Monthly Books and Blogging Chat Sesh for August (2021)

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Monthly Wrap Up for August

Welcome back to another Monthly Books and Blogging Chat Sesh! In this segment, I’ll give a recap of all the books I read this month, what’s new on the blog, and anything relevant in my personal life.

Keep reading for all my August happenings.

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Let’s Chat! A Wrap Up of My August

Say it ain’t so! Summer is already over (I swear, it was just New Years, like, yesterday!) It always feels like summer goes by way too fast while winter drags on with a dreary slowness. Or is that just me?

But, hey, other than time moving too quickly (which is ALWAYS going to be a sad fact of life), August went well for me and I have some great things to share with you all – starting with a wrap up of my personal life.

Vaxxed and Ready to Rock

I’m fully vaccinated, now! Obviously, there’s still a global pandemic and we all need to be mindful of that, but being completely vaccinated has made me feel a lot more comfortable going out.

I went on a few vacations last month and this month I was finally able to get back to one of my all-time favorite pastimes – concerts. I absolutely LOVE live music. I listen to music on i-tunes and the radio, but there’s something about the energy at a concert that really makes the songs come alive.

Being able to enjoy that feeling once again felt so freeing. I haven’t been able to see a concert in over a year and a half due to COVID and I realized just how much I took that experience for granted before.

New Job

Another thing that happened to me this month was getting a new job! Actually it’s a second job, but it’s still new so it’s worth mentioning.

So, right now I’m balancing two jobs and parenting and blogging – it’s a LOT but not in a bad way! Next month I’m sure I’ll have more to say about this, but for now, we’ll move on to the books and blogging wrap up.

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Reading Wrap Up

I usually try to read about one book a week, but this month was super busy for me and I didn’t quite make that quota.

You Might Also Like: Best Books to Read This Summer

Where the Grass is Green and the Girls are Pretty • Lauren Weisberger

I’ll be honest, I went into this book really expecting to love it. It has a solid premise, a culturally relevant topic, and a well-known author.

Peyton, a morning news-anchor who seems to have it all, is suddenly thrust into the harsh glare of the spotlight when her husband is accused of paying a “college fixer” to ensure that their daughter is accepted to Princeton.

But, Weisberger takes an interesting, ripped-from-the-headlines story and turns it into a trite after-school-special. What disappointed me the most, here, too, was the fact that it could have been a great book. The whole college admissions scandal is still topical and it’s an especially refreshing idea to view that through the eyes of Max, their daughter who had no idea her acceptance to the Ivy League wasn’t legit.

Unfortunately, the execution of said idea just didn’t do it justice and this one really fell short for me.

2.5

★★★★★

Purchase Where the Grass is Green and the Girls are Pretty here

Synopsis

Peyton is a beautiful, successful, and famous news anchor on one of the most watched morning shows in the nation. Along with her adoring fans, she has an adoring husband and a beautiful 17-year-old daughter who’s preparing for Princeton in the fall.

But, although Max is going to the prestigious Ivy League that her parents have always pushed, her heart isn’t fully in it. She runs a small, but popular vlog on YouTube and dreams of going to an artsy school to pursue filmmaking.

Meanwhile, Peyton’s sister, Skye, is a stay-at-home mom in an upscale, New York suburb called – you guessed it – Paradise. She’s beyond involved with her daughter’s education, but she longs for more. Thus, she’s started working on a charitable project and, even though she has a sponsor, she’s dug herself a heap of debt paying for a lot of the project upfront.

But, then, it’s discovered that Peyton and her husband, Isaac – along with several other elite parents – have paid a “college fixer” to ensure that Max is accepted to Princeton. Told in the alternating perspectives of Peyton, Skye, and Max, the book explores how all three women are impacted by the scandal.

Read another review here

Pros and Cons

PROS:
• Topical, newsworthy premise
• Inclusion of multiple POV’s – especially that of Max, Peyton’s daughter who was largely and unfairly impacted by the scandal

CONS:
• Dialogue felt unnatural
• Predictable plotlines
• Seemed too preachy at times (almost like an after-school-special)
• Characters weren’t very memorable or deep

If you’re really in the mood for a Lauren Weisberger novel, here are some of hers that I would recommend:

The Other Black Girl • Zakiya Dalila Harris

I really enjoyed this book – it’s one that has been on my “highly anticipated reads” list for awhile now and I’m glad to say it didn’t disappoint.

It’s an interesting genre-blending read, part literary/upmarket fiction, part psychological thriller and mystery. There were some unexpected twists and turns, too, and it definitely left me wanting to read more from her in the future.

I’m also always a fan of any book that brings up important culturally relevant issues such as race or gender, so that was huge plus. I’m still not sure how I feel about the ending, but overall, I’d highly recommend this one.

