Looking Back (& Ahead): August 2015

We are halfway through September and I’m only just looking back at August, so forgive me if my memory doesn’t serve me well! The tardiness of this month-in-review post just goes to show how hectic September has been for us so far (or is it just showing how lazy I have become with blogging?). After our week’s vacation (which I organized guest posts for) at the end of August, school started, as did soccer and so we are still trying to get into a routine with all of that. Plus Fall allergies are here with a vengeance! I’ve only started to suffer with Fall allergies over the last couple of years, but this year seems to be worse than ever. Any survival tips?

Anyway, back to August…the end of summer is always a whirlwind. Buying school supplies, trying to make the most of the weather, and prepping for vacation. I can never quite figure out if we are coming or going!

Vacation was great! The weather was mostly good, with the typical Florida afternoon storms. We went to Anna Maria Island for a spot of dolphin watching, Bradenton Beach for ice cream, Clearwater Aquarium, spent a half day on a boat getting sunburned (that sea breeze is a bitch!), and ate out at some great restaurants. I even found time to read all three books that I planned!!

The three books I chose for vacation put me back on track with reading. Not that I hadn’t read some really great books prior to that, I just wasn’t reading as frequently. Since blogging, vacation has always put me in a bit of a reading (and blogging) slump, but this year only blogging has suffered. I’m thinking that once we are settled in to our new school day routine, that blogging should pick up again. So don’t disappear on me just yet!

I’m looking forward to reading some really great books this month. In fact, since I’m a little behind on posting this summary, I’ve actually already read 3 of the books already (2 five stars, and a three star) and I’m part way through a fourth. Go me!

Looking Back

I Read:

[Links to Goodreads]

The Secrets of Lake Road by Karen Katchur
Daydreams in Dixie by Beth Albright
Cover of Snow by Jenny Milchman
My Very Best Friend by Cathy Lamb
A Window Opens by Elisabeth Egan
Fates and Furies by Lauren Groff
The Gates of Evangeline by Hester Young
The Art of Crash Landing by Melissa DeCarlo

I Posted:

• [1 Aug] Looking Back (& Ahead): July 2015
• [5 Aug] Guest Post: Talking to Myself While Shopping by Cathy Lamb
• [11 Aug] Top Ten Tuesday: My Most Read Authors
• [12 Aug] Harlequin’s Come Away With Me Bucket List Contest
• [13 Aug] The Ones We Trust by Kimberly Belle ★★★★★
• [14 Aug] Bookish (and not so Bookish) Thoughts [26]
• [20 Aug] Bookish (and not so Bookish) Thoughts [27]
• [21 Aug] My Very Best Friend by Cathy Lamb ★★★★
• [22 Aug] My (Ambitious) Vacation Reading Plans
• [23 Aug] The Secrets of Lake Road by Karen Katchur ★★★
• [24 Aug] Come Away with Me by Karma Brown ★★★★★
• [25 Aug] Guest Post: The Early Bird catches the…words? by Karma Brown
• [27 Aug] Guest Post: Six Months as a Published Author by Cynthia Swanson
• [28 Aug] Guest Post: When Truth and Fiction Collide by Kimberly Belle

Looking Ahead

I Plan to Read:

[Links to Goodreads]

The Mistake I Made by Paula Daly
After You by Jojo Moyes
Everything She Forgot by Lisa Ballantyne
Pretending to Dance by Diane Chamberlain
The Good Neighbor by Amy Sue Nathan
Crooked Little Lies by Barbara Taylor Sissel
The Gilded Life of Matilda Duplaine by Alex Brunkhorst

Which books did you read last month? Any that you would recommend?