wrap ups

(A Very Late) August Wrap Up! (Feat. ATLA Comics, Rick Riordan Presents, And More!)

Arin @ Tomes of Our Lives

Hi, friends!! I know this is very late, but I started school recently and so did the tiny humans, which has not left much time for blogging. However, I will be attempting to try and get better at time management so that I can be on here more because I really miss writing posts and interacting with everyone.

But for now, onto the wrap up, while I have the time to write it.

Non-Bookish Things from July: 

IRL Things: 

  • I started school in August! A new one, ie the third college in three years (I am a less cooler, more depressed version of the “six schools in six years” refrain of Good Kid). Here are the classes I am taking, just in case anyone was interested:
    • Women in American History
    • Western Art History: Prehistoric to Gothic
    • Psychology as a Natural Science
    • British History to 1688
    • (the history classes are all very…white and I kinda hate it but here is to hoping for more diverse options next semester)
  • My family went to the beach. It was a time, one that I mainly spent hiding in my bedroom, but still a time.
  • There were probably more things but by this point I have forgotten so whoops.

Music:

  • Folklore by Taylor Swift
    • I was still on my Folklore shit in August, I mean, how could I not listen to August in August.
  • Manic by Halsey
    • I know that I am very late to this train, but I started listening to Halsey this month and oh my god. So good. Here are my favorite songs because why not:
      • 929
      • 3am
      • clementine
      • killing boys

Movies and TV:

This month I finished Legend of Korra for the first time then pretty much immediately started rewatching Avatar, I watched season one then had to stop because school gets in the way of everything. But. Yeah. I still love these shows with my entire heart and am highly considering doing an entire post where I just ramble about why I love this show and why you should watch it, so keep an eye out for that.

And finally, onto the 25 books I read in August. That sounds kind of impressive, but as we shall see, a fair amount of them are comics or graphic novels so.

