Monthly Catch Up #8 – August 2018

It might already be Autumn in England, but Greece for sure did not get the memo. I only got back home this morning, at 5 a.m. to be precise, and I’m still sweating just thinking about it.

We went to Corfu, and although it was not how I imagined it will be, it was still pretty freaking awesome. I can highly recommend it! You will most likely need a car to get around though because all the nice places are quite scattered around and pavements are not a thing in the tiny villages.

It’s also not the most convenient place in terms of sightseeing, mainly because of the distances between the interesting stuff, but in 33C degrees it was not even a question that I’d rather just chill on the beach. We did visit the old town of Kerkyra one evening though, and it’s pretty cute.

After the questionable coffee situation of Malaga I was so happy in Corfu! I probably had around 5 liters of freddo espresso.

No wonder I have barely slept. Of course the dude whose snoring I could hear through the walls didn’t help much either.

So let’s see what happened in August on Reading Under the Blankie, shall we.

I seem to have had a rebellious streak this month, because I decided to read some of my own books, even though I had some ARCs due, but after some deliberation I realized I’m not feeling them… Yes, mood reader trying to keep to deadlines was bound to fail eventually.

I finally got around to reading Force of Nature by Jane Harper, and damn, it was just as good as  I thought it will be.

The Secrets We Keep by Mia Hayes
Dark neighbourhood drama, a bit like Desperate Housewives.

All Rights Reserved by Gregory Scott Katsoulis
Annoying teen girl caught up in a dystopian drama.

Manipulated Lives by H.A. Leuschel
An eye opening short story collection filled with narcissists.

See All the Stars by Kit Frick
A gorgeously written story about first love, loss and friendship.

All These Beautiful Strangers by Elizabeth Klehfoth
A bit of mystery with a dash of private school drama.

The Perfect Nanny by Leïla Slimani
A haunting story of motherhood.

Believe Me by J.P. Delaney
An unbelievable, and slightly far fetched thriller, starring an annoying woman on the verge of mental breakdown.

Three (Mostly Bookish) Things #Tag

A Lil’ Ray of Sunshine Under the Blankie – Or, Norrie Gets an Award and Finally Responds

The Lil’ Ray of Sunshine Strikes Again! Or, the Q&A In Which Norrie Appears Taller Than She Is

The 5 Best Books I’ve Read So Far As ARCs

I had my eye on The French Girl by Lexie Elliot for quite a while, and it’s been sitting on my Kindle forever. I promised myself last month that I’ll read some of my own books before I buy new ones, and being on holiday seemed to be the perfect time to jump into a story about a group of people being on holiday and surrounded by some mystery. So far it’s pretty good. One of those slow burns I tend to enjoy a lot.

They were six university students from Oxford–friends and sometimes more than friends–spending an idyllic week together in a French farmhouse. It was supposed to be the perfect summer getaway…until they met Severine, the girl next door.
For Kate Channing, Severine was an unwelcome presence, her inscrutable beauty undermining the close-knit group’s loyalties amid the already simmering tensions. And after a huge altercation on the last night of the holiday, Kate knew nothing would ever be the same. There are some things you can’t forgive. And there are some people you can’t forget, like Severine, who was never seen again…
Now, a decade later, the case is reopened when Severine’s body is found in the well behind the farmhouse. Questioned along with her friends, Kate stands to lose everything she’s worked so hard to achieve as suspicion mounts around her. Desperate to resolve her own shifting memories and fearful she will be forever bound to the woman whose presence still haunts her, Kate will find herself buried under layers of deception with no one to set her free…

August saw me abandoning one book. All the Hidden Truths by Claire Askew sounded pretty exciting when I first came across it, but after reading 30% of it, I was still bored. Like, completely, mind numbingly bored. I didn’t particularly like any of the three women whose voices were heard and although the writing style was pretty neat, it was not an engaging read.

One can always count on Kathy when it comes to reading inspiration. For this month she’s hosting Sequel September, which might just be the thing to make me pick up some of the series I’ve abandoned. I had a look at books I already own, and I have a few options. What’s best? I even feel like reading them!

Zooky The Book Bum, who is also my hair inspiration, is hosting the Back To School theme for September. In the spirit of this you can pick a book you read or were supposed to read in high school. She picked Of Mice and Men, which has been sitting on my list for years, and I might even read it. I don’t own a copy of it though, so there’s a serious dilemma. Ha!

I have a few tags and memes I’d like to participate in, and considering how much fun I had in August with all the Sunshine Award tags, I feel pretty excited.

I look forward to seeing what you guys are up to!