Welcome to the August wrap up! September is off to a very busy start for me so I am going keep this one shorter. π Let’s begin.
Kriti’s August Book Selection
Favorite books:
Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano | Goodreads | Contemporary Fiction – This is an amazing book that I have lots to say about but I have had no time. I have been collecting songs that go with it instead. Previously, I enjoyed Ann’s debut, Dear Edward.
Radical Acceptance: Embracing Your Life With the Heart of a Buddha by Tara Brach | Goodreads | Non-Fiction – I started πππππππ‘ πΌππππ₯π©ππ£ππ back in May and returned to it regularly over the course of these three months. The best part about taking so long to read a book about buddhist teachings is that life gives many opportunities to remember and practice.
Tara brings her vulnerable, authentic, imperfect, powerful and brilliant self to this book. She shares her life, Buddhist teachings, folklore, experiences that her students and friends have shared with her, stories from meditation retreats, her personal struggles and so much more. There are also guided meditations to try out for specific situations.
As I read this book, I learned to sit with my anxieties and wanting self, use the breath as an anchor to the present, acknowledge and heal my emotional hurts. I also cried a bunch (almost every chapter). Recently, when my website was having issues, πππππππ‘ πΌππππ₯π©ππ£ππ and its teachings helped me see all the good things happening to me and around me. I badly wanted to close off when being open was the only way forward. I appreciate everyone who reached out and was there for me.
Reread of the month (not that I arrange these):
Steal Like an Artist: 10 Things Nobody Told You About Being Creative by Austin Kleon | Goodreads | Non-Fiction : When I was compiling my list of loved creativity books, this is the earliest work that I enjoyed. A book from 2012 that I read in 2018, I love that so many years later, there are almost 6000 people reading this book at the time of writing this review. Wow! What better way to see a book continue to be meaningful in todayβs day and age!
If you are looking for a quick, smooth, breezy read about creativity, Steal LIke an Artist is a great pick. It will take you two hours to read if not less and there is art in that which will serve as a feast for your eyes. Austin Kleon speaks to the graphic designer in me with his use of fonts, pictograms and photographs. In a few pages, Kleon shares some very easy ways in which we can create more:
– Collect ideas from everywhere
– Do hands on work
– Just make, donβt worry about the timing
– Share widely, even if itβs selective
– Have multiple side projects to make more progress
– Pursue connections from all over the world, get to know people who you admire
– Be a positive presence in the community
– Make room for being bored and dreaming
– Refine the work
I come back to this book because it is beautiful and inspirational. My second reread led me to find new quotes.
Other artistic book I read was The Art of the Line in Drawing: A Step-by-Step Guide to Creating Simple, Expressive Drawings by FrΓ©dΓ©ric Forest. Find the book and my review on Goodreads.
Review copies:
- Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Lord by Celeste Connally – Regency romance with a mystery suspense twist that is quite fun. Find it on Goodreads.
- Forty Words for Love by Aisha Saeed | Goodreads | YA, Magical Realism – This one was ok.
- The Lost Archive by Lynn Miller | Goodreads | Literary Fiction – This was an interesting collection of short stories about memory. Read the review here.
Personal picks:
The Way I Used to Be by Amber Smith | Goodreads | Contemporary Fiction, YA – A dark/sombre book I posted my review for already. I just got the review copy of the next book, The Way I Am Now in the mail and I am looking forward to another one-day finisher.
The Mountain in the Sea by Ray Nayler | Goodreads | Speculative Fiction – I planned on reading different representations of Artificial intelligence in August and this one was thought-provoking! A great book for a buddy read with a friend (thanks Ariel for joining me), this one has octopuses with language, a dystopian world with advanced AI technology and a very erudite cast of people whose stories all connect in a unique manner.
Another AI book I read this month and had a great time critically reviewing was Emily Eternal.
The Untethered Soul: The Journey Beyond Yourself by Michael A. Singer } Goodreads | Non-Fiction – A spiritual read that I loved in the beginning and hated towards the end. Maybe it was the time or the messaging itself, I am not sure.
Becoming a Matriarch by Helen Knott | Goodreads | Memoir – When I posted my review for this one on Instagram early September and here, I had the chance to chat with Helen Knott about the quotes that I found meaningful and the power of sharing about grief.
Why Smart People Hurt: A Guide for the Bright, the Sensitive, and the Creative by Eric Maisel | Goodreads | Non-Fiction – Based on natural psychology, this book had great ideas that were repeated too many times through the chapters. If you are interested in why people hurt (I think ‘smart’ in the title was just for attention grabbing), read chapters 1-3 and then chapter 15 onwards . You wonβt miss much.
Total TBR: 370 (Aug 1) -> 378 (Sep 1)
7 books on the personal front and 12 on the review copies, stay tuned for a post tomorrow about anticipated releases tomorrow.
Writing & Blogging
Updates on TBP (to be posted – reviews that I have written but not yet published to the blog) and TBW (to be written – books I have read but not yet noted down my thoughts about).
TBP: 20 (Aug) -> 24 (Sep)
TBW: 20 (Aug) -> 4 (Sep)
Lots of amazing reviews written in August: Becoming a Matriarch (read review), The Creative Act (review coming! Read how Erik Godal is inspired by this book here.), The Way I Used to Be (read review), Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow (review coming).
Buddy read discussions of The Mountain in the Sea and Wuthering Heights were fantastic and I am looking forward to sharing them with you.
In case you missed it, the non-fiction feature of August was From Chaos to Creativity by Jessie L Kwak (review). I also quizzed her about creativity (interview).
With the issues I was having with the blog, I had to reschedule a number of posts and they are slowly going to be trickling back. π How are you liking the new look?
The Noteworthy: A random collection of findings
- What kind of things do you tell yourself? Harvard psychologist: If you use any of these 9 phrases, ‘you’re more emotionally resilient than most’ was an interesting read. I use many of these phrases! I don’t know why we need to be comparing our emotional resilience with other people and if you choose to read this article, think of it more as ways in which emotional resilience shines through your self-talk.
- To Catch a Killer was a dark thriller on Netflix. We enjoyed it!
- Clinton and Ariel are both loving Baldarβs Gate 3. She mentions it below!
- I went to my very first library book sale and snagged these 14 books for $11!
- The amazing Ayo @ Today is about hosted me on her podcast. Watch our discussion here.
Ariel’s August
My reading this month has been the lowest all year. Iβve been busy travelling and playing a highly anticipated game, Balderβs Gate 3, which has taken up a lot of my time. Also, I finished in early September a long 650+ page book I was reading for most of August as well. However, Iβm very happy with the books I readβ two of them were highly anticipated sequels that I had been waiting for several months for their releases: Cosmoknights vol 2 and He Who Drowned the World.
Books Total: 5
Ebooks: 0
Physical Books: 2
Audiobooks: 3
Library Books: 4
Netgalley Arcs: 0
Physical Arcs: 1
Notable Favorites:
Cosmoknights vol 2 by Hannah Templar
The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna
He Who Drowned the World by Shelley Parker-Chan
Not books:
Favorite TV Show this month: My Adventures with Superman
Favorite Video Game this month: Balderβs Gate 3
Did you have a faborite book in August?
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