august reads
novels
Revolutionary Girl Utena vol. 1 - not nearly as good as the anime, but it made me appreciate the uniqueness of the anime a lot more. 3/5
Summer Sons by Lee Mandelo - I fucking loved this book. so atmospheric, sexy, creepy and cold and haunting. perfect time of year to read it. 5/5
The Last Dragoners of Bowbazar by Indra Das - novella about a young boy whose memories of his family's truth are subsequently erased and how he deals with growing up living between worlds. beautiful, I recommend reading in as few sittings as possible. 4/5
When the Angels left the Old Country by Sacha Lamb - cozy, fable-like historical fiction meets light fantasy where an angel and a demon leave their super small village in the Pale of Settlement to travel to America and save a girl from their village. a nice read if you're looking for a solid mix of historical and magical, with a touch of queer romance and evolving identities. 4/5
Rogue Protocol (Murderbot Diaries #3) by Martha Wells - finally hopped on the Murderbot train last month and have zero regrets. Murderbot continues to care about things. 5/5
"I hate caring about stuff. But apparently once you start, you can't just stop."
Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries (Emily Wilde #1) by Heather Fawcett - I didn't expect to like this one as much as I did, but I found it absolutely delightful and can't wait for the sequel coming out in January. Emily and Wendell really grew on me, and their adventures in Ljosland were entertaining and engaging. the romance was sweet and fit their personalities so well. 4/5
audiobooks
reread of Harrow the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir, narrated by Moira Quirk, that took me like 6 months because I mostly listen to audiobooks in the car and don't drive that often.
my main point is that if you haven't listened to Moira Quirk's narrations for The Locked Tomb series, please do so, even if you're not big into audiobooks. Quirk's delivery of hard-hitting, emotional lines and scenes brought me to tears.
a reread has also solidified for me that I am a major Mercymorn fan and apologist. I hope we can manage to get more Mercymorn, somehow, some way. I adore her.
5/5 when is Alecto coming out please.
short stories (that I remember)
I've been reading Apex Magazine 2021 anthology for over a year so I'm not entirely sure what I read in July and what I read this month because I stopped keeping track but I think this list is mostly accurate.
Throw Rug by Aurelius Raines II
Mishpokhe and Ash by Sydney Rossman-Reich
All This Darkness by Jennifer R. Donohue
Demon Fighter Sucks by Katherine Crighton
Eilam is Forever by Beth Dawkins
overall, this was a great reading month for me. I came up with a tentative reading schedule for the next few months to satisfy my own sanity because my TBR is long and I opted to join a book club. I did 2 r/fantasy book club reads this month - The Last Dragoner of Bowbazar and When the Angels left the Old Country and liked both of them. I like book clubs because it brings me to books I would be less likely to find (and read) on my own.














