My August Reads & Watches: A Roundup
See what I've been into & vote on the topic/criteria for the September book battle
This month is special.
By that I mean I would like to be on extended holiday, but I’m not. I’m actually working more now than ever, and popping outside to catch some sun with a book in my hand whenever I can.
Between my new editing work, revising my novel, and publishing my new Cozy Sci-Fi Comedy series here weekly on Substack, I’m 🏃♀️🏃♀️➡️👩💻!
That means the book battles will continue, but every other month, so the next one will be in September. Alternate months will be my new book or book-related roundups around various themes, like this one.
However, I still want you to vote on HOW I pick the next reads that we will battle over, so be sure to vote in the poll at the bottom of this post.
What I’m Reading Now
House of Marionne by J. Elle (re-read)
It’s a YA Contemporary Urban Fantasy set in a secret society of magic among debutantes, and the assassins are my favorites. I’m re-reading this now…
…because the sequel comes out next month on September 3rd! Look at that beautiful cover:
Pre-order Shadows of Perl here on Barnes & Noble.
Behind the Crimson Curtain by E.B. Golden
This is an Adult Action-Adventure Fantasy with a dual timeline in a world full of spies and revolution. Imagine something with Les Miserables vibes set in a place where face-changing magic is possible. 🥰 There’s a deal on the new Amazon First Reads program where this month you can get the pre-release ebook of Behind the Crimson Curtain for free with an Amazon Prime subscription or at a discount of $1.99.
The official release of paperback & hardback books isn’t until next month.
And did I mention this is the debut novel of one of my book coaches? I’m so proud! They’re at tenaciouswriting.com.
Spare by Prince Harry
I finally got around to reading this, and I’m enjoying it more than I thought I would.
Some of it is TMI — like I could do without the mentions of certain frostbitten body parts – but other moments are very moving, like his struggle to accept that Diana had actually died and not faked her death to finally escape the press that quite literally killed her. It’s refreshing to hear his side of the story because I was rather sick of the way the press has constantly attacked them, and I can understand the desire to speak out against it all through this book.
What I’m Watching
All of this is on Netflix…
The Dead Boy Detectives
**Note (update in November 2024): I’m aware of the upsetting news about the allegations against Neil Gaiman. I always want the truth to come out in such cases. The saddest part is that by the time the stories he made come out on the big screen, these stories become a product of large teams of other writers and actors I adore, and I don’t want them to be punished for whatever may happen to Neil. Thus, I am keeping the links to these productions up on my site.
Original post continues:
This dramedy is based on characters created by Neil Gaiman, but the series itself is written by Steve Yockey. The result is that it feels very Gaiman-like – for instance, Death is still played by Kirby Howell-Baptiste, whom I ADORE in this role, and that has the very authentic SANDMAN voice & style we all love.
However, the world of “Dead Boy Detectives” feels like its own thing too, and there were parts where I thought, “Gaiman would’ve written this a bit differently.” Still, it’s wild, completely different, and fun.
The Parisian Agency / L’Agence
It’s real name in French is:
This show is wonderful because it’s a real family-based real estate agency, and it’s all in French with English subtitles, but I have no trouble following along. The series follows ups and downs in their personal lives and family dynamics as the husband & wife realtors are passing the business onto their sons, and you can see the incredible luxury properties that they sell (including literal castles). I’m a Francophile myself with all the research I’ve done for my own novel set in Paris, & I have been there (see my blog post on traveling to Paris), so I can appreciate a lot about this show.
Queen Charlotte
I only saw a little bit when it first came out, & now I want to finish it.
Honestly, I watch this for the extraordinary costumes and Lady Danbury, my favorite Bridgerton character. It’s wonderful to get backstory on her younger life in this as she befriends the Queen.
My favorite line so far is when Charlotte first sees the pomeranian puppy George sends her as a gift and goes:
“What is it? Dogs are big and majestic, like a pinscer, dobermans, schnauzers, shepherds, great danes. THAT is a deformed bunny.”
By the way… has anyone seen this show? ⬇️The trailer looks good. Thoughts? Reply in the comments and let me know!
