This week’s Road Trip Wednesday topic from YA Highway is: What was the best book you read in August?
I’m going to cheat a little, because I have two. One of them I haven’t finished yet and I’m not sure if I will by the end of August because of Camp NaNoWriMo, but I started it in August and fell in love with it in August, so I’m including it.
The Day Before, by Lisa Schroeder. I’ve talked before about my love of verse novels. I first discovered them because of I Heart You, You Haunt Me, one of Schroeder’s novels. Schroeder’s talent is amazing; in so few words she is able to create beautiful images and tell stories that are emotional and honest. I’ve never had a problem connecting with one of her characters.
This novel is one of my favorites of Schroeder’s. In addition to verse, this novel is told through letters. The novel follows Autumn and Cade, who meet at the beach and spend a day together. They’re both at the beach for the day because they needed to get away from their family and friends to prepare themselves for the next day, when their lives will change. I guessed one of the changes ahead of time, though knowing in advance didn’t make my heart ache for the character any less. In fact, I think it made my heart ache more. And the other change… I had ideas, but I wasn’t about to stop reading the book until I knew for sure what it was.
If you’re interested in trying out a verse novel, I highly recommend any of Lisa Schroeder’s.
The Night Circus, by Erin Morgenstern. I don’t really know how to describe this novel, except to use the description that one of my coworkers gave another–it’s about a circus, but the magic is real. I’m so in love with this novel and the characters and the beauty of the writing and trying to figure out what will happen next. Sometime soon–most likely this year–I plan to sit down and spend a day reading this book cover to cover so that I can pick up on some of what I am sure I have missed due to reading it in spurts.
What were some of your best reads from August?
The Night Circus was easily my favorite book I read last year! I hope to reread it some time soon, when I've made a dent in my to-read pile ;).
I love reading verse novels. Never heard of Lisa Schroeder, and now I'm gonna have to go look her up and add some of her stuff to my TBR list. That story sounds really sweet. Thanks! 🙂
The Night Circus was a fun and very different read. I really enjoyed it!