Mediocre Books and Awesome Adventures | August 2023 Wrap-Up
Welcome to my August 2023 Wrap-Up! Goodbye August, you’ve been a good one! It was a busy month with some memorable adventures but unfortunately only mediocre books.
I catch you up on what I read, what adventures I got up to and I even brought you some photos from my Sweden holiday! So let’s get into my August 2023 Wrap-Up…
The Books I Read in August
Fourth Wing – Rebecca Yarros
Oh look, she read a hyped book! Yeah, I know I’m late to reading Fourth Wing but I’m glad I waited a bit before diving into it. To put it mildly, I was disappointed!
Fourth Wing isn’t bad, it’s just shockingly mediocre.
The characters felt like cardboard cut-outs, I didn’t get any of the “brutal high-stakes dragon college” vibes because the main character never failed or faced consequences and there weren’t enough cool dragon things!
Admittedly, I have a lot of thoughts about this book and why it didn’t work for me. Ultimately, I think it comes down to so much wasted potential! It could’ve been a great fantasy adventure with a disabled and feisty main character and it just fell short on all fronts for me. Let me know if you’re interested in a full review!
Stealing Infinity – Alyson Noel
Up next, I read Stealing Infinity.
This was a spontaneous decision because I saw someone mention it read a lot like one of my childhood favourite time travel series by Kerstin Gier. Unfortunately, that simply wasn’t true for me.
Again, this is a book with an interesting premise (billionaire runs a secret school for time travellers, secrets and shady dealings all around) that just did not deliver.
Seriously, not much happens in this book until the last few chapters and even then it feels like the set-up for a series, not like its own story.
My expectations weren’t high for this one, I was simply looking for a fun read that would entertain me. And it was a fun read, if I squinted really hard! Ultimately, it just left me feeling really frustrated.
Books I’m Currently Reading
In shocking news, I haven’t made any progress on any of my current reads. So honestly, this is more of a “books I’ll probably start this week” list!
I’m incredibly excited to read I Feed Her to the Beast and the Beast Is Me as it’s one of my most anticipated releases of the entire year! Of course, with high expectations always comes the possibility to be incredibly disappointed, so everyone please cross your fingers that I’ll love this debut as much as I hope!
Finally, I’ve just been in a thriller and mystery mood (though honestly, when am I not?) and after not having time for it in August unfortunately, I’m finally read to devour The Reunion by Kit Frick! I mentioned this one in my last NetGalley TBR post and my excitement about it has not changed. Right now I’m hoping to just spend the entire weekend reading and I can already see myself devour this book in one sitting. All I need is a comfy blanket and some hot chocolate and I’m good to go!
A Life Update
Welcome to the life update part of my August 2023 Wrap-Up! Like I mentioned in my July Wrap-Up, August was a really busy month for me! I could regale you with all the long tales of my adventures but that would make this post stretch into infinity. Instead, I’m just going to give you a quick overview of how my month went!
Turning 25 (Prefrontal Cortex Still Not Developed)
I turned 25 in August and I’m feeling excited but also strangely ambivalent about it? I do enjoy joking about being fully developed and just falling apart now, though. At least now all the growth my body is doing will be gym gains!
However, I am thinking of doing a 30 before 30 list, but with books to read! Ideally, I’d love half of those to be recommendations…so please tell me what books I should read before I’m 30! In particular, I’m looking for books that mean a lot to you (feel free to tell me why!), are lesser-known or just a little weird. I want to broaden my reading horizons, and what better way to do that than to get a bunch of recommendations?
DMing my first Dungeons and Dragons Game
I DM’d my first Dungeons and Dragons game for my closest friends and partner, aka the group of people I’ve played DnD with the most! Having two out of four players be much more experienced DMs than me was definitely intimidating, but also exciting. I think I did alright, we got to explore the magical hotel my murder mystery is set in and I got a good feel for everyone’s characters and can now adjust for the next session.
Overall, I’m really glad I decided to run my first game because even though the last minute stage fright kicked in, I had a blast! It’s definitely a memory I’ll cherish for a while and probably cringe at in a few years.
