Monthly Wrap Up: August 2020

Hello everyone, welcome to August’s wrap up! I can’t believe we’re this close to fall (aka my favorite season of the year). During this month I read some amazing books, 6 to be exact, 2326 pages in total and ALL of those books were diverse in some type of way.

Before diving into the mini reviews I want to add that this month was particularly special because a project I’ve been working on with some fellow book bloggers was finally launched. It’s The Diverse Clan, a brand-new blog with the purpose of uplifting the voices of diverse authors, bloggers and other bookish content creators. You can read my announcement post here to get all the info and visit the blog here. We’re looking for contributors so if you’re interested, fill the form in the blog!

Now, without further ado, let’s begin!

Books I read this month

The Unraveling of Cassidy Holmes (ARC) – Elissa R. Sloan

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Rating: 5 out of 5.

I read this book as an ARC thanks to The Nerd Daily, a site I’m a contributor for, and I’m so thankful that I had the opportunity to do it. It’s a story about the rise and abrupt ending of Gloss, the biggest pop band in the early 2000s, and tries to decipher why one of the singers (Cassidy) took her own life. This is a story that addresses suicide, depression, racism, harassment and homophobia. The characters were very complex, the time jumps in the story were perfectly executed, the plot twists were shocking and overall, it was an amazing story. Totally recommend it if you liked Daisy Jones & The Six, and for fans of mysteries and pop culture. Read my full review here.

Daisy Jones & The Six – Taylor Jenkins Reid (REREAD)

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Rating: 5 out of 5.

On whim, I decided that I wanted to start listening to audiobooks and this was my first pick. I already knew I loved the book and was eager to read the story again. I cannot stress enough how good this story is, how complex and realistic the characters are and how impactful the several messages it has to deliver are on today’s society, even when the story is set in the 70s. Read my full review here.

Lobizona (ARC) – Romina Garber

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

I had so much fun reading this! It was a magical experience, diving into the world of Lunaris and following Manu as she discovered her real identity, made friends and found love for the first time. The author did a great job building this world and even including sports, but also giving a great importance to Latinx literature in this story. Though it may be confusing at times for non-Spanish speaking readers because of some dialogues that aren’t translated, it’s still a great book I’d recommend everyone. Read my full review here.

The Poet X – Elizabeth Acevedo

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

This was the only book I hadn’t read from this author, and it was just as amazing as I thought it would be. It’s told in novel-in-verse style which gives the story that special touch. Acevedo once again introduces us to a strong, inspirational female protagonist such as Xiomara, and it was amazing to see her discovering her true passion while also dealing with issues regarding her family and religion. It showcased scenarios that I hadn’t seen before in a book and I really liked that. I totally recommend the audiobook version as Elizabeth puts her heart and soul in narrating her story.

Radio Silence – Alice Oseman

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Rating: 5 out of 5.

I read this on a whim. I wasn’t expecting it to do so but when I opened my ebook and started reading I just couldn’t stop. This book is just like a hug, someone patting your back and telling you “I hear you, I relate to you and you’re not alone. Nothing’s wrong with you”. I was deeply touched by Frances and Aled’s story, especially the latter, and how there was no need to include a romance (properly) in the story for it to be epic, touching, inspirational and deep. Please go read this book, it won’t disappoint you. It was a huge surprise to me and I’ll definitely keep reading the author’s other books.

Cemetery Boys – Aiden Thomas

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Rating: 5 out of 5.

I won’t be going into much detail for this as I did a full review for this book’s blog tour. But here’s what you need to know, I LOVED it, the characters and plot were amazing and the different kinds of representation were so on point. I particularly enjoyed the Latinx rep and how many layers the author gave to it. If you want a spooky type of read for fall, this is definitely the book you should pick. It’s deep, it makes you think, it makes you swoon and it’s just a rollercoaster in the best way.

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This month, I posted 7 times. Here are my top three favorites:

• Pairing books with Taylor Swift’s “folklore” album
• Discussion: The negative reviews dilemma and reviewer’s reliability
• Latinx characters in literature: what white authors got wrong

Some milestones I achieved this month:

• Not blog-related but after months of being seriously sick I finally got totally healthy! *happy dance*
• I reached 600 followers on the blog!
• The Diverse Clan, a blog I and the team were working on for months, launched!
• I got selected for the Kingdom of the Wicked blog tour, one of my most anticipated books of the year!

Here are some posts I really enjoyed this month:

• Anniek’s #OwnVoices review of Loveless
• Kate’s post on how to make friends in the bookish community
• E’s amazing post on book blogger prompts
• Epic Reads’ article on how to hold community discussions
• Shealea’s comeback to blogging with 7 things she wishes she’d known before book blogging
• Marie’s discussion on fake engagement in blogging + tricks to genuine engagement
• Fadwa’s post on 10 things that make her fall in love with books

September is my second favorite month of the year (sorry September but I love Christmas) because it’s my birthday month! I’m getting old and turning the big 20 on September 22nd (though I still look 13 lol).

I also love this month because it’s the start of spooky season and I’m a sucker for all things spooky and fall-related. You can expect some spooky themed posts starting next month and during October as well.

One thing I want to do is to rethink the content of my blog and start bringing you more helpful and how-to posts. Probably I won’t be posting two times a week, but I’ll be doing my best to bring you better quality content. If you have any suggestions on what you’d like to see, please let me know!

You can also expect to see more of me in the blog I co-own that launched earlier this month, The Diverse Clan.

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That’s all for this post! What books did you read in August? Which one was your favorite? What’s your most anticipated book for September? Let’s talk in the comments!