2024 Reading Challenge: August

Hi! Welcome back or welcome to my blog, “The Introvert’s Escape Maneuver”!

My name is Briana, and I am a reader, writer, teacher, wife, dog/cat mom, runner & a lover of words.

Each month, I share insight into the books I read the month before. At the beginning of the year, I created the goal to read 45 books in 2024; however, I recently changed this goal to 90 books instead.

In August I read eight books and DNF’d one book. August was my first month back to school, so I spent most of the month slowly acclimating myself back into school; I had to turn on my “teacher” brain and turn off my “stay at home dog/cat mom” brain.

In August I read,

6 Romances

1 Contemporary Fiction (short story)

1 Nonfiction (memoir)

I read 1 physical book, 1 book on my kindle and I listened to 6 audiobooks.

I purchased one of the books I read in August on Kindle for less than $10, the other seven were absolutely free. Six of the books were audiobooks I borrowed from Libby (the library app for renting eBooks and audiobooks). One of the books was a book I borrowed from my local library.

RANT TIME: If you’ve ever felt discouraged about the financial aspect of being a reader, this rant is for you… Don’t let anyone tell you that loving books and reading books is an expensive endeavor. Being a book collector and being a reader are two completely different things. There are many, many ways to read books for free or for much much less than the conventional way. The library is a fantastic resource for finding books-new and old. The Libby app is a great place to find audiobooks and eBooks that you can read on your phone, iPad or Kindle. Kindle Unlimited is a monthly membership program through Amazon that is $12 a month and gives access to thousands of new and well-rated eBooks. Audible is $8 to $15 a month for one credit each month and it offers access to thousands of audiobooks. For those who love physical books, Free Little Libraries are local little libraries that are usually stocked with books donated by amazing locals. The rule is typically, “take one, replace one” so every time you take a book, you should leave one for someone else. Thrift stores and second-hand bookstores are fantastic resources for books as well. Lastly, Walmart and Target always have great deals on new books.

I genuinely cannot remember the last time I paid full price for a book, there are just so many other ways to read books that it simply doesn’t make sense to spend $20-$50 on a book.

Rant over, here are the books I read in August, the ratings they received and the genre they fall underneath:

Truly, Madly, Deeply by Alexandria Bellefleur (3 stars) Romance

The Wedding Party by Jasmine Guillory (3 stars) Romance

Emergency Contact by Mary H.K. Choi (3.95 stars) Romance but read like Contemporary Fiction

The Deal of a Lifetime by Fredrik Backman (5 stars) Fiction, Contemporary

City of Bones by Cassandra Clare-DNF

Party of Two by Jasmine Guillory (3 stars) Romance

They Both Die in the End by Adam Silvera (5 stars) YA Romance, Contemporary Fiction

Leather and Lark by Brynne Weaver (5 stars) Romance, Dark Contemporary

Finding Me: A Memoir by Viola Davis (no rating) Nonfiction, Audiobook

Bye! See ya next month!