjoy having tea with Mama Maggie (even though they way she is described in the book is a little too ethereal and almost saint-like), I'm not really a fan of this book. Three stars. {Amazon Associates Link}
4. Murder in the Museum by Simon Brett - ★★★ Lots of three star books this month. It was just a season of average, I guess. I picked this particular book up at a local library book sale, knowing nothing about it other that what I read on the cover. Written in 2003, it turned out to be your run-of-the-mill "cozy" British mystery, with a fairly easy-to-figure-out plot. I wasn't surprised when the killer was revealed, I wasn't shocked when the middle-aged amateur sleuth was locked into the hidden room, and I also didn't see the need for the bedroom scene that the author apparently felt compelled to included. It added nothing to the story. I wouldn't go seeking out other books by this author, but if I happened to see another one at a library sale, I might be willing to pick it up for $1. If you decide to try it and like it, there are plenty to choose from as this is book 4 of 21 in the series. Three stars. {Amazon Associates Link} 
5. Richard Scarry's Busy Busy World - ★★★ This was not a book I was planning on or expecting to be on my "Read" list this month (nor slide in as book 47 of 48!), but I purchased it for a great nephew's birthday, and decided to read it before I gave it to him, as this wasn't one with which I was familiar. I actually read all 91 pages out loud to the Hubs, and there were times when we were both snorting - mostly because of the cultural aspects. I am really surprised this book hasn't been yanked yet (considering several Dr. Seuss books were "cancelled" a few years back), but I'm glad it hasn't been, because 1) Adults can make their own choices - I'm not for "Big Brother" deciding what we should and shouldn't read, and 2) It gave us an evening of mirth while reading it. Things that were culturally okay in the 1960s...not so much now. And since I would be introducing my 3-year-old great nephew to Richard Scarry, I decided to keep this book for my own amusement and purchased Cars and Trucks and Things That Go for him instead. Safer. ;) Three stars. {Amazon Associates Link}
6. Anybody Can Do Anything by Betty MacDonald - ★★☆ Having already read her first two books (The Egg and I and The Plague and I) earlier this year and giving them two stars and three stars, respectively (reviews found here), my expectations were low for this book. I didn't dislike it as much as The Egg and I, I didn't really like it as much as The Plague and I, so it's really more of a 2.5 star book than a solid three. This time MacDonald covers her employment history during the Depression (and towards the end bounces ahead in life, without much warning, leaving the reader to wonder how we got there), and the trials and tribulations of being a young, divorced mother looking for work (in all fairness, she didn't have it that hard, her mother stepped in and raised her kids while she gadded about, at least, that's the view I got from her book). I already had it (as well as her fourth - and final - book) on my shelf, so I figured I might as well push through before bidding them farewell. Language warning (crude, misuses the Lord's Name). Two-and-a-half stars. {Amazon Associates Link}

How are you doing on your reading goals for the year? 

Was it a good reading month or a slow one?

What book are you reading right now?