Amy Scott's Thoughts

Bookish Thoughts for August

My total books read in August was quite an increase from previous months! I have summer camp to thank for that. Not only did a have extra free time while my menfolk were away, but they came home with the summer camp sniffles. It was a slow trickle that started with Owen and then spread to Graham and then to Jeremy. Needless to say, we had extra down days at home in recovery mode. Thus, more books read this month. It’s been a enjoyable way to wrap up my summer and fill the days at home. The pace in September will pick up and I’m positive my list will be much smaller next month. There is an ebb and flow even in a reading life. After exhausting my library TBR, I subscribed to Kindle Unlimited and started working on a stockpile of new releases there! I’m so grateful for access to an abundance of reading material. It seems like there is always a new book waiting for me around the corner!

Highlights of the month include At Your Best and The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry. These have become annual August reads for me. They are perfect reminders before the school year starts that I can chose what pace I live at. Living intentionally slower and giving my best energy to what matters most is important. These books give me the encouragement I need to start our school year off well and keep a sustainable pace year round. Such a good resources! Good reads!

My summer of Denise Hunter continues. I’ve now read enough of her works to know I prefer her books about books. Her others are good, but I love books about authors or bookshop owners. They make my heart extra happy! I re-read some of my favorites by Jenny B. Jones. They feel like visiting old friends. I re-read I Heard the Owl Call My Name. It was a high school summer reading book from obviously a long time again. I remembered liking it and I wanted to see Adult Me liked it as much as Teen Me. I am happy to report I liked even more as an adult. It’s a short book that takes place in the Canadian wilderness. I read it on a dark, wet day that fit the mood of the book perfectly. I finished the book with tears in my eyes and I’ve thought back on it often this month.

With Kindle Unlimited, I was able to read new releases from some of my favorite indie authors. My favorites were the ones by Emma St. Clair, Annah Conwell, Kate Watson, and Kasey Stockton. I enjoy a good series and all of these reconnected me characters I’ve read before. Again, like visiting friends! Don’t worry, I do have “in real life” friends, not just book friends. I was just keeping our germs away from them this month! I have a few more KU books on my TBR and I feel the strong pull to revisit the Anne of Green Gables books after watching the mini-series this month. The world is full of some many wonderful books to read! Happy Reading!

Top Picks for August

The Book List for August
1 Star = I did not like it. 2 stars = It was okay. 3 stars = I liked it. 4 stars = I really liked it. 5 stars = It was amazing.

Non-Fiction:

• The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry: How to Stay Emotionally Healthy and Spiritually Alive in the Chaos of the Modern World by John Mark Comer – 5 stars
• At Your Best: How to Get Time, Energy, and Priorities Working in Your Favor by Carey Nieuwhof – 5 stars
• The Comfort of Crows: A Backyard Year by Margaret Renkle – 3 stars

Fiction:

• Love, Unscripted by Denise Hunter – 4 stars
• The Bookshop by the Sea by Denise Hunter – 3 stars
• Sweetwater Gap by Denise Hunter – 3 stars
• Lake Season by Denise Hunter – 4 stars
• Carolina Breeze by Denise Hunter – 3 stars
• Autumn Skies by Denise Hunter – 4 stars
• Save the Date by Jenny B. Jones – 4 stars
• There You’ll Find Me by Jenny B. Jones – 5 stars
• His Mistletoe Miracle by Jenny B. Jones – 4 stars
• I’ll Be Yours by Jenny B. Jones – 4 stars
• An Overdue Match by Sarah Monzon – 4 stars
• If All Else Sails by Emma St. Clair – 4 stars
• I Heard the Owl Call My Name by Margaret Craven – 4 stars
• The Lady of the Red River Valley by Gabrielle Meyer – 3 stars
• The Confidentiality Clause by Annah Conwell – 4 stars
• A Secret Correspondence by Kasey Stockton – 4 stars
• Terms of Un-Endearment by Brittany Larsen – 3 stars
• Diamonds are a Girl’s Best Friend by Kate Watson – 4 stars
• Rookie Season by Leah Brunner & Katie Bailey – 3 stars