August 2020

August Book of the Month

Posted by Allison Speakmon on

I promised myself since I only read 1 of my July Book of the Month picks, that I would avoid filling both of my little blue boxes. I failed, utterly. Oh well, what’s a girl to do other than use this as an excuse to have to read all weekend. Most of the August releases were already on my ‘To Read List’, but it was the new Add-on’s this month that did it for me. Keep reading to see what this month’s picks were and what I ended up putting in my boxes.

August Picks

The Space Between Worlds

The Space Between is this month’s Science Fiction pick. It’s author Micaiah Johnson’s debut novel and already has 4.2 stars on Goodreads. This book takes place in a multi-verse and blends social commentary with mind-boggling ideas. It’s action packed while dealing with social issues and LGBTQ themes. It’s being praised for it’s deep world building and it’s handling of ever prsesent topic of, cause and effect. space

The Death of Vivek Oji

Named one the year’s most anticipated book by The New York Times, this is a reflective, deeply human read, piecing together life in a Nigerian town leading up to a heartbreaking death. This book also deals with LGBTQ themes, but also death. It’s more serious in nature but is already being praised as one of the best books of the year. It’s also on of August’s 2020 Indie Next picks. the deat The Night Swim

This month’s token thriller is for anyone who loves true crime, especially true crime podcasts. It’s a fast read that blends a legal thriller with suburban drama. While this is a thriller it does tackle the topic of what a sexual assault does to a young women.

Trigger warning: Sexual Assault.night

Atomic Love

A historical fiction romance that takes place during the Cold War. This one has all the drama you expect of a book set during the Cold War. There are Russian Spies, Love Triangles. If you enjoy the TV show The Americans this one may be for you.

atomic

The Unraveling of Cassidy Holmes

Even though this book is not set to debut until September 1st, it’s already receiving praise on Goodreads with an average rating of 4 stars. Sloan takes us on a journey through the dark side of pop music and illustrates the dangers and tragedies that come with being a celebrity. This is a long book with multiple viewpoints and nonlinear timelines. If those are deal breakers for you, this book won’t be for you.

Trigger Warnings: Depression, Sexual Assault, Suicide. cassidy

My Box

And without further ado, I picked 4 out of 5 of this month’s picks. All of these were actually on my August Most Anticipated list, which you can see HERE! However, I wasn’t feeling super into Science Fiction this month, so I might add The Space Between worlds next month.

I always add the token thriller book into my box, which is a given for a thriller junkie. But The Night Swim also deals with true crime and well that’s right up my alley. I also am a sucker for anything set during the Cold War, so Atomic Love was a must! I went back and forth on The Death of Vivek Oji. I already have an eARC of the book and had already started reading it. I was loving the story so much, that I knew I’d want a physical copy, so I caved and added it to my box. Lastly, The Unraveling of Cassidy Holmes was my impulse add. I really love stories told in multiple perspectives and after researching the book more, I found that most people really enjoyed the story, so in it went.

I added two additional as well. I’ve been dying to read The Comeback and once again I’m a sucker for Hollywood books. I’m hoping this will have some The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo vibes, even though it’s not a historical fiction. But I love the glitz, glamour, and issues with Hollywood. comebac

Lastly, I added True Story as my final pick. I almost went with Luster or Hunger but Mona Awad, the author of Bunny wrote the ‘Why I love it’ blurb about the book. I loved Bunny. It was so weird and if Awad recommends this book, then I’m going for it. true

I hope this helped you to narrow down your options for your Book of the Month Box, or just gave you some new reads to add to your list. Comment below or head to my instagram @speakingof_books and tell me what you put in your box!

WHAT IS BOOK OF THE MONTH?

For those who haven’t heard of Book of the Month club or BOTM, it is a subscription program, similar to audible or other box subscription services, where you get (you guessed it) a new book every month. Each month members are given 5 different books to choose from.  BOTM generally focusing on debut and emerging writers, and is known for having helped launch the careers of some of the most acclaimed authors in American literary history. In an attempt to read more books outside my favorite genres without having to siphon through all the duds, I decided to sign up for the monthly subscriptions. It costs me $14.99 per month, I choose 1 of the 5 books on the first of every month,  and it’s delivered straight to my door. You can skip any month or roll your credits over to the next month, at any time. Since I started getting BOTM in 2018, I’ve really enjoyed some of the new authors I’ve been exposed to. If you’re interested in joining BOTM, I’ve added my referral code to the bottom of this post, which if you use, you’ll be able to get a discount on your first month (book)!

Interested in joining Book of the Month?

Get your first book for $9.99 using code May5 when you sign up using my link! Either click HERE or enter the url into your browser: https://book-of-the-month.ixmz.net/kvzez https://book-of-the-month.ixmz.net/c/1803400/761424/9782

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