So I only read 10 books in August which is lower than my average but I am planning to read a lot more in September despite going back to college.
Red Dragon by Thomas Harris – Will Graham was a brilliant profiler of criminals for the FBI – until he suffered terrible injuries in the process of capturing Dr. Hannibal ‘the Cannibal’ Lecter. Years later, a serial killer nicknamed ‘the Tooth Fairy’ is massacring entire families each full moon. With the FBI desperate for progress, Will reluctantly agrees to consult. But he soon realises that he alone can’t crack the case; he needs the help of the only mind even better than his own at understanding the mentalities of psychopaths. The mind of Hannibal Lecter. But Hannibal is playing his own twisted game from the asylum for the criminally insane. Will isn’t alone in getting advice from the cannibal. So is the Tooth Fairy – the man haunted by visions of the murderous Red Dragon…
2. Splintered by A. G. Howard – This stunning debut captures the grotesque madness of a mystical under-land, as well as a girl’s pangs of first love and independence. Alyssa Gardner hears the whispers of bugs and flowers―precisely the affliction that landed her mother in a mental hospital years before. This family curse stretches back to her ancestor Alice Liddell, the real-life inspiration for Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Alyssa might be crazy, but she manages to keep it together. For now. When her mother’s mental health takes a turn for the worse, Alyssa learns that what she thought was fiction is based in terrifying reality. The real Wonderland is a place far darker and more twisted than Lewis Carroll ever let on. There, Alyssa must pass a series of tests, including draining an ocean of Alice’s tears, waking the slumbering tea party, and subduing a vicious bandersnatch, to fix Alice’s mistakes and save her family. She must also decide whom to trust: Jeb, her gorgeous best friend and secret crush, or the sexy but suspicious Morpheus, her guide through Wonderland, who may have dark motives of his own.
3. Moth in the Mirror by A. G. Howard – An original ebook-only novella in the Splintered series, told from the points of view of both Jeb and Morpheus. Morpheus wants to know more about his rival for Alyssa’s affections, so he digs into Jeb’s memories of his time in Wonderland. But he may be surprised by what he finds. This brand-new story and perspective from A.G. Howard’s dark, magical world stands alone, but also provides a tantalizing glimpse of what’s to come in Unhinged, the sequel to Splintered.
4. Wicked Fox by Kat Cho – Eighteen-year-old Gu Miyoung has a secret–she’s a gumiho, a nine-tailed fox who must devour the energy of men in order to survive. Because so few believe in the old tales anymore, and with so many evil men no one will miss, the modern city of Seoul is the perfect place to hide and hunt. But after feeding one full moon, Miyoung crosses paths with Jihoon, a human boy, being attacked by a goblin deep in the forest. Against her better judgment, she violates the rules of survival to rescue the boy, losing her fox bead–her gumiho soul–in the process. Jihoon knows Miyoung is more than just a beautiful girl–he saw her nine tails the night she saved his life. His grandmother used to tell him stories of the gumiho, of their power and the danger they pose to men. He’s drawn to her anyway. When he finds her fox bead, he does not realize he holds her life in his hands. With murderous forces lurking in the background, Miyoung and Jihoon develop a tenuous friendship that blossoms into something more. But when a young shaman tries to reunite Miyoung with her bead, the consequences are disastrous and reignite a generations-old feud . . . forcing Miyoung to choose between her immortal life and Jihoon’s.
5. Beauty and Chaos by Michael Pronko – Tokyo–City of Contradictions? Yes and no! The largest city in the world teems with chaotic energy and serene, human-scale beauty. Want to know the real city? Writing about Tokyo for over 15 years, essayist and professor Michael Pronko opens up Tokyo life and reveals what’s beneath the gleaming, puzzling exterior of the biggest city in the world. Whether contemplating Tokyo’s odd-shaped bonsai houses, endless walls of bottles, pachinko parlors, chopstick ballet or the perilous habit of running for trains, the 45 essays in Beauty and Chaos explore Tokyo from inside to reveal the city’s deeper meanings and daily pleasures. In turns comic, philosophic, descriptive and exasperated, Pronko’s essays have been popular with Japanese readers for more than a decade.
6. Redwood and Ponytail by K. A. Holt – Kate and Tam meet, and both of their worlds tip sideways. At first, Tam figures Kate is your stereotypical cheerleader; Kate sees Tam as another tall jock. And the more they keep running into each other, the more they surprise each other. Beneath Kate’s sleek ponytail and perfect façade, Tam sees a goofy, sensitive, lonely girl. And Tam’s so much more than a volleyball player, Kate realizes: She’s everything Kate wishes she could be. It’s complicated. Except it’s not. When Kate and Tam meet, they fall in like. It’s as simple as that. But not everybody sees it that way. This novel in verse about two girls discovering their feelings for each other is a universal story of finding a way to be comfortable in your own skin.
7. Motions and Moments by Michael Pronko – Motions and Moments is the third book by Michael Pronko on life in the biggest city in the world. Based on two decades living, teaching and writing in Tokyo, the author examines how Tokyoites work, dress, commute, eat and sleep with an eye for detail and a passion for the city. The writing is steeped in the city’s perpetual energy and filled with insights into the engaging, intricate life in one of the most dynamic places in the world. Included are topics about living in small spaces, learning to love crowds, dealing with Tokyo’s uncertainties and surviving the earthquake. As in his first two books, the pieces capture the ceaseless flow and passing mini-dramas of the city with gentle humor and rich detail. These memoir-like writings delve into the vibrancy and fluidity of Tokyo and ponder what it all means with delight and perception.
8. Untoward Awakening by Sara Secora – Amethysta Serelle is alone. Her loved ones are gone, and her dire secret—her unexplained magical power—now rests solely on her wary shoulders. As she struggles to understand and harness her power, Amethysta must remain mindful of her royal obligations as heir to the Northwind throne. The balancing act proves tenuous, and with one crucial mistake, the worst outcome becomes her reality and compels her to leave everything behind. To her fortune, a familiar face returns as her guide, and together they set out to far-off lands, traversing treacherous mountains and perilous seas, knowing that this is their final chance to alter Amethysta’s fate—and perhaps that of the entire realm. The great unknown stretches out ahead, and the ghosts of the past are never far behind…
9. Battle Royale by Koushun Takami – Battle Royale is a high-octane thriller about senseless youth violence, and one of Japan’s bestselling – and most controversial – novels. As part of a ruthless program by the totalitarian government, a group of high school students are taken to a small isolated island with a map, food, and various weapons. Forced to wear special collars that explode when thy break a rule, they must fight each other for three days until only one remains.
10. Cherry by Lindsey Rosin – There’s a first time for everything . . . Layla, Alex, Zoe and Emma are four best friends with not a lot in common. Well, except one thing . . . But they’re determined to lose ‘that thing’ by the time they graduate high school. Yes, the time has come to Do It. To make love. To have all the sex. It’s momentous, it’s huge, it’s important and it’s life-changing. Or . . . is it? Although each of the girls sets out with a pretty certain idea of what the Big Moment will be like, as they’ll discover, life doesn’t always work out the way you expect. And in their search for something huge, important and life-changing, they’ll discover that they already have it – in each other.
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