the best books i read this month

August has slipped away (like a bottle of wine) and with the end of the month comes my monthly book post about the best books I read this month. This month brought back for me reading while sitting on transit which is lovely and also I read a few of my old favourite books which was really reassuring. There were a lot of great books this month in a variety of genres, and I hope you find one that peaks your interest!

Raising Them: Our Adventure in Gender Creative Parenting by Kyl Myers

This book is about a couple who have decided to raise their child with no specific gender. This book goes through their decisions and why they decided to do it, Kyl’s pregnancy and birth, and then the first three years of raising Zoomer. I really enjoyed how much I thought during this book and how the book made it felt like I was reading the story of a friend.

This Is My America by Kim Johnson

In a story all too familiar to many Tracy writes every week trying to get her father off of death row for a crime that he didn’t commit. Then her brother is also accused of murder and Tracy begins fighting for the life of another man she loves. This story examines racism, the justice system, and innocence in a very compelling story.

Alone Together: Love, Grief, and Comfort in the Time of COVID-19 by Jennifer Haupt

I don’t know if you have any desire to read a book yet that is focusing on Covid-19, but if you are this is a great book. This anthology contains poetry, essays, and thoughts of those first few weeks and months of lockdown by many prominent authors. There are a lot of emotions in this book and this book is also raising money for independent bookstores which is a cause I can get behind.

A Beautifully Foolish Endeavor (The Carls, #2) by Hank Green

This is another book that also really examines the current time, even more than Hank Green even intended. This book is the second in a duology and I may have enjoyed it even more than the first. I am not always big on science fiction, but I love how this book also examines the human spirit and who we are as a whole.

Nevertheless, She Wore It: 50 Iconic Fashion Moments by Ann Shen

This is such a fun, lighthearted read that shares about some of the most iconic fashion moments. This book would be great as a coffee table book and the illustrations are beautiful and I learned a lot at the same time.

Don’t Overthink It: Make Easier Decisions, Stop Second-Guessing, and Bring More Joy to Your Life by Anne Bogel

I am the queen of overthinking and this book was a great insight on some strategies and things to do to help fight those thoughts that come up all the time. This isn’t a book that tells you what to do, but rather one that helps to equip you with the ability to make those decisions when they come up.

The Lazy Genius Way: Embrace What Matters, Ditch What Doesn’t, and Get Stuff Done by Kendra Adachi

This book is similar to the previous one, but it is focused on making your life easier by doing things in a lazy way, but in a way that still gets things done. I felt like this book was written for me as I am quite lazy, but I want to be productive in my laziness. The chapters that go through how to prioritize, how to time batch, and how to prepare for the things that will be harder later.

March: Book Three (March, #3) by John Lewis

This is my third (and final) month with a book from this series in my monthly wrap up. This book concludes the visual series on John Lewis’ life and just made me admire him more and more. I love how this book series is told and find it so accessible to people who know nothing or know a lot about the civil rights movement.

A Woman Is No Man by Etaf Rum

This book is the story about a mother and a daughter, told decades apart as they navigate their life in the Arab-American families. Isra leaves Palestine as a teenager to get married, knowing no one and being thrust into a world completely different from home. Deya, her daughter is now at the age when she is meeting suitors, but her dreams are to go to college, not to get married. This book is not an easy one, but it captured me and pulled me in from the very beginning.

How to Be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi

This book is one of the books that everyone is talking about right now and for good reason. Kendi lays out anti-racism viewpoints and processes in a very detailed, but doable way and shows what an anti-racist society could look like and what we need to do to get there. This book weaves together all the facets of society in a way that is hard hitting, but also not difficult to read.

Throwback Reads:

I read a few of my favourite books from when I was a pre-teen this month (and will be writing a full post on this adventure) and these three I still really enjoyed.

Ella Enchanted (Ella Enchanted #1) by Gail Carson Levine

The Two Princesses of Bamarre (The Two Princesses of Bamarre, #1) by Gail Carson Levine

The City of Ember (Book of Ember, #1) by Jeanne DuPrau