The Best Books Of August 2022

Some wonderful reads this month

I finally had a summer vacation this year. My reading list blew up as a result! I read eleven books in August and saved $200 from using my local library! I bought two; otherwise, my savings would be about $225.

Yeah, reading’s an expensive habit if you’re not careful. All those memes talking about books being more expensive than drugs are right.

Let’s talk about the best books I read this month!

Remarkably Bright Creatures By Shelby Van Pelt

After her husband dies, Tova takes a job cleaning an aquarium outside of Seatle. She makes friends with the octopus, Marcellus. As the two get to know one another, Marcellus discovers a secret about Tova, and he needs to find a way to tell her before it’s too late.

Weeks after I read the story, I’m still thinking about it. It’s not because of the plot. It’s because of the two characters, Tova and Marcellus.

Why Tova? I’ve never read a book with an elderly female protagonist throughout the whole book. Whenever I find a book with an older protagonist, it often does flashbacks to when the person was younger. I see it more with older women than I do with older men.

It doesn’t happen in Tova’s case. Tova is old throughout the whole book and stays old throughout the book. No flashbacks to why she is how she is. No reminiscing of younger days.

And then there’s Marcellus. I never thought I’d see a character as fascinating as him. I don’t see many octopuses in novels, so he didn’t disappoint. I liked his intelligence and the way he observed everything. The countdown is a nice touch, too.

I didn’t meet a character I disliked in this book. I enjoyed the friendships and character development throughout the book! All of the side characters made impressions, even if they were there for a blip of time.

The Chosen And The Beautiful By Nghi Vo

I read The Great Gatsby when I was seventeen, but I don’t remember anything about the book. Except for the part a woman got hit by a car. I couldn’t tell you anything else about the book.

What does that have to do with The Chosen And The Beautiful? This book retells The Great Gatsby but in the eyes of a different character. Instead of following Nick, we’re following Daisy Buchannon’s friend, Jordan Baker.

I’ll admit, I don’t remember Jordan Baker from The Great Gatsby. But after I put the book down, I want to go to the library to find The Great Gatsby to see if I remember anything.

The story has magical realism and fascinating characters. I don’t want to say too much about it, for it’d spoil it. But I’d highly recommend it to anyone looking to retell an American classic.

Blackout

One person didn’t write this book. Six people picked up a pen and wrote this beautiful book.

• Dhonelle Clayton
• Tiffany D. Jackson
• Nic Stone
• Angie Thomas
• Ashley Woodfolk
• Nicola Yoon

What’s the book about? On the hottest day of the summer, New York experiences a blackout. Thirteen teenagers from all over the city are trying to get to a block party. Many of these kids find love and find themselves along the journey.

Usually, a book like this wouldn’t be my thing. I’m not into love stories, but this one was a fun read. I liked the smooth transitions from one story to another and watching it all tie together.

I didn’t stop smiling from the first story. I rooted for every character and cheered when the kids achieved their goals. Even the coldest of hearts would enjoy this read.

Concrete Rose By Angie Thomas

In Angie Thomas’s third novel, we follow Maverick, Star’s father. It’s 1998 in the Garden District, and Maverick is a Junior in the Kings, slinging drugs on the side and missing school. He’s dating a girl from another school and is excited about his cousin’s wedding.

Maverick’s life changes when DNA proves he has a son from another girl. From that point on, Maverick discovers what’s important to him and comes into his own as a man.

I feel like I’m oversimplifying the story. I don’t want to give too much of it away. Every character is complicated with struggles and subplots. It’s interesting seeing the adults from The Hate U Give as teenagers, too. It shows how they became the adults we met in that book.

Of all the books in this world, Concrete Rose is my favorite. It’s different from the other books Thomas writes, and it feels more hopeful than the other two. I closed it feeling optimistic for these people, even though I know what happens in The Hate U Give.

On Writing By Stephen King

I’m cheating on this one a bit. I’m not finished with this book yet, but I’m still getting something out of it. I finally understand why writers flock to this book when they look for something about writing.

If you follow me on Instagram, you know I often post pictures of the books I’m reading. These same pictures show up on my Facebook. Sometimes, people asked me what the book was about, and some people put it on their reading lists. Other times, people start conversations about the books and why they liked them.

When I posted this book, I had a surprising amount of people raving about the book. Half of the people commenting told me the book inspired them to become writers.

The book inspired me, too! For the first time, I submitted a story to two publication contests. I used an old character from my Vocal account and put her in a new story. I sent it to the L. Ron Hubbard Future Writers contest and Olde Wolf Publications. Now, I’m waiting to see what happens.

Sarah’s Key By Tatiana de Rosnay

In July 1942, the French Police went to every Jewish family’s home and demanded they pack their things and get out. Police loaded men, women, and children on buses and carted them to Vel’ d’Hiv for days. Many people got deported to Nazi death camps. All of the children sent to camps died.

When the police come to Sarah’s apartment, her mother tells her to pack her things. Sarah thinks she’ll be back, so she locks her brother in a closet with water and a flashlight, promising to return.

Decades later, Julia lives in Paris with her French husband and child. She’s a journalist for a French magazine. When her boss assigns her to write about the Vel’ d’Hiv Roundup, Julia discovers dark family secrets.

My heart broke within the first half of the book. I didn’t know about the Vel’ d’Hiv Roundup, but I suspected what would happen in the book. Sometimes it sucks being right.

De Rosnay states the characters in the book were fictional, but the events are real. She writes about dedicating this book to the children who didn’t get to go home. It’s a beautiful book and sad. I’d recommend this book to anyone interested in learning about this dark chapter of world history.

Honorable Mentions

I had a hard time picking some honorable mentions. It wasn’t that the books were bad. I debated about adding them to the best list. I decided to pick the ones I had more to say about than whether they were great or okay.

• The Hazel Wood by Melissa Albert: I thought The Brother’s Grimm wrote dark fairy tales until I read The Hazel Wood. It’s a creepy read with twists and turns and a decent ending.
• Echo by Francesca Lia Block: This is my favorite book, but I’ve talked about it in past articles. I don’t have anything new to say about it.
• Finding Dorothy by Elizabeth Letts: I liked reading it and learned about L. Frank Baum than about filming The Wizard of Oz. It was another book with an elderly female protagonist, but this one had time hops in it. I went on Wikipedia after reading it and read more about each character. It was an enjoyable read.
• An Island Wedding by Jenny Colgan: Light-hearted with fun characters and a beautiful setting. I enjoyed reading this book.
• The Husband’s Secret by Liane Moriarty: The book was all right. The best way to sum it up is a bunch of sad people remembering why they’re unhappy. Then they do things to make themselves miserable.

Final Thoughts

This month had some enjoyable reads and some sad ones. I’m leaving August more inspired than I’ve been before.

Stephen King once said, “If you don’t have the time to read, you don’t have the time to write.” I agree with this. Reading is essential to good writing. I’d take it further and say reading for joy helps more than reading to study. It shows a passion for the craft.

I’m excited aboutthe books I’ll find in September. And for future stories to write from my inspiration!

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