A More Attainable August TBR

I can’t believe another month has come and gone. Where is this year going. I feel like I need more time. And, I definitely need more time for reading because out of the 11 books on my A Scary July TBR I read 5 books. There are no buts because I’m happy with what I read, and the reality is I knew there was no way I was going to read 11 books.

This month’s TBR is still going to be a little ambitious, with some ARCs and a couple of hold overs from July. And, having said that let’s just get into my August reading plans.

I’m not sure if the folks over at Read. Sleep. Repeat. are hosting ARC August this year, but no matter because I have a ton of ARCs I need to get to. Of the ARCs I’m prioritizing two this month. These are ARCs in which the publisher reached out to me to read and review.

Title: The Sinful Lives of Trophy Wives by Kristin Miller
Format: eARC
Genre: Mystery / Thriller
Publisher: Random House
Pub. Date: July 20, 2021

I was approached by Random House to read and review this and obviously said yes; however and unfortunately, I forgot about it when I was compiling my July TBR. Anyway, it’s on my August TBR and will be the first book I read. The book caught my attention because it’s a mystery thriller and it kind of sounds like a good ole fashion who done it. Three trophy wives (all considerably younger than their husbands) embark on some shenanigans. It sounds like the right amount of fluff, trash, and drama I need in my life right now.

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Title: Harlem Shuffle by Colson Whitehead
Format: eARC
Genre: Historical Fiction / Mystery
Publisher: Doubleday
Pub. Date: September 14, 2021

I had planned on reading this anyway, but am super stoked that Doubleday pre-approved me for an eARC. I loved The Nickel Boys and have been meaning to read other books by Whitehead. So, thanks to Doubleday for giving me an added push. Harlem Shuffle is a family saga masquerading as a crime novel, a hilarious morality play, a social novel about race and power, and ultimately a love letter to Harlem.

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The next two books are hold overs from my July TBR. I decided to hold off on reading these and read them in August because it’s Women in Translation Month.

Title: Out by Natsuo Kirino
Translator: Stephen Snyder
Format: Hardback
Genre: Thriller/Mystery/Horror
Publisher: Vintage
Pub. Date: July 15, 1997

This has been on my TBR for years and a couple of months ago, I finally picked up a copy at one of my favorite used bookstores. In Out a young mother who works the night shift making boxed lunches brutally strangles her deadbeat husband and then seeks the help of her co-workers to dispose of the body and cover up her crime. Masako the ringleader quickly discovers that this killing is merely the beginning and it leads to a terrifying foray into the violent underbelly of Japanese society.

Title: The Good Son by You-Jeong Jeong
Translator: Chi-Young Kim
Format: Paperback
Genre: Mystery/Thriller/Horror
Publisher: Penguin
Pub. Date: May 14, 2016

The Good Son is a chilling psychological thriller by the novelist known as Korea’s Stephen King. Twenty-six year-old You-jin wakes one morning to a metallic smell and the body of his mother’s bloodied body at the bottom of the stairs. He doesn’t remember much from the night before, however, he has a faint impression of his mother calling his name. But was she calling for help? Or begging for her life?

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. . . And, finally 

Title: Things We Lost to the Water by Eric Nguyen
Format: Hardback
Genre: Historical Fiction / LGBT
Publisher:Knopf Publishing Group
Pub. Date: May 4, 2021

I can’t remember exactly how this came on my radar, but what I do remember is that I fell in love with cover and didn’t care what it was about. A debut novel about an immigrant Vietnamese family who settles in New Orleans and struggles to remain connected to one another as their lives are inextricably reshaped.