Reading Recap: August Highlights

Daaaaaaayyyumm, kids. August was a fine month for reading (a weekend of #24in48 and a solid week at the beach didn't hurt, of course). Here's just a few of the best books I read this month:

      

The Goldfinch, by Donna Tartt: It's probably not fair to include this here because it's not out until October, but I took it with me on vacation and devoured all 770 pages in three days. It is that good. Fans of The Secret History will, I'm sure, already have this one on their radar, but anyone who loves big, hefty novels (both in page count and in subject matter) about family, relationships, growing up, art, curation, preservation, history, and a million other things will want to read this too.

Night Film, by Marisha Pessl: I've already reviewed this title in detail, but I won't miss an opportunity to reiterate what a fabulously creepy book this is. Read it. Really.

The Bone Season, by Samantha Shannon: I'm actually only halfway through this book, but I'm including it here anyway because it's an August release. First things first: disavow yourself of any notion that this book may be at all similar to Harry Potter. Because it isn't--and it doesn't need to be. Shannon has created a detailed, complex alternate reality that stands quite well on its own, complete with aliens, clairvoyants, British history, abusive governments, and a heroine who won't back down.

Lookaway, Lookaway, by Wilton Barnhardt: A big, ambitious novel of a Southern family steeped in tradition and proper Southern etiquette. Barnhardt has a knack for family drama, humor, and the long-lasting impact of Southern traditions on the United States today, and enough writing chops to blend all three together. My full review ran in Shelf Awareness for Readers this week.

Lexicon, by Max Barry: I'd had my eye on this one for a while and purchased a copy at Politics and Prose while browsing with Rachel from Home Between Pages (note to self: browsing a bookstore with a fellow book blogger is dangerous). I read the whole book in a day, and it's just as smart as I hoped it would be. Part X-Men Academy, part ode to the power of language, part action novel.

The Engagements, by J. Courtney Sullivan: Wowwwweee. I read and enjoyed Sullivan's 2012 blockbuster, Maine, and had been looking forward to The Engagements even before seeing Sullivan speak in DC last month. It's an ambitious novel, relaying the stories of four people and their very personal takes on marriage, and draws on the history of diamond advertising to shed new light on the big shiny ring so many brides wear these days. It's a lot to pack into one novel, but Sullivan pulls it off.