4

★★★★★

Purchase The Other Black Girl here

Synopsis

Nella is a 26-year-old editorial assistant working at one of the biggest publishing houses in New York. She’s also black and, more than that, she’s the only black person working in the office. Thus, when Hazel, another young black assistant, is hired at the company, Nella is thrilled.

Soon, though, it becomes apparent that Hazel may not be the ally Nella hoped for. She seems to undermine Nella at every turn – applauding books with racially charged undertones, getting close to the editor-in-cheif and refusing to call out microaggressions within the office.

Hazel quickly becomes the “favorite” assistant and as if that weren’t bad enough, Nella starts receiving threatening letters. But could they be coming from Hazel? Or is there a larger conspiracy at play?

Pros and Cons

PROS:
• Great writing style
• Thought-provoking premise
• Important racial and cultural themes explored
• Good buildup of tension
• Hugely unpredictable ending

CONS:
• Slightly undeveloped side-characters
• Ending left several unanswered questions

Golden Girl • Elin Hilderbrand

It really wouldn’t be summer without another Nantucket-based novel by the queen of beach reads herself, Elin Hilderbrand.

As with all of her other novels, Golden Girl was a heady mixture of summer-y scenes, easy reading, and intriguing character development. She tends to provide books that could sometimes be considered chick-lit but that have more depth than you might otherwise expect and this particular one was no different.

I’ve yet to read something of hers that I didn’t love and once again, Ms. Hilderbrand did not disappoint.

4.2

★★★★★

Purchase Golden Girl here

Synopsis

Vivian Howe is a successful Nantucket author in her early 50’s who is suddenly killed in a hit-and-run car accident while jogging. Her tragic death is only amplified by the fact that she’s left behind three children who, despite being grown, still desperately need her.

Willa, her oldest daughter, is finally pregnant again after multiple previous miscarriages. Her second daughter, Carson, the “wild child,” is out at all hours of the night, delving into the party-scene and who knows what else. And then there’s her son, Leo. The youngest child, he’s just turned 18 and is preparing to head off to college but he’s dealing with his own drama.

From up above, Vivian is given a chance to watch her loved ones and potentially influence their choices – but only for the summer. After that, she’ll have to leave them to be truly on their own.

Pros and Cons

PROS:
• Great writing and storytelling
• I loved the afterlife concept
• Complex and interesting characters
• Not everything was wrapped up in the end

CONS:
• At times it was a bit cliche

The Many Personalities of Me • Bailey Gee

The Many Personalities of Me is a collection of poems based on heartache, perseverance, and living with mental illness.

It’s hard to really review a book of poetry, but I found that overall, this collection was raw and honest and I loved how vulnerable she was. My favorite poem in the book was titled Faded Memories – the fact that she doesn’t spell out the story but instead leaves you with your own ideas based on reading between the lines was really inspiring.

3.5

★★★★★

*Note: I was given a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Purchase The Many Personalities of Me here

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Blogging Wrap Up

As far as blogging goes, August has been a really good month for me. I’ve seen a ton of blog growth – plus I’ve been able to start monetizing, which was a huge goal of mine.

Blog Growth and Domain Authority

At the beginning of the month, I had a Domain Authority score of 3 or 4. Within three weeks, it shot up to 9! I can’t even tell you how thrilled and surprised I was by that, and honestly, I’m not sure exactly what I’m doing to cause this spike, but I’m taking it as a sign that I’m doing something right with this whole blogging thing.

Monetizing My Blog

This month also marked the first time I’ve been able to monetize with one of my affiliate links! It was only one, which equaled about 50 cents, but still! It’s a start, right?

Meet the Advertisers!

Another month, another new blog series ?

The “Meet the Advertisers” segment is one that I’m really excited to have now. Initially, I wasn’t sure how many advertisers I’d even get, so I was planning to include them in my Monthly Blogging Wrap Up posts – but then I decided that as long as I have more than one, I’d make a separate, Advertiser-specific post.

I always love reading the Advertiser Wrap Up posts on other blogs so it’ll be fun to have one of my own. Of course, going forward, each month will depend on how many advertisers I get, but I’m hoping that I can continue with this set-up.

Here are some more “Meet the Advertisers” posts you might enjoy from other bloggers:
• Jenny in Neverland
• The Grumpy Olive
• Of a Glasgow Girl

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That’s a Wrap!

Sure, the Monthly Wrap Up is a bit of a navel-gazing blog post, but I really enjoy writing them so I hope you find similar joy in reading them.

What new and exciting thing did August bring for you? Did you read any great books? How did you wrap up your Summer? Let me know in the comments below!

And, as always, thanks so much for reading.

xx
Katie