What I’m reading in August 2021: dystopia, a bit of Kafka, and an amazing Caribbean story

That moment when you start noticing that days get shorter and shorter … yep, August is here, and we’re heading slowly but surely towards Autumn! After a short and sweet holiday aboard (first one since the pandemic started!) I’m back with a reading status I’m proud of!

In the past month I read 3 books aaand I also managed to write their reviews before publishing this update! 🤩 I also read a tiny book from the Penguin Classics collection, but that will be reviewed as a “pack” with the other tiny books.

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Currently reading

I am currently reading How the One-Armed Sister Sweeps Her House by Cherie Jones. I heard about this book from Cindy from Books of Cinz. The story is set in Barbados, focusing on (unhealthy) family relations and how local culture is influenced by the foreigners who see this place as Paradise.

It is an intriguing read, so far, so good! Looking forward to seeing how the story evolves.

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Finished reading

First I finished reading The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V. E Schwab (my review). The book tells the story of Addie, a young girl from the 1700s who makes a tricky deal with a dark god – to live forever, but to be forgotten by everyone she meets the moment she slips out of sight.

Beware, it’s one of those unputdownable books that you read as if being hypnotized, reading chapter after chapter after chapter.

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Next I read The End of the Ocean by Maja Lunde (my review). It is a climate fiction story centered around the future global shortage of water. The two storylines that interweave are heartbreaking, showcasing a future that is definitely possible.

The 2 books I read by Maja Lunde – The History of Bees (my review) & The End of the Ocean – are like a (much needed) cold shower in regard with climate change and what can we expect for the next generations.

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The third book I read was The New Wilderness by Diane Cook (my review) – also a dystopian climate fiction story, but with a different twist. The New Wilderness is about a group of people who, as part of an experiment, are living as nomads in the last wildlife region. In a future where the City is as poisonous as it can be, living in The Wilderness State sounds like the only escape … but is it?

A page-turner book that I loved reading, it is definitely one of my go-to recommendations when someone asks for climate fiction stories.

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I also read Investigations of a Dog by Franz Kafka – a short story with a dog as narrator. The dog is quite philosophical and he thinks of basic questions, such as where the Earth procures its food.

The story was a bit too reflective for my reading taste and I struggled to read it.

Reading next

High hopes and big dreams for the next month! I want to read 3 books that I’ve heard so much about:

• Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell
• A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara
• Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Cant’t wait to read all of them!

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What are your reading plans for August? Let me know if you read any of the books I mentioned here!

Till next time … happy reading!

Georgiana

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Cover photo by Christin Hume on Unsplash