August 2023

Summer is drawing to a close, as is a very eventful August. Things continue to be slightly chaotic in my life, but as it was my birthday in August, I was lucky enough to revel in the love that such an occasion produces. I’m a deeply reflective (overthinking) person at the best of times, but there’s nothing like a birthday to make you realise how lucky you are to be on this wild and beautiful journey with the best people.

I didn’t do an awful lot of reading this month, but I did start re-reading another series of books (Cate Tiernan’s Wicca series) that I loved as a teenager after how much I enjoyed doing the same with The Princess Diaries. I’ve also decided to stop rating books. I’ve never been a big fan of star ratings, reviews or criticism, just because I believe everyone’s opinions and tastes are valid, and my enjoying or not enjoying a book has very little bearing on its actual quality. I’ll still do little blurbs, but I don’t think that stars have any insight into my feelings on a book.

This month, I booked some exciting travel plans, including a trip to Hay-on-Wye with my dear friends Clare and Sara. I’m also going to New York in November, as well as Barcelona in September and Oslo in October, so if you have any bookish (or other) recommendations for these places, please let me know.

Wicca 1 - 3: Book of Shadows, The Coven and Blood Witch by Cate TiernanOh, this has been the most fun nostalgia trip! If you were in any way “alternative” in the early noughties, you probably read this series too. Following a teenager in upstate New York as she discovers she’s a blood witch and begins to practice Wicca, it’s a very fun and dramatic YA series with lots of weird faux-Irish language nonsense and Celtic paganism and mysticism. I’m hoping I’ll finish this series in September and I’m already thinking about the next series I’ll re-read. Gossip Girl maybe?

Hearts and Bones: Love Songs for Late Youth by Niamh MulveyAs with all short story collections, I liked some and didn’t like others. These are mainly bleak reflections on family, love and friendships, with a singularly Irish voice that marrries all of the stories together. Niamh Mulvey is a really beautiful writer and I’d love to read a novel she writes. I wanted to know more about most of the characters she deftly painted.

This Ragged Grace: A Memoir of Recovery and Renewal by Octavia BrightI saw Octavia Bright speak at The West Kirby Bookshop when this book was released, and I waited to pick it up. I feel like I read it exactly when I was supposed to. I’ve read so many books about getting sober, being in active addiction and the work it takes to get to recovery, but none on the reality of living in recovery. I devoured this book as quickly as I could, laughing and crying at so many familiar passages, especially as I continue to evaluate my own life post-drinking. So many things continue to change and evolve, and I feel like the work of getting to know my true self (whatever that is) without alcohol is constant. This feels like such a special book for anyone in recovery, and I’ve already bought it for a few people. In tandem with her recovery, Octavia cares for her father, as he lives with Alzeimer’s disease. I have an unwell parent, so between this and the insights on sobriety, this book felt like it had been written especially for me. What a gift.

Dead Girls by Selva AlmadaI read this for book club. It is technically fiction, but read very much like long-form journalism on the topic of femicide in Argentina. I enjoyed it but I’ve already forgotten a lot of what happened. I need to stop reading book club books so far ahead of time.

Madame Clairvoyant’s Guide to the Stars: Astrology, Our Icons and Our Selves by Claire Comstock-GayI send out weekly horoscopes to some of my friends and loved ones on a Monday morning, and my favourites are Claire’s that appear in The Cut. Her book wasn’t what I was expecting at all, and goes far beyond just listing the general traits of the signs. It’s a meditation on the strengths and dowfalls of the zodiac, and pins each sign to an interesting archetype, inviting the reader to look inwards instead of being too steadfast in their beliefs about astrology. I’m glad I read this in peak Leo season, the best and most beautiful time of the year.

How to Kill Your Family by Bella MackieThis book was such a treat. It’s a real page turner, and even though our heroine and narrator is a murderous psychopath, you find yourself oddly cheering her on as her bloodthirsty quest continues. The writing is dynamic and compelling and the characters are fascinating, even the ones without much of a backstory. If you want something for a trip that isn’t a typical holiday read, go for this one.

Assembly by Natasha BrownI’ve never read anything like this book. It’s very short, but incredibly impactful. The inner monologue of its narrative is detached but questioning, meditating on what it’s like to inhabit a world that wasn’t built for you, and will never really welcome you, even though you’ve done the work to ascend and assimilate. A must-read for anyone languishing in corporate life, especially if you’re not sure how you ended up there.