  • The Water Dancer by Ta-Nehisi Coates
    • ☆☆☆☆
    • I listened to this as an audio and it was just such a great read, I think of it often even though I finished it a month ago. I highly recommend looking into it if you haven’t already.
  • Pavi Sharma’s Guide to Going Home by Bridget Farr
    • ☆☆☆☆
    • This is one of those middle grades that will pull on your heart and stick with you for a while. Pavi is a foster child who runs a business helping other foster children find good placements for them and all of the children in this book’s stories made me so sad because they’re so realistic.
  • Deathless Divide by Justina Ireland
    • After I read this book I found out about how the Native rep was very harmful and perpetuated stereotypes, so I will not be recommending or giving any rating.
  • Race to the Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse
    • ☆☆☆☆
    • This was the first time I read this particular Rick Riordan Present’s novel and oh my gosh, I completely loved it. I really want to check out this author’s other work soon, they look just as good.
  • The Storm Runner by J.C. Cervantes
    • ☆☆☆☆
    • This was a reread, but I enjoyed it just as much as I did the first time. Zane is such a great character and I love seeing him interact with his uncle and his new friends, I really wish more people would read this series because I would love to talk to more people about it.
  • The Fire Keeper by J.C. Cervantes
    • ☆☆☆☆
    • This was once again a reread, but the ending still left me going !!!! and I cannot wait to finally read the last book and find out how this trilogy ends.
  • Reflection by Elizabeth Lim
    • ☆☆☆
    • I had been eyeing this book in Target like, everytime I went but then my cousin let me borrow her copy so I actually got to read it. This book wasn’t bad, it just wasn’t like, the best either. I have been looking into some other own voices Mulan retellings recently and I can’t wait to check them out.
  • Conceal, Don’t Feel by Jen Calonita
    • ☆☆☆
    • Since I had just read the Mulan book in this series, when I saw that my library had the audio for the Frozen book available I thought why not. This book was kind of the same as the Mulan one for me, it wasn’t bad, it just wasn’t great and I will likely forget about it quickly.
  • Your Brain Needs a Hug by Rae Earl
    • ☆☆
    • I have Thoughts on this book. The OCD descriptions and metaphors were some of the best I’ve read, but the book in general was just somewhat condescending and I just didn’t like it.
  • The Rise of Kyoshi by F.C. Yee
    • ☆☆☆☆☆
    • Oh my god, I love women. Kyoshi and Rangi are one of my top forms of serotonin these days, if you like Avatar and you like sapphics, please go read this book immediately. Then come back so I can ramble about my feelings.
  • The Legend of Korra – Turf Wars by Michael Dante DiMartino
    • ☆☆☆☆☆
    • This was so good, we got to see Korrasami as an actual couple and I loved every minute of it. It felt like I was still watching the show, I could hear all of the line’s in the actors voices and it was amazing.
  • The Legend of Korra – Ruins of the Empire by Michael Dante DiMartino
    • ☆☆☆☆☆
    • I didn’t like this one as much as Turf Wars, but it was still amazing. It was nice to see Kuvira’s plot wrapped up more than it was in the show. Also, Korrasami still owns my heart.
  • Goldie Vance, Vol 1 by Hope Larson
    • ☆☆☆
    • I feel like I’ve been talking about these comics so much lately, but I really enjoy them and they’re so cute and wholesome, I highly recommend.
  • Goldie Vance, Vol 2 by Hope Larson
    • ☆☆☆☆
    • This was my first time continuing on with the Goldie Vance series and I found I loved the second volume even more than the first. Also, you got to see Goldie and Diana in this one so that’s always a win.
  • Her Royal Highness by Rachel Hawkins
    • ☆☆☆☆
    • This was a buddy reread with Brianna and I loved every second of it. This book is not like, perfection by any means of the word but I still will never get over it. It’s so wholesome and fluffy and Millie and Flora own my heart.
  • The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan
    • ☆☆☆☆☆
    • At this point, no one should be surprised that I am /still/ rereading this series, but it is still so good and I love it so much.
  • The Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan
    • ☆☆☆☆☆
    • This used to be my least favorite PJO book and it most likely still technically is, but the older I get, the more this book grows on me. Also, I love Tyson so much.
  • An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir
    • ☆☆☆☆
    • I bought the first three books of this series at the beginning of quarantine and finally got around to reading it and holy shit. This book is so good, I read the second this month and it was even better. I’m holding off on the third until closer to when the forth comes out, but its just so good.
  • Dragon Pearl by Yoon Ha Lee
    • ☆☆☆☆
    • This was another RRP reread, but it was still so enjoyable. So far, this is a standalone, but I feel it could easily be a duology and I for one would be completely for it.
  • Sal and Gabi Break the Universe by Carlos Hernandez
    • ☆☆☆☆☆
    • I love all of the RRP books so so much, but I think there is a good chance the Sal and Gabi duology are my favorites. Everything about them is great, Sal, Gabi, American Step Mom, the Principal, Gabi’s dads, I love it all so much. Carlos Hernandez is an Amazing author, I am so glad these books exist.

Okay, so, that is finally the end. Hopefully my September wrap up will not come at the end of October, but no promises, school is kicking my ass lol. Also, my next post (should) be all of the sapphic books I’ve ever read, pt three!!! So keep an eye out!

What about you guys, have you ever been almost a month late with a wrap up? Have you ever read a Rick Riordan Presents novel? Let’s chat in the comments!!

Published by Arin @ Tomes of Our Lives

Hi, I'm Arin! I'm a sapphic book blogger located in the southern region of the USA. I spend most of my time reading, blogging, thinking about reading and blogging, and having emo hours over The Miseducation of Cameron Post and the Merrick brothers.

3 thoughts on “(A Very Late) August Wrap Up! (Feat. ATLA Comics, Rick Riordan Presents, And More!)”

  1. I’m still two months late with my July wrap up and I’ve just came to the conclusion that it’s not coming 😂😂 Loved your wrap up!! I also only started listening to Halsey recently and yess Killing Boys and 3am are amazing songs! I also love You Should Be Sad, Colours and Strangers 😍😍

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  3. I’m so sad to hear about your thoughts on Reflection! I’ve read two books on those Disney retellings series – the Frozen and Beauty and the Beast ones – and while the Frozen one was okay-ish, I didn’t like the Beauty and the Beast book. They were written by the same author, so I was hoping reading Reflection, written by Elizabeth Lim (whose writing I loved in Spin the Dawn) would be a better experience. I still wanna give it a try, but it might be better not to have high expectations! XD

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