What I Read in August
August was WILD. The first week was spent getting a BUNCH of work done to get ahead of myself, then I was traveling all over the country for two weeks, then I packed up EVERYTHING I own and moved into a new apartment across town, and hardly had a second to sit down and catch my breath. It's been crazy.
With that being said, it shouldn't be surprising that I only got through a couple books. Then again, since I read an insane 14 BOOKS in July, I think it all balances out!
Mystery and Manners by Flannery O'Connor. // "What these editorial writers fail to realize is that the writer who emphasizes spiritual values is very likely to take the darkest view of all of what he sees in this country today. For him, the fact that we are the most powerful and wealthiest nation in the world doesn't mean a thing in any positive sense. The sharper the light in faith, the more glaring are apt to be the distortions the writer sees in the life around him."
Flannery is my favorite. She was young and brilliant and sassy and so honest in her writing and faith. I can't read enough by her. When I found this collection of prose by her in my local used bookstore, I was so excited. It's a mix of essays and pieces she published and things that were never published, which was really cool to me. O'Connor writes a lot about writing, a lot about the South, a lot about the church and faith, and a lot about fiction/literature. If any of those things interest you, READ HER STUFF. That is all. If Flannery wasn't such an odd name, I would seriously consider it for my future child.
Travels with Charley: In Search of America by John Steinbeck. // "For how can one know color in perpetual green, and what good is warmth without cold to give it sweetness?"
I read this one during my two-week cross-country road trip, and it was the PERFECT choice. It's all about Steinbeck's adventures around America, and I absolutely loved how many parallels there were between his trip and mine. He wrote about a lot of places we saw, which was hilarious! I agreed with just about everything he wrote, too. This was a wonderful read if you have any wanderlust or love for this great country in you.
Prodigal Summer by Barbara Kingsolver. // "Now I'm starting to think he wasn't supposed to be my whole life, he was just this doorway to me."
I reviewed this one in depth for #COLLABOREADS, so read that here!
Here's to a much fuller blog post next month of books read in September! ;)