What Are You Reading in August?

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Do you believe in the concept of beach reads? I don’t. Not for me, anyway! My habits are fairly solid year-round.

I’ve been burning through books the last few weeks, which, coming on the heels of a few slow-ish reading months, is such a nice (and familiar) feeling.

Since 1st August, I’ve finished:

  • Andy Warhol: A Biography by Wayne Koestenbaum
  • Elsa Schiaparelli: A Biography by Meryle Secrest

I’m currently reading:

  • The Andy Griffith Show by Richard Kelly
  • The Witch of Lime Street: Seance, Seduction, and Houdini in the Spirit World by David Jaher
  • Romantic Outlaws: The Extraordinary Lives of Mary Wollstonecraft and Her Daughter Mary Shelley by Charlotte Gordon

To be read by 31st August:

  • The Human Age: The World Shaped by Us by Diane Ackerman
  • Creativity, Inc.: Overcoming the Unseen Forces That Stand in the Way of True Inspiration by Ed Catmull
  • And a few more books still to be determined

Which book on your list do you most look forward to finishing?

Please share with me in the comments.

Happy reading!

18 thoughts on “What Are You Reading in August?”

  1. Frustrating little time to read in amongst the cardboard boxes and finding I just want to stare into the middle distance and think when I do get some free time! But soon, soon, everything will be in its place, the books on their new shelves and thus all will be right with my world.

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  3. I’ve been on a reading spurt lately! I’ve been reading about the workings of the U.S. Federal Reserve, “Benighted” by J.B. Priestly (which I really enjoyed), tried reading the sci-fi “Riddley Walker” (which I found annoying), and have just started reading “Russian Winter” for our book club.

    Beach reads, for me, are a last choice. However, I did just read a review of “My Lady Jane” which was apparently written by three different people and the reviewer could not distinguish between them. I’m keen to read it to analyze the writing.

    Your books sound marvelous! “Romantic Outlaws” sounds especially interesting to me.

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    • That’s an impressive variety! I’ve not heard of “My Lady Jane,” but it is a pretty novel concept.

      As far as I am concerned, any book that you read at a beach/on vacation qualifies as a beach/vacation read. Even if it is 800 pages of intellectual discourse.

      I just started “Romantic Outlaws.” I’ll let you know how it turns out.

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  4. Well it’s August and so its #WITMonth and so I’m reading from my pile of books by Women in Translation, so I’ve been to Argentina, South Korea and Hungary already with The Rabbit House (memoir), The Vegetarian (Winner of the Man Booker International Prize 2016) and The Door (a bit of classic from Magda Szabo).

    And as far as beach reads, I usually save one summer chunkster for the beach and this year its Marlon James A Brief History of Seven Killings, really outside my normal reading zone, but I’m getting through it slowly!

    I have Romantic outlaws on my list, I loved Frankenstein and want to read A Vindication as well before the Outlaws book. Happy Reading!!

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    • That sounds fabulous! What a great list.

      Vindication is a wonderful book. I just started Outlaws, but I am enjoying it so far. Thanks so much for stopping by and sharing your current reads.

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  5. I am currently mostly reading, from the library, “Sparrow” by Mary Doria Russell, science fiction novel about a Jesuit mission in the form of first contact with an alien race. A thought-provoking read. The science end is perhaps a bit flimsy but philosophy end makes up for it. Still trying to decide if it’s a religious book about science fiction or a science fiction book about religion. Either way it’s well put together and a solid read.

    Also plugging my way through “Darlington’s Fall, A Novel in Verse” by Brad Leithauser as I have been working for a number of years on what may possibly become a post-apocalyptic-last-man-on-earth-epic-haibun-love-poem-novel-in-verse…..if all goes well….or it may just become a science fiction novel with a lot of poetry in it…..we’ll see….

    Planning on getting back to “The Complete Poems: Anne Sexton” that was a lovely father’s day gift fro my wife and daughter. She’s long been one of my favorites a poet of immense power and definitely a “formative” when I first began to explore poetry.

    I’ve read “Riddley Walker” and loved it.

    “Deep Play” by Ms. Ackerman is on my “to read” shelf.

    Frankenstein….Oh, Frankenstein. Time to re-visit that one….

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    • Excellent choices! I adore Anne Sexton’s poetry and Frankenstein is timeless. I might just read the latter again, once I’ve finished with the dual biography of Mary W. and Mary G. Seems appropriate.

      Sparrow sounds quite fascinating. I think it belongs on my TBR list, for sure. Thanks for the recommendation.

      Your post-apocalyptic etc. idea is quite intriguing. I hope you make it happen.

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