A Lovely Sweden Holiday
My summer holiday was an extended weekend trip to Gothenburg with my favourite person and actual love of my life, aka my partner. We walked a bunch, explored the city, took a day trip to one of the islands (and found cool rocks!) and just soaked up the Swedish vibes. Definitely the highlight of my healing girl summer!
And yes, I did of course hunt down some cinnamon buns and yes, they did cure my depression for that weekend! I documented the adventure on my Instagram, so come follow me there!
I also bought two books in Sweden (and some more at home because my local bookstore had a 90% clearance sale…dangerous territory!). Maybe it’s time for another book haul post? 👀
Getting the ADHD Diagnosis Process Started
I briefly mentioned this in the last Wrap-Up, but August marked the month of my first ADHD assessment! The first appointment went really well so I look forward to the rest of the process. Well, I say this now but the next appointment is a computer test on attention and short-term memory and I’ve heard it’s insanely boring (probably on purpose) so I don’t actually look forward to spending an hour clicking buttons. My last appointment is at the end of November, so hopefully in a few short months I’ll know whether I have ADHD or not!
Let’s Chat!
That’s it for my August 2023 Wrap-Up! After such a busy month of constantly unpacking and repacking my suitcase, I am happy to be back home so I can settle into a new routine before uni starts again in October. Well, actually I’ll have a programming course that starts at the end of September already, but my mind is conveniently ignoring that for now. Overall, August was a wonderful month and I’m glad that I got to do so many cool things!
As always, I love hearing from you so let’s have a chat in the comments!
⭐️ How was your August? Did you buy any books?
⭐️ What book do you think I should put on my 30 before 30 list?
I hope you have a lovely day,
If you like my work and would like to support me, you can buy me a coffee!
7 Comments
dbsguidetothegalaxy
I really loved Fourth Wing lol. Not a great book but a fun read. I want to read I Feed Her to the Beast soon(ish). Hope all the best for your ADHD diagnosis – whatever it may turn out to be.
I discovered the joy of hybrid reading – reading two formats at a time – and I think I’m on my 3rd book of reading this way 😄. It’s especially helpful for epic fantasies
Sumedha
after all the gush on Fourth Wing, i’m glad to see a negative review 😅 i just haven’t gotten the good vibes from it and was so confused like, am i very off base or? i will pick it up someday but i’m going in skeptical so it might turn out better than my expectations. let’s see.
good luck with your ADHD process! i’m glad it’s finally happening.
for the 30 before 30… hmmmm… i’m trying to think of a book that means a lot to me. i think you’ve already read Ace? if not, i’d recommend that. otherwise.. Show Your Work by Austin Kleon.
abookowlscorner
I actually adored Fourth Wing, despite going into it with really low expectations 🤣 I mean, I still thought it had flaws, but I just got so caught up in everything initiation- and dragon- and politics-related that I couldn’t put it down!
Gosh, you have no idea how envious I am of your Sweden trip! 😭 I was supposed to go this summer, too, but due to my last minute stupidity, I had to stay home with an incredibly swollen foot instead 🙈 So I’m glad I get to live vicariously through your pictures!
And your 30 Before 30 Challenge? I would actually love to recommend a wonderful less well-known German fantasy book, but I’m afraid I still haven’t found one yet myself 😅 But have you read The Darkness Outside Us? It’s set in space, so your Martian-vibes are partially there, it has excellent LGBTQIA+ representation, and it’s definitely weird in the best way possible!
Bianca
Making a 30 before 30 list terrifies me xD Because I am not ready to be 30 yet.
Caro @ bookcheshirecat
I had the same opinion on Fourth Wing! It was enjoyable enough but pretty average and didn’t live up to all the hype for me 😅
Glad to see that you had so much fun during your Sweden Holiday, I’d love to visit someday as well 🥰
Marie
Well, it’s good to see someone not head over heels with Fourth Wings ahah, I’ve heard so much about this book and… have no interest in reading it? So this makes me feel better, in a way? ahah!
SO happy you had such a lovely time in Sweden! I’d love to visit the country someday.
I hope that September has been kind to you, so far!! 🥰
Spines in a Line
Your 30 before 30 list just reminded me I should maybe do something before I turn 30 in.. 6 months. I’m also very excited about I Feed Her to the Beast so wishing you the best reading vibes!