Here’s the list of books I read in August:

1. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (Book 1) (309 p.)
2. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Book 2) (341 p.)
3. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Book 3) (435 p.)
4. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Book 4) (736 p.)
5. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Book 5) (870 p.)
6. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Book 6) (652 p.)
7. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Book 7) (759 p.) All by JK Rowling, of course. Do you need any more of an explanation than this? Harry, Ron, and Hermione save the world from Voldemort….

8. An Ocean of Air: Why the Wind Blows and Other Mysteries of the Atmosphere by Gabrielle Walker (238 p.) One of my favorite kind of science books–fascinating topic. What makes the wind blow? Where does oxygen come from? Why are free radicals so deadly? What makes the air move? Really fascinating, and told in a highly entertaining way. (Well, for a science book.) Each topic is introduced by telling the story of the people who were instrumental in each discovery. It was just great.

9. The Thrall and the Dragon’s Heart by Elizabeth Boyer (294 p.) An old book from my library. (I was in high school when this came out, and it’s no longer in print.) It’s a fun, scandinavian-themed romp, though. A fantasy story about Brak, who is given a dried Dragon’s Heart to help defeat an evil magician… yeah, awful description, but I’ve always liked Elizabeth Boyer’s books–they’re totally unique and have a sense of fun about them. Especially the earlier books. (Her last series got a lot darker.)

10. The One Kingdom by Sean Russell (463 p.)
11. The Isle of Battle by Sean Russell (467 p.)
12. The Shadow Roads by Sean Russell (433 p.) My least-favorite series by one of my very favorite authors–it’s not one I read often at all. (In fact, I’d only read the final book once.) It’s a classic kind of fantasy story, but with a lot of “mystic” kinds of things happening–floating down rivers that suddenly change course, getting lost in a land where there is no exit–and I tend to like my stories a little less “fuzzy” than that. Still, they’re good books–when I’m in just the right kind of mood!

13. Custom Knits: Unleash Your Inner Designer with Top-Down and Improvisational Techniques by Wendy Bernard (167 p.) Fantastic new knitting book, great designs, and helpful guidance for modifying them. (Full review here.)

14. The Sword of Shannara by Terry Brooks (726 p.) Oh, my. Such a LOTR knock-off, but I loved this book when I was in high school. A magical quest to save the world, with a group of companions (young men, a dwarf, two fighters, elves, and a druid) questing for the one item that will defeat the ultimate evil … basically, it’s just a condensed version of Lord of the Rings. In fact, as I was reading, I was thinking, “There’s the Council of Elrond, there’s the sundering of the Fellowship, there’s the capture of the hero…” Basically, it’s a good enough book for what it is, but, well, it’s a knock off. The author took the series in a  new direction afterward, mind you, but still …

15. Wolfskin by Juliet Marillier (516 p.)
16. Foxmask by Juliet Marillier (560 p.) A scandinavian/celtic duo. This is another author that I love, she writes just beautiful fantasy. I enjoyed the second book more than the first, but still–two stories here, one rooted in Norway, one in the far northern British isles. Just lovely.

17. Storm World: Hurricanes, Politics, and the Battle Over Global Warming by Chris Mooney (276 p.) Drier than the “Ocean of Air,”above, but still interesting. This book explores the concept of global warming as it spread through the American scientific community, taking the politicians along in its wake. I felt it got a little bogged down in statistics from time to time, and it’s not quite as readable as that last book, but still, it was good to read … though, I admit, I got a little bored toward the end.

18. The Deer’s Cry: A Book of the Keltiad by Patricia Kennealy-Morrison (323 p.) Part of her “Keltic” series, this tells the story of Brendan, an Irishman who, in 453 AD took his people on a journey to escape the Christian influx spearheaded by Patrick … except, he didn’t just journey across the ocean, he took them out into the stars to found Keltia. Sci-fi Irishmen in space … ahhh….

• Tags: Monthly Reading List, Reading • Permalink:Books from August //