August 2018 Reading Wrap-Up
I didn’t read any books in August, but I listened to 4. I’ve been painting and fixing up my new home in preparation to move in, so I’ve had pretty much no down time for the last month where I could sit down and physically pick up a book. Luckily, I found Rebecca Lowman. She’s not an author but a great audiobook narrator. I usually dislike audiobooks because I don’t like other people reading books to me. It takes me out of the story and into the narrator’s head too much. But Lowman seems to match my head. It’s awesome! I’ve now used up all of my husband’s Audible credits.
Here are my listens for the month:
Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup by John Carreyrou (narrated by Will Damron) * * * *
This was my one lone non-Lowman listen, but Damron was a great narrator, too. This nonfiction investigative book works through the history of the blood testing startup Theranos and its infamous founder, Elizabeth Holmes. A lot of people have been talking about how crazy this story is and it really is insane. What I found to be the craziest part was how easily big-name investors in Silicon Valley wanted to believe in Holmes and her company. It was like no one wanted to miss out on the potential payout and so they ignored the many, many red flags along the way. About halfway through, the story switches more directly into Carreyrou’s perspective and how he got involved into writing about Theranos. That was the best part of the book to me because the action really picks up and it was super interesting to hear his experiences as the journalist in the middle of it all. I’d definitely recommend as a great nonfiction read. Also, it felt like a super topical read because it is almost the first harbinger of the recent spate of controversies now coming out of other Silicon Valley darlings re: Uber, Facebook.
Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell (narrated by Rebecca Lowman) * * * * *
This was my first Rainbow Rowell read after hearing so many good things about her. I thought for sure she would turn out to be overrated after all that praise. I was so wrong! I absolutely loved this book. Rowell does such a good job at capturing the college freshman experience. Cath (and all the other characters) are so well-drawn and relatable. I also loved that this book has that wonderful romance storyline but it isn’t all about that. Cath has a full and complicated life with a lot of things going on at once. She arrives at college a little flustered after her twin sister decides not to be her roommate. Afraid of branching out, she finds solace in her fan fiction writing. Eventually, though, she can’t keep the world around her out forever. At first I wasn’t super into the Simon Snow/fanfic excerpts, but I think they did a really good job of breaking up the action of the book as well as informing Cath’s character. Fantastic New Adult read and one of my new faves!
Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell (narrated by Rebecca Lowman) * * * *
After loving Fangirl so much I went ahead and jumped straight into another Rainbow Rowell listen. Eleanor & Park is actually the Rainbow novel I’d heard the most about. It took me a little bit longer to get into this one, I think mainly because it is centered around a younger set of characters that are in high school rather than college. Eventually, though, it hit its stride and I was totally hooked again. Eleanor moves to a new high school, rejoining her family. They don’t have a lot of money and her step-dad is a huge jerk. Luckily, Eleanor finds a kindred spirit in her seatmate, Park, on the bus and their friendship blossoms into a romance. I think everything that Eleanor is dealing with at home is so important and so under-represented in YA literature. Rowell did such a good job of showing how secretive Eleanor felt she had to be and how her home life impacted her school life. I really liked Park, but in some ways he was too perfect. I’m not going to spoil anything, but I will say if you do read this book, the ending is controversial. Not in a scandalous way, but in a “are you kidding me?!” way. Another recommend.
Landline by Rainbow Rowell (narrated by Rebecca Lowman) * * * *
I know, I got a little obsessed with Rainbow Rowell audiobooks this month. But whatever, they were so good and I needed something to entertain me while I painted! Landline is more of an adult book, though it does have flashbacks to college that reminded me of Fangirl. Georgie is a TV writer who finally lands a huge meeting for her show. Unfortunately, that means she has to miss Christmas with her husband and family in Omaha. Her and Neal met in college, but now their marriage is faltering over a decade later. Alone in LA for the holidays, Georgie discovers her mom’s landline connects her to a past, college Neal in Omaha. Through their conversations, she remembers why they fell in love in the first place and gains new perspective on where they are now in their busy lives. I loved the college flashbacks in this book and I thought Georgie was another great character. I think the present-day, adult narrative could have been set up a little better (and Georgie really is a hot, hot mess) but this one still sucked me in and it has a super cute twist to it.
Official Rainbow Rowell Order: 1. Fangirl 2. Landline 3. Eleanor & Park
(I want to read Attachments, but not on audiobook. The audio sample sounded awful. I don’t know if I want to read Carry On or not. I’m not sure how invested I am in the actual Simon Snow story.)
Those were all my listens for August! Definitely a huge Rainbow Rowell fan now. Also a huge Rebecca Lowman fan. I’m actually listening to Rules of Civility by Amor Towles on audiobook now because she narrates it.
To stay up-to-date on all my reads follow me on Instagram @tinaisreading or on Goodreads.
