August Reads Roundup
- Kaleigh Norkum
- Sep 1, 2020
- 4 min read
All the books, comics & audio-books I enjoyed last month. Warning: there may be some spoilers in the descriptions.
Comics
The Adventure Zone: Petals to the Metal by Clint, Justin, Travis and Griffen McElroy. Art by Carey Pietsch
5/5 stars
Basic Synopsis:
Les Tres Horny Boys (Magnus, Taako & Merle) are back and looking for another Grand Relic. To get it they will have to use all their skills to win a battle-cart race.
My Thoughts:
This is the third book in The Adventure Zone (TAZ) series. I highly encourage anyone who has not read the previous two books in the series to do so. In addition, if you have not listened to the TAZ podcast then drop everything and lock yourself in your room until you have at least finished the whole Balance arc.
Petals to the Metal is my favourite arc in the whole series, I feel like it is where Griffen's talent for story writing really begun to hit its stride. It is also comedic genius. This book does an amazing job of capturing all of that. I would argue that the book does a great job of deepening the friendship between Magnus, Taako, and Merle, and the characters in the book have more dimension then they do at this point in the podcast. Take Merle for example, Merle (played by Clint McElroy in the podcast) really hit his comedic stride in the Petals to the Metal arc. Clint struggles sometimes with the game-play, he also is a notorious jokester. In the comic Merle is funny, but we get to see more of his clerical talents, his struggles, and his feelings. He wants to see the best in people, and he is struggling with that as he continues to come against these Grand Relics. Merle is not the only character to experience this growth from podcast to book but he is the most obvious one. It is the addition of details like that that makes these books so worth it.
On to the fun stuff, the book is full of the scenes I could only hope to see and some I didn't expect but loved even more. Did I expect to see Merle in an Ursula costume when I opened the book? No, but he looks goddamn fabulous. I would love to see someone cosplay as Merle as Ursula. Please make my dreams come true! Another surprise: who knew Captain Captain Bane was such a daddy! Besides those surprises, it was amazing to see Merle seduce the vines, that scene is as funny in the book as it is in the podcast. I wish that they had kept more of the "Little Jerry" gang member stuff in the books but there is so much content I got over that quick. The love story between Hurley and the Raven was so beautiful, and I cried at the end seeing the intense love between them. The best part of the book? GARYL the Binicorn! Nothing will ever beat Garyl my dudes.
Books
The End of Her by Shari Lapena
4/5 Stars
Basic Synopsis:
Patrick and Stephanie are happily married, raising their newborn twin daughters. That is until a person from Patrick's past tries to blackmail them over the death of Patrick's first wife that she says was not an accident after all.
My Thoughts:
When you read a Shari Lapena book you expect there to be lots of twists, and she delivered. My first introduction to this author was her book "Stranger in the House," which I highly recommend. While I did not find this book as good as that one, I found it intriguing none the less. Shari Lapena seems to focus her writing on women and domesticity, and the issues that are present within. In the few books I have read from her, she almost paints domesticity as a prison. This might be why, by the end of the book, I saw some of the twists coming. The book, ultimately, centers around Stephanie's freedom and concept of family outside of the nuclear family. This book is a murder mystery centered around motherhood. It was a captivating read and I highly recommend it.
Audio-books
Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk by Kathleen Rooney
4/5 Stars
Basic Synopsis:
It is the last day of 1984, and 85 year old Lillian Boxfish is going to take a walk. During the walk she meets a variety of people and reminisces about her time as the highest paid advertising woman in America.
My Thoughts:
Narrated beautifully, I found this book to be a relaxing read. Lillian is a remarkable character. She is witty and resourceful, she is a dynamic powerhouse. She is also flawed and open. Lillian has a different way of approaching the world, her openness draws people towards her and the reader is no exception. The book flows easily, which is good and bad. Sometimes I would lose focus and miss an interesting part of one of her conversations because I was so entranced with the cadence of the narrators voice (or just busy). But it was easy to love Lillian, to relate to her. It also made me realize that I need to start reading more poetry. In the book Lillian is a poet, and while we don't get to hear a lot of her own poems she has a natural poetic air around her.
It is a lovely story, and if you are in need of a low-key read then pick up this book.
If you have read any of these books leave a comment to tell me what you thought of them! Or just let me know what is on your reading docket for this month.
If you want to follow more of my bookish adventures you can add me on goodreads at goodreads:
https://www.goodreads.com/kaleighnorkum
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