This is my first reading recap since starting on Substack this summer!
I’ve been struggling to decide how I want to do these reading recaps, but this is where I’ve landed for now. My plan is to only share books the books I recommend and to refrain from reviewing any books I did not enjoy and/or did not finish.
Writing and any creative endeavor is so subjective — the beauty really is in the eye of the beholder — and just because a book wasn’t for me, doesn’t mean it isn’t for you. To each their own and I never want to yuck someone else’s yum.
As a writer myself, I also feel uncomfortable posting negative reviews of someone else’s hard work and am choosing to take the age old, ‘If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all,’ approach to my reading recaps.
Without further ado, let’s get into what I read and liked in August.
contemporary fiction
The Wedding People by Alison Espach
As I mentioned in Sunday’s breakfast in bed, The Wedding People was my favorite read of August 2024. It tackled heavy subject matter, but did so in a way that felt so hopeful and lighthearted at times, that it didn’t feel like a heavy book, if that makes sense? Beautiful, life-affirming, and set in one of my favorite places in the world — Newport, Rhode Island.
Quotes that have stuck with me
“…because she didn’t know if it was better to be correct or fun, and why did it feel like she always had to choose between the two?”
“Life is strange. Always thinking that this one thing is going to make you happy. Because then you get it. And then you’re maybe not as happy as you imagined you would be. Because every day is just every day. Like the happiness becomes so big you have no choice but to live inside it. Until you can no longer see or feel it. And so you start to fixate on something else.”
“The past is like the Gran Cavallo and you can’t fix the Gran Cavallo, right? I mean, sure, who doesn’t fantasize about drawing in the rest of the horse, and maybe the sky around the horse. But what would the painting be worth then? Absolutely nothing. So it is what it is. Imperfect, unfinished, forever. We just have to move on, call it a masterpiece, even if it’s not, and start working on a new goddamned painting.”
Margo’s Got Money Troubles by Rufi Thorpe
I almost wish I had read Margo’s Got Money Troubles in a different month because it would have absolutely been my top pick if it weren’t for The Wedding People. This book got a lot of hype and for good reason. It was laugh out loud funny, but also made me think very hard about motherhood, relationship power dynamics, and complex parent child relationships. Highly recommend adding this to your fall TBR!
Quotes that have stuck with me:
“Love was not something, I realized, that came to you from outside. I had always thought that love was supposed to come from other people, and somehow, I was failing to catch the crumbs of it, failing to eat them, and I went around belly empty and desperate. I didn’t know that love was supposed to come from within me, and that as long as I loved others, the strength and warmth of that love would fill me, make me strong.”
“…when you’re lost in the deep dark forest, the thing to do isn’t to get scared of the trees. You have to find your way out again.”
“You can't tell me that if it was men and a medical decision would result in their penis splitting open and them not being able to hold their pee for the rest of their life, they wouldn't think that should be their own decision.”
romance
Summer Fridays by Suzanne Rindell
I loved Summer Fridays, but not everyone is going to. If you are an avid romance reader, I would take a look at reviews before buying this because it has a plot line a lot of people don’t like in romance novels. That being said, it was a phenomenal slow-burn and full of 90s nostalgia — it had me yearning for the days of dial-up internet and AIM!!
Quotes that have stuck with me:
“Hope is a wild thing, with enough love, it will attach itself to the slimmest of chances, and hold on tight.”
“It was then that he realized: when your home is attacked, you suddenly have a very clear picture of what—and who—your home is to you.”
Not Another Love Song by Julie Soto
Not Another Love Song was my book club’s book of the month and while I probably wouldn’t have picked it up on my own, I really enjoyed it. It was pretty spicy, but still very much had a plot, and if you do read it, you absolutely must listen to the playlist the author made for the book. The music adds so much to the reading experience.
thriller
The God of the Woods by Liz Moore
Thrillers are not usually my favorite, but The God of the Woods was everywhere so I decided to give it a chance and I’m glad I did! It was an interesting story and had the most beautiful prose. The author’s descriptions of the scenery was stunning, I could so clearly see the grounds in my mind. If you like thrillers, definitely don’t sleep on this one.
non-fiction
Democracy in Retrograde by Sami Sage and Emily Amick
Democracy in Retrograde is a US-specific recommendation as it tackles civic engagement and the political landscape in the US. That said, for any US based readers, it was great! It gives you actionable ideas and steps for getting involved in local politics and your community and does so in a way that feels very manageable and realistic. I finished the book feeling empowered to get more involved in my own community and make a difference in small ways that make sense for me and my life.
That’s it from me for today, but I would love to hear from you before you click off the page! In the comments section, share a book or two you read and loved in August.
And if you want to follow along with what I’m reading in realtime, follow along on Instagram :)
XOXO,
Maddie
The Year of Magical Thinking was my favorite August read. Also, what a great reading recap. Keep em coming!!
Margo, Wedding People and The God of the Woods were in my summer podium